A retrospective....

As Erin mentioned on my last post.... pictures could have been nice.

So I'm thinking of doing a retrospective of my past carry pieces and holsters.  Also could be a fun bit down memory lane.  As I realize I'm nearing ten years of CCW...   Geeze.

With a few bits of lessons learned along the way.   I make no great claims of knowledge, but at least some people can learn from my mistakes  (first,  just don't buy Kimbers.  Even used, even if you get one that works well, they're not worth the price.  And I say this as someone currently using STI and Sig)

Condensing

It's interesting.   I used to be one of those bigger bullet is best bullet.  So I carried a 45. And it was a 1911 because well...  that's what my father had and it seemed good enough for me.

And when it came time for a bug (backup gun)  I went "well I gotta have another 45". But I needed a jogging gun.  And that was a pocket 380 acp.


So that was two calibers for carry.

But then I decided... wait why have 8 rounds when I can have more.

And went to....  a 9mm (It was still a 1911 but doublestack!)

So... for those of you keeping score I was up to three calibers for a defensive use to keep track of.

But...  then I started looking at pocket nines.   Turns out a good one will be almost as small as a pocket 380.  But will have real sights, be 9mm and have more pleasant recoil.

Well... at least the Sig 938 does.   Which nicely replaced my pocket 45 and pocket 380.

Especially since for jogging I got a proper kydex holster for the Sig.

But yes... that brought me from 3 calibers down to 1.

And....  both were 9mm 1911's.


I don't exactly... recommend this journey on carry guns.  But it was interesting.

Smooth, Fast, Slow, What's the difference?

My friend Oddball has a post about the recent brouhaha of people not liking the idea "Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast."

Oddball brings an interesting perspective to the discussion. 

While I’m not an IDPA grandmaster, ever even been in an IPSC match, or some high speed low drag firearms instructor, I am a martial arts instructor.  As such, I’ve used the term, and I’ve heard many other instructor state similar.

The real message behind the that mantra is to focus on technique.  When we try to go as fast as we possibly can, our technique tends to go out the window.  I’ve seen folks jump straight into trying kicks or hand techniques at full speed, and their technique was generously described as “flailing.”  Lots of movement that doesn’t do anything but waste energy and throws them off balance, no force actually landing on target, and, while their limbs my be going at high speed, the entire action is slow.

The solution to this is to slow down and focus on what you’re actually doing.  If you’re doing something in the middle of your action that doesn’t directly help that action, why?  There might be a good reason (like keeping your hands up), at which point, keep doing that.  If there’s not, maybe you shouldn’t.  Slowing down allows you and your instructor to make sure you’re not only moving efficiently, but that the maximum amount of the energy you’re expending ends up on target.  Once a student’s technique is good, then we move to actually speeding things up.

Now, I’ve only taken a few classes on firearms but it does seem that most of the critique of “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast” that is the jab “slow is smooth, and smooth is still slow”...

Well they ignore the importance of smooth.

Being fast isn’t worth diddly if your stance is all buggered and you have a lousy grip, no sight picture and, most importantly, you drop rounds into the dirt. Heck, as a matter of training and learning… which makes seems like the better way to improve?

Getting the technique down first, making sure your motions are good and resulting in hits, and then trimming down the time to go faster.

Or focusing on doing whatever it takes to be as quick on the buzzer as possible, and then trying to reduce “flailing”, all /without/ slowing down. ( Because if you have to slow down to get your technique sharpened before you go back to being faster… congrats that’s Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast).

And yes, it is correct that starting slow *can* impart bad habits that will be a detriment later on. But so can starting fast and building habits when one doesn’t have the fundamentals down. Heck one should make sure that one can shoot a tight group, stationary, standing, at like 5-7 yards with a pistol, with careful fire as a bottom basement requirement. Then start worrying about adding drawstrokes, speed, and motion.