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IDPA at The Bullet Hole tonight!

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Jay:
Thanks for all the info. This really interests me. Like I said, I practice all the time, but pretty much always on my own in my own spot with my own targets. It's good and bad when you have your own place to shoot, because you can practice whenever and however you want, but you also miss out on what others can teach you.

I do have one question which I could probably answer on my own if I took the time to research all the rules first, but I'm feeling particularly lazy this rainy morning  :-[ , you said:

"Training is a GOOD THING. I hardly even have to think about the front sight anymore. I draw, rack, and present the pistol and the front sight is already on center mass of the target......... tap tap."

So, I assume you are starting out with a loaded mag and an empty chamber? Or am I reading that wrong? If so, I am curious if that is because of the rules or because you choose to carry with an empty chamber. Not trying to start any big debates necessarily, just curious is all.

Kim:
I have posted the information from the bullett holes website (www.thebh.com) below regarding the IPSC & IDPA shoots.

Every Tuesday night, there is something going on at The Bullet Hole

International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) competitions meet every Tuesday night not schedualed as IDPA competition.

International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Matches begin at approximately 6:00 P.M. There is fee to join. Come on in to watch or compete!

Required equipment is- A strongside belt holster, at least two magazines or speedloaders, and preferably a magazine holder.

Costs- $5 for one run through the course, $9 for two runs.

No experiance? No problem. Show up whenever you have some time to watch and once you feel up to the challenge we'll set you up with an orientation and safety briefing.

Jay:
Kim wrote:
"I have posted the information from the bullett holes website (www.thebh.com) below regarding the IPSC & IDPA shoots."

Thanks my dear. That also happens to be the same page that is in JimP's link above, but hey, you already knew that.  ???

Being married is fun. LOL  ;D

JimP:
Yeah, both my carry guns are 1911s. Single action. Meaning pulling the trigger will only do a single action- drop the hammer. Pulling the trigger on a double action pistol first cocks and then drops the hammer. One of the virtues of the 1911 is the very short, light, straight trigger pull- about 1/8 of an inch straight back.  It was for this reason that the US Government required the grip safety to be added before they would adopt it as the standard sidearm, almost 100 years ago. A lot of peaple have told me that it is perfectly safe to carry a 1911 "cocked and locked" (condition 1), as the thumb safety would have to move or fail AND the grip safety would have to be depressed or fail, AND the Trigger would have to move or fail. But...........

...........Prior to getting my CHP I carried at home for months with dummy ammo, practicing my draw stroke, and getting used to carrying. I had a 5" 1911 in a suede IWB holster at the 5 o'clock position, with a forward cant. In all those months, the thumb safety moved once. That was one time to many for me. The thought of a powder gas enema ........ I'd rather not think about that ........... SO..........

.......I could carry in condition 2 (hammer down on a round in the chamber- the way double action pistols are carried), but manually cocking a 1911 with your thumb is awkward, slow and might allow for your thumb to slip, ............ not only that, a light blow to the hammer (as in dropping the gun- easy enough to do w/o your thumb wrapped around the grip.....) will fire the chambered round.

...........or I could carry in condition 3 (hammer down on an empty chamber. It worksfor the Israeli IDF(although they do it differently than I do- they present the pistol on its side, and pull the slide back w/ finger and thumb, then right the pistol). If you practice it, it takes like 2/10ths of a second, and that's not an extra 2/10ths- you don't grab the slide and pull it back. Rather, as the gun is coming up, the off hand goes over the top, squeezing the slide between the 4 fingers and the palm. As the pistol is shoved forward to arms length, the slide stays in place momentarily, and upon release, the round is chambered. The only extra time involved is moving your off hand to wrap the strong hand. And that's not really extra time either, as while thats happenening, your strong hand and you eye are putting the front sight on the CM of the target. It sounds complicated, but try describing how to ride a bike. With practice, you don't even think about it.

There is no free lunch- this system has its disadvantages. It requires 2 hands (or a 1911 with a stadard -as opposed to full length- guide rod and a solid object, like a steering wheel). And point shooting from the hip is not possible( which I'm not a fan of anyway-I am responsible for EVERY bullet that leaves my gun.)............

Jay:
Thanks for all the great info for those that might be new to firearms. I know it can be easy to forget that not everyone is as experienced in a certain area as we are, so it's great that you took the time to explain yourself so well. I really want to use this site to help bring new shooters into the fold without intimidating them, so again thanks for your reply.

While, I personally don't agree with carrying empty-chambered, I know that many people do. I wasn't calling you out on it. This is one of those subjects that has the potential to get heated. It is a personal thing and I think that as long as you practice OFTEN with your preferred method of carry, you'll be OK. My biggest hang-up with your method is I don't like having to rely on needing both hands. As my wife will tell you, I constantly preach situational awareness, and hope to never let a bad guy get so close to me that I have to use my weak hand to create distance, but I have also seen some great videos on how fast a knife yielding bad guy can close up a considerable distance. It's not that racking the slide adds that much more time to what it takes to draw and point, but I might need my other hand to protect myself or to hold the attacker off of me.

That being said, it would be un-nerving to have had the safety dislodged. Did the hammer actually drop? I can't imagine what would have caused that if the weapon fit properly in a quality holster.

Oh, and just for the record, I carry a DA/SA. I figure the heavy trigger pull of the first shot will not affect my accuracy enough to make a difference in a defensive situation.

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