Shooting from cover

Last weekend our gun club hosted its monthly defensive pistol match. I desperately needed some time away from the kids after a few hot (100+ degree), activity-filled weeks, and was craving a bit of grown-up competition, so the Hubby agreed to take over the parenting duties for the morning so I could trek up to the range.

The weather was glorious, as the typically windy range offered only a light breeze, which was sufficient to take the edge off the 90 degree heat, but not enough to make shooting a hassle. Fewer than the usual number of participants took part, but the ones who came were energized by a state IDPA match that many of them had attended the weekend before.

As we walked the course, it became apparent that the majority of the stages were to be shot from behind cover. Since it's pretty hard to haul up barriers and walls to shoot behind when you're on your own, I relish the opportunity the DP gives me to practice what I can't easily practice solo.

The five stages were fast, fun and varied. The first was drawing from a seated position behind a table to eliminate three threats in a "doorway", Clint Eastwood style. The second was performed from a surrender position behind barrels, with a wall dividing threats to the left and right. I botched this one as I got excited and thrust my leg out from behind cover, drawing a procedural penalty.

The third one was my favorite. Rather than describe it, I had my run filmed so I could show you. Here it is.

You'll hear me reminding myself to "stop at the edge", rather than repeat the procedural error I made in the prior stage.

The other two stages involved a combination of steel targets and silhouettes, that needed to be engaged from both sides of barriers, or between two walls.

I had the distinct opportunity of shooting with some really expert pistol shooters. In fact, the two top shooters from the match were in my group. It was great watching these guys quickly, accurately navigate the courses of fire, but it also made me aware that there's a big difference between shooting from cover for a speed match, and shooting from cover in a tactically sound, real-life simulation.

For instance, I've always been taught that shooting from cover is a little like a game of cat and mouse. Unlike the defensive pistol course, in real life, you wouldn't exactly have a predetermined number of bad guys standing quietly behind a corner waiting to be shot. Your job, therefore, is to find any sneaky bad guys, while simultaneously avoiding exposing any part of yourself to their line of fire. To achieve this objective safely you must slowly, methodically work your way around cover, being ever vigilant not to expose any part of yourself, while simultaneously identifying and eliminating the threats. Running through the course quickly, like the sharp shooting fellas in my group so effectively did, would more than likely cause you to miss someone, or to poke out some body part too much and make yourself a target.

The basics of shooting behind cover are what's known as "slicing the pie". This technique entails working your way around your piece of cover in a small, incremental, systematic way, so as to never expose any part of you to something you don't already have your gun sites on.

For a little visual assistance on "slicing the pie", I borrowed this handy graphic from a fellow female firearm blogger named A Police Wife.

In the image, you are the blue guy, safely located behind cover (top of dotted arrow). As the graphic illustrates by the straight arrows, which represent your line of sight, you can not see the red guy from the first location, behind the wall. To find your target, you slowly work your way down, one "pie slice" at a time (follow the dotted arrow) until you have a direct line of site to the red guy, then shoot.

Most people start very close to the corner of the barrier. I did, in the match because, let's face it, I feel safer when I'm snuggling up next to the piece of cover that stands between me and an armed bad guy. But if Mr. Bad Guy is right next to the wall on the other side, and sees my gun muzzle poking out from behind cover as I methodically slice the pie, he could easily grab it and disarm me right then and there. This graphic actually illustrates that better use of cover comes when you work from farther back away from the wall itself.

The only other critique I had for my run on course 3 was that I missed the tactical reload between barrier 1 and barrier 2. If I'd been thinking tactically, rather than worrying about that infernal shot clock, I would have stripped the magazine from the gun while I ran from cover 1 to cover 2, retained the not-quite-empty one, replaced it with a full one, and been ready to engage with a fresh load of 20 rounds when I got to cover 2. Instead, I ran dry 2 shots in at cover 2, and had to hide behind cover to reload. This would have likely been the end of me in a real-life scenario, as the bad guys would have known where I was, and that I was out of ammo. That is NOT a situation I ever want to be in!

