The Modern Day Gunslinger: The Ultimate Handgun Training Manual

INTRODUCTION »

Before getting into the defensive and tactical training techniques involved with shooting, we should first go over why the information you’ll find in these pages matters.

During my career, expanding close to thirty-five years, I have worked with and learned from some of the most talented shooters in the world. I have also learned that some of the best disagree with one another. And that perplexed me: How can one shooting instructor, with IPSC titles, victorious in gun battles all over the world, so vehemently disagree with another with similar credentials? More often than not, the answer lies in the medium through which each shooter has acquired his expertise. There is a big difference between shooting on a range at two-dimensional paper targets, and training with methods that work when the targets are firing back at you. However, when you combine these experiences and bounce their lessons off each other, what you get is a wide-ranging, even humbling perspective on weaponry and shooting itself.

In preparing the MDG, I corresponded with many of the big names in the shooting world. Most of them graciously agreed to share their wisdom. I also read all I could find on shooting, part of a research process that has taken over twelve years. My expertise alone wasn’t enough to inform you in the comprehensive manner that was my intent.

My work and research, I hope, presents a balanced look at what the professional shooters have to say, what those in law enforcement have to say, and what military personnel who have fought in combat have to say about what works and doesn’t work.

As such, the shooting skills taught in the MDG carry broad application in civilian, law enforcement and military contexts. We all need to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Common criminals, terrorists, assailants—the enemy and threat—all will find themselves outgunned in the face of a properly armed and trained gunslinger. Members of the armed services, government and law enforcement agencies, as well as civilians will find that the close-range shooting methods addressed herein can provide a decisive advantage.

Before we get too far, however, remember this: I don’t claim to be all-knowing. As a matter of fact, I am far from it. I am a weapons and tactics professional and have a great deal of respect and admiration for those who treat weapons and weapons training with the respect they deserve. I am a retired Navy SEAL and a U.S. Government Small Arms and Tactics instructor, jobs for which I have operated and traveled around the world and have trained civilian and military personnel, foreign leaders and heads of state protection details.

I have developed many focused small-arms training and tactics courses, manuals, and lesson plans for the U.S. military and U.S. government. Like those manuals, this book explains technical and non-technical information on the defensive use of handguns. It also breaks down weapons safety, basic shooting fundamentals, ammunition, low-light and no-light shooting, holsters, and combat mindset—a mental approach to everyday life that plays an important role in a gunslinger’s effectiveness.

Nevertheless, the information you’ll find herein is intended only as a complement to the rest of the shooting expertise available in our field. I encourage all readers of this text to digest all they feel relevant to their own lives and professions, and then go further and learn and train with a professional shooter or shooting academy.

Like most weapons instructors, I am and always will remain a student first, an instructor second—I will never know all there is to know on this subject. And it often worries and frustrates me when I come across an instructor who has an answer for every situation. In my mind, no such person exists.

But we can try to come close. This book was written to meet the needs of: the gun owner; the experienced shooter; those who own a weapon strictly for home- and self-defense; for the military member who wants to become a better shooter in defense of our country; for the law enforcement officer who risks his or her life going against the thugs of our society; and for anyone interested in learning the defensive and tactical training techniques from some of the best and most experienced shooters in the world.

My professional shooting career began soon after I joined the Navy. I spent 21 years in the Navy, most of it with the SEAL teams, some of it with the Marine Corps. I spent another 10 years as a small arms and tactics instructor with the government. I always felt confident and competent when it came to weapons handling, marksmanship, and combat shooting—though initially, I never thought there was much more I needed to know about weapons training. After all, I was a SEAL and I could shoot, move, and communicate with the best of them.

Well, I was wrong. There was a lot I did not know. In 1983 a few of us from SEAL Team One had the opportunity to attend Gunsite, one of the world’s first and finest shooting academies, and have the legendary Colonel Jeff Cooper personally teach our .45-caliber tactical pistol course. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate just how vast an influence this great man would have on me and the shooting world in general. But he shaped us all to some degree, having taught many of the instructors who now teach the students and instructors of today.

Prior to Jeff Cooper, other premier shooting and tactics gurus included Colonel Rex Applegate and Bill Jordan. Much of the early documented studies and research stem from the works of these men. In an ode to the unending evolution you see in the shooting world, however, even their findings are now often criticized and debated among some of today’s top shooters, well-known small arms and tactics scholars and instructors, and IPSC/IDPA champions.

Applegate, Jordan, and Cooper didn’t see eye-to-eye on weapons or tactical training techniques. Nor do today’s big names in the shooting community, among them Doug Koenig, Rob Leatham, Ron Avery, John Shaw, and Massad Ayoob—to name just a few.

