Texas CHL Student Notes

V. Basic Firearms Training

Parts and Operation of Handguns

Revolver

The revolver is a handheld firearm that has a rotating cylinder designed to contain cartridges. The action will rotate the cylinder, and when the hammer falls, a single cartridge will be fired. Single action revolvers must be manually cocked for each shot. On a double action revolver the trigger performs two functions: cocking and releasing the hammer.

Semi-automatic

The semi-automatic handgun fires a single cartridge each time the trigger is pressed, then the spent case is extracted and ejected. Another cartridge is chambered automatically without any other action by the operator. For single-action semi-autos the hammer must be manually cocked for the first shot, and the action cocks the hammer for each shot after the first. In the double-action/single-action semi-auto the first trigger press cocks and releases the hammer and all successive shots are fired single action. A double-action only semi-auto cocks and releases the hammer on every shot.

Building the shooting platform

Eye Dominance

Everyone has one eye that is dominant over the other. Often it is the right eye for right handed people, or the left for left-handers. To determine which is your master eye: make a circle with thumb and forefinger of either hand and look through the circle with both eyes open. Then close one eye at a time. With the master eye closed, the image you see through the circle should change. With the non-master eye closed, the image should stay the same. You should always use your master eye for aiming, whether it is handgun, rifle, shotgun, or bow. If your master eye is not the same as your dominant hand (left eye, right hand), use clear tape on your shooting glasses to occlude the non-master eye. This is preferable to squinting with one eye. When you squint with one eye, you give up 20% of your vision with the remaining eye, your zone of peripheral vision shrinks, and you have no depth perception. This is not acceptable for accurate shooting or for a self-defense situation.

Stance

The two-handed standing position is the most commonly used stance for recreational shooting, modern competition shooting, and self-defense. A few basics: Unlock your knees and elbows. Muscle tension in the joints will increase perceived recoil and gun 'wobble'. Lean forward. Keep your shoulders forward of your hips, avoid rocking back on your heels. Bring the gun to your eyes. With the gun down at a ready position, look at the target. Imagine a string running from between your eyes to the center of the target. Raise the gun so that the sights touch the string. Check your shoulders and neck. Stay as loose as possible.

Grip

Fundamental concepts: Keep both thumbs on the same side of the gun. Placing the weak-hand thumb in the wrong place while gripping a semi-auto pistol can result in painful injury. The left and right hand should have equal tension. A soft weak-hand grip will result in increased perceived recoil and will limit your ability to shoot quickly. It is better to be too tight than too loose with the weak-hand grip. Use a firm grip -- not a death grip. Hold the gun like you would hold a hammer to pound a nail. Extreme tension in the strong hand will reduce your ability to control the trigger precisely.

Trigger Control

The placement of the finger on the trigger depends on the type of gun and the relative weight of the trigger pull. Use the minimum amount of 'finger' on the trigger that you can tolerate. It will give you greater control and precision to place your shot on the target. Remember that the trigger should travel straight back parallel to the barrel of the gun. PRESS the trigger as if you were clicking a mouse or using the buttons in an elevator. Concentrate on using only the trigger finger and moving the trigger straight back.

Every trigger on every gun, no matter how heavy or light, has a certain amount of take-up. While you should not know exactly when the shot will break, you should be able to feel that you have taken up all the slack in the trigger and that it has reached the point where the gun will fire at any instant. This is called 'prepping' the trigger and will improve your ability to shoot accurately and quickly.

Sight Alignment & Follow Through

Your visual focus should always be on the front sight -- not the target. Resist the temptation to look for holes in the target after each shot. If you are watching your sights all the way through the shot, you should know whether or not the sights were properly aligned when the shot fired. You should see the front sight lift off the target as the gun begins to recoil. The best way to build this skill is to dry fire and hold the sight picture for a count of 3 after the hammer falls. This teaches you to keep your eyes open and your grip constant through the entire recoil cycle.

Common Errors

Almost all common errors have a basic cause: the body's natural reaction to being near an explosion. We blink our eyes, hold our breath, and tense up. In general, dry firing, and live-fire practice are the best cures. To become a better shooter you should learn to recognize these common problems in your own shooting when they occur.

