For the absolute beginner who wants to buy his first pistol...

If you're thinking about buying a pistol to keep on the nightstand, to carry concealed, or to put in the safe to take out to the range once in a while and have on hand "just in case," hopefully this will be useful.  

Do's:  I've been thinking a lot about the best way to get started in pistol shooting and ownership, and I actually think I have a decent idea.  If anyone else thinks it's dumb, it's probably dumb, but for someone just learning, I think it would be a decent idea to order MagPul's "Art of the Dynamic Handgun" DVD, and go to WalMart to buy a toy airsoft pistol.  I know it's silly, but they cover the basics of safety, gunhandling, marksmanship, pistol choice, etc pretty well in that DVD, and you can follow along with all the drills with an airsoft gun, even if you're just dryfiring it and drawing it out of your front pocket.   Another good idea is to google for a website specific to your state that covers local handgun laws.  If you need a permit to buy a pistol (like in North Carolina), those websites will help you figure out what you need to do in order to make a purchase.  Likewise, they can instruct you about what is or isn't allowed in your area.  After you've been through the MagPul DVDs, it's still a good idea to see if there is a class you can take in your area for new gun owners.  In a lot of those classes they will have different guns you can shoot to see which one you like the best.  Again, inquire on local message boards (if you can find one) for a good place to take such a class.  If you have the funds and just want to jump right in, head out to a reputable training academy like Gunsite or Thunder Ranch.  There you'll get a big (though expensive) headstart on your shooting career.

Don'ts:  Don't just go to a gun store and ask them what you should buy.  If you go to four gun stores, you're likely to get four answers, and probably three of them are horribly wrong (one might try to sell you a Taurus Judge, another might try to unload their unsellable stuff on you, and so on).  When in your house watching the MagPul DVD, or when at the range with your instructor, don't start off assuming you know anything.  It's funny, but virtually everyone has been programmed by all of the action movies they've seen, and if you try to start with that stuff you'll just form bad habits.  I mean, how many times have we seen this on TV or in a movie?  It's wrong - totally wrong - but it feels right because we've seen it so many times.



Questions to ask:  Of your instructor:  Do you specialize in beginners?  Do you have a variety of guns for me to try?  How many people are in a class?  Will there be range time?  What are your qualifications?  Of people next to you at the range:  Can you please stop pointing that at me?  

Things to look for in an instructor:  I think patience and a calm demeanor are the most important things.  As a beginner, the last thing you want is someone who is in it for his ego.  You should look for a safe, professional environment and probably the smaller the class the better.  You might have loads of friends who all claim to be experts with pistols who offer to take you to the range and teach you, but honestly, it's better to get professional instruction your first time out.  If your instructor is worth a damn, he'll have you shooting as well or better than your friends after your first day.

A realistic starting budget:  Let's see, $40 for the MagPul DVD and $20 for the toy gun.  After that, probably $100 or so for the class.  When you finally buy a pistol, budget around $700.  You might not end up spending all of that for the actual gun, but you can use what's left over for ammo, a small safe, and other acoutrements.  I know that sounds like a lot, and there will be people who try to sell you a gun for $300.  But those guns, by and large, aren't worth owning.  In the end you might end up buying a semi-automatic, a revolver, or if you just want to plink at the range, a .22 caliber.  It's hard to know what you want until you get some experience, so take things slowly.

Things to look for in a gun store (including where to buy):  Never buy at the first gun store you go to.  Prices can vary wildly, and once you find a gun you want you can always look for it online.  You might also find varying degrees of service - some gunstore employees have no time for you unless you're willing to listen to their bullshit, and others genuinely care about being helpful.  If you find a good place, and their prices aren't too exhorbitant, by all means buy from them and establish a relationship.

I thought about writing a bunch of stuff about 9mm vs. 45, Glock vs. 1911, lights vs. lasers, etc, but ultimately all of that isn't what is important for a true beginner.  What is important is getting comfortable and getting good instruction.  I hope this helps.

For the absolute beginner who's wants to try IDPA / USPSA...

