Confidence with a firearm. Do you have it?

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I have served 20+ years in the U.S Army and qualified Expert countless times with everything I put my hands on when it comes firearms. Just because you can shoot at a range (of any kind) and qualify (Expert) of any sort doesn't mean that you have actually attained the much needed confidence you actually need with a firearm. I have seen people experience a jam and not know what to do.
You need to train with that weapon until it becomes a part of you. That means you know how to put steel on target every time all of the time any time. That is the bottom line "Steel on target". Will you cut and run? Will you panic? Will you freeze up? How would you react? Effective training when properly done is not just going to the range and shooting targets because targets are not a threat to you. Simply put targets don't shoot back. Effective shooting isn't necessarily shooting three inch groups at fifty feet with a small sidearm, it's learning how to smoothly and deliberately bring a weapon to bear on a man who wants to kill you first. Ask yourself this question can you do this under that kind of pressure? No one can really answer that kind of question unless you've been there. But until then the best way to answer that is to train for every scenario that could go wrong. You need to learn how to clear that weapon in the case it jams (Semiautos). You need to practice clearing that weapon until you can practically do it in your sleep. Confidence with your weapon means that you completly trust that weapon to perform for you time after time. Training will actually take place in the face of FEAR
Training reduces fear, Training builds confidence. The more ways you train with your weapon or weapons the better and shooting is like the tip of an iceberg it's only a small part of it.
It's great to go to the range and shoot targets 300 to 500 yards away when I was in the service but now that I am out now the threat is realistically much closer to 3 feet.
Very few people will develop the trust and confidence in their firearms for I know even in today's noncombat arms few do. Oh yeah a fair amount can attain expert but they don't have the trust and confidence of that firearm to pull them out of a bind when the going gets tough and they get into a tight spot.
It's your responsibility to train. It is your responsibilty to dig up the necessary training data for your particular firearm or attend a qualified firearms course with this subject in mind.

 

[benEzra]

Good post.

 

[ShackleMeNot]

I absolutely agree with your post.

Too many gun owners always find money to buy more guns but they think training is unnecessary or too expensive. They have 14 guns sitting in the safe that they never shoot and it still isn't enough.

The sad reality is that very few gun owners can shoot well and even fewer can fight. It isn’t how many guns you own; it’s what you can do with them. It's Mindset and training that make the difference.

 

[sturmruger]

As much as I shoot, I almost feel sorry for a bg if they try to hurt me or someone I love. They probably won't know what hit'em. Your points are all well taken.

I think I will get out and shoot some this weekend if it isn't too cold. I need to do some more drawing from concealment now that I am dressing a little bit warmer.

 

[Working Man]

Training will actually take place in the face of FEAR
Training reduces fear, Training builds confidence....

I agree, if you train to do it right each and every time you will not know any
other way. Habits are acquired and developed, both good and bad.

Keep in mind FEAR is a mindset, a life style, it is confusion at it's very
worst. Fear is the result of not knowing what to do or how to do it. If you
wish to remain alive and in good health are you willing to do so at the cost
of the one who seeks you harm? If so then remove any confusion about why
you are stopping them and how to go about doing it.

 

[Keith Wheeler]

... You need to learn how to clear that weapon in the case it jams (Semiautos). You need to practice clearing that weapon until you can practically do it in your sleep. Confidence with your weapon means that you completly trust that weapon to perform for you time after time. ...

Buy some snap caps. Have your buddies load your mags and you load theirs. Put a random snap cap in a mag or two....that's what my wife and I do for each other.

Great post.

 

[P95Carry]

I enjoy firearms and own many but when it comes to carry I limit my choice greatly. I have been shooting all my (long) life, and for over 30 years with handguns.

I do not chop and change as some seem to on an almost daily basis - feeling that in a sense at least the ''beware the guy with one gun'' counts for something. Be real good with the one that matters.

