All the better to see you with, my dear… to better watch the rectangle become a square.
While the white ramp from the factor isn’t a bad front sight, the white isn’t the most contrasting of colors against all backgrounds. Fluorescent orange on the other hand…
My J-frames have orange ramps, so I’m hip to the concept and it was my first thought. But I did want to see what options existed in the aftermarket for the LCR. In the end my search didn’t yield much that I liked: made of plastic, sharp edges ripe for snagging, etc. And after some talking with Darryl Bolke and Rhett Neumayer to see if I missed any products, I ended up back where I started going with the orange ramp.
Used an appliance touch-up paint marker to lay down a white undercoat (a couple coats). Then a couple coats of Testors orange fluorescent paint. Done.
And now when aiming it’s much easier to see… not just see the front sight, but see when the rectangle becomes a square…
When I hear guys like Chuck Haggard, Darryl Bolke, Rhett Neumayer talk… I listen. Much good heard about the LCR.
Novelty
I don’t have lots of revolvers, but every one I have is a Smith. (well, there’s that Cimarron I have for demoing single-action revolvers to students; which I got a Texas Jack’s in Fredericksburg). So to get a Ruger was nice for the simple variety.
Smiths
Yeah, the 351 C and the 43 C. I wanted to try the LCR. I have an LCP II and… it’s cool but too small for me to operate well.
Plus the Ruger’s cheaper.
Scuttlebutt is the Ruger’s more reliable.
Smiths I want to care for; I want to hand them down. The Ruger, given how it’s built I’m happy to subject it to the sweat of the Texas summer… it’s a tool.
.22 LR
Why not?
I gave up being a caliber snob.
Not everyone is me. Not everyone is you.
Cool. You can sub-2 Bill Drill with your Roland. Congratulations, your dick is much bigger than arthritic grandma’s. 🙂
My change of mind was my aging Realtor. The job of Realtor can be dangerous: intentionally taking strangers into other people’s homes… why should grandma with the weak and arthritic hands not have SOME chance of defending herself? She’s not out to go hunting, she just doesn’t want to die at the hands of some dude in a strange house, y’know? If all she could manage was a little .22 Derringer, fuck it – it’s better than nothing!
It’s one reason I’m glad Texas removed the minimum caliber restriction for getting a License to Carry (LTC). I understand why they that existed; still the side-effect was it shut out people like my Realtor. So I’m glad it was removed.
If self-defense is a human right, she deserves every opportunity just as much as the young and able-bodied.
But yes, I get it. .22 LR kinda sucks. Still, like Tam said:
Putting a few into a dude’s snotbox at three to five yards is bound to have an effect, rimfire or not.
Modern .22 LR ammo has come a long ways. I’ve been shooting almost exclusively Federal Punch, and it’s been mostly trouble-free. A couple hard extractions, but that’s all (I probably need to clean my cylinders). Punch passes the FBI tests. I have shot Velocitor. It runs alright, I just have only so much and it’s scarce… not enough to run through to build up and do. I can get lots of Punch, and even practice with that load. There’s also something in the bullet construction that differentiates Punch (look at things other than weight…).
I do want to practice. I need to practice. Dot Torture is good. 5^5. The Wizard. Passing my own Minimum Competency Assessment. 3 Seconds or Less. Start there.
So…
Everything’s a trade-off somewhere, somehow.
For my context, this provides me the right balance of things. The Underwear Gun is a thing. I’m certain down the road context will change and so my choices may (need to) change as well. Between now and then I will learn.
I have been playing with the PHLster Enigma Express for the LCR… and let me just say, this is actually comfortable…
I’ve been carrying a Ruger LCR .22 LR since November 2022. Why? Necessity, then interest.
Necessity
September 5, 2022 I was dumbbell bench pressing the 95s. I start going down for rep 7 and something felt weird in my left wrist. I immediately stopped. I don’t know how to describe it, but… something… shifted? All those little bones in your wrist (carpal bones); if you know what the carpal bones look like, just imagine something… shifting, getting compacted by 95# of steel. Yeah. Makes you wince, doesn’t it?