I thought it would be a neat idea to compile some very basic information for beginners who are interested in getting started in shooting, whether in the shooting sports, home defense, or just for fun at the range every now and then. I'll start with How to Get Started in the Action Pistol Shooting Sports.


Do's:  Before you do anything, head out to a match.  It's pretty easy to find an IDPA or USPSA club in your area by going to their respective websites.  Even if you've never shot a gun before, people will be very welcoming, and very eager to explain everything that's going on.  This is a great way to see if these events appeal to you before you make any kind of investment.

Don'ts:  Don't buy a gun before you go to a match.  If you already own one, by all means bring it and a holster and shoot it in the match.  They'll explain all of the safety rules, and will appoint a mentor to guide you through everything.  That way all you have to do is be safe and have fun.  The reason it's a good idea to go to a match before you buy anything is that you will get to see what people are using, and that will inform your purchase decision.  Many a person has bought the wrong gun for pistol competitions only to find out that it's just not competitive, at all.  If they had just gone to a match and asked questions they would have avoided that mistake.  For example, many a person has bought a Sig P226 in .40 like this one:

Only to find out it's not competitive in Production Division against Glocks like this one:

...or in Limited / L10 Divisions against 1911's like this one:

Questions to ask:  What's that you're shooting?  What division are you shooting in?  How is that different from other divisions?  How much did your shooting rig cost?  Why did you X, Y, or Z on that stage?  Would you mind if I took a closer look at your gun in the safe area (all the damn time these guys are comparing guns at the safe area, and unless someone is just about to shoot a stage, they won't mind showing you as well).  

Things to look for in an instructor:  Specifically for action pistol sports, you want an instructor who has had some success in the sport.  There are plenty of instructors out there who will gladly take your money and tell you that their fundamentals are the same fundamentals that all shooters use, but they might be wrong.  If you go to a match, you can ask around about who teaches shooters locally, and chances are there will be some good recommendations.  Very frequently you don't need a lot to take one of these classes, as the instructors will have loaner gear for you to use.  After the class you will have a very good idea of what you like, and what you don't like, in a competition rig.

A realistic starting budget:  To get started, you're realistically going to want to spend $810.  That's around $550 (Glock 17/34, S&W M&P 9, or Springfield XD) for the gun, $40 for the belt (Wilderness Tactical Instructor Belt), $50 for mag pouches (Comp-Tac, Blade-Tech, or Ready Tactical), $70 for a holster (Comp-Tac, Blade-Tech, or Ready Tactical), and $100 for extra magazines, assuming you're starting in the cheapest divisions of IDPA or USPSA (which are perfectly fine to start in, and to stay in for the rest of your competitive career).  You could skimp on the holster and mag pouches, but I guarantee you will be replacing them before long.  Buy once, cry once I always say.

Things to look for in a gun store (including where to buy):  If you're getting into competition pistol shooting, don't go into a gun store unless you know exactly what you want when you walk in there.  The salesmen will likely not have a fucking clue what you need.  You can (and should) buy the holster, mags, pouches, belt, etc online, because they're typically not stocked in retail stores.  The best prices for guns are usually online as well at places like www.budsgunshop.com or www.galleryofguns.com.  However, perhaps the best thing to do is figure out what division you'd like to start out in, and then wait a couple of weeks for something to come up for sale on either the uspsa.org classifieds or the classifieds at www.brianenos.com.  People are constantly selling their old rigs in order to afford to move up to a more expensive division, and so they sell the whole kit and kaboodle at once.  This is a great way to save a couple hundred dollars on your rig.  As a new shooter, you might be intimidated about buying a used gun sight-unseen.  This is where going to a match or two before you buy your gun comes in handy.  Get the email addresses of the people you talk to, and also inquire as to whether or not they have an online forum for local match discussions.  That way, when you see a rig you think might work, you can ask the people you know locally if they think it looks like a good deal.  Oh yeah, and get pictures before you buy anything.  You might not be able to tell from the pictures if the gun is worse for the wear, but your fellow local shooters should be able to.  

