Practicing With Small Handguns
My latest article for Shooting Illustrated is up. This one has a good 50 round practice session for small guns such as the LCP and J frames.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/practicing-with-small-handguns/
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
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.
Stupidity in the Gun Community
Seen on a Facebook forum I’m a member of.
Original Post
Wife carry’s [is] an LC380ca. She has an issue with the mag release due to long finger nails. Gun shop says they don’t make an extended one. Other than trimming nails does anyone have any ideas. Thanks
Various stupid responses from Common Tater ‘gun experts’ aka Mr. Potato Heads.
Common Tater One
Divorce. Wtf
Possibly Reasonable comment
Bodyguard
Common Tater Two
Every guy remembers the day he said,” she’d be better with talons on her hands”, NOT
Common Tater Three
Trade in for girl with dirt under her nails.
Common Tater Four
a different gun if she does not want to cut her fingernails
A sensible comment
Are LC380 parts shared with any other Ruger models? Maybe a different model with larger aftermarket support is compatible
Common Tater Five
She has a choice: long fingernails or personal safety. 🤷
Common Tater Six
Buy a bigger gun…🌴👮♂️🌴🤣
Common Tater Seven
Revolver if she cant do mag releases due to nails
Claude Werner
It may not be her nails. My LC9S is the hardest gun I own to get the magazine to drop out consistently. It’s a good gun in every other respect but the mag drop is always a problem.
Gunfighter Challenge
#fridayfundamentals
James Butler Hickok, better known as ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok# was murdered on August 2, 1876. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-jackmccall/ He was one of the best known of the Old West gunfighters and his shooting prowess was well recognized. But what did being a ‘good shot’ exactly mean in those days?
The American Mercury, a now defunct magazine, published an article in October 1937 titled “The Myth of the Two-Gun Man.” In it was a first hand account of what the Old West gunfighters actually considered ‘good’ shooting. The account came from Luther North, a contemporary of Wild Bill’s, and it is a far cry from hip shooting and unsighted fire.
Frank was Luther’s brother Major Frank North, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_North another contemporary of Wild Bill’s. So the gunfighters’ test was six shots at 10 yards using the Primary Hand Only, untimed. To be considered ‘good,’ the gunman had to hit all six shots in a 5 inch square target. At least one of the six had to hit an unseen one inch square dead center of the target. That’s an interesting contrast to the mythology of the Wild West gunfight.
Put on a sheet of paper, it would look like this.
A PDF of the target is attached. This short challenge is easily shot at almost any indoor range. Try it out and see how your marksmanship compares to an Old West gunfighter like Wild Bill.
If you like my work, please join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
Recoil Management and Trigger Manipulation
#fridayfundamentals
“The purpose of the drill is to practice recoil management and trigger manipulation.”
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/jim-cirillo-s-1-2-3-6-drill/
Sometimes we take things for granted. A more thorough explanation would have been that for each shot, the shooter does four things in sequence.
- Acquire an acceptable sight picture
- Press the trigger smoothly and fire
- Reset the trigger in recoil while the sights are returning to the target
- Take up the slack in the trigger as the sights settle on the target, and finally
- When an acceptable sight picture is acquired, smoothly press the trigger to fire again
If you like my work, join me on Patreon where I post more in-depth articles about shooting, marksmanship, and incident analysis.
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.
Deep Dive Into California
Doing more research for my Shooting Illustrated series about using CCW Qualification Courses as training structures led to exploring the California Qualification Courses. California has an unusual system in that the State mandates the requirements for the issue of a Concealed Carry License but the Licenses are issued by County Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police. The requirement for live fire is specified in California law but the actual Course of Fire is delegated to the issuing authority.
“SECTION 1. Section 26165 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
(b) A licensing authority shall establish, and make available to the public, the standards it uses when issuing licenses with regards to the required live-fire shooting exercises, including, but not limited to, a minimum number of rounds to be fired and minimum passing scores from specified firing distances.”
