I'm going to assume I don't always have both hands handy. Posts 3 and 4 are where I stand and that was before I was Bill Blowers influenced, he just reaffirmed it.
I'm going to assume I don't always have both hands handy. Posts 3 and 4 are where I stand and that was before I was Bill Blowers influenced, he just reaffirmed it.
LET'S GO BRANDON!
Thanks for explaining it better than I did. 👍Originally Posted by Casey
I carry my EDC with a Surefire X300 and the DG switch. To explain my reasoning I will use an analogy illustrated with our transition to the 1911.
Many folks advocate disengaging the safety as you draw your weapon from the holster. And this technique works fine on the square range because you are drawing your weapon with the specific purpose of shooting your target. Through many repetitions you train yourself into a sequence of:
1. Draw
2. Disengage safety
3. Fire
When my agency transitioned over to the 1911 I originally did this same sequence.
However I quickly realized that outside of the square range I more frequently drew my weapon in anticipation of encountering a threat rather than immediately engaging a threat. This would be in the real world and in scenario/force on force training.
In a situation like this where I was moving, searching, and evaluating I wanted my safety engaged.
My sequence then became
1. Draw
2. Evaluate or search
3. Present toward target/disengage safety simultaneously
3. Fire
A frame mounted safety like the 1911 has the ergonomics allow my to present and disengage the safety with no noticeable time delay.
If you are using the original sequence
1. Draw
2. Disengage safety
but now do not have an immediate target you have two options
A) Continue to evaluate or search with the safety disengaged
B) Engage the safety until you need it and then hope that you remember to disengage it as you present, because you have not training it to the level of automaticity as you don't practice that sequence on range days.
Both of those options I found to be sub optimal.
Back to discussing lights and switches:
Turning on your light as you draw your weapon is similar to disengaging your safety as you draw. It works great on the range when you intend to shoot immediately. But if you need to search/evaluate you should be using a handheld light (currently use a Surefire Fury Intellibeam or a Surefire Stilleto Pro). When I encounter a threat I have three options
1. Drop my light which is attached to my gear with a retractable lanyard
2. Neck index and WML
3. Stow handheld and fire with WML
It is fascinating to watch how the manipulations are playing out with the current influx of 2011 shooters, a majority of whom did not grow up as 1911 users.
Carrying the 1911, going through classes with it at 1911-centric places really refined two presentations - one to a ready position with the safety staying On and the other to a shot with the safety coming Off as the muzzle rotates onto the target, threat.
Wednesday & Thursday nights I was teaching a low light instructor class and a few students had Staccato pistols. Those with 2011s had varying levels of long-term familiarity with the thumb safety.
Adding in the handheld and weapon-mounted light did highlight that.
We are more likely to have the light out and in play before deciding to draw than we are to suddenly arrive at a point where we want, need both the gun and the light in hand & on target at the same time.
The range work involved both SHO shooting with the handheld in various techniques and transitioning to both hands on the pistol using the WML.
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