The SIRT Training Pistol

A couple of months back I bought a SIRT training pistol from Next Level Training.  It was a really cool training tool, but ultimately it wasn't for me.  Here's why:

The SIRT pistol wouldn't fit in my Blade-Tech holster the same way my G17 and 34 do.  That meant I had to drastically loosen the retention screws on my holster, which was a pain.

The SIRT actually trained me to shift my focus from the front sight to the target at exactly the worst time. One of the best aspects of dry fire is that nothing distracts you from seeing the front sight all through the trigger pull, and this is how you really train yourself to be accurate and to call your shots. With the laser shining on the target, it's all too easy to train yourself to look at the target after every shot, which is not only slow, it makes it so your shot calling learning curve is lengthened dramatically. 


They do an admirable job of recreating the Glock trigger feel, but it's just not the same as the real thing.  Really learning your particular trigger is key to being a better shooter, and working with an approximation just doesn't seem like the best idea.


Ultimately I sold my SIRT.  I still think it has a lot of value in some applications, for instance I think it's better for instructors than shooters. If I'm teaching someone to shoot, I always start with dry fire to go over the fundamentals. When they're working on trigger control, I have to watch very carefully to see if their sights are moving. However, with the SIRT I can just look at their target and see if the laser moves when the trigger is pulled. It's easier that way - plus, it has advantages for "tactical" training where you can see if anyone is muzzle-sweeping their buddies. 

At $430, I think the money is better spent on a proper class with a quality instructor.  That's just my opinion.  Oh, and I did end up buying another of their weighted practice magazine after I sold my original SIRT kit.  That practice magazine is great - it features the same feel of working with a loaded magazine without the danger of a negligent discharge.  


Anyway, whether you try a SIRT or do traditional dry fire, get practicing!

ACES

 Here's something interesting:

 

http://www.aceshooters.com/ 

 

My guess is they'll try to make a television show out of it, sort of like Top Shot but with established world champions.  I'll definitely be paying attention to see what comes of it.

Book Reviews

The Colt .45 Automatic - A Shop Manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen

This really is just what it claims to be - a shop manual.  I bought this book, and I think most people buy this book, thinking there will be some general "how to's" included.  It's a good reference guide if you need to know the depth of say, the locking lugs on your barrel, but the gunsmithing forum at www.1911forum.com is a lot more helpful for people wanting to work on their own 1911's.

Thinking Practical Shooting by Saul Kirsch


I really like this book.  There are some technique-oriented nuggets on recoil control and shot calling in the beginning, and then it launches into all the other things that make up the sport of Practical Shooting; things like: Mental aspects, physical preparation, goal setting, match performance, etc.  Just as the title suggests, this book will give you a lot to think about, but it won't spoon feed you things to do.  The steps to building a training program are all here for example, but it's up to you to digest the bulletpoints and actually create a program for yourself.  This book is well worth purchasing and reading, but it's more of a long-term investment in the sense that you won't get a bunch of new insights and drills that will immediately improve your shooting, but you will be able to reference the content for years to come as needed.

Practical Shooting - Beyond Fundamentals by Brian Enos

The title is "Beyond Fundamentals," and that's just what this is.  Anyone setting out to write a book on the techniques of successful Practical Shooting has an incredible challenge ahead of them, as the techniques are constantly changing.  Most shooters would probably change their grip three times before their book on grip technique was even in first draft form!  But what Enos has done here, and why this book is still considered the most important in Practical Shooting even after 21 years, is boil everything down to the bare bones of what makes a technique successful.  For example, he has some wonderful description of a proper grip, but most of his description boils down to is the importance of neutrality.  If you want a book to tell you your exact perfect grip, this isn't that book.  However, if you want to be set on the path of finding your perfect grip, this is all you need.  This is a big part of why most people agree this book is more of a Zen treatise than anything.  After all, according to Enos, "Techniques do not make the shooter.  The shooter is the technique."

The Book of Two Guns - The Martial Art of the 1911 Pistol and AR Carbine by Tiger McKee 


I really can't recommend this book.  It's not really readable, and pretty much all the info contained in it is available in 5 minute Clint Smith youtube videos.  I was hoping for some insightful information on 1911 pistols and AR15 Carbines, but there is none of that (in fact, there is nothing specific to either of these two weapons at all, which makes me wonder why they're mentioned in the title in the first place).

