Sure it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek. It’s true that people’s mental and physical faculties tend to falter in high stress situations. The only way to overcome this is to train for it. What I’m saying is that this issue proves that their time clearly wasnt spent training sufficiently for the very situation for which they were hired. They must have had other priorities.
One should always carry a 1911 in condition 1, however many who do not don’t have confidence in the thumb and grip safety’s so they opt for having the hammer forward or no round in the chamber.
To carry concealed with no round in chamber requires a whole other set of training skills to draw then chamber a round similar to the Israeli method.
Anyway best most interesting article of the day on substack.
When I was in the Army, we had to carry in condition 3 in tactical situations. And none of us practiced/trained Israeli draw. Then again, in the 1980’s, for tank crews, the pistol was a weapon of last resort. I carry 1911’s condition 1. When I carry a striker fired pistol, I also carry with one in the chamber. I’m of the mindset that when I need it, I need it in a hurry.
Thanks, appreciate you dropping by and leaving the kind words!
Perhaps the Army didn’t want an ND in the hull that would ricochet and hit someone? Didn’t tankers also carry cross chest? In the Navy we carried our 1911 pre Desert Storm in Condition 3 while on watch but after 9/11 we carried our M9’s in Condition 1. We loaded and downloaded at the ship armory. Our ROE was more robust. But I have heard they have changed what watchstanders are able to be qualified now how they carry and condition varies on where they are in the watch standing section.
I’m a big fan of Cuban cigars or Nicaraguan when I’m out. Buffalo Trace or higher Blanton family bourbon, 15 year minimum aged single malt whisky Speyside or Islay only, and Springfield handguns. I carry an XDM .40 with DV8 custom slide and an RMR. My house gun is an XD .45 patrol and wife has an XDM 9mm for her range fun. My favorite though is my 1911 Loaded with some minor custom touches, grips and Sight.
I use the Springfield leather OEM for the 1911. It’s leather and OWB at the 3 or 5 posit.
The .40 and 9mm use the same holsters. IWB appendix or a 4 o’clock DARA Kydex holsters and lately a new one I like Vedder kydex.
Agree with all your points. Practice your draw and your reholster unloaded. Practice a lot.
Excellent post, Eric!! I agree completely and believe that your advice is spot on. I appreciate you making it clear that unless we train constantly till our actions become “muscle memory” that our illusions of how well will will perform under stress are definitely going to end in disappointment if not tragedy.
I would recommend that everyone get professional training and then train regularly and work toward simulating stress as much as possible.
Training with former and current Navy SEALS is available and worth it.SEALFit “sheepdog” training is definitely a great idea. Here is a link to a valuable source of the kind of training that would help.
I am smiling. I imagine that you are getting some awesome training from people who know the effects of being flooding with “cortisol” and the impact of stress on performance.
I find these folks who are thought of as “bad masses” are the most professional and well trained and poised to act in urgent situations than anyone in our society, and that we need them and if we are preparing ourselves to protect our families we must train with them. We are fortunate that they are willing to train us, in my opinion.
I have my own experiences with cortisol in high stress situations, but it was in an M1 tank. That experience told me that for this sort of performance, I needed to seek out someone who had done it for real. If someone needs to do some of that sort of thing in a tank ….
I give no quarter here!! Stress or not, hunting gives the dump of chemicals and I mange to harvest game.
Furthermore it is rumored that my local Sheriffs office practices for center mass at 7 feet distance? Whom tf are they serving and protecting at a 7 foot range, I wouldn’t trust any LE from whichever alphabet agency to get the job done. I’m more effective with training diligently on the weekends. Side note I was disarmed for 40 months, see Rahimi vs United States. One has to be determined to be “dangerous” many LE are the danger, not I.
Hunting has plenty of stress and you get the cortisol dump. I’m not giving quarter, FYI …. it is very clear that one of the issues at hand was training and that we need to learn that lesson.
Game doesn’t shoot back. You’re not in fear for your life when hunting.
I would guess your local Sheriffs are training for center mass at 7yds, 21 ft, for pistol. Most engagements (gun fights) occur within that distance. Wish I had a source for that but its a common anecdote.
