Here are a few of the things I wanted to mention that you could work on on your own.

An important part of the training that we didn't have time to do in Florida is stoppage drills. By stoppage I mean jams. You can practice this by loading your mags with some live rounds and some spent cases. This way you can get the real life feel of a jam.

All of the jams that are possible with an auto pistol can be cleared by one of these two methods.

O.K., the weapon is shooting fine, then you have a jam. First things first, if possible take cover or drop to a knee to reduce your signature. With the weapon still in your right hand, if you're right handed that is, slap the bottom of the magazine with your left hand. This is to make sure the magazine is seated properly. This is called "Tap" and is part 1. The second part of this is to "rack" your slide with your left hand. If you draw the pistol in tight to the body, close to the "chest ready" position that we reloaded from, the drill resembles the combat reload drill without removing the magazine. The magazine is "tapped" on the bottom to be sure it is seated, then the slide is "racked" to clear out any round stovepiped or that otherwise was not ejected properly from the weapon and to chamber a new round. This will clear MOST of the jams you will have.

The "tap/rack" drill is ALWAYS done first, then if the situation cannot be resolved from a tap/rack you proceed as follows: Lock the slide to the rear using your slide release, then strip the magazine from the weapon REMEMBER to retain the magazine as in a tactical reload. Then work the slide VIOLENTLY at least 3-5 times, re-insert magazines, stroke the slide and continue to fire.

It's hard to duplicate the action needed for the 2nd drill using spent cases but occasionally if the weapon is dirty you get lucky. When you practice with your partner, load their magazines for them, adding in a few spent cartridges. This helps because they don't know when to expect it.

Also, for the Florida folks, the Central Florida Rifle and Pistol Club has Defensive Pistol matches the first Sunday of every month in Orlando. Unlike IPSC where the best PISTOL wins, these matches stress hits more than time, they penalize your score when you don't reload behind cover, etc. Their facility is neat also, you will have shotouts at mock convenience stores, houses, etc. Website is www.cfrpc.com

Keep up the training! If anyone needs any help please feel free to email me.
 

Rook

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