The Draw Stroke

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Dylan

A draw stroke should be simple and reliable. Simple makes for a faster draw and one less prone to break down under stress. Reliable means it should work under most conditions, regardless of your position or dress. Your particular draw stroke is, to some extant, dependent on the position of your holster. I typically carry on my strong side, at 3’oclock or slightly past it. As such, this is the draw stroke I will be showing.

While some folks may like to complicate it, a draw stroke is a relatively simple, four step procedure; regardless of the particular stance you use. I prefer to use both hands to draw my pistol. The weak hand clears any concealing garments out of the way, while the strong hand takes a grip on the pistol. This is referred to as the “Hackathorn Rip”.

While it is a good idea to practice one handed draws that require the strong hand to clear concealing garments, I do not like them, as a general rule. Since I live in the far northeast, it is cold or at least cool, a good portion of the year. This means that my pistol is often covered by two or three layers of clothing. The “Hackathorn Rip” is the only method I have found that will reliably clear several layers of clothing, including a heavy jacket.

Since a draw stroke should be instinctive, there will not be time to think, “What kind of clothing am I wearing today? Which draw stroke should I use?” Consequently, I use the draw stroke that is the most reliable for me and my method of carry. Should your weak hand be unavailable, your strong hand will have to “problem solve” the best way to get your gun out of its holster. That is why you should still practice strong hand only draws (and weak hand only, for that matter), as it will greatly speed reaction time in these circumstances.

The Draw Stroke in Four Steps

1. Clear – clothing is pushed up and away, strong hand grasps pistol with a full grip and the pistol is pulled “clear” of its holster.

2. Rock – the pistol is “rocked” up against the ribs and lower pectoral muscle, canted out to avoid snagging the slide on clothing. Weak hand can be placed flat against the chest or raised to the side of the head to protect against attack.

3. Chest – the pistol is pushed up and forward to the upper “chest”. The weak hand comes in behind the pistol and a full two-handed grip is achieved.

4. Target – the pistol is raised slightly to just below eye level and then pushed straight out at the “target”. The shooter’s focus changes from the target to the pistol’s front sight.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol, gripping it in preperation for his draw stroke.

As concealing garment is lifted out of the way, strong hand gets a full grip on the pistol.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol clearing it from its kydex holster.

Next, the pistol is lifted clear of its holster.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol in the close contact position of a draw stroke.

Then the pistol is rocked up and canted outward.

Alternately, the weak hand may be lifted high to protect the head and neck.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol moving into the chest position of a draw stroke.

As the pistol is pushed up and forward, the weak hand comes in behind it.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol in the chest position of a draw stroke.

Chest position with full two-handed grip.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol in the compressed position of a draw stroke.

Pistol is raised slightly and pushed out toward the target.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol in a modified weaver stance.

Push is continued until full extension is achieved.

Like most things, there is more than one way to skin a cat. A lot of folks have different ideas how best to perform the draw stroke. However, one thing this is reasonably consistent today, is the concept of “draw continuum”. Basically, this means that the draw stroke goes through various shooting positions that allow the pistol to be fired depending on the nature of the threat. Since I’ve talked about this elsewhere, I won’t go into great detail, but you can easily see that if your target is at arms length moving straight into full extension would be akin to handing your pistol to the bad guy.

The draw stroke is one of the most important elements to be learned, particularly for concealed carry. When you are first learning how to draw your pistol start slowly and do it step by step. Make each movement “perfect”.

In his most recent book, Combat Shooting, Massad Ayoob does a very thorough job of covering “draw continuum” and all of its principles. It is a very worthwhile read.

The “Shoot From Where Your Gun Is” Drill

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Dylan

There is a saying among martial artists that goes something like this. A student asks his sensei, “What stance should I strike from?” The wise sensei replies, “Strike from wherever your hand is.” While I’ve probably butchered it a bit, you should get the gist. There is a lot to learn from such a statement and it got me thinking about how it might apply to shooting.