In my opinion, there needs to be a definitive source of information that discusses why certain defensive tactics are used. It is important for us all to know, as students, that some tactics and techniques may work some of the time, others work other times, but none of them work all of the time. In the SEAL teams we often would say that situation dictates when to use what you have in your toolbox. It is a thinking man’s game and you may have a very short amount of time to decide what tactic or procedure you think will work best in your given situation.

I often tell shooters that I do not like to use the word never or the word always, because at some point in time I will be incorrect. I cannot tell a student that he must always take cover in a gunfight, because in some situations, the best tactic may be to draw down on the threat as quickly as possible and shoot until that threat has been neutralized. There may be no time to take cover; the closest cover may be one hundred yards away.

Over 25 years I accumulated unquantifiable depths of information on shooting: from my own experiences, lessons from the professionals, military and law enforcement personnel, not to mention videos, magazines, books, notes from the pros, shooting classes, and shooting schools. The goal—to create a very comprehensive shooting training manual that would be of great value to the military, the law enforcement community, and to those keen on home- and self-defense. It was during my research that I realized a comprehensive defensive handgun shooting manual did not exist. There were many great sources of information available, many outstanding books from the best in the shooting community, and many Web sites devoted to shooting and tactics education—but there was not a comprehensive defensive tactical training manual.

After weeding out the irrelevant, the redundant, the obsolete and the ridiculous from the stockpiles of information I had, this project was shaping up into something along the lines of what I envisioned and something I was very proud of. But it was far from complete. Although I had my own experiences and training, the military perspective, the law enforcement perspective and the civilian’s perspective, I lacked substantial material from those who really studied the art and science of shooting. I lacked the expertise and points of view of the top professional shooters in the United States, people who make a living as modern day gunslingers.

Most competitive IPSC and IDPA shooters shoot at paper and steel, which, of course, do not shoot back. Many of them use race guns—which the rest of the shooting community does not use—and many of the rules in competition differ from those on the streets, in combat, the convenience store robbery, etc. However, these competitive shooters can teach us a great deal on weapons handling, and fast and accurate shooting. These gunslingers have studied and broken down every aspect of shooting to an infinitesimal degree convenient for our benefit, in this case. And, many of the IPSC and IDPA top guns are law enforcement officers or military personnel who have stood face-to-face with deadly threats.

Other than competitions in the SEAL teams, I have done little competitive shooting in my lifetime. I always considered myself a combat shooter, not a sport shooter. But, as most combat shooters or recreational shooters will tell you, some of what we were taught came from the professional competition shooters. They know how to shoot faster than the eye can follow, and they always move with purpose and great efficiency.

I had literally thousands of opportunities to learn from these same people—shooters who are, quite simply, the best in the world. I consulted them even further so as to incorporate their knowledge into this book. It was a critical addition, one that finally began to round out the balance of expertise.

When we start to apply the information in the chapters that follow, it’s important to keep in mind one sobering truth: We are living in a very dangerous time. Our children attend schools in environments that have become unpredictable, even deadly in many instances. When I was growing up, I never had to worry about my classmates carrying a weapon to school. Today it is a way of life.

To survive in this world, you don’t need to be the one pounding your chest showing everyone just how capable, tough, and ready you are. Be the silent warrior instead—the modern day gunslinger. Keep it to yourself, but be confident with your skills. Let it become part of your mind-set. Hopefully you will never need the defensive skills discussed in this book, but just think how terrible you would feel if you or your family needed them and you were not ready to use them.

Shooting Maxims

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

—John Stuart Mill

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.

—William J. Bennett

1»

WEAPONS AND RANGE SAFETY

Weapons Safety

Before we discuss weapons, training and ammunition, it’s only right that we go over all facets of weapons safety. Safety, after all, means freedom from danger. It’s critical to recognize and respect the significance of safety when it comes to owning and operating firearms. There are generally two major reasons that people are inadvertently shot—ignorance and carelessness.

Range training gear

Becoming a safe shooter should always be your main priority. It would do you little good to learn to shoot a weapon and accidentally wound or kill a family member or a fellow shooter. Unfortunately this happens far too often—but it would not happen at all if everyone followed the simple list of shooting rules.

You really cannot afford to make a mistake while handling firearms. There are safety rules you need to adhere to whenever handling weapons. Every time you go to the range to shoot, you should review these rules.

It was the great Colonel Cooper who developed the basic weapons safety rules most universally adopted by most civilian, law enforcement, government, and military ranges and weapons instructors. You can find these rules at most ranges. Many instructors, shooting doctrines and various ranges have modified the colonel’s works, but the following four basic rules still apply today.

Range training gear

Loaded AK-47s

Four Rules of Safety

Safety Rule #1

Always treat all weapons as if they are loaded.

The chances are that someday the unloaded gun you pick up will be loaded, and this can prove to be catastrophic. The majority of people who have been shot unintentionally have been shot with firearms that were presumed to be unloaded. That’s why we treat every firearm as if it’s loaded. I didn’t know the gun was loaded is a pitiful excuse for accidentally killing or seriously injuring another human being. When you pick up a gun, visually and physically check the weapon twice. Every time you pick up the weapon check its condition. You have to be 100 percent certain of the condition of the weapon.

