Economical Shooting

Now, mind you, I’m not an economist—never even played one on TV—but it appears to me that things are getting almighty expensive. This includes the cost of ammunition, and folks smarter than me are saying it could get quite a bit worse. All of this can have a negative impact on our defensive-shooting practice which is so important to maintaining our skills at the highest possible level.

The best possible solution in these troubled times is dry practice. If the defensive shooter will spend four or five sessions in dry practice for every trip made to the shooting range, they can keep those skills at a useful level. Just like with live-fire practice, I don’t think the sessions need to be long ones. They do, however, need to be focused on getting it right each and every time.

Probably the most common dry-practice drill is making a pistol presentation and getting that important first shot off quickly and smoothly. Attention should be given to avoiding all unnecessary movement. As the gun comes on target, a quick glance at the front sight tells you that you are centered and you break the shot.

But, it is also just as important to spend equally as much time drawing to the ready position. It is not a good idea to get into the habit of shooting every time you get on target. In a real situation, the target may no longer be a threat; they may have dropped the weapon or turned to run. Dry practice will help the defensive shooter think through these various possibilities.

Dry practice is also very important for the defensive shooter who prefers the double-action revolver. The DA trigger pull is the big challenge with these guns and can be difficult to make an effective trigger press while staying on target. Practice is the key, lots of practice. The revolver shooter will also find that the action of the revolver will tend to smooth up with increased practice.

And, while we’re thinking about dry practice, it is a really good idea to order some dummy ammo from your favorite supplier. This dummy ammo will allow the shooter to practice his speed and tactical reloads. The kind that I use is entirely dark red in color and cannot be easily confused with live ammo.

Again, I think it is important to stay focused. Ten minutes of practice with everything done as correctly as you are able is worth much more than an hour of just fooling around. The same goes for your occasional trips to the range; don’t try to shoot as many rounds as possible, try to shoot a few rounds correctly.

And, of course, above all, be safe. Be sure to completely unload before each dry session and check and double check. It is even a really good idea to put all the live ammo in another room. We should stay focused, and the smart defensive shooter is always focused on safety.

So, join me in cussing out the economy if you will. But, don’t let that keep you from working to improve your defensive skills. Dry practice will certainly help.