[bgeddes]

I've never had any formal training but I will add one factoid to this thread - know your gun and shoot it a lot. I've met bunches of folks that buy a gun & 1 box of ammo for protection - and put it in a dresser feeling very content. If you haven't fired at least 1000 rounds out of your defensive gun - you need to shoot it more...

I know a lot of people in this category. They are the ones that ask, "Why are you going to the range? Hunting season isn't for months."

[DarinCraft]

Here is a stress and multi weapon drill we used when there was time. It is comprised of five stations with the first being a little complicated to explain, but I'll try. Don't try to picture this in your head, there is a pic at the bottom

Start at the 50 yard mark. Time starts and you RUN to station 1.

Station 1: 20 yard mark you encounter a 4x8 sheet of plywood stood on its side supported 12" off the ground. It is labeled 1 top right, 2 top middle, 3 top right, 4 bottom left and so on. Stood up 10 yards behind it is another sheet except the order is changed. 1 bottom right, 2 middle bottom, 3 bottom left and so on. Your task is to draw your side arm and shoot from 1 to 1, then 2 to 2, 3 to 3 and so on. This is where weak one handed shooting comes in. When your done, holster and run to station two.

Station 2: From a kneeling position behind the barricade shoot supported strong hand across to the two VISIBLE knockdown targets (The other two are blocked by another barricade) at 5 yards. Tactical reload and move to the opposite side of the barricade.

Station 3: From a kneeling position behind the barricade, you will now shoot the other two visible knockdown targets. Holster and run to station 4.

Station 4: Depending on what assignment you were was what you did to get to the targets and what weapon you used.

If you were SWAT or some other special assignment (high risk warrant) there was a practice door. You slung your assigned weapon that was on a rack nearby (usually a Benelli or an UMP-40). Once slung, you grabbed a one man ram, rammed the door, dropped the ram and engaged five knock down target.

If you were patrol, the door was replaced with a mock window and your gun was an 870. Same drill, but you engaged the targets through the window. When done you secured the weapon and ran to five.

Station 5: At the 50 yard mark you proned out with an AR and shot three dinger targets. When the third dinger was hit you were done. This entire drill was done in 3 minutes or less.

Oh if you were a sniper, then the rangemaster would have set you set up on a pad 100 yards back.

This was a fun course to do and this was where all the SWAT guys got put back in their place.

Below is a pic I drew up for anyone interested. Red arrows are your path and blue arrows are bullet path.

[PSmitty1]

Lots of good stuff in this thread. I would add that you should train from how you carry. Muscle memory is key in high stress situations. Statistics show most gunfights occur about 7 yards and in. Practice point shooting. Using the 5 point draw, you should be able to get good quality hits from strong hand only with elbow over holster (if you carry on the hip). Practice moving laterally while drawing and getting your gun up and on target quickly.

Be aware of your surroundings and make mental notes on where your closest cover is. Look for concealment options that would buy you time or allow you to make it to cover.

[DarinCraft]

Originally Posted by PSmitty1

Lots of good stuff in this thread. I would add that you should train from how you carry. Muscle memory is key in high stress situations. Statistics show most gunfights occur about 7 yards and in. Practice point shooting. Using the 5 point draw, you should be able to get good quality hits from strong hand only with elbow over holster (if you carry on the hip). Practice moving laterally while drawing and getting your gun up and on target quickly.

Be aware of your surroundings and make mental notes on where your closest cover is. Look for concealment options that would buy you time or allow you to make it to cover.

I mentioned that couple of times throughout this thread, but it's great stuff and needs to be repeated. Thanks for the reply.

EDIT: I want to add that another purpose of the 5 point draw is GROSS muscle memory. There are no fine movements in that draw. The point I am making, is if you have any fine muscle movements in your routine, get rid of them. They will mess you up in a stress situation, trust me. The first thing I got rid of was a separate movement for my thumb break. Instead of grabbing my gun and then manipulating the thumb break, I would have my thumb "up" so when I drove my hand down onto my gun, my thumb automatically caught the thumb break and unsnapped it.

[CA357]

If you don't mind, here's a good video and explanation of the five point draw. Personally, I tend to learn better from hands on training. Failing that, live/video instruction works well for me.

How To: Perform a 5 point draw | GLOG!

[Daoust_Nat]

Great stuff. Where do you go to do this training. There is not one range around me that will allow you to draw from a holster to shoot. Most won't allow double taps. I can and do practice at home with an unloaded hand gun, but cannot go anywhere to follow through with actual shots.

[CA357]

At my home range, Sacramento Valley Shooting Center for a mere five bucks we can qualify for the action pistol ranges. Then we can reserve a range for a four hour period. The only drawback is that unless there's a cancellation, it can take a month or more to get a time slot.

At those ranges, we can then set up various scenarios, even create a mock up of our house if we so desire. There are barriers and other props provided for our use. At this point, I've qualified but haven't reserved a range yet. However, I will do so soon.

[TheDaggle]

If there are any national parks near you, many have 'designated shooting areas' or something similar. I've found the park service rangers to be very helpful. The office up by CA357 even keeps stacks of xeroxed maps with the best routes highlighted.
The upside to these ranges are that they're free and you can shoot as you please, the downside is that they're often abused and neglected by those that use them.if you do use one, take some trash out when you leave.

[Daoust_Nat]

None real close by, but near enough for a couple of us to do a day trip and get about four hours of time in.

I always take extra trash bags with me when going anywhere like that. Some open beaches here. Way too many people that forget to bring their Mothers to pick up after they leave a mess. The fastest way to get those places closed off to the public is to make it too much work to keep open.