My own boring gun news (long)

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Cogster1

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Feb 1, 2006
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West Michigan
My life has been busy as of late when it comes to all things that are gun. I haven’t felt comfortable posting any new threads since many of my experiences as of late are duplicates of those that were here before me. However, I’ve succumbed to my own desire to make my opinions known and seek my 15 minutes of fame.

And without further ado… the latest gun news in my life.

I received my holsters from Alessi Leather. I ordered a shoulder holster almost 8 months ago and added a CQC/S recently. Lou shipped the orders together and I can’t say enough about the quality. I did send the shoulder holster back due to a misunderstanding on my part. Lou is absolutely great to work with and should have my shoulder holster back to me this month. The CQC/S conceals better than I would have ever thought possible when strapping a HK USPc .40 to my belt. It disappeared under an un-tucked t-shirt.

I also just received my MI CCW. I have to say I am quite proud of it and after taking into consideration all those who say “Nobody knows I carry except for my closest friend who saved my life in Vietnam and married my little sister...”– I called 10 different people on my way home from the court house to brag about it. This has been a long time coming due to financial priorities and I can’t quit smiling.

One thing I did wrong was wearing a work logo’d coat to my meeting in front of the gun board. I happened to meet someone who was familiar with my company name and knew a co-worker of mine. It’s a small world, and unfortunately I’m sure that work will find out. It isn’t really a big deal. I just wasn’t planning on advertising it at work. It’s just something for others to keep in mind when taking care of official personal business.

I am not a sharpshooter. In fact, I’m a terrible shot currently. I can keep it on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper at 7 yards. That’s it. Certainly nothing to brag about, but I’m getting better. I started out worse than that. I did hit the target 4 out of 5 shots at 25 yards during the required CCW training. Again, I was so happy I went on to completely miss the target at 15 yards. I don’t think the instructor was impressed. For those of you that get nervous when I say that I’m a poor shot – I am well aware of my abilities currently and am improving daily. I hope to one day be proud to show a target on THR with the center ring completely knocked out as I’ve seen others share.

This leads me to my first experiences while carrying a loaded gun that. My first thought was sobering. I do not take it lightly and hope to undergo more extensive training than I have so far received. My wife is 100% supportive and we have just begun to discuss training scenarios for home defense. I can’t really begin to transcribe all my thoughts since it would take far too much of your time. I will leave it at that, sobering, and just say that it has made me very aware of how unaware I am.

I have many, many more thoughts, back stories, and feelings for each sentence here and don’t know how to express them all. I enjoy this forum immensely and the knowledge I’ve gained is invaluable. My favorite threads are the picture threads, personal experiences, and range reports.
 
Congratulations

CCW is good.

More is better.

Yes, training is good.

You have my envy -- I still have to get mine.
 
Good for you, bro. I'm trying to keep my CCW on the D-L right now, and it's killing me not to tell people. Haven't told my parents or sister, and they know practically everything about me since we're pretty close. So far, just my fiance and I know.

I got my first holster last weel, a DeSantis Mini Slide. Probably not as nice as your Alessi, but it gets the job done. I did get a Rafter S belt, so I know how good the workmanship can be on finely made items.

I'm still not a great shot either. I'm working on it though!
 
Being a MI CPL (we don't get CCW's, we get Concealed Pistol Licenses) holder, let me say CONGRATULATIONS... this is a step in the right direction... Ain't the feeling of being able to protect you and yours a good feeling?

you are also right, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and MORE PRACTICE... you'll get better... just please don't attempt any headshots on bad guys if I am their hostage... at least until you GET better, LOL :D

a few classes as cashflow premits would also be in order... I recommend some weapons retention training, and some CCW based practical shooting classes... but you HAVE the right idea... PRACTICE!

goodonya, now remember to always carry the gun (when legal) and ENJOY!
 
They made you shoot out to 25 yards, thats wired. What state did you get yours in?
As long as you didn't shoot another test taker they were pretty much handing them out.
 
He is from Michigan... I am assuming he got it here... for my class in MI, we were only REQUIRED to show moderate proficiency at 7 yards... with any handgun that we brought to class...

that said, we also shot my TC Contender in 7MM TCU, and a Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull, both with scopes, at the 100 yard mark, during class...

THEN the instructor let us play with his FA AK-47 to boot...

it seems (from talking to others who took the class) that ALOT of the instructors allow a little play time during range session, and like to see "what you can do" especially with things like scoped handguns, race guns, etc...
 
Michigan CCW require 8 hours of training - mostly classroom. I'm not really sure of the actual pass/fail requirements for the range portion. The instructor, I think was making a point that it's tough to hit anything beyond 7 yards.

I'm having a really hard time drawing from concealment using the CQC/S. It's a mixture of an old shoulder injury, being out of shape, and just plain slow. Practice makes perfect. I'd like to try a cross draw belt carry option sometime. I think it would work better for me.

