Training sticks

[alfsauve]

Also in Thursday night's match, we had our extra magazines on a barrel in one stage.  First mag was down loaded, you shot the first target then ran over to the barrel, WHICH WAS ON THE WAY to the 2nd target.  Grab the mag, reload and finished the course.

I RAN PAST THE BARREL while clutching at the mag holders on my belt. 

Yes, most likely in a real life scenario you won't have your mags on a barrel, but it just goes to show how repetition is hard to overcome.

Reminds me of the FBI agent who got shot reloading his revolver.   They found his empty brass in his coat pocket. 

[MikeBjerum]

As I was reading I thought about exactly what you pointed out in your closing statement.


The Los Angeles Police Department, back in the 1970's, found that during almost every shooting board review the officers involved had spent brass in their pockets, and there was very little, if any, Law Enforcement brass at the scene.

Before I started my own training business, I helped another instructor.  We had a few differing views on items, and they are common differences in the shooting and carry worlds.  One was magazine retention.  He taught magazine retention at all times, and while I didn't condemn him, I would explain why I don't retain - Learned habit engrained through practice and competition in USPSA.  He loved to poke fun at my "gun store inventory of ammunition" that I carried on me.

The part of this that stuck with students was the next part of the training - That most situations are settled with few shots.  Practice, focus and marksmanship were important, and are done before the event.

[tombogan03884]

Magazines are a REALLY important part of the functioning, so if you only have just so many you need to hang on to them.
That was the reason for so many pistols having heel releases, and that Rube Goldberg atrocity on the Savage 1907.
Magazines are also the most failure prone part.
Not dropping them on the ground helps with that too.
Duration of your match ?
Or duration of the gun ?

[alfsauve]

I want to compete, therefore I accept that I will be dropping magazines on a concrete floor indoors, and into mud, sand and dirt out.   I've put metal base plates on my mags for indoor use, and I carry cleaning supplies outdoors. 

But that's not the point.   Training, repetition, builds learned patterns, that in time of stress become automatic.  That's wonderful if, A BIG IF, those patterns are appropriate for the situation.  It goes for magazine retention, for looking at the gun when you reload, for a whole host of actions.  Some practices may make us better competitors but might get us killed on the street. 

For some actions it may be best to practice multiple methodologies to be prepared for what life, or the match director,  throws at you.

[tombogan03884]

For some actions it may be best to practice multiple methodologies to be prepared for what life, or the match director,  throws at you.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
          THIS

[Sponsor]

[les snyder]

one of my most memorable stages was the first year I shot the North Carolina Tactical 3 gun match that Kyle Lamb put on at Fayetteville, NC... lots of SFOD-D range officers... it was in a shoot house that had IIRC about 6 rooms to clear... within the room were at least 5 targets with life size photographs on the heads... there were 3 permanent no-shoots.... a baby, Ronald Reagan, and Charlton Heston...in addition you chose a random 4th no shoot....there were 6 manila envelopes with pictures of 6 movie stars, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater, etc on the covers, but a different picture inside... on the start you removed one picture to make up the 4th no shoot... started with 20 rounds only in the AR with sling, shot the rifle empty, then transitioned to your hand gun... I picked the envelope with Brad Pitt's picture and removed one of Antonio Banderas...shoot Brad, don't shoot Antonio.... at the transition from rifle to pistol, my mind flipped, and instead of not shooting Antonio, started shooting Antonio and not shooting Brad... after clearing the guns, commented to the SFOD-D range officer, that I had really screwed that one up, he commented, not really sir,  you made it half way, much better than most of the shooters...it pointed out the difference in training between people that are called upon to do that sort of thing for real, and those of us that are game players... regards Les