Refinement and Repetition: Dry Fire Drills for Dramatic Improvement by Steve Anderson


Anderson has broken down USPSA classifiers (and by extension, USPSA stages) into the basic technical components.  He features a few technique descriptions in the beginning, such as draws and reloads, and the rest of the book is an excellent dry fire training manual.  If you want to buy a book that will help you start improving the minute it arrives, this is the one.  Of course, all of the dryfire drills can be replicated on a live range as well.  There is a reason this book is as popular as it is.  If your goal is to improve your USPSA/IDPA classifier and stage times, this is probably the one book to have.

Principles of Performance: Refinement and Repetition 2 by Steve Anderson 


There are more great dry and live fire drills in this one, with more emphasis on movement.  However, what makes this book very interesting is the other content, like the mental management program, Steve's experiences shooting on super squads with some of the world's best shooters, and common mistakes everyone encounters in the sport of Practical Shooting.  When you're stuck in your class and can't seem to break through to the next plateau, this is the book to turn to.

Your Competition Handgun Training Program by Michael Ross Seeklander 


This is like a combination of "Thinking Practical Shooting" and "Refinement and Repetition."  I actually just got it, but I like it a lot so far.  If you're like me, you would prefer to spend the $20 to get a ready-to-use training program so you don't have to spend the time digesting Kirsch's bulletpoints, combining them with Anderson's dry fire and live fire routines, and incorporating those with Bassham's mental management techniques.  This is that book.  There is also a section on "visual training," as in, how to train your eyes to see faster.  I'm not aware of any other resources that cover this in a prescriptive format, but it's one of the most important aspects of shooting.

Surgical Speed Shooting - How to Achieve High-Speed Marksmanship in a Gunfight by Andy Stanford


Don't buy this book.  It's a pure "technique" book, and a lot of it either won't apply to how you as an individual should shoot, or is largely outdated.  Instead, peruse the handgun techniques subforum at www.brianenos.com.  And take a class from an active, successful competitor.

With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham 


Pretty much all of the mental management techniques from Saul Kirsch, Mike Seeklander, Steve Anderson, et al all come from this book.  It's really the bible of mental performance in sports.  And it's only 150 pages and $9 or so on amazon.com.  It's well worth the investment.

A new direction in my shooting...

It's time to go to work.  Up to this point with my shooting I've been working on base fundamentals, and I think that work has paid big dividends - I'm happy with my trigger control, accuracy, shot calling, and reloading, though of course there is always room for improvement in those fundamentals.  It comes down to the fact that I'm really proud of the progress I've made since I attended my first IDPA match 13 months ago, and I'm ready to turn yet another page in my shooting career.  To that end, it's time to get organized and start doing the things the best guys are doing, because in my mind I'm one of the best shooters, just one that quite learned all the things there are to learn.

So starting today, these are the changes I'm making:

Make Ready Routine and Mantra.  From now on at the "load and make ready" command, instead of being just zoning out and going through the motions, I'm going to execute a choreographed set of motions, and repeat a mantra in my mind.  Specifically, I'm going to reset the trigger, press out on the first target, and dry fire.  Then I'll load my barney mag, chamber, put the barney back in its pouch, and load my full magazine from my pocket.  I'll keep my grip after holstering, and as I think to myself, "Aggression.  Smooth Aggression."  I want to keep it simple, and keep the things top-of-mind that I want to emphasize in my runs.  This is also just a start.  I'll probably change it from time to time.

Stage Clustering.  Until now the way I have approached stages has been to think about the stage as a whole.  Shoot these targets then reload while moving over here then shoot these other targets, etc.  From now on I'm going to "cluster" stages and think of them as individual drills that I'll then link together.  For example, I'll say to myself, "Drill one is to draw shoot these four targets as fast as I can.  The key to this drill is transition speed.  The next drill is to reload and get into this position fast and smooth with the gun up indexed on this spot.  The next drill is to shoot these four targets, with the key being trigger control (for tight shots, for example).  And so on.  I figure most 32 round stages can be broken down into 5 or 6 clusters.

