Weekend Reading #49

 Some longer and more involved reading for weekend:

•  First up is Greg Ellifritz's Weekend Knowledge Dump for this weekend. The first article he links to is "Carrying Isn’t Enough: What Our Data Reveals About the Gap Between Carry and Capability" from A Girl And A Gun. Although the survey data the article discusses is that of women who train and carry a firearm, I suspect that it also applies to men. And the main point of the article is that although women were doing well at getting training and regular practice, "[w]hen respondents were asked how often they draw from a holster, the consistency we saw in other areas of training began to break down." 

    Approximately 45–55% of attendees reported that they rarely draw from a holster. At the same time, 20–30% indicated that their home range does not permit holster work, limiting their ability to practice this skill in a live-fire environment. Another 15–25% shared that their draw practice occurs primarily through dry fire, without consistent live-fire validation.

    When these responses are viewed together, the conclusion is clear. Roughly 40–60% of Conference attendees, women who are otherwise consistent in their training, are carrying regularly but not consistently practicing their drawstroke. 

 I'm less concerned about "live-fire validation" of dry-fire practice of the draw stroke than the fact that half (half!!!) "reported that they rarely draw from a holster." And this is from a group that is motivated enough to train that they are attending a national conference for women shooters! Drawing and presentation is mostly a dry fire activity. If you are only practicing drawing at the range, you are fooling yourself about how long it will take you to develop proficiency. Moreover, I would guess that a significant portion of shooters don't practice drawing at the range from their concealed carry setup in clothing that matches what they typically wear during the week. Again, that is why you do your dry fire practice. 

    With that aside, here are some other articles and links in Greg's post that caught my eye:

• On the topic of dry fire practice, Greg links to a piece from Claude Werner on how he conducts dry fire practice when traveling. He has recommendations at to snap caps as well as a safety protocol that would probably be good to implement even if practicing at home.
• There is a new Range Master newsletter. The drill(s) of the month on this month are based on the 1986 Miami Shoot Out. There is also a snub-nosed assessment drill (SAD) for those using short-barrelled revolvers (or, I would add, any pocket sized pistol). Also some discussion of a better cardboard target. There are other tidbits and short articles, so check it out.
• An article on "What Is A Snub?"
• An article on "Targets and Better Hits" that goes over ways to improve your targets and improve the quality of your hits. 
• Some tips on what to do if you start having problems racking the slide on your semi-auto pistol. 
• "Gun Owner 101: Holster Selection"--a good article on selecting a belt and holster--or, more realistically, belts and holsters.  
• And an article, "Tangling With The Trigger" that argues that trigger control is more important than sight control. Which of course it is because it doesn't matter how good is your sight picture if you jerk the weapon off target when operating the trigger. 

There is a lot more, so be sure to check it out.