Saturday 27 September 2014

Precision Target Shooting Not Best Training For Serious Social Work:

Way back in 1896 - a Mr Walter Winans shooting at Bisley England won 10 of twelve Revolver competitions (drew one -lost one) - using a Service Revolver.(- No I wasn't there)

Talking about "When a revolver is used practically, either in war or self-defence .." Winans stated - "It therefore seems to me that deliberate shooting at the revolver clubs and at Bisley is worse than useless, because it teaches a man to shoot in the wrong way."

He goes on to describe how rapid-fire and 'snap shooting' are more suitable training for 'serious' use - and suggests that large bore revolvers should be replaced by the .38" as being more practical.

- This year - 118 years later - I am seeing very similar urgings from Greg Ellefritz on his Web-site 'Active Response Training' - the idea is that training can be made more relevant by using simple close range targets with circles drawn (around cups or cans with a felt pen) and numbered 1,2,3 and A, B, C etc. and firing one or two shots only at called selected marks.

'Surprise' called marks.
 
Grant Cunningham in his 2013 book 'Defensive Revolver Fundamentals" urges similar training for anyone who's life may depend on effective fast shooting.
 
His system involves training with a friend using targets at short range. These home-made targets use circles or squares numbered and lettered and also maybe coloured differently - perhaps drawn on more than one IPSC target - and are used by your shooting mate calling-out "TWO" or "C" or even "GREEN" etc. to give a surprise target for the shooter to hit - maybe also instructing something like "TWO SHOTS - BLUE"
 
- The aim is not competing for highest score - but to improve ones stress performance.
 
Paper (disposable) Plates make Good Targets for 'Action' Shooting
 
I saw a quote some time ago (US Marines?) that said something like " Train to fight as if you mean it - because you'll fight the way you train."
 
- Seems to make sense to me - If you only use your target shooting to focus carefully on getting an X ring score - that should be how your reflexes eventually lead you to shoot always. - That's what training is meant to achieve.
 
This same idea about 'surprise snap shooting' can also be tried when dry firing or using 'soft-air' guns.
 
 - Their 'self-defence' training advice is aimed at overseas readers in free nations - while I fully know that here in New Zealand we are not permitted to have firearms for self-defence purposes - it does strike me that practical shooting competition for licenced shooters might be made more fun and testing by introducing a greater element of surprise somehow.. reactive targets, turning targets timed to only a couple of seconds - targets called to be shot in changing sequence, etc.

'Bulls-eye' ISSF shooting is a testing set of worthwhile precision skills of a whole different nature & challenge to 'speed shooting' against a shot-timer. - Both are challenging personal skills.

Grant Cunninghams "Defensive Revolver Fundamentals" is a good read with some very different ideas that I've not read elsewhere. - It is almost a "Vol.2" to his earlier "Book of The Revolver' - I had expected the earlier book to be more about revolver mechanicals and tuning work rather than usage but even one decent idea picked-up from a book is a bonus..
 
-Life is good.
 
Marty K.

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