I have long counseled that responsible citizens who opt to carry a firearm should get some serious training, as merely having a gun is not enough. If you carry a concealed firearm when going about in polite society, it is imperative that you devote a great deal of attention to both the mental and the physical sides of armed self-defense.
Basic gun ownership starts with familiarizing yourself with the laws relative to self-defense in your state. Additionally, before carrying, you must come to terms with the fact that you might actually have to use it to defend your own life or that of others. Other elements, such as what type of gun to carry, what holster to use and even making some lifestyle adjustments will also come into play.
But, after taking those initial steps and developing a modest level of proficiency, it is important that we keep learning. It has been my observation that once new gun owners have obtained a carry permit, many of them seem to believe they’ve reached a destination rather than being at the beginning of a lifelong journey. Shooting a pistol is a perishable skill, so you need to train to maintain it, and you need to train more to improve it.
Most violent crime unfolds in what could be categorized as conversational distance. Events tend to unfold very quickly, and light conditions are often poor. Accordingly, my personal practice regimen typically includes drawing from concealment and quickly engaging one or two targets at relatively close range with an emphasis on making quality hits. If time permits, I might add a little movement, use of cover, reloading and shooting at longer range into the mix.
Cinco y Tres is a simple drill I devised to assess shooter skills with the types of guns often utilized for discreet carry. It is not especially difficult with a service or compact pistol, but it is quite a bit of a challenge with a snub revolver or pocket pistol.
Elements to be evaluated include your ability to draw from concealment, to get accurate hits, to manage recoil and to reload your firearm. On occasion, some have discovered that their gun of choice is ill-suited for the task at hand, particularly when firing at speed. Making fast hits with a flyweight .357 Mag. or a pocket pistol with poor sights and a short grip has proven to be an exercise in futility for some. That’s why this drill is all about realistically assessing your skill with your specific carry setup.
The Drill
This drill is designed to assess shooter performance with the handgun they use for concealed carry. You will need to conduct the drill at a range that allows you to draw from a concealed holster.
For this drill, you will need your everyday carry pistol and holster, two IPSC or similar targets, a timer, eight rounds, a spare magazine or speedloader and a cover garment.
1. Set the two targets one yard apart from each other at five yards out.
2. Load five rounds into your everyday carry gun. Load at least three rounds into a spare magazine or speedloader and place it on your belt (or where you would normally carry it).
3. Holster your firearm under a covering garment.
4. Cinco! Using a shot timer’s signal, draw and fire five shots to your first target.
5. Reload the gun.
6. Tres! Fire two body shots and one shot to the head.
If you can accurately complete this exercise in 8 seconds or better, go to the head of the class. (With a snub revolver, a run of 12 seconds would be considered excellent.)
This drill is for self-evaluation purposes only. How do the hits look? If you are a point or two down or a second or two over the time, it is not a big deal. But if your performance is a wreck, more practice may be required, or you may want to reconsider your gun or ammo package. You can also record your results and compare over time to ensure you are, indeed, maintaining or improving your skills.
