In my last article (posted on SurvivalBlog on Thursday, January 5, 2006), I discussed some basic range manners and the only three rules I live by. I hope it serves as a starting point for good gun handling skills. After reading the recent letter about loaning out weapons to ‘untrained’ neighbors during times of crisis, I thought best to move along to the second lesson we all must be concerned with when dealing with handguns. You can use this and the first lesson I wrote about to help bring your neighbors up to speed when the need arises.
The basic handgun draw has five simple steps. In about an hour, Instructor Greg had me drawing like a pro and safely putting my gun in play. Going into the “Tac Tuesday” class with my handgun skills was humbling to say the least. As mentioned, there are five steps to drawing a handgun. 1) Master Grip, 2) Lift and Clear, 3) Rock ‘n Lock, 4) Hands Merge, & 5) Extension. Let’s examine them step by step:
1) MASTER GRIP: As we train during Tac Tuesday, the class either assumes the ‘interview stance’ (or as I call it, the two handed French Salute), or just practices with hands at their sides. On command, Master Grip is achieved by placing the web of your strong hand firmly against the butt of the pistol grip. This should be as high up as possible to attain the maximum effective grip. Wrap your fingers around the grip, remembering to place the trigger finger in register. [Extended straight out, outside of the trigger guard.]
2) LIFT AND CLEAR: After Master Grip, lift the gun straight up and out of the holster. Don’t try and bring it away from the body or move it towards the target just yet. Muzzle should still be down at this point and just clear of the holster. Remember to keep your elbow and arm close to your side (I had chicken wing syndrome when I first did this).
3) ROCK N’ LOCK: Like the old gunslinger of the West, rotate that gun 90 degrees and point it at the target. From here you can go Braille Method (touch index) against a very close in target and still count lethal hits. Don’t forget to think about weapon retention! Like the chicken wing elbow, the gun should stay close to your body in case of a CQB situation.
4) HANDS MERGE: The strong hand should be moving close against the body to the ‘anchor position’ to join the weak hand. Remember how you open a jar of pickles? Keep that gun close against the body to allow for the strongest retention. If you let that gun get away from your body, someone is very likely going to be able to take control of it. Don’t let that happen!
5) EXTENSION: You should have the weapon in both hands now. Press through the target with your gun and bring sights on target. Don’t tomahawk chop, overhand sight, throw the gun out there, sweep the floor to the ceiling…just press the gun smoothly towards the target and align the sights. One smooth and fluid motion will help prevent any pitched shots.
I did not gain confidence in my draw until I practiced for an hour or so each evening. As I have heard, ‘slow is smooth,and smooth is fast.’ I practiced this by calling out each step in turn. I didn’t speed up until I felt confident in each phase of the draw.
There are a couple of points to remember when working on your draw. One is the ‘Laser Rule.’ Pretend that the muzzle of your gun is shooting out a high power laser. Nobody wants to be sliced with one of these, so naturally, you don’t want it pointed at you. That being said, keep all excess appendages away from said laser beam. With that in mind, during steps ONE through FOUR, the support hand should be FLAT AGAINST THE BODY!!! Unless you have a body like mine, then it is not merely flat, but dome shaped. Keeping the support hand against the stomach will help keep extra appendages away from the muzzle of the gun. Practice and follow through on this step and during the heat of battle, you will not succumb to any self-inflicted injuries.
When your hands merge, take a moment to examine how you grip the gun. The thumbs should be resting next to each other along the slide rail and not overlapping. This takes stress off the hands and presents a calmer sight picture. The support hand should be wrapped around the strong hand doing what it is intended to do, support. If you know of anyone who “tea cups” their grip (support hand under the gun), after explaining that what they see in the movies is bunk, correct their grip so they improve their shooting. Be sure to correct anyone else you see who uses the support hand to brace their strong side wrist. I don’t see how this is an effective technique. Chances are, you will run across the one or two people who think that “lobster clawing” with their support hand is good. “Lobster Clawing” is when someone stretches the support hand all around the gun with the thumb firmly planted behind the slide. You will know of those who’ve learned their lesson by the sizable chunk of flesh missing from their support hand thumb.
Re-holstering your weapon is the exact opposite of the draw. Pretty simple, just go through the five steps in reverse. When the muzzle is ready to be placed in the holster, move your thumb up to press against the back of the slide (I am assuming, of course, that we are all using some form of Tactical Tupperware, or one of John Browning’s wonderful inventions, circa 1911). Keep the thumb against the back of the slide to prevent the gun from coming out of battery. If you are forced to draw again, in the heat of the moment, you may find yourself inventing new expletives when the bang button only CLICKS. It is a tried and true method for all people because we all don’t have the same holster. I am a Kydex man myself, but there are others out there with dead animal skin or someone’s recycled leisure suit (cordura nylon) that won’t hold its shape. Remember, Mr. Murphy is always out there to foul up your plans. Pay attention to the details, for they may save your life.
This is the second course of instruction for those who wish to teach their neighbors and friends about proper gun handling. Follow it step by step, and they will quickly come up to speed and be as proficient as you.
“Shooter” on The Draw Technique, or “Shooter’s Five Steps to Keeping Ten Fingers”