And I wasn’t in fear for my life while training in peacetime in the Army. Doesn’t matter, cortisol and adrenaline gets dumped into your body and it causes specific physical, mental, and emotional effects. It is incredibly difficult, of course, to simulate actual fear of death/injury in training or hunting, but you still get the cortisol and adrenaline effect and that makes a difference.
You’re correct about LE’s training for 7 yards. Heck, the Army trains pistol at that range as well. I have heard many people, with a ton of good knowledge, make the “most gun fights happen at 7 yards, or less” assertion. I have never actually seen the studies that prove it and read them first hand. Now I feel the need to go and track it down.
Negative seven ft and my source is the greatest marksman I know. I remember because I was pissed that we pay these wankers for everything and they have the audacity to have another $3,500 slush fund also publicly funded in the county budget .
Game is far more elusive than crooks (or whatever pretend name was given to that boy)
The agent was not in fear for her/his life. It was clearly and intentionally announced that the all clear was given.
Here here!! If that were the case we wouldn’t even be having these convos or many infact 👍hard to get people to care about their country when they don’t even care about their bodies
A lot of training metrics are X amount of shots, at such and such distance, in Y amount of time. Adding in the clock does introduce a stressor, but the clock stops on the last shot. Maybe adding a par time where the clock doesnt stop until the pistol is safely back in the holster would ‘simulate’ the additional stress. Hard to practice that safely though.
I should qualify everthing I say in that I am nit a professional. Never been in the military or carried a gun in harms way. But I have taken a bit of training to ccw safely.
Whole heartedly agree. I do give our Secret Service agent kudos for recognizing that she was having a problem with the reholster and stopping the attempt. Better if she had slowed down and allowed her past training to kick in. But that's hard to do when your body and mind are primed for fight or flight.
One other thing to consider is that the holster is worn by a woman who appears to have wide hips and smaller waist. This will tend to tilt the gun into her body making it more difficult to reholster(and draw). A holster with a wedge might help in this case. YMMV
One of the first things I do when changing equipment - meaning "new gun, new holster" or new holster type (ex: kydex instead of leather, or vice-versa) is order a matching Blue Gun to use as a "gun management learning tool." I can work with the blue gun in front of a mirror, or with a video camera, to analyse the draw stroke and re-holster process and refine in complete safety. it. I'm not comfortable carrying a new combination until I've reached the point where I can do "blindfold" draws and re-holsters automatically and instinctively.
And, just like dry fire needs to be practiced frequently - it is a valuable training tool - so does draw and re-holster. With a blue gun it's easy to do it on a schedule. But - remember that important "30-minute mental break" between dry fire / holstering practice and shifting back to a loaded, ready-to-fire gun.
I've had one holster IWB for CC. A leather Galco. Initially for a 229Elite until the retail replacement cost for the 229 led me to the M18 which also nicely fits the holster. Just like 'gun belts', I'm constantly looking at what could work for me. I'm still at my first holster.
I really, really want a plan B holster & gun belt but, I see hard plastic, obtrusive devices that likely work but in Texas, it's (very) warm weather conceal carry which presents challenges for comfort. Still looking. Front carry isn't comfortable at all. I'm carrying currently in the small of my back. This allows for maneuvering, and comfort sitting or driving, moving fast on my feet.
Should mentioned: re-holstering with this soft leather holster is not possible.
Still looking.
Thanks for posting this. Followed the link from InstaPundit.
Thanks for coming by and visiting. Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I have a Galco that I carry a full size 1911 in, strong side OWB. Great holsters. My preferred belts are Kore Essentials. I have both their leather daily wear and ballistic nylon tactical belts and they are all solid performers.
Let me point out, as a longtime professional gunleather designer/maker, it is not 'reholstering'. It's 'holstering'. Next time you're on a range, note the rangemaster does not order you to 'reholster' or 'refire' or 'redraw'. His/her order is 'holster your weapon'. We load, we holster, we draw, we fire, we holster. Red Nichols the Holstorian
Hi Linda, I'm not sure how qualified I am to answer this, but I will take a stab at it plus provide a resource that may help. I will also note that I don't know what sort of pistol you plan to carry nor, other than the jacket, what clothing you plan to wear while carrying.
On the other hand, I'm a bit larger around the waist than I would like to be, so I contend with the issues of stomach and hips. I wear clothing that ranges from shorts and t-shirts to jeans and pullovers to suit and tie. I have found that generally appendix IWB carry works best for me. Although in a suit and tie, I often go with the OWB leather since the jacket covers that nicely.