I went shooting soon thereafter. Shot my P365XL with the Wilson grip and inserts. After 100 rounds I couldn’t stand it – the pain was too much.
I’ve been hangin’ with a few guys into revolvers (GuG, Hizzie). I mean, “the underwear gun” is a thing. And with the stuff Rhett‘s been doing. Well… I figured now’s a good time detour and play with this concept.
Yes, the LCR is hard to shoot it because it’s lightweight with a heavy-ass trigger, craptacular snub-sights. But I can shoot it… a lot. I can even shoot Federal Punch (my defensive load) and not feel bad about the money.
My wrist is getting better. No, I don’t think it will ever be the same. In fact, as I write this, something happened and getting up from the dinner table last night the wrist complained hard at me. But I can wrap my wrists and lift weights (straight pressure is ok, it’s angled-wrist – like I could do a push-up from knuckles not palms. Getting up from the table had a bent wrist). And I could probably shoot my other guns but… I’m kinda enjoying exploring this.
Interest
Not gonna lie. I just don’t always want to wear a gun. That whole “a gun’s supposed to be comforting, not comfortable”? Well, sometimes I want to be comfortable (don’t you?). A big-ass Roland Special in my crotch isn’t the epitome of comfort. 😂 But I get it. As I said, underwear gun is a thing. Mark wrote:
A reliable gun with a trigger I can use, sights I can see, with a weight that can be held by a pair of drawstring gym shorts, and with support gear that doesn’t require a belt. Caliber is irrelevant for this gun.
Drawstring gym shorts. Dude… that’s what I wear all day. I’m on Zoom all day – pants don’t matter. 🙂
Federal Punch. 14.85 oz.
There’s things about the LCR .22 that appeal to me:
I can shoot it without pain (.22 LR, negligible felt recoil)
It is small in size – unobtrusive on my body, in feel and appearance.
It weighs about a pound, full loaded… a smidge more if in a holster (and every ounce matters in this context)
It has a capacity of 8 rounds, which is pretty good all things considered.
Modern ammunition like Federal Punch change the game for .22 LR.
I like the “plastic” construction. It’ll hold up better to sweat and stuff, which is a thing with Texas summers.
I have no real attachment to the gun, it’s not some treasured heirloom nor will it ever be. It’s made to be a functional machine/tool (see comment about sweat).
And so, I’ve been carrying it. In fact, I’m now looking at picking up another. I have been carrying it in a City Special. I just ordered an Enigma Express for it, as well as an Apollo.
Playing around with grips. Don’t care for finger grooves. Rubber hangs up clothing. Rogers is great (minimal grooves, pinky, textured yet smooth hard plastic), but it’s a little big, especially for pocket carry. The Hogue Black Rubber Bantam Boot Tamer Cushion Grip without Finger Grooves contains my acceptable trade-offs: slim, small, conceals well in pocket or on torso, no clothing hang-ups, ok no pinky but it is .22, can still shoot the gun acceptably.
Factory. Rogers. Hogue.
Look… I’m at a point in my life where I’m not so interested in hunting. I just want people to leave me and mine alone. One block I loved from TacCon23 was Darryl Bolke’s “Mousegun Mindset”. Darryl frequently refers to guns of this type as “rule 1” guns (i.e. what’s the first rule of a gun fight? have a gun.). His block provided excellent perspective on tools, modes, and mindsets of carry with regards to so-called sub-optimal guns. It resonated well with where I’m at. For example, my wife will never go hunting for bad guys, but getting the rapist off of her is another matter.
Plus, it’s a new challenge. Something different to pursue. I know revolvers are becoming hip again. I don’t care about that. I was provided an opportunity (my wrist injury) and I’m answering the door, opening it to exploration. So far I dig it.
