How To Ensure Self-Defense Success
May 28th, 2012 | By Ben W | Category: Guns & Ammo, Self Defense | Print This Article
How can you ensure your success while carrying a gun for self-defense? Practice, practice, practice. With a little mindset thrown in for good measure.
Well it’s not that easy per se, but let’s walk through some ideas for helping you to be confident with a gun in concealed carry. The following drills can all prove very helpful in improving confidence while practicing at the shooting range. Use a timer or a friend with a watch to determine that you are within the time limits.
Drills:
Starting at three yards, you will want to draw and fire in a close position (with gun close to the body)—what some would call the “retention” draw. Fire two shots at center mass to simulate the fast-draw emergency self-defense situation. Repeat it three times to make sure you can get comfortable with it, and time yourself to see trends in improvement over time.
At five yards draw, and fire one round with your strong hand only. Use your field of view to focus only on the target to test muscle memory and accuracy at that distance without obtaining a full sight picture. Go for the quickest draw and delivery. Repeat for a total of six shots. Try to focus only on the target to determine your capability under quick conditions without sights.
How To Keep Your Handgun Locked and Loaded, Ready For Instant Use…
Back at three yards, back away from the target quickly while firing three consecutive shots at center mass. You will want to retain control of the gun and keep the shot group as small as possible to determine your time to react and your control while moving away from an attacker. Repeat for a total of six shots.
At seven yards, draw, shoot, and re-holster after making sure you have hit the target properly and that there are no other threats. Fire two shots, repeating for a total of six shots. This is to help you to understand the importance of post-shot awareness.
At seven yards (if your range or shooting area allows it), move side to side to simulate moving and shooting. You will face the target and move from two yards or so off of target center across the face of target. Firing three shots on the move to impact center mass. The goal is to not miss the target and to eventually pick up speed after the technique has been solidified. Repeat for a total of nine rounds. Reverse the starting position and the direction of movement and shoot nine shots in that drill as well.
These drills should be practiced often until there is a comfort level that is unmoved during stress or outside influence. Using range safety is important as well; do not sacrifice safety to train, but do what you can to implement these techniques to give you confidence, ability, and experience in case a situation like this ever occurs in real life.
Remember that your awareness and understanding of your firearm are important. Practice often, and use your firearm as you will carry it. If it is carried cocked and locked, practice as such. If it is carried in a purse without a round in the chamber, practice like that. These are not holstering and re-holstering techniques; these are close-quarter and immediate-shot delivery sequences, and they should be treated as such.
Your capability in a self-defense situation is directly influenced by your repetition and your experience. Simply wanting to perform well in such situations will not be enough to ensure that you emerge unharmed or alive from a self-defense situation. Real practice, thinking, and mindset will help to contribute to your staying alive.
A Closing Note:
Remember that self-defense situations are not the types of situations that allow you a timeout or a large amount of time to get ready. They are spur of the moment— stressful, dangerous and important moments. Self-defense situations are those that rely on muscle memory, training, mindset, and personal capability. Much of the deciding factor in a one-on-one encounter where you might pull a gun is when and how your pull the gun out. First and foremost, you do not shoot to kill. Pulling out a firearm for self-defense is for threat elimination. Secondly, although just as important: you do not pull out a firearm unless you are prepared to immediately and accurately pull the trigger. You must know in advance that you are willing and able to pull the trigger. You must also know that you are safe to pull the firearm out and that you are in a position to stop the threat. Make sure you have exhausted other means of threat elimination or threat avoidance (i.e. running away, calling for help, etc.).
It is not necessary to use a firearm to prevent or eliminate a threat; often times, the threat can be prevented before it is ever presented. Your mindset and awareness of your surroundings will be paramount to that type of success. There are consequences that come from the use of firearms in self-defense situations, regardless of your intent or the conditions. You should be aware of the specific laws that govern your concealed carry ability, you should know how to handle yourself in certain common situations, and you should have a good idea of what you will do in situations you hope never to be in. Preparation is key. You must know how to react and when to react. You must also be able to control your emotional and psychological responses.
