Pure speed out of holster

[Clobbersaurus]

At the risk of stirring up controversy, the press out is a fantastic intermediate to advanced intermediate skill. Just Wednesday, I think, OAK told me that abandoning the press out had been one of the best things he did for improving his draw speed. See many top shooters using the press out?

Stick the pistol out in a direct line to the target, developing your index so the pistol arrives where you want, confirm sight alignment, and press the trigger commensurate with the difficulty of the shot. Watch your times and hit ratio improve.

I'm seeing improvement in hit ratio with the press out and I like it for other reasons. I'm not ready to abandon it yet, but I think a progression is probably coming, once I feel I've gone as far as I can go with it.

[GJM]

You're not pressing a DA trigger before reaching extension?


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Josh, I have gravitated to getting on all trigger types later, and then pressing the entire trigger in one motion. Present, pause, roll. I find that it minimizes anticipation, and doesn't cost me speed. All goes back to the conversation I had with Wayne Dobbs in a thread in shooting groups quickly.

[YVK]

I don't want to interrupt you monogamous run with a Glock; otherwise I would've ask to post a video of shooting a Beretta on timer.

My personal evolution in understanding a draw speed lies in acceptance of facts that different guns require different techniques (even though the technique differences aren't as big as it may seem), and that different targets require different trigger work (statement of obvious, but with DA gun I find it important to mention).

Speaking of evolution, the original post in this necro-thread is mine, lamenting how I can't reliably hit faster than 2.2 sec from concealment. Three years later this is my average time for two shots, and I've broken 1.5 a couple of times with DA or LEM guns.
Goes to show that evolution happens, even if very slow.

[GJM]

Imagine how much faster you would be if you got the lead out?

[1slow]

Something I found helpful. Run the timer on the following.
Aimed in, beep to shot.
Both hands on gun, beep to shot.
Strong hand on holstered gun in shooting grip, beep to shot.
Complete draw stroke from ready, beep to shot.

This helps me to find my biggest time wasters.

[jetfire]

My own draw started as a classic 3 (or 4) part draw, went to a press-out, then a modified press out, to what it is now: get the gun out of the holster and move it in as direct a line to the target as possible. With a wheelie gun I'm consistently a 1.2 fro, concealment to a wide open IDPA down zero, and about a 1.7 to a 3x5 card. I know I'm slowing down too much for the 3x5 but my practice schedule of late hadn't afforded me the opportunity to fix that.

[Jay Cunningham]

Present, pause, roll. I find that it minimizes anticipation, and doesn't cost me speed.

I agree with this. People are done a horrible disservice when they are taught to shoot by "slowly taking all the slack out of the trigger" and achieving the vaunted surprise break. That methodology doesn't defeat anticipation, it causes it.

I'm convinced a lot of the stuff that is currently taught comes out of bullseye competition, wherein it makes much more sense.

[joshs]

Josh, I have gravitated to getting on all trigger types later, and then pressing the entire trigger in one motion. Present, pause, roll. I find that it minimizes anticipation, and doesn't cost me speed. All goes back to the conversation I had with Wayne Dobbs in a thread in shooting groups quickly.

I remember that thread, and I thought you said you were still taking the slack out on a Glock before extension.

My draw is definitely faster with a DA gun if I begin pressing the trigger before full extension. I've experimented both ways and cannot get under a second with "present, pause, press" using an 8+ pound DA trigger.

ETA: I'd also note that I've seen TLG do way too many sub-.9 draws from concealment with a press-out to think that it's only an "advanced intermediate" technique. I don't bring the gun up as muzzle high as he does, but I still consider what I'm doing as a "press-out." What I do looks a lot like the last video you posted of a draw with a Beretta. I consider that a press-out, but it sounds like you don't. I think it's more an issue of terminology than technique.

[YVK]

Imagine how much faster you would be if you got the lead out?

LOL. I'd be so fast that I'd be faster than you are. You'd then have to reconsider and go back to press out. That would be an ultimate trolling on my part.

I am glad though that I am no longer doing a classic L-shaped press out. Tom tells me it doesn't work well with a respirator.

[joshs]

As an example of my point about terminology v. technique, here is a still from a video OAK recently posted (hope he doesn't mind since it was a public video). To me, it still looks like he is bringing the pistol high while it is close to his body, then pushing the gun out. He's way to fast to see if his finger is on the trigger at this point, but I don't think that really makes a difference when shooting SFA or SA pistols.