That said, I haven’t been putting in the work. Re-reading Mark’s writing provided me with some direction. While I do have access to the KR Training A-Zone Range, it’s still an hour drive. There is a small indoor range in town, and something like working Dot Torture from the ready is do-able and beneficial. I need to take better advantage of this. As I settle more into the new job, I may have the flexibility to make this happen.
It’s also been interesting to TEACH with this on my hip. I generally always teach with and for semi-auto since that’s 99.9% of students. It’s been surprisingly non-issue.
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A man, who Wichita Falls Police said got into an argument with a store clerk and then stabbed a customer who tried to intervene, is in custody.
Let’s start with the opening line: got into an argument with the clerk and stabbed a customer who chose to intervene. As Tom Hogel says to me, “No good deed goes unpunished.” I addressed this topic in last week’s Personal Tactics Skills class. Intervention isn’t always the right answer; in fact, most times it’s the wrong answer. I understand the urge, the drive to respond – especially when you see an injustice committed. I’m not saying to not respond. What I am saying is you need to know where your line is drawn. What are you willing to die for? Are you willing to die for a rando store clerk? Maybe you are, maybe you are not. This is a personal decision. I don’t care where you draw your line (it’s your line, not mine) – I just want you to ensure you have a clear, well-defined, articulable line. If you don’t have one right now, you need to get one right now. Because if you intervene, you risk death – what are you willing to die for?
When WFPD officers arrived at the 7-Eleven at 2012 Grant just after 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, March 1, they said the victim was holding napkins and applying pressure to a bleeding wound in her neck.
7-Eleven – gas stations are the urban water hole, because everyone – good citizen and bad – needs gas for their car.
3 a.m.
Stabbed in the neck. Her neck. Medical skills are important.
She told them she was buying items when [Alejandro Villanueva (27)] came into the store and began arguing with the clerk. The victim and a witness said Villanueva left, then came back and began arguing with the clerk again.
Arguing. That’s not a good sign.
Leaving, then returning to continue arguing. That’s an even worse sign.
Why did he leave, and why did he come back? What did he perhaps get? And if he was arguing, coming back… why is he doing that? High tempers. My dudes, these are signs of trouble – what good can come of this? Big red alarm bells should be going off in your head.
Time to go. Drop your groceries and leave. Be prepared for stupid to go down (and that you might get caught up in it, like it or don’t).
The witness said he left a second time, and returned once more and began yelling at the clerk.
Leaving a second time, and returning a third to continuing arguing. That’s the worst sign.
Why are you still there? It’s either voyeurism or just frozen with disbelief – no plan of what to do, not seeing it for what it is. Third time’s a charm right? Believe what you are seeing. Why it is happening you can try to figure out later (and realize you may never know why); right now it doesn’t matter why it’s happening – it’s happening and you need to act.
The witness said the customer stepped in and told Villanueva to leave, and he began to yell at her. The customer said she told him if he did not calm down and stop confronting the clerk and leave, she would go get her gun in her car.
When in the history of telling people to “just calm down” has anyone ever calmed down? 🙃
If someone has demonstrated themselves not just irrational but irrational and irate, please believe them! Your attempt to apply rational logic and behavior will not be met with the response you are hoping for.
Then he turns his attention to her, increasing aggression. More customer begging and pleading – she doesn’t want to shoot him, she doesn’t want to hurt him. I can understand that, just the approach being taken isn’t (and wasn’t) effective for her to obtain the result she’s hoping for (expecting?). As the late Dr. William Aprill said, “They are not like you.”
A gun. First, why is it in the car? Your car is not a holster. Second, why it is not on her person? A gun you must retrieve is often of little use.
Most of all, why did you do this? The (threat of) introduction of a gun into the equation escalated the situation. She was hoping the threat would end it, but there’s always someone willing to take you up on your offer…
She said Villanueva came at her and began pushing her with his chest, and she pushed him away but he kept coming at her, and that is when she felt a sharp pain in her neck and fell back into the door and ran outside.