I could happily and efficiently choose about four gun options to suit carry - the manual of arms of each is known in depth, which includes malfunction drills. It is these I would always practice with most.

This also is why I choose to use the carry platform for IDPA - even tho that may be purely recreational as against hard training - the familiarity with the piece is well reinforced.

I teach newbies and have occasionally been appalled at the person who has just bought a gun, decided to carry - and yet can barely handle it.

 

[Rickstir]

Great post. Me, I do what I can. I carry either a 92FS or a Taurus 2" snubby .357. I carry my 92 FS with one in the pipe and the safety off. Hammer down of course. Then I when I carry either weapon, it is DA. that is the way I carry and train. I do practice reloads with each. I like the idea of a snap cap somewhere in the mag. Next shoot with my brother, we will do that. Thanks for the info; just another reason why I like the Highroad.

 

[f4t9r]

Good post
something to think about

 

[AFhack]

I guess I'm the contrarian here... personally I think this post was a little over the top. Not everyone can afford gunsight or thunder ranch or even their local equivalent. Not everyone has access to a range that lets them practice seeking concealment while recovering from a stoppage. Your points about being able to clear and re-engage are well taken, but being prepared, tactically, for just about any situation is a pipe dream for most of us.

 

[MM]

If you say it is, then IT IS!
SatCong

 

[VaughnT]

Excellent post, and really on point. I've trained under some of the best instructors in the country and I still wonder what I'll do when the time comes. In my line of work, moving money around the southeast, I have run into situations that made me very thankful for the trigger time that I have under my belt. It is because of those instances that I sorta disagree with your statement below,

"Confidence with your weapon means that you completly trust that weapon to perform for you time after time."

I do agree that training with your pistol is very important, and that you should train in a manner that is as realistic as possible. What I don't think pistol training addresses is the Mental Training needed to gain victory in combat.

You ask: "Will you cut and run? Will you panic? Will you freeze up? How would you react?"

How does anyone know the answers to these questions? When I took the TriCon CP1 course, the instructor talked about mindset and the like, but we didn't train that; we shot lots of bullets into paper targets. Sure, we did loads of IAD's and MTE's, but that doesn't turn a man into a lion when the barbarians approach the gates.

How do you turn on the primal aspect of one's mentality to immediately override the societal teachings against violence when a split-second means the difference between living and dying? How does being able to clear a malfunction "almost in your sleep" make one get mad-dog mean when the door crashes open?

I'm not disagreeing with you; I firmly believe that too many gun owners delude themselves into thinking that they will rise to the occassion. How, though, does training to a higher level of proficiency in arms make your ready for combat?

It is my position that the actual act of fighting for your life is about a lot more than being able to shoot on the move or make multiple target engagements or lightning fast presentations or perform an immediate action drill.

I don't have the answers, a fact which haunts me.

 

[P95Carry]

I don't have the answers, a fact which haunts me.

That Vaughn my friend, makes two of us!!

 

[Old Dog]

What? You mean we actually have to train with our guns -- it isn't enough just to own a Glock? -- "Perfection"

Seriously though, while I agree with everything said, seems like we're kinda preachin' to the choir here -- isn't that why we come to this forum? To learn about how we can better utilize these tools, and be prepared in all the other aspects that come with the responsibility of keeping and bearing arms?

That said, I think there are people who will never have that confidence. We had a tragic case up in the Northwest recently that really demonstrated how important mindset and training are. Just having the gun isn't the entire solution ...

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

You don't have to go to the best gun schools. It starts right here. And it starts with that EIGHT POUND COMPUTER on your head use it. Dig through the internet. Talk to people. Talk to Vets. Talk to policemen. "Pick brains" Use that knowledge to practical use. Don't believe the Media and TV. Bullets don't stop at the car door they go through them like hot butter. When I was in Bosnia The Serbs didn't shoot through the windows they shot through the walls where people were behind after shooting through the windows. I know this doesn't apply to this thread to a certain extent but it is the real world.
I will play the devil's advocate with you if you want me to just to get you thinking. Guns are a tool first and foremost. A hobby second. Don't confuse the two. It's not cute.

