Shooting is entirely about exercising fundamental skills and those who are “advanced” in skill simply have advanced command over those fundamentals. Traditionally, there are seven fundamental skills in shooting: StanceGripSight AlignmentSight PictureTrigger PressBreath ControlFollow Through As applied to the defensive use of the handgun some of these fundamentals weigh much more heavily on our performance... Continue Reading →
CCX2 Interview with Spencer Keepers
The CCX2 Podcast is a collaboration between USA Carry and Concealed Nation. I have written for USA Carry for several years now and I used to write for Concealed Nation, so I have a history with both. Last year I was invited on several episodes as a guest, but so far this year I have... Continue Reading →
Weapon Strikes with a Modern Polymer Pistol
One might wonder why they would need to strike someone with a handgun rather than just shoot with it. The fact remains that many fights start at contact distance, or end up at contact distance. If at contact distance before your gun comes out you should rely on combative skills to get yourself into a... Continue Reading →
The Revolver – Enduring Love but Waning Expertise
The amount of revolvers sold each year pales in comparison to the amount of auto loaders sold, and this has been the case for decades. However, the revolver still remains a mainstay in concealed carry, especially the small-frame light weight variants as they prove ideal for certain roles. The reality is, the love for the... Continue Reading →
The Four Draws Part IV: The Surreptitious Draw
There are real-world scenarios in which a concealed carrier might have to present the gun, or ready it in hand, in a stealthy. This is done with what is called the surreptitious draw. Being able to draw your gun without attracting attention from an adversary, or multiple adversaries, is an important skill to work on.... Continue Reading →
The Four Draws Part II: Single Hand Draw
Being able to deploy your handgun with only your dominant hand is a very important skill. If you use a default draw stroke that utilizes the support hand to clear the cover garment, as is typically the case for appendix position carriers, you need to also work on a draw stroke that relies on only... Continue Reading →
The Four Draws Part I: The Default Draw
I have previously written articles, on this blog and elsewhere, telling concealed carriers that they should be practicing “all four” draw strokes. You can read that article on this blog here. The four primary draw strokes are: The Default DrawThe Single-Handed DrawThe Support-Hand Only DrawThe Surreptitious Draw In this series of articles I wish to... Continue Reading →
Handgun Skills: Why I Don’t Practice One-Shot Draws
Much ado is made about draw-to-first-shot speed in the shooting world. This is, indeed, an important skill, but I don’t practice draw-to-first-shot drills at all. I do practice draw to two shots, or draw to three shots, or five shots, etc…, but I don’t practice draw to a single shot. Rather, I practice draw-to-shooting. Why?... Continue Reading →
Reloading from the Pocket: A Strategy for Consistency
I am a huge proponent of keeping things as consistent as possible; I want every tool on my body in the same place, all the time. I carry my gun in the same location, all the time. Same with my blade, same with my light. I even carry my reload in the same place even... Continue Reading →
Shooting at Longer Distances with the Handgun
There is no denying that a pistol is a short range weapon of immediate self-defense compared to rifles. For most people, hitting anything beyond conversation distance with even a full-size pistol is a parlor trick. However, a shooter can stretch well beyond this typical distance with a pistol if they train for it properly. 25... Continue Reading →