As a result, there is a wide variety of “live fire shooting exercises” among the issuing authorities in California. In some cases, the requirement is a relatively simple untimed Qualification Course of 10 to 18 rounds. In other locations, a long, elaborate, and difficult to administer scheme is perpetrated to make the process and qualification very difficult. A few Sheriffs require their Course to be shot twice, once for ‘practice’ and once for qualification.
Some are clearly designed to be five shot revolver friendly, others not so much. Without a shadow of a doubt, having to shoot 50 rounds through a J Frame for practice and then another 50 rounds for qualification in a three hour period is not conducive to good shooting. When the Course of Fire includes a timed requirement at 15 yards and the target is the 7 ring of a B-27, it’s even more difficult. That’s not setting applicants for success.
The most interesting thing I found related to the fact that any weapon carried has to be listed on the License and qualified with. The issuing authority determines what is an acceptable weapon. The Contra Costa County Sheriff has a long list of unacceptable weapons with some surprising inclusions.
- Prohibited firearms include any single action only firearms. This includes any semi-automatic handgun made by any manufacturer built on the Colt 1911 configuration.
- Firearms with attached laser sights, flashlights, red dots, and sighting systems [???] are not acceptable.
- Firearms which have been modified, including modifications to triggers, slides, safety mechanisms, conversions, and magazine releases are not approved.
- Any modifications to firearms after issuance of a permit may result in revocation.
- Glow in the dark or luminescent sights are acceptable. (That’s generous).
- Acceptable firearms include revolvers or semi-automatics with a caliber of not less than .32 or greater than .45. So you recoil sensitive folks who have a hard time shooting the qualification with a centerfire handgun are out of luck.
- Weapons will be inspected for suitability by an Office of the Sheriff Range Master at the time of qualification.
The Course I like best is San Diego County’s. It’s clearly designed to be workable with a J Frame.
- 3 yards: three rounds strong hand, two rounds support hand
- 5 yards: five rounds two hands
- 7 yards: five rounds two hands
Unfortunately, San Diego County does not comply with Penal Code § 26165, subd. (b).) and make available to the public “the minimum number of rounds to be fired and minimum passing scores from specified firing distances.” However, the structure is readily available from secondary sources. Passing is either 12 or 13 hits out of 15 shots; sources vary.
The one I find the most obnoxious is the course used by Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff, Orange County Sheriff, San Jose Police Department, and Santa Monica Police Department. Not because it’s the hardest because it’s not. Their Course is shot at 3, 5, and 7 yards like San Diego’s. It’s also untimed like San Diego’s. But the requirement is to shoot 24 rounds at each distance. What is the point of shooting 24 rounds at 3 yards? That’s only to make it fatiguing, more expensive, and annoying.
Although many thought that the Bruen decision https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/new-york-state-rifle-pistol-association-inc-v-bruen/ was going to make things better in California, it’s not clear that the situation has improved. This notice appears on the Alameda County Sheriff’s CCW webpage. “NOTICE: As implemented by SB2, psychological service fee has increased to $400, effective immediately.” That’s just the cost to get a shrink to write that you’re not a wacko. All the other fees are on top of that.
I feel for our brothers and sisters in California. It used to be a pretty nice place to live but no more.
Here are my Shooting Illustrated articles.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/organizing-your-shooting-practice/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/shooting-practice-for-a-criminal-encounter/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/three-shots-in-three-seconds/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/home-defense-pistol-skills/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/tightening-your-accuracy-and-performance-standards/
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/practicing-precision-and-transitions/
Tightening Your Accuracy and Performance Standards
My latest Shooting Illustrated article is up.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/tightening-your-accuracy-and-performance-standards
The New Mexico Competency Demonstration was the final exercise in my Revolver Operator Course. Those who had snubs were encouraged to shoot it with their little guns. Shooters can put variations in it to make it even more relevant for Personal Protection practice. In ROC, I made it simple; five shots with two hands, five shots with the Primary Hand Only, and five shots with the Support Hand Only. For the article, I put a little different spin on it.
