The Cornered Cat
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Rack the Slide
January 1, 2000

…are built to cope with far more energy than you’ll ever produce with your hands. You cannot hurt the firearm by moving quickly. Finally, some women are afraid the slide will bite them or otherwise hurt their hands. A gruff instructor might just growl, “Get over it,” but maybe that’s a little harsh. If you are afraid of the slide and its movement, I suggest you ask a knowledgeable someone to show you the internal parts of… Continue reading →

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Break it in
October 21, 2012

…#1: You don’t need to break in a good holster. You can just start using it immediately. Myth #2: Breaking in a holster is like breaking in a baseball glove. You want to end up with a soft, flexible piece of leather. Myth #3: Rubbing saddle soap into the inside of your holster is the best way to break it in. Myth #4: You should rub oil or some other product into your holster to soften the leather for use. We’ve already dealt with Myth #1. You do… Continue reading →

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Gun Cleaning 101
January 1, 2000

…s you may want to have on hand. Some of these are simply nice to have, while others come close to being essential. Most of them can be found lying around your house. An old toothbrush. You can purchase a specially-designed scrub brush in the same basic shape [Image]. A plain old toothbrush will do just as well. Do make sure it’s been very thoroughly rinsed to remove old toothpaste grit. Q-Tips. I mean cotton swabs. Q-Tips is a brand name,… Continue reading →

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Mentors and friends
February 4, 2013

…teered to do scutwork at the range during classes, hanging targets and hanging on the instructors’ every word. Eventually, I’d been hanging around long enough that Gila and Marty suggested I should become a member of the instructional staff. As an assistant instructor (I thought of myself as a very junior staff mascot), I worked through Marty’s instructor certification process. It took me two years and countless hours of practice, classes, and… Continue reading →

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Different Domains
May 19, 2016

…video from a well-known trainer, someone I respect, who said some very important and true things. He said that for ordinary people looking for training in firearms-based self defense, there’s little sense in seeking out instructors who have a military background. He pointed out that even though many excellent handgun instructors have been in the military, there’s very little experience in the military that directly applies to the ordinary… Continue reading →

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Dry Fire Drill
June 12, 2013

…in the wrong order! That’s bad. To stay safe, always remove your finger from the trigger – placing it in its index position high on the frame – before you take the muzzle off the target. Why? Because Rule Three, that’s why. Rule Three says, Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot. Among other things, this means you must take your finger off the trigger before you take the gun off… Continue reading →

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Is It Empty?
January 1, 2000

…aded. 2 Here’s how to do this, and why it is necessary. Semi-automatics: Remove the magazine. Then lock the slide open and visually look in the chamber. Poke a finger into the magazine well to be sure it is empty. Then run the tip of your pinky finger into the chamber to be sure that there’s a hole in there rather than a live round. Look again before you close the slide. Revolvers: Roll the cylinder open and visually count the… Continue reading →

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Tech blegs
October 21, 2012

…nother instructor, or want to share a technique you learned at their school, you always name them. But if you don’t agree with their technique, you never name them. It’s much classier to just say, “Some instructors teach blah blah blah, but I disagree with that because …” This rule has stood me well over the years on the range, so I want to be sure that what’s polite among trainers isn’t downright rude… Continue reading →

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