My thinking is that generally you would be well served with a kydex IWB holster in appendix carry so long as you have a cover garment that works well for that. The draw stroke here ought to work fine since the pistol will travel straight up your body to chest level .... being delicate, you have a physique that will give you feedback that your draw and holster execution is correct.
My basic thoughts. Adding to that, I would highly recommend a good concealed carry class with a focus on women's concealed carry issues (there's plenty of them out there in my experience), hopefully taught by a female police officer. It's worth the time and money if you plan to carry.
Okay, here's the resource: Phlster Holsters, who makes the Enigma Concealed Carry System, among other items, has a very good set of videos and training on concealed carry. Highly recommended for the purpose of understanding how to carry concealed comfortably.
DON'T LISTEN TO ANY ADVICE TO GO AIWB. I have a thread on my own blog showing THREE very recent deaths from carrying this way. They were muzzling a major artery that gushes blood in moments of being hit. Easy to find: "red nichols holster blog"
DO consider holsters configured for shapely women with a bust: Both Aker and DeSantis sell two different paddle designs for women, that I created for them in the late 1990s for FBI, SS, BATF. I created them on the torso of a shapely agent and know they work. WISH I COULD ADD IMAGES FOR YOU HERE.
Red, I know of far more people shot by their own firearm carrying OWB strong side than AIWB. In all cases, that I’ve looked at, the negligent discharge occurred due to not following safe handling procedures. I’ll just leave it there
AND shot dead? Or just shot. Big difference between being shot down the thigh (we've all seen that video) and living, and being shot in the femoral artery (shot dead). I know a chap, personally, who shot off one testicle carrying while muzzling "it". He lived.
Indeed
More to come. Some in areas that I do consider myself qualified to train on, even.
It’s hard to get range time when you’re stuck in HR DEI meetings all the time.
Dude! This is not about any of that. C’mon
Sure it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek. It’s true that people’s mental and physical faculties tend to falter in high stress situations. The only way to overcome this is to train for it. What I’m saying is that this issue proves that their time clearly wasnt spent training sufficiently for the very situation for which they were hired. They must have had other priorities.
Yes, I agree and I point to training as a key factor in the issue we see in the video. Just didn’t want to get off into a side issue
One should always carry a 1911 in condition 1, however many who do not don’t have confidence in the thumb and grip safety’s so they opt for having the hammer forward or no round in the chamber.
To carry concealed with no round in chamber requires a whole other set of training skills to draw then chamber a round similar to the Israeli method.
Anyway best most interesting article of the day on substack.
When I was in the Army, we had to carry in condition 3 in tactical situations. And none of us practiced/trained Israeli draw. Then again, in the 1980’s, for tank crews, the pistol was a weapon of last resort. I carry 1911’s condition 1. When I carry a striker fired pistol, I also carry with one in the chamber. I’m of the mindset that when I need it, I need it in a hurry.
Thanks, appreciate you dropping by and leaving the kind words!
Perhaps the Army didn’t want an ND in the hull that would ricochet and hit someone? Didn’t tankers also carry cross chest? In the Navy we carried our 1911 pre Desert Storm in Condition 3 while on watch but after 9/11 we carried our M9’s in Condition 1. We loaded and downloaded at the ship armory. Our ROE was more robust. But I have heard they have changed what watchstanders are able to be qualified now how they carry and condition varies on where they are in the watch standing section.
I’m just seeing your note at the very end. Sorry about that…
I’m a big fan of Cuban cigars or Nicaraguan when I’m out. Buffalo Trace or higher Blanton family bourbon, 15 year minimum aged single malt whisky Speyside or Islay only, and Springfield handguns. I carry an XDM .40 with DV8 custom slide and an RMR. My house gun is an XD .45 patrol and wife has an XDM 9mm for her range fun. My favorite though is my 1911 Loaded with some minor custom touches, grips and Sight.
I use the Springfield leather OEM for the 1911. It’s leather and OWB at the 3 or 5 posit.
The .40 and 9mm use the same holsters. IWB appendix or a 4 o’clock DARA Kydex holsters and lately a new one I like Vedder kydex.
