How do you CCW folks practice?

[Adam Helmer]

We all know practice makes perfect, or some such, but do CCW folks practice and how? I ask this question because a local friend just got his CCW license and called me on the phone to ask, "Can I buy ammo in less quantity than a case?" I told him a case was usually a thousand rounds and yes, he could buy a box of fifty rounds. "No", he said, "I only want six rounds." (He has a .38 Special revolver.) I told him to buy several boxes of 50 rounds each and to shoot them in his CCW piece!

I have seen this mentality before when it comes to new gun owners. I was the only shooter on my rural NH range some years ago on a Saturday morning when a new club member showed up with a S&W Model 29 6-inch .44 Magnum and his first box of factory .44M rounds. He had no target or ear muffs. I put up a target for him at 50 feet and offered him the use of my ear muffs. He declined my muffs as he told me, "I am only going to fire six rounds." Well, he did fire his 6 rounds, sans ear protection, and left the range. A week later he told me his ears "rang" for 3 days and he stayed home from work.

I shoot just about everyday on my backyard 25-yard range at bullseye targets and B-27 silhouettes. Once a month I try to shoot the local IDPA (Combat) match. I advise my handgun students to shoot at least weekly to "stay grooved" with their CCW handguns.

How do other CCW folks stay grooved?

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to draw and fire on any of the ranges here; rapid fire on the ranges is forbidden as well (maximum of 1 rd/sec, and they keep a close eye on you, too! )
Personally, I practice at the range by bringing the gun up from a low position, quickly alligning the sights, and firing one or two rounds. At home, I practice getting my gun from my holster (empty, of course), and the sights on target as quickly as possible.
During early spring (March or late February), I try and take a couple of weekends and go to the local state game area and put it all together. I have found a spot that is a parking area and has a burm that goes up for several feet around 75-80% of the parking lot, so the danger of a stray round getting away is minimal. Most hunting seasons are over at this time of year, so I am not going to bother someones hunting with my shooting, and I can practice with an over coat on (pushing it aside to get to my weapon). I usually set up 2-3 human sized targets on platforms that I made from 2x2 stock and some old stair planking....the targets are made of scrap cardboard from work.
I set up the targets, try and get two rounds in the closets first, farthest last, practicing at various distances.
I also use this opportunity to practice with buckshot from my short barreled scatterguns as well.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Due to work constraints, I don't get to shoot as often as I like to, but I try to shoot with my handguns at least once a month.....this time of year is difficult, as the deer hunters are starting to sight in thier rifles, and the range gets packed pretty quick.

I have seen the 'fire a cylinder or magazine full of ammo' and then consider themselves 'good to go".

[Dan Morris]

Guess I'm lucky, at my range, majority of members are LEO...
several agencies also use it. Also, my neighborhood is kinda a 'blue getto'....lotta officers live here. Most of the time I use B27's
and shoot with em. Only restriction is 50 cal. Rifles, FA and handguns are welcome....just follow range safety rules.
I try to burn 50/100 pistol rounds a month. When son was growing up, he could out shoot most of em....a sore spot!LOL
Dan

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

You raise a good point about practicing with the shotgun as well as the handgun. You seem to have set up a fine scenario with "double tap" and "multiple assailants."

One more thing, if you fire a gun inside your home, bedroom or living room, be prepared to be totally deafened by your shot thereafter for some time. We had a drill to roll the strong side ear down onto the strong shoulder to cut the muzzle blast and retain 50% of your hearing after your shot. It works with a Weaver stance on a handgun and you can still pick up the sights-it just takes practice. Hope this helps.

Adam

[kt]

this is a good topic because the only thing worse than not having a gun when that time comes, is not knowing how to use it.
Mr. 16 ga. if possible it sounds like you need to join a new shooting club. i have given up on places that watch you like a hawk, i had a guy at a club once tell me that there were holes in the backstop 2 x 4's that werent there before i shot and he wanted to know if i felt like paying for new ones. i told him to go piss in the wind. no way my .22 mag made the holes he referred to.
any how i wouldnt even trust my life to a gun that hasnt seen at minimum 2,3,400 rounds (btw the new glock is 700 rounds without a problem but that is another story. but for instance, kel tec recommends at least 200 rounds threw those pocket pistols they sell because they expect malfunctions in that period, most kahr discussion boards i read say at least 500 before the gun is "broke in"
i say you should definetely draw from the holster, because i told a guy who thought he was hot stuff to try it once and it took him 3 attempts to break his thumbreak on his holster when trying to do it fast. imagine that in a bad situation! my main thing with this method of practice, and you dont need to do it all the time, but at some point in your practice imagine that the black sillouette target is a snarling bad guy coming fast to do you harm, you dont have all day to draw, breath and take aim. keep that in mind just sometimes when shooting your hand gun.
kt

[Mr. 16 gauge]

One more thing, if you fire a gun inside your home, bedroom or living room, be prepared to be totally deafened by your shot thereafter for some time.

