zerofournine said:
Several members here have mentioned that they keep a shooting log book. It is my understanding that they track which guns they shoot and how many rounds the put through that gun. Is there something else to keep track of in a log? Does someone want to share how they keep their log organized? I have some new guns, and I am thinking about trying to keep a round count log for them.
I only keep a log book for my precision rifle. In it I record data about the conditions on the day I was shooting (elevation, temperature, wind, etc), the type of load I was shooting, how many rounds were fired, and what was observed with those shots (developing dope for the rifle under different conditions).
For me, the entire purpose of this log book is to ensure that I'm getting the most out of my rifle in terms of accuracy. My goal with that rifle is to hit small targets at great distances, and logging my data has helped me to do that. It also causes you to slow down a bit, and think about the particulars of each shot: Did you hit? Did you miss where you hit before? What changed? Is the wind a direct crosswind, or is it quartering? How is the temperature impacting the performance of your ammo? Is your first shot behaving as your other shots behave? and so on...
As for my other guns, I shoot them, clean them when I need to, and shoot them some more. I don't have the time, patience, or inclination to log every round through my pistols or plinking rifles!
zorro45 said:
I think it would be helpful if you ever had a "critical incident" to be able to document your training and ongoing self-assessment of proficiency if you are serious about training. The goal would be to show that you exceed the requirements for the local LEOs for frequency of training, etc.
This is one of those things like having all my stuff on videotape with the value and serial numbers in case of a fire, stored off site. Super idea, everyone should do it. Have I? It's on my to do list.
As a police officer myself, let me assure you that the facts that are present in the critical incident are the only ones you'll be judged by. Things like:
1) Were you justified in shooting when you did?
2) Was the amount of force you used reasonably justifiable?
3) Did you cause unnecessary or reckless harm to another?
Departments often use training records to protect themselves from liability for an officer's actions, but rarely do these records benefit the officer in a legal battle (except maybe to show that they behaved as they were trained). Honestly, the reality of a critical incident is that the things that will come under the microscope will be only those things involved in the incident. If you want to keep a log of your training, by all means feel free to do so. But, I wouldn't worry about not having this information from a legal perspective. It's either going to be judged as a good shoot or it isn't.