I’m sorry that happened. It was preventable. However, everyone has to have a first time, a time to learn. Let’s all learn from this.
Police located a truck matching the descriptions in the 1000 block of Wenonah and found Villanueva standing by it and took him into custody. They said he had a large folding knife with a brown handle on his person.
Officers said he told them he had been in fear for his life because the victim said she had a gun.
Interesting angle there, son. Now, as a “reasonable man”, I would say Ability, Opportunity, and Jeopardy are NOT present if for nothing else the knowledge he possessed about the gun was it was in the car. She didn’t have the gun on her person so it was not an immediate threat, and if she went to retrieve it he would have a window of escape. So nice try son, but it fails AOJ on that alone.
Still, it’s paints an interesting twist. You might feel yourself the “good guy” and them the “bad guy”, but good people can make mistakes, and it could wind up costly. Rare is the self-defense incident that goes according to your notions and fantasies.
I’m sorry this happened to the store clerk and customers. They paid a small price – we can ensure that price was not paid in vain by learning and growing from the experience.
My video series – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – is now available on YouTube.
I learned the value of cold drills from Rangemaster’s Tom Givens: when the flag flies, you’ll be cold – what can you do then? Understanding one’s cold performance has merit towards knowing and application of your real-world skill.
It’s Cold Drill Time Again aims to demonstrate the value of cold drills, and provide ideas on cold drills one can do.
Season 1 is about starting. It’s about me building the habit to shoot cold drills – and video and post them – as a regular thing. It is as much about the performance work as it is the video production: going from Instagram stories with no idea what I was doing to do, no preproduction, to IGTV with some idea of a script and a smidge of editing. It was a good place to start, and while I love Instagram, YouTube is the place to be. I am bringing Season 1 of It’s Cold Drill Time Again to YouTube.
To celebrate the YouTube debut, here are the first 5 episodes of It’s Cold Drill Time Again (which I guess I now refer to as Season 1).
I gotta start somewhere… – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – S1E1
Three Seconds or Less – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – S1E2
TacCon21 Tie Breaker – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – S1E3
The Wizard and the P365 – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – S1E4
Taking a Ruger LCP II through 5^5 – It’s Cold Drill Time Again – S1E5
The Name
Yes, I’m a fan of the hottest band in the world, KISS!
One day at the range as I was motivating myself to shoot a cold drill I said in my head… “Welp… it’s cold drill time… again.” Instantly the song “Cold Gin” by KISS popped into my head.
It’s cold gin time again
You know it’ll always win!
Cold gin time again
You know it’s the only thing that keeps us together.
Hear in your head, Gene Simmons growling that out.
Yesterday was a Defensive Pistol Skills 2 day at KR Training. I was assisting Karl with class. After class, a few students reshot the Three Seconds or Less test, and I joined them on the line.
I shot with the Sig P365XL Holosun from my Enigma/JMCK. I finally picked up a Sport Belt (where have you been all my life you sweet thing!). I also chose to rotate my carry ammo, so throughout the day I shot up my Gold Dot 124 grain +P.
First thing I noticed was I was going back into the holster by the time students were just breaking their first shot. Getting out of the holster quickly has merit.
Second, I way failed the test.
Where was the fucking dot?
That’s all that kept going through my head.
Where’s the fucking dot?
I tried playing with some things like slide/window indexing. But still… where’s the fucking dot?
During class, I was running the shoothouse. Afterwards I cranked off some 25+ yard rounds to the 3-D reactive targets – behold the power of the dot.
If you can fucking find it. 🤪
I’ve not been dry practicing for a couple weeks. I’ve been massively burned out due to sleep issues. If I can’t increase my reserves I have to cut expenditures. It’s why I took the last week off from the gym, and why I’m readjusting my gym work with regards to fatigue management. In fact, I’m writing this on a late Sunday afternoon, where I’ve napped most of the day and am starting to regain myself. I rewatched this from Rob Leatham:
and I’m feeling a rise within to want to get back to work.
