This weekend OSD put on a pistol course for 20 students in San Jose, California. A couple students had never shot a pistol before. On the other end of the spectrum, a couple had shot some USPSA matches. And everyone else was somewhere in between.
It was a one-day course, with 6 hours of instruction and 250 rounds fired per student. The fundamentals of stance, grip, sight alignment, trigger control, and follow-through. Some ready-ups, some multiple-shot drills, and some reloads.
It was really basic. And here’s the thing: no matter their experience level, everybody was a better shooter when they left than when they got there.
Part of that was because of Jeff Patane, who did a great job teaching the class. But the general point applies more broadly, to any range trip with any good instructor: there are very few shooters who are so good that a few hours of practice won’t make them better. In other words: we all live in the steep part of the learning curve.
That’s good news for two reasons.
First, it means that a little bit of practice — for yourself or for friends you take to the range — goes a long way.
Second, it means that the practice doesn’t even need to be fancy. If need be, YouTube can be your instructor. Most of the time, excellence comes down to excellence in the basics. Our two favorite perspectives on that:
It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.
At my last class, down in Florida, one of the guys was saying, “When are we going to get to the cool stuff?” I asked him, “Do you think staying alive is cool? … Then you are doing the cool stuff.”
See you at the next range day, and get out there on your own in the meantime.
This week’s links
Bruen is starting to show up in court rulings
Two out this week. One was an FPC success in Delaware, where a federal district judge enjoined the state’s ban on the manufacturing or possession of homemade guns. The second was a case out of Pecos, Texas, where a federal district judge struck down the 1968 Gun Control Act’s ban on gun purchases by people indicted for (but not yet convicted of) a felony.
Gamut Resolutions dot drills: pistol and rifle
Speaking of basics, these dot drills from Bob Keller are as basic as it gets. But basic doesn’t mean easy. This is a simple way to get good, and you can do it even at public indoor ranges.
OSD office hours
If you’re a new gun owner, thinking about becoming one, or know someone who is, come to OSD office hours. It’s a free 30-minute video call with an OSD team member to ask any and all your questions.
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