I absolutely love shooting at targets so practicing is certainly no chore. Although, it is a bit cold this week here in MI, down to -5 last night by me.

Any good tips on how to improve. Right now I can hit center, but my next shot may be way low/high/left/right - I'm just inconsistent. And forget about double-tap.
 
concentarte on how you are holding the gun, and hold it the same EVERY time... don't squeeze the trigger until the gun is back on target... speed will come with familiarity... DON'T limp wrist it, and RIDE the recoil, don't FIGHT it...

"double taps" are more muscle memory than actual accuracy on the second shot, for me anyway, and after years of practice, my second shot in a double tap will be within an inch of my first, at defense distances... but an inch is all I can hope for...

practice that draw... (I think you MAY find crossdraw easier, but I personally prefer my Galco Jak-Slide at 4-o-clock...)

the BIGGEST thing about a CPL is remembering to ALWAYS C the P, when legal, even if just running to the store...
 
If you really want to learn trigger control and sight alignment (which is what shooting is), try shooting some Bullseye. To get good scores you really have to get the basics down and after a couple of years I finally shot a 90, which is difficult. Ever since then I shoot everything very well, from 1911's to revolvers because I understand trigger control. Invest some time in that and you'll be a much better shooter, and probably have a lot of fun also! :)
 
Bullseye

Is Bullseye a competition of sorts or a shooting style or discipline? I don't normally shoot with anyone, but I think my major malfunction is hurrying my shots. Even while I'm telling myself to take my time - BANGBANGBANGBANG. Nerves.
 
First, learn how to shoot.

Take a first level defensive firearms course that will allow you to fire at least 500-800+ rounds over two days. I guarantee you that your whole outlook on "what is shooting" will change. 100 round sessions will seem short...only a warm-up. Your speed will definitely change. I am fairly certain your group size will shrink. They will build upon the previous skills, adding a simple task to the previous set.

For example, I took fpftraining.com's DHS 1 course. One student had exactly three hours of experience with weapons prior to starting. At the end of the 16 hours of training, she was able to safely and (reasonably) quickly draw her pistol while moving, shoot several shots, and hit the target in a four to six inch group. This is very good for someone with around 20 hours of experience!

You will also learn how to practice. They will teach you how to draw properly. Give yourself time; it takes at least six months to get these skills implanted into your brain and muscles properly. Improper practice will set you back by at least the same amount of time. You should practice drawing and dry firing every night for at least 30 minutes (even 10 minutes is fine). Draw from concealment; too many folks attend training and draw from an unconcealed belt holster. Not only is this unrealistic, it reinforces an incorrect assumption that drawing from concealment is the same as drawing from the open.

Practice correctly and the average man can become proficient in defensive handgun shooting. Take additional courses to reinforce degraded skills or to learn new ones.

Second, learn how to fight.

This is NOT shooting. This is *fighting*, which includes awareness, tactics, shooting, unarmed fighting, and fighting with different weapons such as knives. It is far easier to learn to shoot IMHO. Shooting is fine, but it does nothing to teach you how to avoid getting perforated, cut, or pounded into the dirt. Learn how to knife fight because it is a very common weapon--easily concealed, easy to use, and easy to kill with. Know how to fist fight--and to deploy a knife or gun in the middle of such fights. Discover what awareness *really* means and how to maintain a high level of alertness (this is probably the most difficult skill to learn). Most likely, you'll only need to know a few "combative" techniques (tactical mall ninjaspeak for unarmed fighting). Become good at five to ten moves and expand as necessary. Get a good knife and learn how to draw it safely. You may even want to learn stick fighting. Finally, learn how to *move*...both to engage and disengage. Movement is your only real defense, unless you just so happen to be attending a costume ball in your knight's armor.

***

Bullseye competition is an art all its own. It is NOT combat shooting; it is the art and science of making REALLY SMALL groups with a pistol at long ranges. The first time the adrenaline flows, all that will go out the window. It looks like a fun sport, but that's all it is.

Load only one round to avoid hurrying. Draw your gun (or raise it if you don't have a holster) in super slow motion; imagine the burn in your muscles as "recording mode". Make sure EVERYTHING is PERFECT before shooting the shot. If the sights are bouncing, stop INCREASING pressure on the trigger (don't let go though -- if you exerted 2.5 pounds of force, don't waste it) and hold until things look good. Shoot at the right time. SUPER SLOWLY bring the gun back to the starting position (holster or low ready) using the EXACT reverse order of the draw. This gives you two repetitions per shot. Now repeat this procedure 2,000-5,000 times. I guarantee you that your brain will have assimilated those movements and you will be able to repeat them without thought. If you did it correctly, you will perform well.

HINT: 22 LR is cheaper than any other caliber except dryfiring. I suggest you take advantage of this. You can also get a laser sight and use it while dry firing.
 
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