That’s a good sign.
Oh another thing. It’s ok to suck in public. A couple students stayed after and spectated the shooting. I – the instructor – failed and sucked in front of students/clients. On the one hand, I get the ego involvement and protection. On the other, as Jake the Dog said:
Dude, suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.
On June 1, 2022 I was a student in the Rangemaster Practical Tactical Course presented by Tom Givens, hosted by Karl Rehn at the KR Training facility. I took this class not only because I appreciate a refresh on Tom’s doctrine, but it’s also part of my journey of the red dot pistol.
I was planning to make a video to post to my YouTube Series on Exploring the Red Dot Pistol, but the day job’s been stressful and I just wanted to be a student (no pressures of producing a video). So, you get a blog post. 😄
Practical Tactical
The Rangemaster Practical Tactical Course is 8 hours of intensive training in defensive marksmanship, proper gun-handling, and personal tactics. The class started in the classroom with Tom speaking on the importance of mindset. Tom dove into the 1986 FBI Miami shootout and the lessons it holds. Home security matters were addressed (tl;dr “lock your damn doors”). Staying safe in public. Who is around me? What are they doing? Active shooter realities. This classroom portion is the money of the class (or really, any class with Tom Givens) – the mechanical skill of shooting is, relatively, easy. But to have what? 5+ decades of direct knowledge, professionalism, and experience laying it down for you? People… that’s where it’s at.
I get the feeling the design of the class is half-classroom half-range. I say “feeling” because we experienced sudden, unpredicted downpours throughout the day and were confined to the classroom for a fair portion of the day. Tom of course being a wellspring of knowledge there was no shortage of things for him to teach, and so he did. Eventually the rain stopped and we went out. It’s a pleasure watching Tom run a range – I got reminded of a few places I need to tighten up.
Range work was strong on fundamentals. Note: Tom had the following prerequisite for the class:
Registration is strictly limited to students who have had any prior Rangemaster handgun course, such as Combative Pistol, Intensive Pistol, or Instructor Development. This assures that everyone is on the same page on Safety and Basic Marksmanship procedures, so we don’t have to use time in this class to cover those topics. This assures everyone of a better learning experience in this course.
(I think a KRT DPS1 grad would be minimal for this course)
In range work, Tom went over the 4-count drawstroke, refining technique. We did a lot of drawstroke, dry work, present from low ready, DTFAH, multiple hits, Parrot Drill. Good stuff. Very fundamentals, very much ensuring people have (minimum) competency.
For me, the range work wasn’t anything I couldn’t already do… but I had the dot. More on that in a moment.
I’ve taken around 150 hours of training from Tom – I’m familiar with what he teaches. I think this “Practical/Tactical” class makes a fantastic entry into the world of “The Gospel of Givens”. It is solid and well-considerate of topics for a 1-day class offering – it is rich in appropriate and relevant skills and information. I am happy people were introduced to Quickly, Carefully, Precisely. And again, the real money is the classroom material. Folks… THIS IS THE SHIT YOU NEED. And I’ll be real for a moment: I dunno how much longer Tom’s gonna keep doing this, so get your ass into one of his classes.
If you are more on the experienced side, this is still a valuable class. You can ALWAYS stand to hear the classroom stuff again – plus the way Tom tells it, well… you can tell he’s an articulate motherfucker who knows his shit. And the range time is excellent work on fundamentals – you will learn something new, that will help you along.
People go to classes because they want fun: a class has to be fun. It is a bit of an escape for most of us (e.g. I came home refreshed, actually! a day outside away from the computer…). Practical Tactical provides fun – you’ll get “pew-pew time”. But this is one of those classes where your satisfaction comes later, after class, when you realize how richer you’ve become for the experience.
Bottom line: a solid 1-day offering beneficial to those who wish to become richer in their knowledge of defensive handgun
Red Dot
I shot my Sig P365XL, curved trigger, Wilson Combat grip module, Holosun 507K (circle-dot), PHLster Enigma & JMCK Enigma Shell (recently adjusted).