Don't I know it! An acquaintance of mine had a membership to a gun club that had it's rifle range benches covered with a corugated tin roof.....I had good hearing protection on (muffs) and I almost couldn't stand to shoot my M1A1 , it was so loud! My friend had to leave....he was wearing those cheap foam ear inserts.
Another interesting phenomena is muzzle flash.....even at dusk, while there is still some light, the flash from a .357 magnum can be blinding!

Mr. 16 ga. if possible it sounds like you need to join a new shooting club

Unfortunately, kt, it's not a 'club', but rather a public indoor range where anyone can plunk down their cash and shoot.....some just want to see how much ammo they can blow through in an hour, and do thier damndest to do so. Also, there are a LOT of people that have no idea of the basic concepts of gun safety....there are holes in the sides of the shooting lanes, and more than once I have seen people carelessly handle firearms. Unfortunately for me, the only other option is not to shoot....or to shoot much, much less. Living in suburbia, and with my occupation giving me too many variable hours, I can't join a league (although I would like to). There are a few places here that have IDPA, or whatever it's called, but I don't have the fancy guns or rigs that the game calls for.

i say you should definetely draw from the holster, because i told a guy who thought he was hot stuff to try it once and it took him 3 attempts to break his thumbreak on his holster when trying to do it fast.

I have a few holsters with thumb breaks; the neat thing about them is that they seem to become more user friendly the more you practice with 'em (by that, I mean the leather gets 'broke in' and it doesn't seem to take as much effort to release the thumb break). To many variables to mess with....I want it to be 'natural', if you know what I mean.

[skeet]

I used to hire some of the homeless people from the city....but after I finally hit one of 'em they quit hiring out to me! Now I have to find a new way to get realistic practice

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Our IDPA shoots at my club do not involve any fancy guns or rigs, the gear I see and use is "issue gear."

I use my Glock M19 (9mm), a M1911 Colt and a Smith 645 (45 ACP) and my holsters are former duty holsters and the double mag pouches were former duty stuff.

Adam

[popplecop]

In Wisconsin we don't have CC, thanks to our most liberal govenor. I am retired from 30 years in Law Enforcement and under Federal law if my department would give us a course could then carry anywhere in the USA. But seeing I retired from the State they won't offer a course to us. So I just shoot the heck out of my handguns, case them up unloaded and transport them so they aren't concealed in the auto.

[jmarriott]

I practice at the local farm's little trash dump. a nice little hill with lots of places to place the cans and roll a tire downhill. A couple of shot up rusted cars ect.

CCW's are just there to provide me time to access my ar-15 or shotgun.

[Calif Hunter]

We have a little "practical" pistol club that shoots once a month at a range up in the hills. We are the "No Name Pistol Club." The matches are usually started from the "hands off holstered" pistol position, although we sometimes start from a "surrender" position or from a pistol on the table start. Last month, we had a charging silhouette - a target stand on a furniture dolly pulled along with a cord pulled by another member behind the shooting line. THe scenario was that the charger had body armor on and you had to score a head shot before the target crossed a certain line.

Sometimes, we shoot the metal plates (6 on the rack), pepper poppers, bowling pins or clay pigeons. We usually have an optional 3-gun stage, involving rifle, pistol and shotgun. Almost all shooting is against the clock, to simulate stress.

The October match is a recreation of the OK Corral shootout - you get extra points for shooting a single action revolver!

[Andy L]

Im a backyard shooter too.

Actually, I just bought a house and 15 acres about 3 miles out of town. Now I can have a lot nicer "range". Im sure my neighbors here will not be sad to see me go. Between the dogs, shooting, kids riding 4 wheelers and me in the yard messin with coyotes with a mouthcall at midnight.....

[8X56MS]

I practice up at the lake City range in the Osceola National Forest. This is an unsupervised range, and you can shoot pretty much any way you want to.
I also have access to a couple of farms near town, where I can shoot and practice my draw and aim.

[BlkHawk73]

Each range session I bring my CCW and run at least two mags/cylinders through each. I'll do it at 21 feet and shoot at hanging 8" plates.
i do agree that too few practice but I really think even fewer get only minimum required training. If you're going to carry and are tht serious about it I think you really need quality, top-notch training (Thunder rance, Gunsite, etc) Those small local NRA evel stuf is ok, but get it from those that are the tops in that field of training.

[Contenderizer]

Adam: That six shot mentality that you mention is even more scary when the shooter has a semi-auto. I'm sure we would all be shocked at how many beginning shooters have never fired enough ammo through their newly purchased semi to know how well the gun digests the ammo they are using. And - clear a round? What's that?

Calif Hunter: I like your idea of the charging silhouette. It beats using homeless people ... who tend to stumble when intoxicated.

Question to all: Can anyone point me in the right direction for instruction on the method to draw a 1911 when the gun is NOT carried cocked and locked? I'm a revolver guy, but have a Llama that I may carry from time-to-time. Ah, forget it ... I never could figure-out those safety thingies.

Later ......