Fraternity Picnic Shooting
A précis of the incident:
- Fraternity holds picnic at an Atlanta park
- Uninvited intruder wearing ski mask crashes picnic and starts a confrontation
- Fraternity members try to de-escalate the situation
- Masked intruder pulls out a gun and starts shooting
- A fraternity Brother is shot in the head and dies on scene
- Other fraternity Brothers, who have Weapons Carry Licenses, are armed
- They draw their guns and shoot the masked intruder
- Intruder is neutralized with bullets and later expires in hospital
Sad that carrying a pistol has become a necessity even at a pleasant fellowship event but I’m glad the Brothers had theirs. It could have been much worse. There are a lot of emboldened wackos wandering around. The report indicated that the intruder had been walking down the sidewalk next to the park and just decided to make trouble for an unknown reason.
RIP Mr. Pearson.
Armed Citizen Scenarios
#scenariosunday
I was nostalgic today for older style IDPA Scenarios like we used to shoot in the sport’s early days. Twenty-five years ago, there wasn’t much reloading on the clock and stages often consisted of multiple strings having six shots or less. It’s a different sport now.
My nostalgia caused me to write a new stage and redesign an older one. One is based on an Armed Citizen incident and the other on an actual car burglary and murder. The stages are called the Chicargo Practical Event and Muffler Thieves.
I finished up with the Old West Shootist’s Challenge. My Little Crappy Pistol (LCP) did just fine.
It was a fun afternoon. I’m going to do it every month, as if it was my own private match.
If you are interested in more in-depth commentary about shooting and Personal Protection incident analysis, please consider subscribing to my Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/c/TacticalProfessor
Practicing with a Snub Revolver
Favorite Five Shot Snub Revolver Courses of Fire
#wheelgunwednesday
While some consider the five shot snub revolver passé, it is still a common self-defense tool and viable when used correctly. Using a snub correctly does require a bit of familiarity and practice, so here are some practice regimens that are appropriate for snubs and can be used at most indoor ranges. CCW Qualification Courses have value in that they provide structure for practice and a modest measure of skill determination. Note that simply shooting a CCW Qualification Course on your own DOES NOT mean you are authorized to carry a handgun in that area. Check the local laws for carry requirements.
All Courses of Fire are untimed. Any silhouette target can be used. When using the B-27 target, only count hits inside the 8 ring. For those who feel confident of their marksmanship ability, put a sheet of paper on the silhouette and only count hits on it.
- New York State CCW Qualification Course – 5 rounds
- Silhouette at 4 yards.
- With an unloaded revolver, draw, snap at the target, and safely reholster. Draw the unloaded revolver, load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target.
- Four of five rounds must hit the target to successfully qualify.
- Nevada CCW Qualification (5 shot revolver version) – 25 rounds
- Silhouette at 3 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 5 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target, reload, and fire five more rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 7 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target, reload, and fire five more rounds at the target.
- Of the 25 rounds, 18 must hit the target to qualify.
- LAPD Retired Officer Qualification Course – 10 rounds
- Silhouette at 7 yards.
- Load with five rounds and reholster. Draw, shoot five rounds, reload, and shoot five more. If the range does not permit drawing from a holster, start from Low Ready.
- Seven of the 10 rounds must hit for a successful qualification.
- San Diego (California) Sheriff CCW Qualification Course – 15 rounds
- Silhouette at 7 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 5 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready. Fire five rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 3 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready, holding the revolver in the Primary Hand Only. Fire three rounds at the target. Transfer the revolver to the Support Hand Only and fire two more rounds at the target.
- Of the 15 rounds, 13 must hit the target to qualify.
- Kansas Concealed Carry License Qualification Test – 25 rounds
- Silhouette at 3 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready, holding the revolver in the Primary Hand Only. Fire five rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 7 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready with both hands. Fire five rounds at the target, reload, and fire five more rounds at the target.
- Move Silhouette to 10 yards.
- Load with five rounds, and come to Low Ready with both hands. Fire five rounds at the target, reload, and fire five more rounds at the target.
- Eighteen of the 25 rounds must hit the target to qualify.
Trigger manipulation practice is enhanced if after firing a shot, we open the cylinder, spin it, and then close it without looking at the round placement. Only fire one shot after closing the cylinder and then open and spin it again. As the rounds become fired, we will encounter fired cases as we press the trigger. By watching the sights carefully as we press the trigger, any jerking of the trigger will be obvious. These dummy snaps are where we learn to press the trigger smoothly.
Although reloading can be done with loose ammunition from a box of ammo, it’s more useful to have some kind of loading device. Using a loading device gives some practice at reloading the revolver under some conditions of stress. The snub shooting organization Snub Noir https://snubnoir.com/ uses three devices in their matches. They are looped ammunition carrier, flexible loading strip, and speed loader. Other possibilities are 2x2x2 ammo pouch and dump pouch for loose ammunition.