My biggest problem was eye focus: I’m heavily myelinated on front-sight focus, so I wound up doing dot-sight focus. I’m also learning how to acquire (hunt for) the dot. I’ve been mostly working on the press-out, which implies ready positions like “high-compressed ready” (which is what is done at KRT). Tom works from the low ready – I haven’t worked that with the dot. The “on press-out” techniques to help you find/acquire the dot like starting slightly muzzle-up waving/dropping the muzzle as you get to extension to allow the dot to “drop in” – you can’t do that from low ready. So how the F do you manage low ready? What’s the trick there? Seriously, I’m asking – comment below.
I just have to continue to (un)learn it. I think I need more live-fire at this point, because recoil, sun, etc. It’s just going to take work – I need to get my eyes/brain seeing what needs to be seen here. I was thankful Doug Greig was AI’ing, as he was a solid resource for dot-specific tips.
To that… remember. The old man is 70, still uses irons, and outshoots all of us. Take that to the bank.
I was better in my grip… almost too good:
Blood blister, I reckon from a bottom-corner on the mag well. I’ll be taking some sandpaper to round off edges. I like the WC module, but it’s a trade-off for the part vs. something like a Boresight module. I have an off-the-shelf BS module, but I think to work in my hands I need a custom job, which is time and money so… yeah.
After adjusting the Enigma/JMCK setup, it’s working better. I need to get a sport belt…
It was an informative time. Things I see I could stand to do:
Do more dry work “at speed”
Think about that DTFAH skill.
Drive the gun, especially during dry work.
Small gun issues…
Continue to work on eye focus
Live work – use Gabe’s 4 technical skills, perhaps.
It was good to see Tom. I’m privileged to know and learn from him.
As you can see in the video, my ability to pick up the dot did improve – but no question I still have a long way to go. A few high points for my focus:
Focus on the Draw To First Acceptable Hit(s) skill
Start from the holster and work on that draw to first acceptable hit.
This works:
Dot acquisition
Grip acquisition (primarily dialing in new gear, or going back to old gear and adjusting more)
Make sure I’m being target focused (establishing that as a new habit, instead of well-habituated front-sight focus).
Pinky-driven grip
Make sure that pinky is engaged, especially on this P365XL
My 10 yard and 3 yard shooting were fairly similar. I’m working to find the dot every time because that’s my current skill focus. What I need to do next is learn what it looks like with the RDS to “see what I need to see”. Because I’m new to this, every bit of shooting is me trying to find the dot and shoot with that “perfect sight picture” – because that’s my skill focus. But of course, what sight picture I need at 3 yards vs. what I need at 25 yards are different things. This is something I’ll need to set aside a live fire session for, especially at 7 yards.
One other thing that I’m not sure what to do with. I realized the act of producing the video is a novel stress. I’m thinking about the shot, staying in frame, am I generating a cohesive narrative, word choice, minimizing ums and ahs, ensuring I look at the iPhone’s camera not screen, etc. Lots of little things while I’m trying to just shoot. I wonder how much the novel stress impacts my performance – not as an excuse, but literally as a measure and assessment of my performance. We want automaticity in performance so that we can have the brain cycles available to focus on the novel stress of the event so…
Anyways, a good session. Told me a lot. Work ahead.
An update to my eBook “Drills, Qualifications, Standards, & Tests” – including the Minimum Competency Assessment – is available for download!
In 2013 I published my original work on Minimum Competency for Defensive Pistol. At TacCon22 I lead a discussion on the topic of Minimum Competency. There I presented my original work along with my recent thinking on the topic. I introduced a Minimum Competency Assessment as an attempt to quantify my evolving thinking. For example, while “multiple hits” remains in the definition, I now believe the draw-to-first-acceptable-hit (DTFAH) skill needs to be emphasized. In this update to DQS&T, I present the Assessment and my thinking behind every bit of it: target selection, par times, distances, equipment, biases, uncertainties, etc. Give it a read and let me know your thoughts here – I don’t have the answer, but I am exploring towards one.