©2013 Off The Grid News
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Lots of good thinking and advice in this article Ben. Unless a person is a trained combat shootist [and most of us aren't] up close and personal is the rule for a handgun. Someone said that a handgun is good for fighting your way to reach a rifle and I see a lot of sense in that. Being an ‘ol fart, fading eyes and nerves not as steady, I prefer my Mossberg 500 with a mix of birdshot and 00 buck rounds. Polite society frowns on walking down the sidewalk with a riot gun or an M4 though, something concealable is much more desirable. I don’t think a civil person should want trouble or fighting [especially with arms] but the way things are going, we’d all do better to know how…
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT Hicabilly & Ben! I have several SPECWAR friends, (10th Mt. Ranger, Green Baret, Froce Recon sniper), and this is pretty much the training they’ve each suggested for me…and…if THEY don’t know, NOBODY does! lol Well, I PRAY I’ll never have to use it, but, “Better to have it & not NEED it, then visa versa! Apparently, the average hand gun fight rarely exceeds 15 yrds.
The only thing I would add here and not for those who have left comments already, as they seem to be in the know. But for those who might not be, at 15 yards (although it seems like a good distance) a normal person can close that gap pretty quickly, and if they mean to do you harm but only have a bat or knife, you must be prepared to defend yourself very quickly and you can’t have the mind set that “they only have a bat” if they are a danger to your life you have to stop them. And you will want to know your surroundings, as was said earlier, so you don’t do harm to someone else. It is not like in the movies where you just frie at them, you need to hit your target, center mass, and ensure they are no longer able to do you harm. Also, be one the lookout for their friends.
Hi
I am just another man, i have not fired any shots in fact not even held a pistol, but i would like to train myself with a professional to shoot, but before doing that i would like to know which is the best pistol out there and why.
I would appreciate if any one of you who are professional to advice me will help a lot.
Regards.
V. Da. People.
Hi V DA People. I am a ranking officer in combat in Afghanistan now. I have been in the service almost 30 years. When you ask the question you ask the best you are going to start a hell of an argument.
The “Best” pistol is the one you are most used to.
Colt 1911 in 45 cal
Sig Sauers, Glocks, Springfileds, Walthers all really good.
Rugers most reliable
Calibers?? Your guess I like 45 but it is a learned skill.
Practice with a 22, watch out for your experts, many make claims they cannot back up. Just go to the range and ask others. Take a course from someon you know. then put thousands of rounds through you pistol, cause the pistol is secondary,,,, it is you who will become the best
the Col
IMHO the Springfield Armory XD 4″ barrel in .45GAP and night sights of your choice is the answer to your first question. You should buy the Rock Island Armory XT .22/.45 combination for your primary education. Buy 4000 rounds of .22LR, set the gun up in that configuration and leave it there until you have used up all the .22LR shooting the given drills. Then you are somewhat ready for big bore.
Every gun is different but you have to get the right one for you. A 45 is better than a 25. A 44 is better than a 38.
I have a couple of 9mm. 9mm will knock a man down and take his life…. so will a 22 caliber. It’s all in what you want the gun to do and what you do with the gun. They will all kill a person, so whatever you buy, it’s all about practice, practice- practice! Get yourself a pistol and get very good with it. If you want close encounters in the home, where you don’t miss… get a 12 gauge shotgun. Just know it will tear up your house whether or not you miss your target… which you probably won’t!
22 shells are cheaper than 38 shells. 44 shells are more expensive than 9mm shells. Check out all of your options on guns & ammo before you buy.
Hard to say what is the best piece for the general folks. All calibers can rock. Ben is right with his target practice advice. If one does it a bit, methodical operation becomes natural. Sad that things are turning that way. The.22s hit hard. All the rest are supposed to strike with more energy and produce greater results. Eiliminate the threat, no more or less. Blessings to you all.
I beg to differ: If I feel enough of a threat to my person to unholster a sidearm and discharge a round, I’M SHOOTING TO KILL! How many times have we heard of people who defend themselves in a non-lethal fashion only to be sued in court afterwards. “Dead men tell no tales.”
Rockaway
How many times have you heard of people going to prison for life when they get up on the stand and say they meant to kill. You shoot to stop the threat, once the the threat has stop your use of force has to end as well. You never fire a waring shot, or never shoot to wound. Most state laws now protect justified shootings criminal and civil.
By the way as anyone see the new Indiana Law on public servants? I agree myself it is about time law abiding citizens has the same rights as law enforcement.
Stay safe and study and practice
Sometimes God expects us to defend ourselves when it is with our power
Absolutely right Rockaway. I’ve never shot anything to wound and never will. Dead, to me, means threat eliminated.