Agree with all your points. Practice your draw and your reholster unloaded. Practice a lot.
Give me a Lagavulin 16 any day o’ the week! I do love my Springfield almost more than my Kimbers and that is saying something.
Excellent post, Eric!! I agree completely and believe that your advice is spot on. I appreciate you making it clear that unless we train constantly till our actions become “muscle memory” that our illusions of how well will will perform under stress are definitely going to end in disappointment if not tragedy.
I would recommend that everyone get professional training and then train regularly and work toward simulating stress as much as possible.
Training with former and current Navy SEALS is available and worth it.SEALFit “sheepdog” training is definitely a great idea. Here is a link to a valuable source of the kind of training that would help.
https://training.sealfit.com/sealfit-sheepdog-2
Great advice Lee ….. I train with a company staffed by former SWAT team guys. Same sort of badassery
I am smiling. I imagine that you are getting some awesome training from people who know the effects of being flooding with “cortisol” and the impact of stress on performance.
I find these folks who are thought of as “bad masses” are the most professional and well trained and poised to act in urgent situations than anyone in our society, and that we need them and if we are preparing ourselves to protect our families we must train with them. We are fortunate that they are willing to train us, in my opinion.
I have my own experiences with cortisol in high stress situations, but it was in an M1 tank. That experience told me that for this sort of performance, I needed to seek out someone who had done it for real. If someone needs to do some of that sort of thing in a tank ….
I give no quarter here!! Stress or not, hunting gives the dump of chemicals and I mange to harvest game.
Furthermore it is rumored that my local Sheriffs office practices for center mass at 7 feet distance? Whom tf are they serving and protecting at a 7 foot range, I wouldn’t trust any LE from whichever alphabet agency to get the job done. I’m more effective with training diligently on the weekends. Side note I was disarmed for 40 months, see Rahimi vs United States. One has to be determined to be “dangerous” many LE are the danger, not I.
Hunting has plenty of stress and you get the cortisol dump. I’m not giving quarter, FYI …. it is very clear that one of the issues at hand was training and that we need to learn that lesson.
Game doesn’t shoot back. You’re not in fear for your life when hunting.
I would guess your local Sheriffs are training for center mass at 7yds, 21 ft, for pistol. Most engagements (gun fights) occur within that distance. Wish I had a source for that but its a common anecdote.
And I wasn’t in fear for my life while training in peacetime in the Army. Doesn’t matter, cortisol and adrenaline gets dumped into your body and it causes specific physical, mental, and emotional effects. It is incredibly difficult, of course, to simulate actual fear of death/injury in training or hunting, but you still get the cortisol and adrenaline effect and that makes a difference.
You’re correct about LE’s training for 7 yards. Heck, the Army trains pistol at that range as well. I have heard many people, with a ton of good knowledge, make the “most gun fights happen at 7 yards, or less” assertion. I have never actually seen the studies that prove it and read them first hand. Now I feel the need to go and track it down.
Negative seven ft and my source is the greatest marksman I know. I remember because I was pissed that we pay these wankers for everything and they have the audacity to have another $3,500 slush fund also publicly funded in the county budget .
Game is far more elusive than crooks (or whatever pretend name was given to that boy)
The agent was not in fear for her/his life. It was clearly and intentionally announced that the all clear was given.
Agreed, I would really like to also see more physical fit LE across the board.
Physical fitness for LE and citizen alike
Here here!! If that were the case we wouldn’t even be having these convos or many infact 👍hard to get people to care about their country when they don’t even care about their bodies
A lot of training metrics are X amount of shots, at such and such distance, in Y amount of time. Adding in the clock does introduce a stressor, but the clock stops on the last shot. Maybe adding a par time where the clock doesnt stop until the pistol is safely back in the holster would ‘simulate’ the additional stress. Hard to practice that safely though.
Great analysis in your post though.
I should qualify everthing I say in that I am nit a professional. Never been in the military or carried a gun in harms way. But I have taken a bit of training to ccw safely.
I use a clock all the way to reholster during dry fire training. For obvious reasons, I don't like that during live fire. Appreciate the kinds words!
Dry fire. That’s a pro tip. I don’t do enough.
One small thought here: never rush the re-holster. Otherwise, NDs await.