This update contains over 100 pages of content and drills, adding the 3456 Drill, Snub Assessment, Hip to be Square, and The Common Tater Drill. Old favorites like the 2019 FBI Qual, Three Seconds or Less, and a plethora of Rangemaster stuff are included as well.
Copies of the eBook are available for FREE download at the KRTraining.com website.
I finally have a long enough stretch of schedule, at least the rest of 2022 if not longer, so now’s the time to dedicate to exploring the Red Dot Pistol (RDS). It’s a bit of work to switch from iron sights to the RDS, but with my 100 Day Challenge going on, I have the means to work on it. I don’t expect proficiency overnight; in fact, accepting it may take me a year is a load off because now I can just focus on the work, the process, and knowing the result will come (thank you, Jim Wendler).
Since TacCon22 ended, I’ve been doing dry work. It’s mostly been focused around simply looking at the sight picture. The dot-circle red reticle is a different sight picture for my brain to process – it’s novel, and I need to remove that novelty. I also need to change where my eyes focus: from front sight to target; as well, I don’t need to close one eye any more. Consequently, most of the dry work hasn’t been any sort of skills or movement, merely acclimation. I’m still not acclimated to it, but it’s no longer truly novel. And so, it’s time to do some exploration in life fire.
April 15, 2022 I went to the A-Zone Range (KR Training’s home). I took my gun, which is Sig P365-based. I’ve been carrying, working, and shot the TacCon22 match with a P365-based gun: P365 slide and factory irons, curved trigger, Wilson Combat XL grip module. Why this? I prefer the XL length, and it was the only solution I had with irons; buying an XL slide JUST for irons didn’t make financial sense. I do have an XL with a Holosun 507K X2 and a Boresights grip module. I used that for dry work, now I’m swapping the slide/dot onto the WC-grip-curved-trigger 365 assembly.
For live work, I did the following:
Warmed up with my irons setup (since it’s what I’m familiar with)
Minimum Competency Assessment (v3)
The Wizard
Three Seconds or Less
Rangemaster Core Skills (hit factor scoring)
Swap to XL slide and dot
Zero at 10 yards
Just shoot a bunch
Fiddle with sight picture, grip, presentation, trigger, etc you name it. Change reticle.
Shoot the 4 drills again
Shoot on a shootsteel.com target, which Karl’s been using a lot more lately – it’s a good, target, well-designed, tougher than IPDA/IPSC/Q if you restrict to A & B zones (which I did; Core Skills opened to C zone). Shot about 400 rounds in 2 hours. I will say, my hands felt a little shredded from the WC grip. As expected, performance degraded. Not horrible, but let’s be real. If I shot 119 on Core Skills with the P365-irons and 78 with the dot, I need to be able to consistently pull 120 if the dot hype is to be believed. So, I’ve got work ahead of me.
From how it went down, first thing I need to work on is grip acquisition. I need to do some holster adjusting, and while I love the Enigma I am thinking about going back to a belt holster, at least for a cross-check. But I need to ensure I get the best grip on the gun, because I’m not doing it. And I have to balance this with how the gun needs to conceal since the Holosun adds more things that jut out. So, it’s holster fiddling, to ultimately ensure best grip acquisition. I need to get on the gun and get it out of the holster quickly.
Then I need to work on getting it out of the holster and onto target efficiently, acquiring the dot while doing so.
Then, on pressing the trigger and not messing up the sight picture. Keeping mind of consistently applied grip pressure throughout the firing cycle.
Repeat until I suck less. Improving the above will do wonders.
In related news… as I think about my first “season” of #ItsColdDrillTimeAgain (a small video series I did about cold drills), I thought about fiddling with a little more production. We’ll see where this goes.
Stuff From Hsoi 