Guns

CHL Instructor class

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

As of now, I am certified in the State of Texas to teach the concealed handgun licensing course.

I spent the past 4 days taking the class, and wanted to share some details about the experience.

I took the abbreviated class because I already have teaching experience (NRA Certified Instructor and my work at KR Training). The course was 3 days in the classroom and 1 on the range. The topics run the gamut of all things required for a CHL from legal issues to accommodating people with disabilities, how to deal with all the paperwork, and so on.

One thing I like to do in any firearms class I take is look at demographics. Why? It’s interesting, especially in working to dispel the notion of “gun owners are old white male rednecks”. Of the hundred or so people in the class, most were white men probably over the age of 50. There were some younger folk, there were a handful of women, and a larger handful of non-white folk. Take that for whatever it’s worth. One interesting thing was at least half the class were current or former law enforcement officers.

The three classroom days covered a range of topics. Matters such as use of force, relevant Texas laws, how to handle all the paperwork, the course of fire, non-violent dispute resolution, and so on. I’ve heard horror stories from old-timers, but it seems they’re really improving things. The course flowed well, lots of useful information. Even the information I already knew and had heard many times before was always good to hear again. The only downside was the hotel: the conference room chairs were painful to sit in, no tables so we could more easily write and take notes, and a few other issues.

The range day went pretty quickly. The course of fire for instructors is the same as for students, but it must be passed with a 90% or better score. Furthermore, instructors must qualify with both a revolver and a semi-automatic. I did take a bit of pride in being one of the few snub-shooters on the line (you should have seen some of the hand-cannons people pulled out).

The DPS facility is really nice, and that it’s just a couple of miles from Dawson Precision meant I had to stop in. Never been there before, they gave me a tour of the place. Oh man… what a setup they have there! Quite nice. I had to force myself to leave, else my wallet would have been lighter and an STI would have been with me.

A long week, but a good week. I’ve much work ahead of me. I do want to give credit and thanks to Sergeant Stuart Bamsch of the Texas DPS for all the hard work he and his staff did to put this week together. It sounds like he is working to make a lot of positive changes that will benefit his group in DPS as well as all CHL Instructors and CHL holders.

If you would like to come to me for CHL Instruction, please contact me through my company website, Hsoi Enterprises. I’m not quite ready to start doing CHL work, got some ducks to get in a row. But anything I do in that regard will be discussed on the Hsoi Enterprises company website (likely not here, since this is a personal blog).

Rangemaster June 2010 Newsletter

/ hsoi

Rangemaster’s June 2010 newsletter is now posted.

While other topics are covered, the article of most interest to me is a debrief of their 52nd student-involved self-defense shooting. This is something worth reading.

One thing that may come as a surprise to folks is that the incident was on a Sunday afternoon, broad daylight, in a “good part of town”. Many would say such an incident would be unpossible under such circumstances. Folks, you don’t get to choose when bad things are going to happen to you. But you can choose whether or not you’ll be prepared for when those bad things happen.

There are a host of lessons to be learned from that incident, apart from the analysis by Tom Givens (which you can get by reading the article). Many things to think about and discuss.

14 things about me

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

I am looking at a legal form. It’s an “Eligibility Affidavit”. In order to become a Concealed Handgun Instructor in Texas there are 14 preliminary eligibility requirements listed under 37 TAC Chapter 6 and Chapter 411, Texas Government Code. Because I can answer affirmatively to all 14 statements, here are 14 things you can know about me:

