I believe the handgun will be the most useful and used self-defense tool after a collapse. I’m not contending that a handgun is more effective than a rife or shotgun, it’s not.
If I knew trouble was coming, and I was going to have to use deadly force, I’d reach for the nearest long-gun while holding the handgun in reserve.
But the truth of the matter is, you will not always have an advanced warning of impending danger. An attack will likely be perpetrated quickly and without warning, when you’re most vulnerable, at close range, by more than one attacker and in low light.
You’ll need to be armed at all times, carrying a rifle or shotgun continuously is impractical if not impossible.
There are times (even post SHTF) when concealment will be necessary – tucking a handgun down your pants is easier and more practical than trying to hide a shotgun under your coat.
Now that we know a handgun is the most useful and realistic defensive tool we need to learn to use that tool in the most effective way possible.
Taking a dedicated class given by qualified instructors is the best course of action. But many of us don’t have the time or money to make this a reality and must seek other alternatives.
Most of you reading this, I am sure; have a good working knowledge of firearm safety and proper shooting fundamentals. If not, you must master the basics before continuing.
The NRA’s Education & Training Division offers training courses covering safety and handgun usage. Be sure to take the handgun carry permit classes if available in your state, even if you don’t plan on applying for the permit.
While these classes aren’t as intense (usually) as the classes given by say, Gunsite or Thunder Ranch, you can pick-up valuable tips and safety information by attending.
Another possibility is looking to relatives or friends who have knowledge in handgun safety and defensive tactics. It could be someone with military or police training. Just be sure, your training partner knows more about the subject than you.
I’ve known several people who claimed to be an expert in all things firearm related yet on the range it was obvious they knew very little of what they claimed, with several being down right hazardous.
On one occasion, I saw a self-proclaimed expert (a former cop) point the muzzle of his weapon toward another shooter to his left flank as he cleared his weapon.
This is a no-no. I called him on it and his reaction was so bad that, I thought we were going to end the day with fisticuffs, but a crowd gathered and he backed down.
I often get emails from readers asking for book and DVD recommendations in this area - my advice is always the same. Learn the basics before moving forward and seek professional training if possible.
After learning proper handgun handling and safety, my recommendations for books and DVD’s are “Tactical Pistol Shooting: Your Guide to Tactics & Techniques that Work” and “Jim Grover’s Defensive Shooting Series” both are excellent.
How did you learn about handguns and shooting? What advice do you have for others just starting out?
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No one should get bent out of shape if someone calls you on a safety violation. I have shot for almost 40 years now. I have instructed for half that. We all make mistakes and the first goal of any event using a weapon is safety. An “expert” will see that and put the ego away and use it to the advantage of his class and him/herself.
I learned about handgun shooting from reading Elmer Keith, and later, from reading and taking instruction, indirectly but using his methodology, from the greatest(in my opinion) handgun fighter of all time, Jeff Cooper.
I got my love of big bore handguns from Elmer Keith, and had it reinforced by Jeff Cooper. I will say that better bullets have softened my criticism of the 9mm, and I have one now. Nothing like upgrading. I still shoot my .44 magnums at least monthly, and I conceal carry either a Glock M-36 or Kimber CDP-II in .45 ACP. Hey, I’m still breaking in my Glock M-19, so no criticism please.
Glad to hear about others that have corrected the wandering muzzle syndrome.
May I suggest a tip: If you are an instructor or friendly observer, pay close attention to how the shooter grips the handgun in a ready to fire position before any shots are fired at the range. If you are a handgun shooter without formal training get someone experienced to check your grip prior to shooting. I once handed a Glock to a good friend who owned a different brand of auto pistol. He fired one round, very carefully set the pistol down with his right hand, and then focused all his attention on (1) the large chunk of flesh missing from the web of his left hand and (2) stopping the bleeding. Because of design differences, his own pistol allowed him to take a right hand grip with his left on top without any negative consequences. The Glock was not forgiving in the least. I had checked him out on all the controls and safety beforehand, but instantly regretted not checking how he gripped the pistol in a ready to fire position.
NEVER NEVER hold a semi auto weak thumb over strong hand behind the slide. It’s simply a bad habit. There is however an upside to doing this. Once you’ve gotten your first pair of railroad tracks, you’ll likely never do it again.