 

[rocky]

Good post, reaction rathe than thinking of what should I do?

 

[AFhack]

Please don't get me wrong - I agree with a lot of the points you're trying to make... I just think the original post is a bit 'over the top.'

Actually, the line "guns are a tool first and foremost" probably applies to a majority but not to everybody. I know of plenty of target shooters that don't carry CCW or openly, their guns are purely for sport and factor into self defense not at all.

But that's really secondary. How a person is going to react to a real-world shooting situation is hugely variable. Training and familiarization - while hugely valuable, are no guarantees that they're going to do the absolutely best thing in a stressful shooting situation.

If your point is that more training, and the best training you can get, is valuable - then I whole heartedly agree with you. But it's not a guarantee.

And shooting IS a hobby for some, a hobby that will never translate into self defense... that objective in no way takes away from their skills, safety, or training.

 

[Ryder]

Good words U.S.SFC_RET. I've mentioned confidence several times. Very important!

I too qualified expert in small arms (a few times) in the military. That taught technique. There's a lot to be said for trigger control, breath control, grip control, sight alignment, and all that but it doesn't give you confidence to stop an animated target that doesn't want to stop.

I hunted for many years after my military service. I didn't do much live target shooting from blinds. This gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to stop a live moving target. This is not something people should take for granted. I believe it is a skill which improves over time, just like shooting itself.

I've moved on to combat style shooting the last few years and found that all these techniques I worked on over the years are second nature to the point I can easily focus on new styles without losing previously gained abilites.

Confidence brings with it a unique problem. I have survived threats to my life without the use of deadly force. Too many as far as I am concerned. Now I fear over-performing in the face of anger, not under-performing in the face of fear. Nothing is ever simple, is it?

 

[JMusic]

Schools and training are necessary indeed but they in and of themselves are not the answer. I see alot of debate over caliber, accuracy, bullet design. All are important but my experience is getting yourself to the point where you act instictively. You should mentaly run scenerio's through your head on how a situation could happen and how you would react. Easy to say I know but let me give you an example. Early in my carrier in LE I made a decision that I would draw with the intention of shooting and make the mental decision not to shoot if the situation required.
True story. Just prior to my exit from LE I was out with some friends on a raid. Kinda like one more for good times sake. We entered a house of a man suspected of selling prescriptin drugs to school kids. Well we had him dead nuts. His scripts had just been filled and he was down to about 10%. My job was to watch the subject. He was sitting on a bed in the living room shaking like he was freezing to death, he certainly was scared of what he had gotten himself into. As I said he was sitting on the bed and I was standing beside the bed off to his left looking straight ahead.(I shoot Left handed) I noticed out of my periphrial him reach with his right hand to his shirt pocket and then suddenly with his left hand he reached across his body and drove his hand inbetween the matresses. As I was turning my head toward him I was "instinctivley" drawing and pushing my weapon across my body toward his head at the same time pulling on the trigger which was a double action revolver. I can remmeber having the trigger half pulled when he came out with a pack of Marborols. I immediatly quit puling the trigger though I was still pushing the revolver toward him. He reacted to this motion by reflexivly ducking throwing himself off the bed. People he came as close to dying as you can come and still survive. There was no fear or fealing involved in this action until I consciosly stopped the action. Then the rush came. That is the way things happen. This happened almost as fast as you can clap your hands. Thank god I didn't shoot, but there is no doubt that if he would have had a weapon he would have taken the first rounds.
Jim

 

[cz75bdneos22]

good points....

and i agree to a degree ...despite years of learning, practicing and "training"....ymmv...i can't say i'm certifaiably (sp) confident..do what you gonna do, cuz i know what i'm gonna do ...despite my best efforts, i have been hurt physically and emotionally in times of personal defensive crisis situations. Fear is irrational...it does not ask for you permission to incapacitate you...it does wierd/embarrasing things to your body/psyche...you never know how it will impact you until you are "assaulted" by it..yes, training does help, mental preparation helps...just sometimes for me, it wasn't enough. . fortunately i have yet to encounter a lethal ending for me/bad guy so far...i don't particularly want/need the resulting unecessary aggravation in my life...i got enough problems as it is..

