Monday, January 4, 2010

Winter Shooting.

As the temp drops, shooting tends to drop too. Nothing wrong with that, that's just the way it is. Trouble is as shooting drops, the skills atrophy too. So, what to do.

I'd say now is the time to increase your dry fire practice. Turn it into a video game even. I'll take my carry gun, drop the mag, lock the slide back, verify clear, verify clear verify clear and then have someone else verify clear. Now, pick a show on TV and whenever whatever you choose happens, draw, sight and squeeze (or say bang, whatever). I like shooting hubcaps. Every time a car shows on the screen, I try to get at least one hubcap. But it's more important to run the draw by the numbers and verify a good sight picture than anything else.

Practicing the draw is more important now too. We as (nominally) non-fur bearing mammals tend to wear more layers and your draw will need to take this in account too. It's pretty easy to sweep a covering polo or Hawaiian type shirt up with the off hand, now I find that I have to grip the cover garment (hoodie, sweater, flannel) to get it clear. Which changes things a bit.

I know this is all stuff you've heard before. But even the basics bear repeating. Like the 4 rules of safe gun handling. Wanna recite them now? So, if you don't have an indoor range all heated and lit to go to, call your shooting buddy up, invite him over and you can drill each other on your draw and sight techniques. What the hey, put some chips and dip out and some chili on the stove.

6 comments:

Jay G said...

All good advice, Jim.

I'm fortunate in that I have an indoor (heated) range at my gun club. It's only 50 feet and limited to pistol caliber only (non-Magnum and lead bullets), but I own a LOT of .22LR and .38 Special handguns...

Now, if I could just get off my ass and get over there more often...

Old NFO said...

And check for hang ups on the draw with all the different coats... I have one coat I can't wear and carry in my normal 430 posit...

Anonymous said...
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OrangeNeck said...

I don't know about you, but I've got all kinds of air rifles and pistols that I can shoot in the comfort of my own home.

Pssst...who's this Annemarie Schimmel character??

Mike W. said...

Eh, while I don't mind dryfiring I won't do it at the TV.

My flatscreen is right up there as one of the things I own that I'd least want to shoot.

I do all my dryfiring & holster practice at a bookshelf full of encyclopedias. I admit it's probably overkill safety wise.

aepilot_jim said...

Mike W: No problem with that. It's wherever you feel safest doing it. Just so long as you practice. :D