Always check weapon twice, visually and physically,to ensure you have an empty weapon.

Press-check to ensure a round has been chambered.

When you check a weapon, be sure to keep it pointed in a safe direction. If you want an unloaded (semi) weapon, always remove the magazine first—remove the source. Then rack the slide to the rear two or three times and keep it locked to the rear. Visually and physically check (with the tip of your finger) the chamber and the magazine well; then look away for a moment’s pause, before checking it a second time. It is important to do the physical check, because in low-light and no-light situations, you will not be able to see if the weapon is loaded.

Often times a student will ask, Why should I check my weapon twice? The answer is simple. Have you ever looked at your watch and not noticed what time it is? You have to look a second time to actually register what you are seeing.

If your intent is to have a loaded (semi) weapon, conduct a press check. With your weapon pointed down range or in a safe direction, partially pull the slide to the rear until you can see the round, yet being careful not to eject the round. Be sure not to sweep your hand in front of the muzzle during the press check.

Never underestimate your weapon’s potential to be loaded—especially if it is ever out of your control. You are responsible for every round that is fired from your weapon.

Safety Rule #2

Never allow the muzzle to cross anything you’re not prepared to destroy.

Don’t be careless with how you handle a weapon. Always keep the weapon pointed in a safe (or the safest possible) direction. A safe direction means that the weapon is pointed so that even if it were to go off, it would not cause injury or damage to anyone or anything you would not want to destroy. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle is pointed at all times.

To do so, imagine there is a powerful laser beam being emitted from the muzzle and that anything swept by the muzzle will be destroyed.

In a real encounter, it’s possible that a shooter will laser a non-threat or even his fellow shooters. There’s no firing line on the street or the battlefield, and there will undoubtedly be innocents downrange when you need to shoot.

Although it is wrong and should never occur, many shooters laser themselves while reholstering. Many shooters, as well as some instructors, angle the weapon in toward their body while holstering the weapon in the strong-side holster. In doing so, these shooters may actually laser their abdomen, pelvis, and thigh.

There are numerous accidents each year related to people shooting themselves while reholstering. Second Chance Body Armor offers a Kevlar holster as a direct result of the number of law enforcement officers who shoot themselves while reholstering. Keep in mind most of these officers who accidentally shot themselves would not have done so if their fingers had not been on the trigger (Safety Rule #3). While drawing a weapon out of a strong-side holster, there is a natural upward and forward momentum. Returning the weapon to the holster, however, is a slower movement that requires you to crank your shoulder up into a chicken-wing position. This motion is uncomfortable for many of us—and larger people and those with limited flexibility have an even harder time doing it. Sometimes shooters avoid this discomfort by raising their shoulders as little as possible. The less you raise your shoulder the easier it is to angle the muzzle toward your body, if you’re not careful.

Look around when you’re handling a weapon and always consider the bullet’s potential path. You must not permit that muzzle projection to cross anything that you can’t justify shooting. This must become a trained, subconscious behavior if a shooter is to be truly safe with a firearm.

Safety Rule #3

Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have made the conscious decision to shoot.

Never place your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire your weapon. It is close to impossible for a gun in your hand to fire if your finger doesn’t come in contact with the trigger, although there are times when the trigger can get caught up on clothing or gear. Yet this is the hardest rule for shooters to follow for a couple of reasons: many people feel that firearms are designed to be held with the finger on the trigger and nearly everyone who has grown up in modern society has been bombarded with photos, movies, and TV programs where actors are routinely pictured with their fingers on the triggers.

If the finger is placed on the front of the trigger guard, rather than alongside the frame of the weapon, the reaction of clenching the fist can result in an unintended discharge as the finger snaps off the finger guard toward the waiting trigger. Never touch the trigger, or even let your finger enter the trigger guard unless your sights are on target and you have made the conscious decision to shoot.

Weapons don’t discharge by themselves, except in very rare instances (e.g., cookoffs). Inevitably, if the weapon fired, it was because the trigger was pulled.

Do not place all of your trust in a mechanical safety; as with any mechanical device, it is subject to failure. A straight trigger finger is the only real safety, so keep it that way—long and straight—until you’re ready to shoot.

Neurological reactions that account for the startle response:

In a stressful situation, when you get startled your extremities will tighten. If the finger is on the trigger or within the trigger guard when any of these neurological responses take place, an accidental discharge can occur.

The startle response will also occur for the following reasons:

Postural Instability: When the shooter slips, loses balance, or begins to fall, his hands will react and tighten.

Overflow Effect: When utilizing the non-shooting hand, for any reason, and it tightens to some extent, the shooting hand will