These Courses of Fire don’t have to be shot all at once. At the point of feeling fatigued or bruised from recoil, pack it up, and call it a day. Have fun with your practice and you’ll be more inclined to do it more often.
TacCon 2025 Match
The Rangemaster 2025 Tactical Conference is a wrap. For the Match, 251 participants (63%) of approximately 400 shows for the Conference chose to shoot the Match. It consisted of 30 rounds for the Four Second Standards and five rounds for the Tiebreaker that was shot immediately after the Standards. The target was the Rangemaster Q and more specifically the eight inch circle in the upper chest. All equipment had to be completely concealed.
I chose to shoot it with my Taurus 856 snub with Viridian LaserGrips. The laser dot was visible at all distances involved. To reload, I used a pocket full of Zeta6 K Pak2 loading strips.
FOUR SECOND STANDARDS
- 3 yards – Draw and fire 6 shots
- 5 yards – Draw and fire 5 shots
- 5 yards – Draw and fire 5 shots
4. 5 yards – From Low Ready, Present and fire 4 shots, Primary Hand Only
5. 5 yards – From Low Ready, Present and fire 3 shots, Support Hand Only
6. 7 yards – Draw and fire 4 shots
7. 10 yards – Draw and fire 3 shots
30 rounds subtotal for the Standards
TIEBREAKER
• 5 yards – From Low Ready, fire 5 shots to the head, individually timed and scored.
5 hits – 3.01 seconds
35 rounds total for the Match
My final place was 167 out of the 251 participants. Considering only one other shooter used a revolver and that was a 686 Plus, I’m happy with how I did.
Open Carry v. Doofus Carry
A video is circulating on the Interwebz now about an unfortunate situation in which a man’s gun was snatched from him in a gas station. He chased the thief and was subsequently shot with his own gun.
Although I am not a fan of Open Carry, let’s analyze the situation in a little more depth. The proximate cause of the snatch was that he simply stuck his gun in his back pocket unconcealed and then walked into a crowded environment where a bunch of lowlifes were coming and going.
As a result, a ne’er-do-well nonchalantly walked up behind him and simply grabbed the gun out of his pocket.
The carry technique the man was using is more correctly described as “Doofus Carry,” having two parts. There’s no back story to the incident but it wouldn’t be surprising to find that his usual carry technique is in the side door pocket of his car. If so, then when he pulled into the gas station and saw a bunch of lowlifes going in and out, he decided to stick his gun in his pocket when he went in. He probably didn’t stick it in the front of his waistband because he had a striker fired gun and was concerned about ‘shooting his junk off.’
Sticking a gun in a back pocket is not the same thing as having it in a proper holster attached to the belt.
If my hypothesis is correct, it leads more credence to something the late Pat Rogers often said:
“Your car is not a holster.”
To reiterate, I’m not advocating Open Carry. But, if you’re going to carry a gun, at do it right. Have a decent holster and belt. Use it all the time when you leave home. If it’s uncomfortable and you don’t like wearing it, get a better holster or consider getting a more comfortable gun. “Your gun should be comforting not comfortable” is possibly the most ridiculous statement that’s ever been made about firearms.
The one good piece of advice in these retellings is that if your gun does get taken from you, Let it go. https://www.patreon.com/posts/let-it-go-107811846 The thief is now armed and you’re not. Chasing the felon means you’re going unarmed to a potential shooting. That’s a Serious Mistake. Don’t be foolish and assume the thief isn’t familiar and experienced with guns. As this incident shows, that’s the formula for a Negative Outcome.
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
Periodic Personal Evaluation
#saturdayskillsczech
My December article for Shooting Illustrated is entitled Near to Far Marksmanship Practice.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/near-to-far-marksmanship-practice/
Although New Jersey made a strong try to keep people from getting their License To Carry, the qualification course itself is a decent practice regimen. It’s also a useful metric for measuring your skill periodically.
Try shooting it on an IALEFI-Q and score it by the rings. Center ring gets 5 points, next ring get 4 points, balance of the Q receives 3 points. Hits inside the face circle score 5 points. Anything outside the Q scores 0. A Possible would be 250 points (5 x50 shots). If you don’t have an IALEFI target, just trace around a paper plate in approximately the same place on your silhouette. Your scoring is then 5 points for the circle and 3 points for the rest of the silhouette.
To make it a good tune-up and personal evaluation, shoot the course as a version of Jimmy Cirillo’s 1-2-3-6 drill. Instead of 6, fire 4 shots for the final string. Start loaded with 6 rounds only. Draw and fire 1 shot, reholster, draw and fire 2 shots, reholster, draw and fire 3 shots, reload, and immediately fire 4 shots. Bear in mind that the second most missed shot in shooting is the shot immediately following clearing a stoppage. The reality of transitioning back to trigger control after doing a gross motor manipulation can be tricky.