  1. I have an established legal residence in Texas for at least 6 months.
  2. I’m at least 21 years of age.
  3. I have not been convicted of a felony.
  4. I am not current charged in any jurisdiction with the commission of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or an offense under §42.01 (Disorderly Conduct) Texas Penal Code, or of a felony under an information or indictment.
  5. I ma not a fugitive from justice for a felony or a Class A or Class B misdemeanor.
  6. I am not chemically dependent.
  7. I am not incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use ans storage of a handgun.
  8. I have not been convicted in any jurisdiction of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or an offense under §42.01 (Disorderly Conduct) Texas Penal Code in the past 5 years.
  9. I am fully qualified under applicable federal and state laws to purchase a handgun (and that’s a whole other set of qualifications in and of itself)
  10. I have not been finally determined to be delinquent in making child support payments
  11. I have not been finally determined to be delinquent in the payment of taxes or other money.
  12. I am not currently restricted under a court protective order or subject to a restraining order affecting the spousal relationship.
  13. I have not in the past 10 years been adjudicated as having engaged in delinquent conduct violating a penal law of the grade of felony.
  14. I have not made any material misrepresentation or failed to disclose any material fact, on my application.

Maybe you can say those same things about yourself. Great.

My point?

Look at the sorts of things one must go through – as a preliminary minimum – in order to be a CHL instructor (or hold a CHL) in Texas. Looks like you have to be a pretty sound and law-abiding good citizen.

Furthermore, if you can know this is what it takes (in part) to obtain a CHL, then when you come across someone who is a CHL holder (at least here in Texas),  you instantly can know a good deal about a person and determine what sort of person they are. You mean some Joe on the street… is he a good guy or a bad guy? You discover that Joe is a CHL holder, it’s a reasonable assumption Joe’s going to be a Good Guy.

Coming full circle

/ hsoi / 10 Comments

My snub revolver (a S&W 442) came with Uncle Mike’s boot grips.

I changed them to Pachmayr Compac grips.

I decided to try out the Werner Carry system. With just the Barami Hip Grips, my carry loads hurt like hell. Then the Tyler T-Grip arrived. Shooting with the T-Grip was much better than without the T-Grip.

And now… I think I may be going back to the Uncle Mike’s.

The Uncle Mike’s provide almost the same form factor as the Werner system. That is, the width/thickness is about the same, the frontstrap “fill” is about the same, and the backstrap remains bare. The only major differences are the Uncle Mike’s are “rubber/textured” and there’s no hooking, whereas the Hip Grip and T-Grip are smooth and the Hip Grip provides a hook (there are some minor differences, noted below).

While I dig the hook for the carry mode, it’s never 100% comfortable. Yes yes, “carry gun should be comforting, not comfortable”, but having a snub muzzle at 2 o’clock digging into your femoral artery all day gets old. Trying to shift and find ways to adjust it isn’t panning out either. My bit of belly flab doesn’t help either… either how it forces the gun to sit or then affects the ability to draw. So I’m conceptually hip to the Werner Carry System, but it’s not working out. I’ll revisit it after I drop a few pounds. 😉

When I have been carrying the snub, it’s been in a pocket holster. The Uncle Mike’s are a hair slimmer in their profile because they lack the grip hook jutting out. Plus the textured grip provides a little more tack. As well, there’s a little “northward extension”… I don’t know how else to describe it, but check out the pictures in this post. That little “ear” at the top of the Uncle Mike’s looks like it’s just enough to shield/cushion the web of my hand, but that remains to be seen. See, just a few days ago I ran 50 rounds of WWB 130 grain .38 Special (not +P) FMJ through the snub with the Werner System on it. After shooting I realized that where the upper-left edge of the backstrap contacts my thumb webbing, the skin had been taken off. When I put the Uncle Mike’s on, that little ear is right where the skin came off, so hopefully it will shield my skin from future wear.

Another thing is after shooting that box of 50, I noticed the Hip Grip and T-Grip were loose. I’ve done my best to tighten them down, but there’s only so much you can do because it’s not a 100% perfect fit. Next time I use them I’ll use some blue Loctite, but even if that keeps them from coming loose, the lack of a perfect fit means there’s still a bit of wobble.