Another thing to note is that the grip actually only uses the two middle fingers and the thumb, leaving the trigger finger and a rather useless pinky free. Because of this you should learn to manipulate the controls of the gun with your weak hand thumb, so you don’t reduce your grip with the strong hand. I know all of the westerns show the strong hand thumb cocking that six shooter, but it’s actually a poor habit to get into.
ill try to make this a very short story. i was in the army from 77-80. i was attached to the 95th mp battalion.in the course of training i found i was darn good at shooting the 1911, and was invited to be on the pistol shooting team. i did real well and when i got out of the army i continued to shoot competatively for years later. then kids,house ,jobs,(sometiomes 2 jobs) and next thing you know 20 years have gone by with but an occasional shot thru a pistol. then i started prepping and a pistol was something i thought i had all ready mastered and needed no practice with.imagine my suprise when i took my new 9mm to the range and proceeded to embarass myself in front of people i had told all those “days of glory” stories to. it was like i had never held a gun before. i blamed the gun,the ammo, my ageing eyes. the moral of the story is this,,,,,,,,,, practice ,practice,practice. when you are comfortable with your ability to hit what you are aiming at, keep practicing or else you will lose muscle memory and find out what i did,only under much more dire conditions.
NEVER NEVER hold a semi auto weak thumb over strong hand behind the slide. It’s simply a bad habit. There is however an upside to doing this. Once you’ve gotten your first pair of railroad tracks, you’ll likely never do it again.
Another thing to note is that the grip actually only uses the two middle fingers and the thumb, leaving the trigger finger and a rather useless pinky free. Because of this you should learn to manipulate the controls of the gun with your weak hand thumb, so you don’t reduce your grip with the strong hand. I know all of the westerns show the strong hand thumb cocking that six shooter, but it’s actually a poor habit to get into.
I’ve been an NRA instructor for a little more than 20 years; and have seen shooters at a lot of skill levels. One of the first things we do in a class is to tell everyone to check the ego at the door. Coming from an instructor from the class, it is generally better accepted than from another student, even when the student is absolutely correct and possibly more knowledgeable. Many Concealed Carry Licenses require some version of the NRA Basic Pistol course, which is a great starting course for even a novice. Due to the proliferation of concealed carry throughout the country, NRA has recently (meaning the last 5 or so years) introduced two new courses which go beyond the basic firearms disciplines and include tactics, holster work, etc.
The NRA Personal Protection in the Home class deals with setting up physically and emotionally to defend your home. We introduce the concepts of cover and concealment, mental states of Unaware, Aware, Alert, & Alarm and discuss the responses you will take, Freeze, Fight, Flight, or Posture. Also is a discussion of a safe room, and some practical shooting exercises on the run and from behind cover. This class requires the basic pistol (or demonstrated equivalent skill level) as a prerequisite.
The NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home class deals with encounters on the street, in stores, restaurants, etc. Additional tactics and practice working from a holster, purse, fanny pack etc. are covered on the range. It requires the Personal Protection in the Home class (or demonstrated equivalent skill level) as a prerequisite.
While these classes generally do not operate at the level of Frontsight, they do provide practical knowledge to allow a shooter to learn and practice advanced tactics in a safe manner.
Both of these classes cover the legal aspects of concealed carry and use of deadly force for your jurisdiction. I highly recommend these classes taught by a local NRA instruction team.
One of the most effective methods of learning your handgun skills is using Snap Caps. They’re good for dry fire practice; mag change practice- to include loading the chamber with a round that won’t A-D; for practice loading the mags blindfolded (dark simulation); and drawing practice.
For drawing practice, insure the weapon is empty, no ammo in the same room (except Snap Caps). Spend the first ten minutes just practicing the grip- insuring a good, solid three finger hold with the hand web in the proper position, trigger finger extended along the side of the weapon, well away from the trigger. The next ten minutes, spend grasping and drawing to bring the weapon to point directly at the target from any position the body is in: to the front, sides, back- turn to the drawing hand side when turning. But insure the muzzle never sweeps, but points directly to the target, regardless if the draw is to the chest or an elbow-up/elbow-down technique. The next ten minutes are for grasping, drawing, getting the sight picture and a very slow trigger pull/recovery phase. Be sure to hold the gun aimed at the target after the trigger is pulled- don’t be hasty to reholster.
Do this three times a week and you’ll be getting 1 1/2 hour handling practice a week. Though not a lot, it’s probably an hour or more than the average person conducts. Don’t be in a hurry to do any technique: practice slowly, workng for smooth movement (slow is fast if it isn’t herky-jerky) and training the muscles to perform the act. One day you’ll be surprised how fast you are- and all without even trying!
Shy III
Excellent post M.D. my father was a WW2 veteran and taught me how to shoot at an early age. He favored the 1911 .45acp.
