Continuing Education

Most of us understand the need for continuing education in our professional lives, but we need to continue our education in our defensive lives as well.  I know I have written about the need to keep training before, and I try to live by it when I can.  Time and money are serious constraints for most of us, so we do what we can when we can. 

Friday evening I had the pleasure of training in an area that was new to me.  Handgun retention.  It was taught by Kathy (the Cornered Cat) Jackson and her associate Don.  The class was approximately four hours, and it was a “level 1” class, meaning it was introductory.  The presentation, demonstrations and content were excellent!  I learned so much, and it was presented in a minimally intimidating way.  I’ve read about retention classes where people get pretty banged up.  I can see, in a life and death struggle for the gun, that is could get rougher than what we did in practice, but I learn better when I’m not afraid of getting hurt.

I did have the honor of being the first, but not the only, one to land squarely on my butt.  Mats really help!  It is Monday morning, I’m still a little sore, but I’m also “of an age” where I don’t bounce back (no pun intended) like I used to at 20. 

The techniques were effective in practice, easy to remember and I hope I never need them, but I will practice with a buddy and work on making them reflexive.  Learning so much reminded me how much I enjoy training and that I wish I could do more.  I think everyone had a great time, and if you ever get the chance…do not let a chance to train with Kathy pass.  She is awesome!

Safe Shooting.

Racking the Slide - Yes You Can!!

How many times have you been told that women don’t have the strength to rack a slide on a semi-automatic?  There are some guys out there who have trouble with it.  If you are a new shooter, and find wracking the slide a challenge, that’s ok. Don’t give up!  There are a couple things you can do.

First, position is key.  Have a firm grip on the pistol with your strong hand (the one you write with).  This should be similar to your shooting grip.  You can pull the gun in closer to your body.  With the weak hand, cup the top rear of the slide, it is often ridged for an easier grasp, being careful to ensure that your hand does not extend over the ejection port, and pull straight back while pushing forward with your strong hand.  Pull the slide straight to the rear, and then let it go.  Yes, let it fly, if you hold the slide as it is returning to position you can create several issues such as a mis-feed, failure of the gun to return to battery (ready to fire).  This takes practice.  It is also harder on tiny gun, you may need to adjust the position, but…you can do it!

If you need to strengthen your hands, there are products available for that purpose.  My personal favorite is the GripMaster , available in multiple resistance levels at Amazon.com.  It can be used to work the fingers individually.  The other advantage to this exercise is that is helps with your trigger control.  Some triggers are harder to pull than others.  Ironically, the triggers on revolvers, which do not have a slide and are often recommended to women, have a harder pull than many semi-automatics.

Lastly, a good instructor can help you to adjust your hand positions so that you can be effective.  Don’t hesitate to ask for help.  If you are at a range that has NRA Certified Range Safety Officers, they are all instructors, and therefore can offer you some advice or assistance if you need.

Safe Shooting!