A martial artist needs to be able to strike suddenly to avoid telegraphing their attack and to take advantage of any momentary openings their opponent may have. However, the direct parallel, “shoot from where your gun is” doesn’t make much sense. More applicable to shooting might be, “shoot from whatever position you are in”. While not as evocative as the former, it is more applicable.

Much of the information on combat shooting covers shooting with the weak hand or shooting while wounded and some deal with shooting from common positions (such as sitting in your car). However, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of doing that which we are most comfortable with. It is tempting to do shooting only from prescribed positions; crouching, kneeling, prone, etc. and feel that his prepares us for combat. In the real world there are far too many variables for combat to play out the way it does in the controlled setting of the shooting range.

As I gave the concept further thought, I began to realize that the “Shoot From Where Your Gun Is” drill, gave the shooter the opportunity to shoot from any and all odd-ball positions that they can think of and that would be traditionally frowned upon at your average range. A gun fight is not the time to find yourself in a position from which you’ve never fired your gun. While the pictures below are all showing a handgun, there is no reason to limit yourself to one, it can also be done with any sort of rifle or shotgun.

Man shooting a Springfield XD pistol from a supine position.

Should you be prone when a threat comes at you from behind, it is quicker to rollover and engage the threat, rather than pivot 180 degrees.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol shooting backwards while supine.

Here our shooter is down and on his back, but must still engage the threat behind him.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol shooting directly to the left from a seated position on the ground.

Shooting to the left and the right while seated is good practice, as it mimics the extreme twisting motion required when shooting from a vehicle.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol shooting with his weak hand from a rollover prone position.

Here, our shooter has fallen on his wounded side and must engage the target with weak hand only.

A man with a Springfield XD pistol shooting backwards.

Carrying a child with your weak hand and attempting to shield it, all the while engaging a target at six o'clock.

This is one drill where you are really only limited by your imagination. As you try out different positions keep a couple things in mind. The drill is more about adaptability than perfect shooting technique. For whatever reason you want to imagine, you can’t adjust your position overly much; you’re strapped into a seatbelt, you’re badly wounded, you’re shielding someone with you body, etc. You need to get fire on the target now!

As you adopt a different position, do a bit of problem solving and see which shooting method works the best. Don’t get too caught up in whether it’s “realistic”. The main point of the drill is that should you find yourself in one of these positions in an actual gun fight, your brain goes “click” and says “I’ve been here before. I know what to do.” Rather than going, “Oh, sh*t” and half-ass’ing it.

Given some of the unusual positions you may adopt when doing this drill, you’re anatomy may at times be “down range”. Have fun, but try not to shoot off any toes!

Pistol Shooting Positions: Part Two

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Dylan

Generally, pistol shooting positions are designed to give you a steadier shot and make use of any available cover (or just make you a smaller target if there isn’t any). To maximize steadiness, you want to have as much bone supporting the pistol, as possible. Ideally, it will be directly under the pistol and in a straight line. When a position is adapted to cover, some of these attributes tend to be sacrificed (in the interest of self-preservation). Practicing each of these shooting positions will allow you to get in and out of them quickly and select the right one, depending on your needs.

The Kneeling Position

Kneeling is a classic way of shooting a pistol. Typically, is has two forms. A high position designed to allow you to shoot over cover and traverse between targets and a low position designed to give a more stable shot. While not necessarily ideal in either role, they are quick to assume and reasonably easy to adjust (to a different target).

Rice Paddy Prone

The classic “Rice Paddy Prone”, is typically used with a rifle. However, it works surprisingly well with a pistol and gives similar advantages. It is quite stable, as it supports both arms, but also allows the shooter to fire over intervening cover. It is quick to adopt and can be easily shifted to traverse to other targets. It’s only major drawback is that it does require some flexibility on the part of the shooter. One additional note: be wary of firing hard recoiling handguns from this position!

Classic Prone

Another “classic” position, it makes for a very stable shot while also making good use of cover. Drawbacks are; slow to assume and adjust, inability to shoot over intervening cover and limited ability to adjust for targets at different elevations. That said, what it does do, it does very well. Use your weak hand to break your forward momentum when going to the ground and again to quickly get up.