It’s sad that this guy was a former police officer who was waving the muzzle around recklessly good thing he did not kill anyone or get punched in the nose by you when he started running his mouth.
This just shows many cops know little about firearms, nothing more than glorified mall-cops with guns and an attitude.
My father taught me about firearms and later I had some classes. All were very good in there own place. Been hunting and shooting for almost 40 years.
There is one thing I learned: Let an instructor teach your wife. You can always improve on it afterwards. It saves a lot of disagreements and only helps you in the long run.
NO DOUBT!!!!!!!!!
That goes for the hubby too, if he is shooting with you and has no training! Boy can mine be careless and frightening!
I’ve been an NRA instructor for more than 20 years, and splitting up a couple, at least on the range, is SOP and saves a lot of problems.
If you are looking for good videos on pistol shooting, you should check out the tactical response “Fighting Pistol” and “Shooting Missology” DVDs. I’ve purchased and watched both DVD sets (as well as a number of other DVDs), and IMHO these are the best I’ve found (if you’ve found something better, please let me know!). These are in NO WAY a substitute for live training, but a good resource to help enhance what you already learned from a real instructor.
- MR
I’m not familiar with the Tactical Response videos, but will check them out. Another excellent DVD set is “Magpul DynamicsTM The Art of the Dynamic Handgun” http://store.magpul.com/product/DYN004/76
Find a local club that holds IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) matches – every one I have been too welcomed new shooters, the match entry fees are cheap (usually $10) and no one is going to make fun of you or your equipment. Club level matches are a great way to hone your skills, you are not competeting to win anything, and you have the opportunity to shoot various courses of fire that are as realisitic as can be managed. At most club’s you’ll fire about 100 rounds during a match, have to engage multiple targets, not shoot non-threat targets, reload, utilize cover, move and think – that’s always the hard part for me.
There is a plethora of classes available to everyone from every type of instructor. I have had years of training from every type from bullseye to actual fights. I also include videos, books and other media into my training as well. I learned from my family as well during my younger years. I can honestly say I have learned something from all of them with some being great to downright ludicrous and unrealistic. What you will learn from the later is how much you know already and that you are using the most powerful weapon of all, your mind. The most important thing I can say is get training of some kind and as much as possible and do not become stagnant, continue to train from time to time.
When looking for clubs shooting IDPA, you can also look for IPSC and NRA Action Pistol. They are all simlar activities where you’ll learn to move & shoot in a safe manner.
I started out learning some basics from my dad, and then moved on to some expert training. I had to pay for the class, but I learned a lot from it. I am not an expert myself, but getting the basic training on proper gun safety is a must!
Cops are supposed to be professionals at handling guns”yeah, right”, it was professionals who built the Titanic. Some of the videos shown on “You Tube” about guns being mishandled, those guns are in the hands of Professionals aka Cops, so excuse me for laughing. All guns are loaded “whether or not they really are”, and should be treated as such. But somehow our Professionals forget that, so accidental discharges happen, humans get hurt, animals get injured and property destroyed.
I hate the term accidental discharge. There is nothing accidental about it. We call them neglegent discharges in the Marines because it is always human error when a weapon goes off when its not suppost to. It also makes a person think more responsibly and about not wanting your NCO or Staff nco grab you up by the neck because you almost put a round through someone which I have seen more than once.
Agreed, ladies, get “proper” instruction from a current certified instructor! Just because your hubby grew up with guns, as cowboys, you can pick up bad habbits and bad habbits are dangerous, for you and others, IMO.
LEOs are not always the sharpest tool in the box. You should see some of the kids thay are putting through our local police academy, they may appear to have presence of mind and mature only until they open thier mouth. Many of the young ones simply lack maturity for sound judgment and you can’t find answers in a book when you are holding a weapon in a crisis, much less at the range. Happy to hear you survived the range!
It’s important for people to remember, most police are not firearms enthusiasts. They carry a gun because they are required to and it’s usually the least used piece of equipment on their belt. It’s not until you get into the tactical team level and instructors that you typically get knowledgeable shooters.
I agree you shouldn’t get mad when someone points out a safety violation… within reason. On a recent trip to a range, the range safety officer jumped down my throat because I turned my muzzle about 15-20 degrees from straight down range while dealing with a malfunction. He was obviously looking for an excuse to flex his authority with someone he didn’t recognize as having been to that range before. Small men with small minds should NEVER be placed in positions of even SMALL authority and I will admit I got mad. I also didn’t join that range.
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