Skill baselining.  At every range session, I'm going to start by baselining a few skills like the draw, turning draw, speed reload, and a few others.  I'll do five reps each, record the times, and chart them in excel over time.

Very focused practice sessions of 300 to 400 rounds.  From now on I'm going to go to the range to practice one or two specific things.  I'll plan the things that I want to work on in advance and record everything so that I can see what works and what doesn't.

Daily practice routine.  I'll focus on daily practice, both dry fire and cardio/strength training.  I'll improve something every day.

Match diary.  I'll keep a diary of match performance every time I compete.  I'll record impressions, things I did well, and things I learned about the way I shoot and the kinds of challenges I encounter.

Goal setting.  I'm going to set a goal and work toward it.  This will give me motivation, and also allow me to chart my progress more effectively.  My immediate goal is to make A class.  I only need one or two good classifier runs to do it, and the work starts now.

Tips from a recent competition class

Recently I got to take a class with a top competitor, and I thought I'd share a few of the key lessons and tips that I learned.

• Even when engaging in dryfire training, grip the hell out of the pistol just as you would when competing for real.  This will result in your grip becoming fatigued well inside of 5 minutes, but your grip will be stronger over time and your practice will more closely mimic what you should be doing in matches.
• Many people using a thumbs-forward grip point their right thumb up in the air, when it should be either relaxed and overlaid on their left thumb, or riding atop the safety.  Having the thumb pointed up increases the chances that you will disrupt the sights during trigger manipulation.
• Take the time to chart as much data on your practice sessions as possible.  Evaluate individual techniques individually, and only incorporate multiple things to make sure you're putting things together properly.  For example, practice and record data on your turn and draw.  Practice and record data on your slide lock reload.  Practice and record data on your transitions (eg, start time, fire one shot on one target, transition, and fire two on the next target - record only the transition time).  Experiment with different techniques to try to make each of the above as fast as possible.  After all of that, then put it together with an El Prez drill and record all of the data.  See how your actual data from the El Prez drill compares to the data from practicing the individual components.  Work on those areas where you are slower in the drill than you are with the individual technique.
• Everything other than confirming sight picture and pulling the trigger is non-shooting, even waiting for the front sight to return.  To get faster, work on getting faster at everything that is non-shooting, that way you have more time for the actual shooting.  This is how the pros are both faster and more accurate through a stage.  
• Golfers are constantly checking their grip, stance, and backswing, and even expert golfers are constantly having pros give them tips on grip, stance, and backswing.  As shooters, we should be doing the same thing with our grip, stance, and movement.
• Vertical stringing is better than horizontal stringing.  Vertical stringing is the result of simply a timing or recoil control issue, which are both easy fixes.  Horizontal stringing is the result of a major fundamental flaw like trigger control, grip, or stance.  
• Practice outside of your comfort zone - somewhere between 110% and 120% of your ability.  Take the ego out of it.  Work yourself into a higher comfort zone.  This is the only way to become comfortable at higher speeds.
• Practice is about missing.
• Tell your shooting partners / squad mates what you're working on so they can watch and give you feedback.  
• Whenever you're the first shooter on a stage, ask for a test beep.  If the RO asks if you're ready, give an audible response, not just a head nod.  
• When moving to a new position, explode out of the current position and glide into the next one.  The gliding is more important than the exploding, so if it's a short movement, don't go so fast that it disrupts your smooth glide into the new position.
• Don't take extra steps.  Always use positive footwork.
• How you set up to a target depends entirely on where you need to go next, and how and where you go next has everything to do with getting to the last target as soon as possible.
• Pick a near spot to index on for each new position on the stage walkthroughs.  That way when you enter a position - before you can see the target - you can begin to index and be that much faster once the target comes into view.
• Your dominant eye has to clear a barricade/obstruction in order to shoot a target, so try to end on targets on the left if you're right eye dominant and targets on the right if you're left eye dominant.