Rollover Prone

Another prone position, it has similar advantages and disadvantages to Classic Prone, but may allow better use of cover. Its major advantage is how low one can get the barrel of the pistol, thus enabling the shooter to fire under very low objects.

Reverse Rollover Prone

An interesting position to shoot out of, it is quite stable and puts the shooter very low to the ground. It would be useful when taking shelter behind low cover, while still being able to fire over it (such as a curb).

There are of course other pistol shooting positions. It is not too difficult to come up with “impromptu” shooting positions when one understands the two principles of stability and cover. Like all things they should be given sufficient practice, so that they can quickly be adopted without thought.

Rant of the Day: Negligent Discharges

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Dylan

While perusing some of the gun mags recently, I came across two articles in which negligent discharges were mentioned. The first was in an article on dry fire practice, while the second was about negligent discharges the author had witnessed. Overall, I liked both articles. As a big fan of dry fire practice, I feel any article discussing its merits is a good one (within reason). Likewise, I’m always interested to hear about negligent discharges and how they might occur.

However, if it was all good, I wouldn’t be writing this, would I? There was one minor quibble I had with both articles, relating largely to the use of snap caps. In both articles an example was given where a shooter had a BANG instead of a click. Clearly, if one is conducting dry fire practice this might be considered a problem (such as in the first article). In the second article the shooter was relieving tension on the firing pin by pulling the trigger with a snap cap in the chamber (or so he thought).

So, really what is my beef? It is how the authors used each example to make a point, one which seemed off the mark. In the article on dry fire practice the author stated that “…so-and-so is a sharp guy, so if it could happen to him, it could happen to anybody.” Huh? What should be a cautionary tale reads more like a contradiction. If a snap cap is in the chamber the gun will go click; if it is a live round, then it will go bang. This is not quantum physics; ammunition does not magically appear inside the gun, you must physically put it there.

And the second article? The author states that, “That is why I never put anything in the chamber.” Maybe I’m missing something, but I thought you had to put something in the chamber every time you wanted to fire a gun? Clearly, if you put the wrong thing in the chamber it may go bang instead of click or click instead of bang. So really who is to blame? It is the fault of the snap cap, who, while looking nothing like real ammo, managed to change places with a live round? Or maybe, -gasp-, the shooter should be responsible for what they put in their gun?

I think my problem is really this: negligent discharges do not happen to everybody; they happen to people who make stupid mistakes. The quote from the second article should really read like this, “You should never put anything in your chamber, because you might be stupid enough to put the wrong thing in it.” In which case, maybe you shouldn’t be handling firearms at all?

Simply put, dry fire practice is the safest way someone can train with a firearm. After all, you’re not using live ammo. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Common sense isn’t common.” Well, if you don’t have the common sense to check what you’re putting in the chamber of your firearm before pulling the trigger…you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.

Blackhawk M4 Staggered Mag Pouch

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Dylan

The Blackhawk M4 Staggered Mag Pouch is a different animal than their Single Mag Pouch. While they share some features, such as a Velcro flap with pull tab, drainage hole and rugged construction, there are significant differences.

The Staggered Mag Pouch is designed from the start to hold two AR mags, separated by a divider. As per its name, they are staggered, the rear mag being about an inch higher than the front. While the Velcro flap is non-removable, it can be tucked behind the mags and Velcro’ed in place. These elements make adding or removing mags much easier than a single mag pouch. As with other Blackhawk products, they attach with their very useful Speed Clips; the easiest molle attachment method I have found.

The Staggered Mag pouch is slightly larger than Blackhawks Single Mag Pouch, in both depth and height. It takes up nine rows and due to its increased depth, is a bit bulkier, even when empty. Due to their size, they are best positioned directly on the front of an LBE vest. If positioned too far to the left or right of the torso, they tend to interfere with normal movement, including that of one’s rifle.

I like the Blackhawk Staggered Mag Pouch quite well for its ease of use, but you should consider whether the extra size will be a problem. You may wish to consider Blackhawks Single Mag Pouch if a lower profile option is needed. That said I feel the Staggered Mag Pouch is a better option for a dedicated two mag pouch.

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