The Shirt Target from 1929

Another find from my historical handgun research team. This is an article from 1929 about a “shirt” target designed to look like a buttoned uniform shirt. It’s still a basic bullseye design but with scoring zones having more anatomical relevance than a classic circular style. The 6 point zone in the middle is almost like …

Continue reading ‘The Shirt Target from 1929’ »

Andy Stanford Master Coach Development course AAR

On May 16 & 17, 2023 I hosted Andy Stanford of SureFire, who taught two sessions of his new Master Coach Development course. Day 1 was for LEO trainers, Day 2 was for private sector trainers. We had 12 students attend each day, with trainers from Austin, San Antonio, Houston and other nearby communities present. …

Continue reading ‘Andy Stanford Master Coach Development course AAR’ »

Origins of the Pie Chart Target

The pie chart “shooting correction” target has been around as long as I’ve been shooting. It’s widely shared and is used as basis for guidance in some dry fire apps. It’s also widely derided by high skill level shooters and trainers, with this variant on the pie chart being a frequently shared meme: Karen Ziegler …

Continue reading ‘Origins of the Pie Chart Target’ »

Relative Performance Measurement

One of the classes I offer, my Advanced Handgun Road Course, focuses on measuring student performance and comparing it to known baselines. I use a sequence of 18 different drills, ranging from 25 yard group shooting and B8-centric exercises like the 5 Yard Round Up and The Test, to USPSA/IDPA standards like the IDPA 5×5 …

Continue reading ‘Relative Performance Measurement’ »

The M&P Shield Experiment

Several years ago I was carrying an M&P Shield and experimenting with different modifications that could be made to it. I ran the gun, with a variety of increased capacity magazines, in a John Farnam class and wrote a blog post about it. After that class I did some additional experimenting, posted about it in …

Continue reading ‘The M&P Shield Experiment’ »

Student incident report

I recently had a student contact me with details about an incident he was involved in. He agreed to share his account of it, with name and location removed. It’s an excellent reminder of why awareness and “managing unknown contacts” (a skill we discuss in our Personal Tactics Skills course) are so important to avoiding …

Continue reading ‘Student incident report’ »

Gear upgrades, December 2020

I made a few upgrades to the Glock 48 I carry daily. Holosun 507C-GR-X2 I replaced the Trijicon RMR with the new Holosun 507C-Gr-X2. The sight is the latest design from Holosun. Same footprint as the RMR, with a smaller green dot and the new X2 features. The X2 has a better auto adjust, with …

Continue reading ‘Gear upgrades, December 2020’ »

Shooting the Georgia state police qualification course of fire

Lee Weems of First Person Safety recently shared the current Georgia state police qualification course of fire, and sent me a few of the SQT A-1 targets to use. The course of fire was designed for both semiauto and revolver, so all mags are loaded to 6 rounds, and the reload times are quite generous. …

Continue reading ‘Shooting the Georgia state police qualification course of fire’ »

2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 4 – home defense, training and competition guns

By far the most common questions I answer online and in person are about what gun(s), holsters and gear to buy. Recently I sent all the assistant instructors of KR Training a gear survey form. In part 1, I listed the guns, sights and gun modifications we use. In part 2, I listed holsters, mag …

Continue reading ‘2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 4 – home defense, training and competition guns’ »

2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 3 – flashlights, pepper spray, medical gear

By far the most common questions I answer online and in person are about what gun(s), holsters and gear to buy. Recently I sent all the assistant instructors of KR Training a gear survey form. The lists below are the flashlights, pepper spray and medical gear we carry. In part 1, I listed the guns, …

Continue reading ‘2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 3 – flashlights, pepper spray, medical gear’ »

2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 2 – holsters, mag carriers and ammo

By far the most common questions I answer online and in person are about what gun(s), holsters and gear to buy. Recently I sent all the assistant instructors of KR Training a gear survey form. The lists below are the holsters, mag carriers and ammunition we carry. In part 1, I listed the guns, sights …

Continue reading ‘2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 2 – holsters, mag carriers and ammo’ »

2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 1 – carry guns

By far the most common questions I answer online and in person are about what gun(s), holsters and gear to buy. Recently I sent all the assistant instructors of KR Training a gear survey form. The lists below are the guns, sights and modifications we use. Follow up posts will list holsters, ammo, medical gear …

Continue reading ‘2020 KR Training staff gear survey part 1 – carry guns’ »

TSA stats for guns in carry on bags

The TSA’s 2019 stats on firearms found in carry on bags are out, and Texas once again has too many airports on the top 10 list. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2020/01/15/tsa-year-review-2019 If you base the top 10 on total number of guns found, Texas has 3 airports on the list, tying Florida’s 3, but with more guns found. Hartsfield-Jackson …

Continue reading ‘TSA stats for guns in carry on bags’ »

Magazine Springs and More

From the KR Training website archive Training Tips section: Magazine Spring Tips General advice on magazines and magazine springs: at least once a year, take your magazines apart. (Those that shoot competition or drop magazines on the ground during defensive handgun skills training should do this much more often.) Clean the insides of the tubes …

Continue reading ‘Magazine Springs and More’ »