Practice Your Draw, Take Two

I think that integrating a laser device and feed back system could be quite beneficial and should bear considering. At least every other day, I do 10-15 full draw strokes, all dry, and every 2nd weekend at least 1 full magazine and to include a transition from rifle to pistol.
With colder weather, and more clothing over the firearm, it is essential to practice that draw, not nearly as easy from under a carhart than a Hawaii aloha shirt
 
I think that integrating a laser device and feed back system could be quite beneficial and should bear considering.

I played with the iTarget app when it came out, install it on a device and aim its camera at your target, I had to cobble together a laser gun, discharging a capacitor when the "trigger" was pulled.

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The app overlays whatever you are using as a target so you have to adjust the two but it shows where my laser hits were every "shot" and scores. You can see below I didn't have the two perfectly lined up with one another.

This is a screen shot with the bullet holes added after the software detected where the red dot hit the paper. IIRC it even makes shot sounds when it detects the beams contact with the paper.

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Not sure how useful it really is but something neat to play with.
 
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I'll be taking my signature rig (a Cajun Custom CZ97B in a Gunfighters Baba Yaga custom holster and mag pouches rig on a Wilderness Belt) all this coming week into the wilderness of Oregon with 500 rounds of .45acp and my timer. My grandson and son will time and use their own rigs. The CZ97 B is an incredible tack driver, with low recoil and fast recovery time, and huge dayglo sights! There is nothing like pulling a 5.5-pound DA trigger first shot and the handy decocker controlled drop to half cock safety notch.

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At the risk of having a public conversation with myself, I thought that I would pick some more meat off this "practice your draw" bone.
It was certainly worth the risk! Good stuff!
Drawing my primary while seated in my cars and wrapped up in seat belt is very difficult.
It is indeed! I carry Ruger LCP max in a kydx cross draw holster for that.
During draws with my hand starting outside my pocket, I found that I could not grab the gun quickly; my hand had to enter the pocket very slowly to not foul in the pocket material while trying to establish a good firing grip
I, too, had that issue with pocket carry.

Starting with my hand on the gun in a pocket, I found that I had to make sure that the hook on the holster caught the pocket on the draw; otherwise the holster emerged with the gun. This happened several times.
And that one, too.
This starting position [ hand on gun in pocket] IS faster than starting with hand outside of the pocket.
Of course! But we cannot go through life with a hand in our pocket.

We can take advantage of that speed advantage if we happen to become aware of the immediate need at a time when we can safely put our hand in the pocket timely and without being noticed, so as not to get shot in self defense or accused of having initiated the confrontation.

I'll point out that standing with both hands at our sides when practicing the draw may a be useful exercise, but it is just not realistic. We may have to draw while our strong hand is occupied; while seated; while walking, perhaps while using a banister or on rough ground, and so on.

While it seemed a bit extreme at first, I have found that carrying my primary piece OWB at around 2:00 and carrying a backup cross draw is quite comfortable, it affords me a relasonably good starting position regardless of the circumstances, and it provides---backup.


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If one can't access their gun while clinching with another person or with someone mounted on them on the ground there is a serious issue with how one carries.
 
If one can't access their gun while clinching with another person or with someone mounted on them on the ground there is a serious issue with how one carries.
...or while strapped into a car, sitting with one's legs under a table, running at speed for cover, pressed against a wall by someone, .....

Life is not like facing and shooting at a target at the square range, or drawing after having seen an obvious threat in the parking lot or filling station.
 
If one can't access their gun while clinching with another person or with someone mounted on them on the ground there is a serious issue with how one carries.
If that's a serious issue, then it's a serious issue with the way anyone is carrying unless they're carrying two guns. If they get your dominant hand or arm under control you're out of luck.

Do you even want accessibility at that point?

As a matter of fact, if you're wrestling with someone on the ground, you might not want that gun accessible. If it's on your hip, you might want to lay on it.
 
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If one can't access their gun while clinching with another person or with someone mounted on them on the ground there is a serious issue with how one carries.

There are a lot of places in this world where you don't allow another human that close without some internal elevation of caution.

Like the difference between a country squirrel that's gone when it sees you vs the one at the National park that will almost eat from your hand.

I react differently on the tram in an airport that I would on my own property. Not that I can carry there anyhow...
 
There are a lot of places in this world where you don't allow another human that close without some internal elevation of caution.

Like the difference between a country squirrel that's gone when it sees you vs the one at the National park that will almost eat from your hand.

I react differently on the tram in an airport that I would on my own property. Not that I can carry there anyhow...
One can elevate their level of caution but unless that person displays a weapon I can't produce mine in most scenarios. Someone could easily approach close enough to put hands on me without there being any justification for drawing on them.
 
I think having your hand already on the firearm is a big deal though. I was more than a second faster above with hand on vs standing hands at side.
This is a little realized fact. Getting you hand to the gun and getting a grip is the slowest part of the draw

It reminds me of old cowboy shootouts where they both started with their hands "relaxed at their side" as opposed to Tombstone and the shootout between Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo where they both had their fingertips on their guns
 
That was just what I found. I was about 0.90 seconds faster from the pocket starting with hand on the butt of the gun.

The same thing is also true when drawing from the waist. Based on some data from a couple of years ago, starting my draw with hand on the butt of the gun is a quarter second faster than when starting from "hands at the side". With no concealment.

Starting with my hand in a firing grip UNDER concealment is even more advantageous. My times to first shot are a half second faster starting with my hand on the butt of the gun under an open-front concealment garment than I am starting hands at my side and throwing the garment aside during the draw.
 
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Reading through this months blue press, Hackathorn‘s start position for the “Combat classic evaluation“ is an even faster method.

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