Sheriff's Office Qualification was Saturday...

[Joe Demko]

This was a good year. All deputies passed on the first trial. Only had one gun that gave any trouble: a S&W Sigma 9mm gave light primer strikes on three rounds. I shot a perfect score. The food at the picnic afterward was excellent.
Couple thoughts: part-time and special deputies seem to routinely outshoot the full-time personnel. The wheelgun shooters do as well as a group as the automatic pistol shooters. Shotgun qualification should be mandatory since lots of deputies blow it off. They dislike shooting the 12 gauge.

 

[Horsesense]

So I guess you could say, "qualifications at my department is a picnic"


"Part-time and special deputies seem to routinely outshoot the full-time personnel."


Do the full-time guys get more range time? It could be that the full-time guys (not a slam, just a possibility) have the mindset that because they carry every day, they automatically have a higher degree of proficiency.


"Shotgun qualification should be mandatory since lots of deputies blow it off. They dislike shooting the 12 gauge."

Amen


Just my theory, I think there are some who are "naturals" They don’t have to practice anymore and could qualify on any given day. However qualifying is not real life. It's like this, I use to shoot pool about 40hours a week, for about five years. I was at a level of play where everything came "natural". I haven't played over a dozen games in the last 10 years but I'm sure I could "qualify" (exhibit a basic level of skill) on any given day. However I would loose and loose big-time if I had to "rise to the occasion". Time and lack of practice, after having achieved a high level of skill, will lull you into thinking you still got it, when infact you are more vulnerable than you were when you were coming up. You could end up facing a chump, who has bad form and is ignorant of tactics; one day and end up losing because you didn’t realize you couldn't do what use to come natural.

 

[Watchman]

"Part-time and special deputies seem to routinely outshoot the full-time personnel."

Im my dept. this is a fact.

The top 5 shooters at the last qual were reserve deputys. 3 shot 250/250,the other 2 were 249 and 248.

One fulltimer shot 249, the rest had an average of 220. One LT flunked 3 times in a row.

In a dept. of 30 fulltimers and 20 reserves, the reserves consistently shoot better. Several of the reserves are active in the local gunclub. Some are avid hunters and two maybe 3, at the most just carrry because they have too. The regular shooters are just that...regular shooters. Most fo the fulltimers shoot only when they have to qualify.

One thing about qualifications....

They are a piss poor attempt to prove competence with a weapon. As far as Im concerned, all it does is prove that you can hit a stationary target.
It dont move and it dont shoot back. Most IPDA shooting scenarios are better "training" than any police qualification.

 

[Jeff White]

One thing about qualifications....

They are a piss poor attempt to prove competence with a weapon. As far as Im concerned, all it does is prove that you can hit a stationary target.
It dont move and it dont shoot back. Most IPDA shooting scenarios are better "training" than any police qualification.

Qualify and record pass/fail (not scores) so the bean counters and insurance companies are happy how ever many times the state mandates. Spend the rest of your range time training. Set up and shoot the IDPA type scenarios. Shoot from the driver's seat of a squad car. Shoot a live fire Tueller drill with a charging target. I set up a scenario with the charger one time that simulated an attack by an EDP on the dept parking lot. The officer started just as he would exit the car, hands full with laptop case for the MDC (the chief got a big kick out of the guys training to drop the expensive MDC ).

You're right, there is training and then there is qualification. We get a lot less griping, whining and attempts to get out of a training shoot then we do on a qualification shoot.

Qualify to make the beancounters happy, train to win gunfights!

Jeff