Flinching is the act of blinking and jerking as the gun fires. Typically flinching results in low-left hits on the target, or complete misses in extreme cases. Watch for muzzle flash around the front sight. If you don't see it, or you don't see the sight start to lift off the target, you are probably blinking. Dry fire at the target. If the front sight disappears as the shot breaks and the gun dips, you are flinching. Anticipating is the next most common error -- pushing the gun in anticipation of the shot. Dry firing will reveal and correct this error also.

Balance and Stance Problems - Many beginners tend to lean forward for the first shot, and slowly let themselves be pushed farther and farther backwards with each successive shot. Shooting with a partner who can observe you will help, as will dry firing in the correct stance to build 'muscle memory'.

Body Tension & Breathing - Don't forget to relax and breathe. Check your shoulders and neck for tension. Take a slow, deep breath and let it out before you begin shooting.

Ammunition Malfunctions

A Misfire is a failure of the cartridge to fire after the firing pin strikes the primer.

A Hangfire is a perceptible delay in the ignition of a cartridge after the firing pin has struck the primer.

A Squib Load is a cartridge that develops less than normal pressure or velocity after the primer ignites. This is usually caused by loading a cartridge with insufficient powder.

Choosing a Handgun and Ammunition for Self-Defense

Action Type & Size

Revolvers are typically cheaper than semi-automatics, require less training to handle safely, and are more reliable. New revolvers are usually in the $200-300 range. A good basic revolver choice would be a .357 magnum revolver with a 4'-6' barrel from Colt, Smith and Wesson, Ruger, or Taurus. Old-style 'cowboy' single-action revolvers are a poor choice because they must be thumb cocked for each shot and are very slow to reload. Semi-automatics provide several advantages over revolvers: larger ammunition capacity, faster reloading, and a flatter profile.

The major disadvantage of any semi-automatic is that it requires more training to use and own safely. Double-action only semi-automatics such as those produced by Smith and Wesson, HK, Glock, and Ruger are similar to revolvers in many ways, and are the safest for a novice shooter. Many police departments nationwide favor the Glock that has a reputation for reliability and ease of operation. Single-action autos such as the Colt 1911 provide the capability for a very fast first shot but require more training to operate safely. Double-action/single-action semi autos are the most difficult action type for a novice to shoot well because two different trigger pulls must be mastered. Many common high-capacity 9mms such as the Ruger P89 series are DA/SA.

Other factors that you should consider are reliability and ease of assembly/disassembly for cleaning. Some models are designed to function even when moderately (or very) dirty and are simple to disassemble; others may require more frequent cleaning and are more difficult to maintain. Above all else, choose a make and model that fits your hand well and has the performance, reliability, and safety features that you desire. Whatever you choose, make sure that you understand how to safely operate and accurately shoot your handgun.

A short list of commonly used, reasonably effective handgun calibers for self defense: .380, .38 special, 9mm, .38 super, .357 SIG, .357 magnum, .40 S&W, .41 magnum, .44 special, and .45 ACP. Calibers below .380 are generally considered to be insufficient; calibers such as 10mm and .44 magnum are better suited for hunting than self-protection.

Ammunition

Most police departments have selected some type of high-velocity, hollow point ammunition.. Companies like Cor-bon specialize in self-defense ammunition, and most major manufacturers make specific self-defense loads. Specialty ammo such as Glaser ³safety slugs² perform well in ballistic gelatin tests but may underpenetrate against heavy clothing or other hard barriers. Because of the controversy and misinformation surrounding Black Talon ammunition its use is not recommended. Reloaded ammunition is also not recommended for self-defense. A box of ammunition will generally have the cartridge designation (caliber), bullet type, weight, and possibly the velocity printed in large type somewhere on the box.

Some useful abbreviations:

There are two major types of bullets and a wide variety of shapes of bullets. The two major types are the lead bullet and the (copper) jacketed bullet. Lead bullets are designed for lower velocities, are cheaper than jacketed bullets, and will make your gun dirtier faster than jacketed bullets. Ammunition loaded with lead bullets is good for practice but typically is not recommended for self-defense. Jacketed round nose bullets are designed to pass through a solid target and are more likely to go through walls and overpenetrate than hollowpoint bullets. Jacketed bullets will make your gun less dirty but will wear out your barrel faster due to higher friction between the jacket and the rifling.