Since CCARE starts at 3 yards, at that distance shoot all face shots. Repeat the same sequence at 5 yards, 7 yards, 10 yards, and 15 yards but shoot for the 8 inch circle. After shooting each distance, tape your hits before moving to the next distance. At the end of the course of fire, place your pistol in whatever condition you wish to when you leave the range.
Although the CCARE is rather stringent for a CCW qualification, it has value as a practice regimen. It includes a minimum of 10 presentations to the target or 15 if you use the 1-2-3-4 sequence. There are multiple opportunities to practice reloading, and it’s highly manageable with wheelguns. Even J-Frames can work, just reload in a slightly different sequence. It’s a good use for a box of practice ammo.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – September 2024
The September edition showcases Negative Outcome. There’s also a link to a superb live rendition of The Ecstasy of Gold by The Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-113039247
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – September 2024
The Good
Retired Army colonel shoots robber [who] shot him 3 times, Cullman sheriff says
If you have a malfunction, don’t throw your pistol away; that’s a Serious Mistake. A better title for the article would have been ‘Army Colonel Shot 3 Times by Robber He Shot After Throwing His Pistol Away.’
The Bad
Two articles this month are worthy inclusions for the Second Edition of Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make. One relates to Improper Storage and the other to Chasing and Shooting
Important Safety Tip: Don’t Store Firearms In Your Oven
We would think this goes without saying but apparently not.
Man arrested after allegedly chasing and shooting man who siphoned gas from his car
When the criminal breaks contact, we need to do the same thing; break contact. In terms of mindset, frustration and guns should not occur in the same sentence.
The Ugly
3 women killed, gunman dead in Hawaii after dispute between neighbors leads to gunfire
People are unpredictable. Just because your cause is righteous doesn’t mean a Negative Outcome won’t occur. Having a wacko drive a front end loader into your home and then starting shooting people is definitely a Negative Outcome.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the September edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – July 2024
No incidents from Chicargo in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly this month. There is one in The Armed Citizen column though, a bicycle robbery.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-109150993
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – July 2024
The Good
Prosecutor says deadly shooting in downtown Anderson appears to be self-defense
Many, perhaps most, shootings take place in Social Space. This appears to be one of them.
The Bad
[Unintentional] shooting at Kentucky gun store under investigation
Another story emphasizing the importance of safe gunhandling by observing Fundamental Rules at all times. A combination of Rule Two (Point in a safe direction) and Rule Three (Keep finger outside trigger guard) violations caused the death of an innocent bystander. Rule One (All guns are always loaded) applies no matter where you are, even when examining a gun taken out of a display case.
The Ugly
Two women involved in custody battle shot dead
People sometimes get insane over child custody. Every unpleasant custody battle story I read makes me glad my parents weren’t like that.
“A 65-year-old retired probation officer from Chicago fatally shot her grandchild’s mother on an Upper East Side street Friday just yards from Gracie Mansion, then turned the gun on herself, NYPD detectives said.”
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the July edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – June 2024
Unsurprisingly, my hometown of Chicargo leads the post this month. Fortunately, the incidents fell in the Good category. Safety and mindset are fundamental in the other incidents.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-107216506
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – June 2024
The Good – Shenanigans from Chicargo
Chicago concealed carry holder scares off armed carjackers in Irving Park
Bonus! The second happened a few blocks from the gas station (probably gone by now) where I worked after school in my Senior year. It wasn’t a great neighborhood then but apparently has gotten much worse now.
Chicago concealed carry holder shoots 3 men who attacked him in Belmont Cragin
The Bad
School District of Palm Beach County employee accidentally [shoots himself] during ‘training exercise.’
This story points out the importance of safe gunhandling at all times. Guns are relentlessly unforgiving of carelessness.
The Ugly
Minnesota dad told landlord he ‘already dug a hole’ before executing daughter’s boyfriend for suspected abuse
The number of people who feel that gunfire is the solution to most every problem astounds me. Many tools are only for a very specific task and guns are one of those tools.
Enjoy!
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the June edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – May 2024
Gunplay and confrontations can often result in Negative Outcomes, whether well-intentioned or not. This month’s Good, Bad, and Ugly stories are all about Negative Outcomes. There’s a useful warning in each of them.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-may-105306627
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – May 2024
The Good
Murder charge dismissed for Mobile man after hearing
The Bad
1 dead, 3 injured in gunfight during car break-in in Downtown Atlanta
This story sadly echoes the fate of Hollywood actor Johnny Wactor who was killed by felons trying to steal his catalytic converter.
The Ugly
Houston attorney shot and killed after fight with upset McDonald’s customer
Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote “Therefore no good deed is unrewarded, and so every good deed merits some good.” A countervailing viewpoint is often attributed to Clare Boothe Luce – “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Enjoy!
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the May edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
tacticalprofessor 
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