Hopefully this enlightens some about the use of cover for defensive pistol shooting. As always, I'd love your comments!

A woman's perspective on the best holsters for women

At all of my defensive pistol events, my accuracy is pretty good, but my struggle with speed tends to place me at the back of the pack for final scores. Some of it is practice (or the lack there of), some of it nerves, but a lot of it is equipment. I'm not just making excuses here. I truly believe that most shooting gear is made by men and for men. As I am NOT a man, but rather a normal sized, athletically built WOMAN who has birthed two children, I've found that the equipment designed for him doesn't always work optimally for her.

I've tried dozens of holsters since I started carrying a firearm as one of my daily accessories: in the waistband (IWB), outside the waistband (OWB), ankle holster, drop holsters and thigh rigs. I think I own at least one of each, much to the Hubby's annoyance, who thought he lucked out by marrying a woman who hates shopping for clothes and has been satisfied wearing the same 4 pairs of shoes for the last 10 years. And lets face it, holsters aren't cheap! So here's the knowledge I have to share on the topic of obtaining the right holster for the lady marksman.

My number one beef with holsters is that most common varieties and styles, whether for concealed carry or open carry are designed to sit on a fellow's hip. I don't know about you, but my hips aren't exactly like a man's. When I wear a holster on my hip, I'm constantly being pinched in the side and poked in the ribs by the grip of my gun. And then, when I draw, I have to tip over at the waist to the non-holster side to ensure my giggly bits are well clear of my draw stroke as I extract the firearm from its enclosure. Not exactly efficient, never mind comfortable to execute.

This year, after much begging, pleading and coercing, the hubby got me a new thigh holster for my anniversary (or birthday or mothers day...I can't really remember...don't tell hubby). Before shelling out the dough on the one I wanted, the Hubby bought me a random thigh holster from the gun shop. It had 2 thigh straps instead of one, but they were in entirely the wrong place. This is the one item of gun gear that I think would be MORE comfortable for a woman than a man if you get my drift...

High Speed Gear drop holster

But finally I won out and the Hubby shelled out the big bucks for the High Speed Gear Drop Holster and I have to admit, it's the best holster I've ever owned. It's super comfortable, puts my gun in a great place to draw from, doesn't impede my movement at all, and is out of the way, yet accessible when needed. I even found when I went backpacking on our camping trip a few weekends ago, that I could actually carry a firearm AND a backpack simultaneously...something not easy to do with the usual holsters. Best of all is that my draw stroke is at least 2 seconds faster than it was with the traditional hip carry I used to use.

But let's face it, walking into the grocery store with this bad boy strapped to your thigh is bound to garner a few looks, and maybe a discussion with the security officer on duty. So when I'm not in "open carry country" I opt for the Minotaur MTAC in the waist band holster.

Open carry Minotaur MTAC

Instead of sitting on your hip, it sits at the 4:00 position (or 8:00 if you're a lefty like me) just behind the hip. By far, the MTAC is the most comfortable and versatile option for IWB carry,  and it also has some additional unbeatable features: you can change out the "half body" (the kidex part that holds the gun) so you can use the same holster for all of your guns, and you change the 'cant' (angle the gun sits in the holster) to improve your access to it.

Concealed carry Minotaur MTAC

I find the MTAC is very concealable with a loose-fitting blouse, but unfortunately, you do need to wear a belt to carry it. Other drawbacks are that it's not comfortable for long car rides, and your chiropractor will hate you for what it does to your back. And some say that if you're in a confrontation where an attacker has you on your back, you'll have a hard time drawing it from your back. I guess this is why Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch teaches his students "Two is one and one is none" when it comes to carrying a gun.

I'm just grateful to live in a place where I can carry a gun, be it on my hip, in my waistband, or on my thigh. Now that you have a starting place for shopping for your next holster, maybe more of us mommas will start packing something other than a bling covered Coach bag, and the world will be a safer place for everyone.