Drawing and firing a firearm to win in a gunfight is substantially a matter of muscle memory tied to the mental process of recognizing a threat and deciding what to do about it. The only way I know to reenforce muscle memory is through constant repetition of the same movements over and over again. That means practice and plenty of it. One needs to practice until whatever one is trying to do becomes as routine as scratching an itch.
How Much Practice?
In the beginning, more is certainly better. Under ideal conditions, that would mean at least two hours every single day for 90 days. Unfortunately most do not have ideal conditions or circumstances, so the answer must be as often as possible. At a minimum, at least once a week for an hour which is really minimum maintenance time for a very experienced shooter.It would help those challenged by conditions and circumstances to at least practice a hour a day at home drawing and firing from various positions and dry firing at a variety of targets in the clothing they would normally be wearing when away from home.
Every practice round on a once a week schedule should include the discharge of at least 100 rounds of the ammunition one chooses as a carry round. So called "practice rounds" will do one no good and possible harm when engaged in drills. Practice ammunition should be reserved for those interested in target shooting, or while learning basics or improving position and grip.
How to Train
While taking the time to train is important, it is just as important to train correctly. Training correctly, means going as far as possible to duplicate the conditions and situations where you are likely to encounter a need to utilize the firearm being carried. Those include:- Using the firearm or firearms you normally carry;
- Using the same holster or retention device you would normally retain the firearm with;
- Using the ammunition you have selected as your carry ammunition;
- Wearing the same type of clothing you would normally wear;
- Duplicating the conditions under which you might draw and fire the firearm or firearms.
Sometimes, time critical situations arise where an individual needs to suddenly start carrying a firearm because of a likely need for its use in self defense. Because of time and situation constraints, they need to learn some very basic things quickly. In those cases, revolvers become the only choice when and where available and normally in a midsize frame and in .38 Special using ammunition intended for defense. At least one trip (preferably more) to the range and a minimum of 50 rounds of ammunition are called for with a focus on just being able to hit a man sized target as close to center of mass as possible at no more than ten yards. As often as possible this should be repeated until the individual has the time and circumstance to actually get a proper introduction to, and training in, firearms.
For everyone else, training should be scientific and methodical with constant progress to becoming very efficient in weapons use for self defense. That starts with the gun itself.
Beginners
Some people will make a choice to own or carry a firearm with little experience in firearms. The right way to start is either with a .22 revolver or full size automatic. Before I would start training any neophyte, it would be necessary for them to handle the firearm extensively and to learn to field strip and clean the weapon. Then they would need to learn the technique of aiming that weapon choice two handed as well as learning the "aiming circle" so they understood what kind of hold and trigger mistakes they could make and what the results looked like when they made those mistakes. They would also learn the methods of correcting those mistakes for the firearm they were training with. Finally, they would get to go to a live fire station and learn to load and unload the firearm. Not until they had mastered all of that would they be allowed to actually fire the firearm.
The revolver is always the best choice for new shooters of either sex. It is simpler to learn the drills on, less intimidating, and easier to field clean. It is also far safer for the beginner and bystanders like the instructor. The .22 is preferable because beginners will be less frightened of the noise and recoil and the cost of learning the basics will be less expensive even with the current much higher costs of rimfire ammunition. That means they will be more likely to practice their gunhandling and shooting and fire far more rounds than they would with centerfire cartridges.
Everyone Else
Practice ammunition usually means cheaper and normally lower powered rounds and while such ammunition has its place, that place is not when practicing defensive drills. Every brand and configuration of ammunition normally hits the target in a different place and when someone is shooting at you, or about to, you need to know, with confidence, where your rounds are going to go. It is hard enough to hit a moving target, and harder still with your adrenaline gland working over time and your practice and confidence can and will make a difference. There can also be a difference in the way the recoil affects followup. Much of the practice ammunition is so low powered it is almost, but not quite, like practicing with a hot .38 Special when you are really going to carry a mid range .357 Magnum. Finally, for those choosing semi automatic pistols, different rounds cycle and function differently in the same pistol. Your mind and body needs to be prepared for what is going to happen during a serious social situation.
If you are training for encounters outside the home, practice in the type of clothing you will likely be wearing during an encounter. If you normally wear a suit, then wear a suit when training. Use an old suit or go to a thrift store and buy one, but wear one for training if that is your normal garb. Practice for cold weather by adding a topcoat or whatever you normally wear in cold weather. Practice in summer wear as well.
I once watched a long time LEO who had been in soft clothes (read:suit) for over ten years miss a real life draw because he had never practiced his draw with a sport coat or suit on at the range and did not know how to "sweep" his coat. He took a bullet because of it.
Accuracy with a carry piece is important, but the speed and smoothness of the draw is also very important. This is even more true for non LEO encounters because normally the adversary already has a weapon out and ready to use. The majority of armed encounters for uniformed LEOs occur when the LEO has warnings or already has drawn their weapon. Even most soft cover investigators fall into the same situations. Admittedly, there are some encounters that are different. Once in a while LEOs are ambushed but that is rare. Only the deep cover LEOs face situations similar to what civilians are normally subject to and must train to deal with - a surprise encounter with an adversary who already has a weapon in hand and ready to use.
Deep cover LEOs are different from almost all other types of LEOs in that they normally have no ready back up when a situation turns serious, and it is far more likely they are going to encounter armed confrontations. When special squads are taken out of the equation, only about 12% of local and state LEOs ever draw and fire a gun in a serious social situation during their entire career. They, like civilians, often have little or no warning of when a firearm is needed and as a consequence, have a critical need to train in drawing and firing.
The ability to draw and fire rapidly is often overlooked, or poorly handled, in most training classes, including in law enforcement range training. As a result, even LEOs considered experts in firearms average about three seconds to draw and fire after they have made a decision to do so. While that might seem adequate, it isn't. A fairly athletic attacker with a knife would have stabbed them at least once, assuming they were less than eight yards apart. A attacker with a drawn gun could have shot them twice, and truly expert gun handlers could have easily emptied a revolver before they could get a single shot off.
The primary reason that this critical training element is overlooked is safety on the range. Part of the safety issue is that most LEO ranges and almost all civilian ranges are set up as target ranges designed to maximize the number of people who can use the range at the same time. For those who want or need to carry a firearm for self defense, this must be overcome. Unloaded practice is part of the solution, but ultimately drawing and firing every single round is the goal. Most highly skilled gun handlers spend at least 1/2 hour every day on unloaded practice drawing and "firing" and at least three days a week doing the same with live ammunition.
Once accuracy is sufficient, those who carry firearms should spend 98% of their range time drawing and firing live ammunition - preferably at moving person sized targets at seven to ten yards.
Practice drawing and firing from a variety of positions including sitting down at a "desk" or in a car. While some retention methods may work fine standing up, they may be practically impossible while sitting in a car, or in a cafe, or at a desk. It is better to find that out in unloaded practice first before attempting it with a loaded firearm or worse in a critical situation. Make any necessary corrections and practice the corrections.
Whenever conditions permit, practice, unloaded at first, the draw and fire with other weapons (or firecrackers) going off while doing so. At the now defunct Illinois Bureau of Investigation deep cover LEOs were trained to draw and fire while surrounded on four sides with strings of live firecrackers about two feet away from them. They had eye protection but no hearing protection. The results were startling with many experienced officers not even able to hit stationary targets at seven yards with any degree of consistency.
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