So I'd started to respond to a thread about tap-rac-bang versus waiting out a hangfire, then realized the thread was over 5 years old. So let me start up my own thread, first pasting my response to THAT thread:
---------------- Hangfire Thread -------------------------
Heya, folks. New to the forums, so let me introduce myself by pitching in my two cents. I see a lot of debate about whether to go with tap-rack-bang or wait out the time on a hangfire. Those that state that you should TRB argue that if you don't practice it regularly, you won't handle it well when under fire. Those that argue that you should wait point out that you could be injured, or more likely, damage the weapon. Both are good points. Personally, I'm a "wait" guy, though 15-20 seconds is generally what I teach while practicing aim, and in an active fire situation I reduce that to 2 seconds. I have those I teach practice by occasionally slipping a dummy round into their magazine. I'll also purposely slip in some crappy sub-sonic stuff in the hopes of the occasional stovepipe in training. (Full disclosure: I'm prior military, and those I teach are generally friends and family. I'm not officially certified by any particular group).
The odds of being in a live-fire situation are pretty slim. (In the less than 1% range) but we go through a LOT of rounds at the range. We also see our share of hangfires (though so far, only with the rimfires). I would prefer that in the practice situations, they not injure themselves, or damage my own, or their weaponry. In most cases, a hangfire will pop within that initial 2 seconds (have yet to have one that doesn't, though I've heard it's possible).
In other words, using TRB, it seems that you would significantly increase the odds of taking your entire WEAPON out of the battle if the hangfire pops halfway through the TRB process (which can take just about the right amount of time for the hangfire to pop). Personally, I would prefer to take a couple seconds out of the fight (since my first goal is to find cover in the first place - Rambo never would have made it in real battle) rather than risk being left without a weapon at all. When target practicing, I extend that wait further just to be safe since we have all the time in the world.
----------------------- End Response ----------------------
So now my follow-on question. I've recently become engaged and my fiance got to shoot the first gun in her life (at the age of 27) just a few months ago. Already, she's applying for her CCW and picking out her own 9mm. (Something in pink, I imagine.)
Here in Virginia, I've attended a couple of training classes only to be disappointed with either the lack of information in them, or the outright bad information that's given. (For instance, one instructor taught that revolvers and automatics were essentially interchangeable weapons, then proceeded to show a "proper" hand position with the automatics without mentioning that this same grip would do some serious damage to your thumb if you used it with a revolver.) I found myself often having to take notes to "re-teach" her after the classes.
This said, do any of you folks have any nuggets of knowledge, and lessons learned over your years of experience that you'd care to share in this thread that a newbie could learn from? No doubt, I'll forget something vital during our times at the range, and I know there's even stuff I could learn. Any suggestions from what her first choice for a firearm should be and why, to how to identify and deal with a squib I'm interested in. After two days of searching, there's surprisingly little in the way of a collection of this kind of information consolidated into one place on the 'net.
Thanks all!
-Javin
---------------- Hangfire Thread -------------------------
Heya, folks. New to the forums, so let me introduce myself by pitching in my two cents. I see a lot of debate about whether to go with tap-rack-bang or wait out the time on a hangfire. Those that state that you should TRB argue that if you don't practice it regularly, you won't handle it well when under fire. Those that argue that you should wait point out that you could be injured, or more likely, damage the weapon. Both are good points. Personally, I'm a "wait" guy, though 15-20 seconds is generally what I teach while practicing aim, and in an active fire situation I reduce that to 2 seconds. I have those I teach practice by occasionally slipping a dummy round into their magazine. I'll also purposely slip in some crappy sub-sonic stuff in the hopes of the occasional stovepipe in training. (Full disclosure: I'm prior military, and those I teach are generally friends and family. I'm not officially certified by any particular group).
The odds of being in a live-fire situation are pretty slim. (In the less than 1% range) but we go through a LOT of rounds at the range. We also see our share of hangfires (though so far, only with the rimfires). I would prefer that in the practice situations, they not injure themselves, or damage my own, or their weaponry. In most cases, a hangfire will pop within that initial 2 seconds (have yet to have one that doesn't, though I've heard it's possible).
In other words, using TRB, it seems that you would significantly increase the odds of taking your entire WEAPON out of the battle if the hangfire pops halfway through the TRB process (which can take just about the right amount of time for the hangfire to pop). Personally, I would prefer to take a couple seconds out of the fight (since my first goal is to find cover in the first place - Rambo never would have made it in real battle) rather than risk being left without a weapon at all. When target practicing, I extend that wait further just to be safe since we have all the time in the world.
----------------------- End Response ----------------------
So now my follow-on question. I've recently become engaged and my fiance got to shoot the first gun in her life (at the age of 27) just a few months ago. Already, she's applying for her CCW and picking out her own 9mm. (Something in pink, I imagine.)
Here in Virginia, I've attended a couple of training classes only to be disappointed with either the lack of information in them, or the outright bad information that's given. (For instance, one instructor taught that revolvers and automatics were essentially interchangeable weapons, then proceeded to show a "proper" hand position with the automatics without mentioning that this same grip would do some serious damage to your thumb if you used it with a revolver.) I found myself often having to take notes to "re-teach" her after the classes.
This said, do any of you folks have any nuggets of knowledge, and lessons learned over your years of experience that you'd care to share in this thread that a newbie could learn from? No doubt, I'll forget something vital during our times at the range, and I know there's even stuff I could learn. Any suggestions from what her first choice for a firearm should be and why, to how to identify and deal with a squib I'm interested in. After two days of searching, there's surprisingly little in the way of a collection of this kind of information consolidated into one place on the 'net.
Thanks all!
-Javin