So, will I keep the Uncle Mike’s? I don’t know. It’s just the latest iteration. I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes. Need to see how it carries, need to see how it performs in practice. I do like the Pachmayr Compac grips the best, but they really kill the concealment factor; they’re great to have when you do a lot of shooting, but I ideally should practice like a carry.

We’ll see.

Today’s self-defense PSA

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

If someone is attacking you, yes trying to shoot them in the kneecaps is still considered deadly force.

If you can actually succeed in this, you’re a far better marksman than I am (again, assuming this person is in process of attacking you thus they are moving, you are moving, fur is flying, your heart is pumping, adrenaline is flowing, etc.).

Why am I bringing you this public service message? Let’s just say the topic came up today.

How to avoid shooting yourself in the testicles

/ hsoi

Man shoots himself in the testicles at a Lowes.

The man’s handgun, which was in the waistband of his pants…

and we can stop right there.

If the news article is correct and if I can be allowed to make some assumptions to fill in the gaps, it sounds like his gun was just loose in his waistband, not in a holster or using a proper waistband restraining system (e.g. a Hip Grip). That means, it’s free to move around and fall. Then something manage to get its way into the trigger guard and depress the trigger, possibly bypassing mechanical safeties (if any). Yes, I’ve heard of a couple of cases where someone was carrying in a manner similar to this and clothing and squatting down was enough to make the gun discharge.

But my guess? Gun was loose, he was adjusting or catching it to keep it from falling, when he grabbed it his fingers went into the trigger guard, clench the fist to grab the gun, and bang.

Lessons learned:

  • Use a proper holster, with a proper belt. Don’t skimp, buy quality.
  • When your gun is in the holster, leave it alone.
  • If the gun is falling, let it fall and do not try to catch it.
  • If your gun has mechanical safety(s), be sure to use them. Consider as well that certain guns lacking additional external mechanical safeties (e.g. Glock) are not ideally suited for “loose” carry. For example, I wouldn’t recommend a woman carry a Glock 26 loose in her purse. Get a purse with a dedicated holster (e.g. Galco’s selection); helps avoid stuff getting into the trigger guard (be it fingers or stuff in the purse) plus ensures the gun is in a constant and known position/location for improved speed of draw.

Day of class

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Today, KR Training held its Competition Pistol 1 class.

A good class. There were 15 people shooting, including one father-daughter team (tho Dad, who is already a competition shooter, was just there to help her and provide her support… and she was pretty good!). Some old familiar faces, lots of new faces. And on the whole, a pretty decent class.

A lot of the folks there would do well to come back for classes like Basic Pistol 2, Beyond the Basics: Pistol, and Defensive Pistol Skills 1. Folks weren’t bad shots, but there’s lots of little things they can do to get better. Working on fundamentals such as grip and trigger control will take this group and make them even better.

Started out running drills and working on skills. Then the fun started. Had both ranges going. First round had a Steel Challenge stage (Accelerator) on the small range, and the other range had people running a plate rack (6 falling steel plates). The second round put an IDPA stage on the small range and an IPSC stage on the large range. Nothing too difficult, but challenging and more intended to give people an idea of what each game is like.

For folks wanting to know more about the local clubs and matches, check KR Training’s list of those very things!

Only harsh thing was it got HOT today. I saw one bank clock/thermometer displaying 101º, tho most places are in the mid-90’s. Had to reapply the sunscreen, and while I know I got some tan I do hope I’m not burned… so far it looks good, but I’ve got a layer of dust and dirt on me. 🙂

Going to hit the shower, then time for a Sam Adams.

Good day.

What does “XM” mean?

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

XM193 ammo is fairly well-regarded. But exactly what does the XM stand for? You hear lots of explanations.

Here’s the definitive, right from ATK themselves:

XM193 ammunition is 5.56mm contract overrun material. It may not meet all of the mil-spec requirements, however, it does meet all requirements of commercial ammunition for pressure, form, fit and function.

There’s a little more to it as well, so clicky-clicky and read.