 

[JMusic]

Yes I should have finished. Mindset is important, rehearsing scenerios are important but doing it is the key. What some have over civi's with their new ccw permit is experience. No substitute for the school of hard knocks. Doing this week after week certain hones your skills and allows you to have confidence. Frankly after 6months or so of being scared to death reguarly you find that it is hard to scare you anymore. Adrenelin still flows you simply react different. No easy answers my experiences have allowed me to be more confident and frankly allowed me to talk my way out of trouble instead of talking my way into it.
Jim

 

[pax]

... Not everyone can afford gunsight or thunder ranch or even their local equivalent. Not everyone has access to a range that lets them practice seeking concealment while recovering from a stoppage. Your points about being able to clear and re-engage are well taken, but being prepared, tactically, for just about any situation is a pipe dream for most of us.

AFhack ~

My grandpa used to tell me, "Don't let what you cannot do, interfere with what you can do." I've always found that to be pretty good advice.

Even if your range doesn't allow you to work from the holster, you can still work from the holster when you dryfire in your own home (being sure to follow the dryfire safety rules!)

Even if you cannot go through the physical action of finding concealment every time you experience a stoppage, you can still train your hands to immediately clear the jam with very little input from your conscious brain. (By the way, the time to look for cover/concealment isn't whenever you experience a stoppage. It's before you start shooting...)

Maybe you don't think you can afford training (and you probably can, if you're honest with yourself. Are you going to buy two new guns this year? That's at least one and possibly two weekend classes at a regional school), but even if you really and truly can't get to a school, you can still read everything about this stuff that you can get your hands on. And you can still engage your brain in the active exploration of self-defense issues.

Even if you don't take a specific class, you can still set high shooting goals and standards for yourself and work to achieve them.

What I'm getting at is that the world is full of excuses if you want to use them. But if what you want is to become truly competent or even excellent in using the defensive handgun, all it takes is the will to do it.

pax

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. -- Thomas Edison

 

[sm]

U.S.SFC_RET,
Excellent Post!

Confidence with a firearm. Do you have it?

Yes I do. I am always learning, always will.

My experiences. lessons and "training" all my life have been thru private means/ personal instruction. Read: NOT a known training facility.

I just got off the phone with a friend, whom called to de-brief me if you will. I appreciated his call , time and de-brief. Invited to attend and meet up with him at a training facilty. I am planning to attend. I will have to do some scheduling...it is this important to me to attend.

My last indoor low light impromtu 'training' under stress, shoot/ not shoot was in a barn, out in the middle of nowhere and besides the regular safety rules was "don't shoot the Coleman Lanterns".

Not sure I can do a indoor, temp control facilty with electricity.

 

[Preacherman]

I'd like to respectfully suggest that confidence is something one has in oneself, rather than the tool one uses. I've been in enough engagements to be fairly comfortable with my own responses to violence and threats. Sometimes I've had to use a firearm to dispose of the threats: other times, a knife or 2x4 might be more appropriate: still other times, "a soft answer turneth away wrath". Basically, it's the person who's the danger, not the tool, and if one is comfortable "in one's own skin" with how one will respond to danger, that's the way it should be.

(And yes, when it comes to the "tools" involved, I'm comfortable with my level of training and experience with firearms.)

 

[Ryder]

confidence is something one has in oneself, rather than the tool one uses

False confidence can be very painful Good point Preacherman.