Here are the images that weren’t used.
Friday Fundamentals – Terminology
#fridayfundamentals
In reply to the Back to Basics WheelgunWednesday post, a pertinent question came up.
“I was ‘hammering’ instead of firing a ‘controlled pair.’
What do you mean by hammering?”
Great question – thanks for asking. Sometimes we trainers take our subject matter knowledge for granted. Several concepts developed by Jeff Cooper have remained constant despite having been formulated nearly half a century ago.
Fundamental Terminology
- Flash Sight Picture
- Controlled Pair
- Hammer
Flash Sight Picture
The concept of accepting that perfect sight alignment is not necessary to achieve an acceptable hit. Shooters often assume that they need to obtain a perfect sight picture for acceptable hits.
That’s not necessarily the case, depending on the distance to target.
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2015/02/06/89081/
https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2015/10/02/friday-fundamentals-segment-2/
Controlled Pair
Achieving an acceptable sight picture on a target, firing a shot, bringing the pistol down in recoil, obtaining a second acceptable sight picture, and firing a second shot.
Hammer
Achieving an acceptable sight picture on a target, firing a shot, bringing the pistol down in recoil, and firing a second shot using only a physical index to the target without regard to achieving a second sight picture.
Note that the term ‘double tap’ is obsolete because it could refer to either a controlled pair or a hammer and so is inadequate as a description. Others have written in-depth articles about Cooper’s concepts so I will just link to them.
Flash Sight Picture
Chris Baker
Jim Wilson
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/sheriff-s-tips-understanding-the-flash-sight-picture
Hammer v. Controlled Pair
Jim Wilson
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/whatever-happened-to-the-double-tap
Darryl Bolke via Greg Ellifritz
Chgowiz wins a free book of mine for asking a great question.
Back to Basics WheelgunWednesday
#wheelgunwednesday
Going back to basics occasionally helps me get back in the groove. Two basic exercises I like for the snub revolver are the LAPD Retired Officer Qualification Course and the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Level 1 test.
The LAPD course is described in the LAPD Manual.
“The starting position for this qualifying course of fire will begin at the 7 Yard Line. When the target faces, the shooter will draw and fire 10 rounds at a single silhouette target. A score of 70 percent is required to pass the qualification. All rounds impacting anywhere on the body and head will receive full value and rounds impacting upon the arms are half value.”
Basics of Pistol Shooting Level 1 test consists of shooting five shots into a circle that is four inches in diameter at a distance of 10 feet. All five shots must hit or cut the circle. It must be done four time, not necessarily consecutively, to pass BOPS.
For both tests, I include opening and spinning the cylinder periodically to create ball and dummy practice. In the LAPD Course, I also include a few initial dry practice draws, a la the NY State CCL Qualification, staggered loading with loose rounds during the first five shots, presenting from Low Ready, firing different numbers of rounds, and a reload with a loading device for the second five.
During my initial run of LAPD (I did four), I noticed that a couple of my shots went high. Upon repeating it, I realized that I was ‘hammering’ instead of firing a ‘controlled pair.’ That was probably the reason I had a couple of high hits during the Rangemaster Pistol Match https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2024/04/10/tactical-conference-2024-pistol-match/.
I used a target that I found on the range. The hits covered with masking tape are mine. The ones with pasters are from the previous and unknown shooter. The two hits just below the neck line were the ones probably the result of hammering.
Since BOPS has four strings, I used the opportunity to tune up with several different loading devices. One was an HKS speedloader and the others were various tools from Zeta6 that I like. All the Zeta6 devices are modified with Retention Rings. I find the Retention Ring is a handy addition for getting the device out of my pocket.
It was a nice little tuneup. The day was nice and the results were satisfying.
tacticalprofessor 
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