Of late I have been practicing fair serious, that is, with a timer in a tactical bay, with some handgun and holster combinations in an attempt to recover a degree of competence after glaucoma took a good share of acuity from my, hither-to, aiming eye.
The proper move for a newbee, or even a middle bee perhaps, with such an affliction would be to retrain to shoot left handed. On the advice of an actual expert (Mas Ayoob) however I adopted the practice of shooting right hand while aiming with my left eye. Reason being, I'm probably too old to relearn on the left better than I can compensate with technique and still take advantage of the 35 years of muscle memory on my right side.
Sooo, there is that.
Also, I have had to realize the old reliable Combat Commander seems to be, like me, gaining some weight, and, as I no longer wear a young mans clothes, has become impractical for this old man to routinely carry.
Two developments that have brought me to some personal conclusions I'd not have come to earlier.
Historically, I was one of the promoters and early adopters of Florida's concealed carry law and have been able to carry a concealed firearm for some 35 years. This has not been as a law enforcement officer, or related to my military service, but as a 'common' citizen who believed it prudent to take a gun along at certain times, 'terrain and situation' dependent. For the bulk of those years I relied on the advice given to me as a twelve year old - or so - by an experienced detective which was 'if you're going to rely on a gun you'll have to have two, a .45 (back then in the '60s that meant a 1911) and a snubby'. My nearly 40 year old Combat Commander has great fixed sights, shoots a serious round (hydra shok .45s), and is as reliable as a stone axe thanks to old man Clark in Cajun country. The less prominent sights on my snub are much less amenable, and it's five round cylinder less than confidence inspiring. Over the happily, almost entirely uneventful, decades the snub nose .38 was the most common carry, the .45 was with me frequently enough, or in a quick access box at the home.
While I have, with practice, become use to drawling with my right hand and aiming with my head canted with my left eye, it has penalized me by, for now, a half second for an aimed shot from a concealed holster.
So be it.
As a 'civilian' both concealment and retention are important as well. My routine 'Yaqui slide' holster for the Commander is fast, but prints BIG in most cases. My belly band for the snubby can be worn anywhere – but is VERY slow to engage.
End result after a number of tries with several combinations of guns and rigs with a timer and consistent course of fire (Navy Basic Handgun Qualifier Course - OPNAVINST 3591.1G) is the selection of a single stack 9 in a jac slide holster. Perhaps the best compromise, a reasonable caliber in a much lighter platform than the Colt. The belly band will remain a deep cover solution – and a pocket carry in in pinch – but for most situations in which carrying is indicated, that's where I'll be for now.
Observations.
The NHQC is a good drill for citizens to employ as it provides timed strings of fire with required ammo changes, firing hand changes, and is shot at a realistic distance. It also dishes out a measure of humility should one fail given it's successfully navigated by members of ... ahhh 'today's Navy' (a real sight to behold ).
The NHQC, in my opinion, does NOT demonstrate actual 'competence' with a defensive handgun. It is not fired on the move, and does not require transitioning to more than a single target. It serves best as a standard drill for comparisons of rigs and demonstration of a rudimentary ability to safely drawl and fire from a holster.
Below is the score sheet I use. Score with the 638 was 216. Two strings were outside the required time (reloading issue noted below). Shooting the course with the Combat Commander or the PPS 9mm is moderately easy. Score with PPS was 235 with many 1st shots on target at 3 and 7 yard in well under 2 seconds. This is the focus of most of my training currently. Already the use of the left eye is done unconsciously with the .45, the PPS is rapidly getting there.
A couple of lessons learned in this pursuit:
1. I have NO 100% reliable 'paddle' holster. Twice in drills the snubby came up on target encased in it's nice, high tech overcoat. I had a good, solid belt cinched tight on both occasions. I do cant my torso some to afford solid purchase on the grip in drawling, but that seems necessary in the interest of a secure grip and speed.
2. I could navigate all the required strings of fire with the 5 shot j frame EXCEPT the ones requiring a relatively quick reload, i.e. two rounds fired, reload with 2, and fire within 10 seconds. The short ejector rod on the j frame didn't clear the brasses on several occasions. Also my manipulation of the speed strip from the left coat pocket was uneven. At best I went less than 3 seconds over on two attempts. I could accomplish the more leisurely string requiring total of 8 rounds in 20 seconds at 15 yards, just, and that with several of those rounds well out of the 5 zone.
I believe that with concentrated practice a NHQC can be done with a 5 shot j frame … Might be a pet rock project.
3. My 'duty' round for my snubby is the flat profile Federal HST. 'speed' loading these is much more difficult than a round with a conical profile. Henceforth my speed strips will be something different. For the drills I was using 130 Gr conical flatpoint.
4. When training with cheap ball ammo it's instructive to fire a few rounds of your 'service' ammo at the end. It re calibrates you to the point of impact you'll have to deal with on the street.
As with all things there are areas for zealots of every description on the web. For revolver issues these guys seem the most knowledgeable - https://revolverguy.com/
Score sheet -
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