Whole heartedly agree. I do give our Secret Service agent kudos for recognizing that she was having a problem with the reholster and stopping the attempt. Better if she had slowed down and allowed her past training to kick in. But that's hard to do when your body and mind are primed for fight or flight.
...and it was a live fire situation. Not just a rowdy crowd. The immediate protective detail had little to go on.
Also correct.
One other thing to consider is that the holster is worn by a woman who appears to have wide hips and smaller waist. This will tend to tilt the gun into her body making it more difficult to reholster(and draw). A holster with a wedge might help in this case. YMMV
absolutely true. That’s called out in the Tenicor video. I was avoiding getting too much into the specifics around the agent in particular.
One of the first things I do when changing equipment - meaning "new gun, new holster" or new holster type (ex: kydex instead of leather, or vice-versa) is order a matching Blue Gun to use as a "gun management learning tool." I can work with the blue gun in front of a mirror, or with a video camera, to analyse the draw stroke and re-holster process and refine in complete safety. it. I'm not comfortable carrying a new combination until I've reached the point where I can do "blindfold" draws and re-holsters automatically and instinctively.
And, just like dry fire needs to be practiced frequently - it is a valuable training tool - so does draw and re-holster. With a blue gun it's easy to do it on a schedule. But - remember that important "30-minute mental break" between dry fire / holstering practice and shifting back to a loaded, ready-to-fire gun.
All really good advice/input! Thanks for stopping in.
I've had one holster IWB for CC. A leather Galco. Initially for a 229Elite until the retail replacement cost for the 229 led me to the M18 which also nicely fits the holster. Just like 'gun belts', I'm constantly looking at what could work for me. I'm still at my first holster.
I really, really want a plan B holster & gun belt but, I see hard plastic, obtrusive devices that likely work but in Texas, it's (very) warm weather conceal carry which presents challenges for comfort. Still looking. Front carry isn't comfortable at all. I'm carrying currently in the small of my back. This allows for maneuvering, and comfort sitting or driving, moving fast on my feet.
Should mentioned: re-holstering with this soft leather holster is not possible.
Still looking.
Thanks for posting this. Followed the link from InstaPundit.
Thanks for coming by and visiting. Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I have a Galco that I carry a full size 1911 in, strong side OWB. Great holsters. My preferred belts are Kore Essentials. I have both their leather daily wear and ballistic nylon tactical belts and they are all solid performers.
I expect I will write more on this topic. Free subscriptions give access to 90% of my new content and 30 days of archives.
Unfortunately or fortunately, she proved the stereotypes to be somewhat accurate.
I’ve seen tons of LE not do any better. And combat arms soldiers, for that matter. People take for granted Hollywood being real and it simply isn’t.
Let me point out, as a longtime professional gunleather designer/maker, it is not 'reholstering'. It's 'holstering'. Next time you're on a range, note the rangemaster does not order you to 'reholster' or 'refire' or 'redraw'. His/her order is 'holster your weapon'. We load, we holster, we draw, we fire, we holster. Red Nichols the Holstorian
If a woman wants to have a jacket, AND is more 'hippy' AND - extra difficulty here - also bosomy, what holster/draw technique would work?
Hi Linda, I'm not sure how qualified I am to answer this, but I will take a stab at it plus provide a resource that may help. I will also note that I don't know what sort of pistol you plan to carry nor, other than the jacket, what clothing you plan to wear while carrying.
On the other hand, I'm a bit larger around the waist than I would like to be, so I contend with the issues of stomach and hips. I wear clothing that ranges from shorts and t-shirts to jeans and pullovers to suit and tie. I have found that generally appendix IWB carry works best for me. Although in a suit and tie, I often go with the OWB leather since the jacket covers that nicely.
My thinking is that generally you would be well served with a kydex IWB holster in appendix carry so long as you have a cover garment that works well for that. The draw stroke here ought to work fine since the pistol will travel straight up your body to chest level .... being delicate, you have a physique that will give you feedback that your draw and holster execution is correct.
My basic thoughts. Adding to that, I would highly recommend a good concealed carry class with a focus on women's concealed carry issues (there's plenty of them out there in my experience), hopefully taught by a female police officer. It's worth the time and money if you plan to carry.
Okay, here's the resource: Phlster Holsters, who makes the Enigma Concealed Carry System, among other items, has a very good set of videos and training on concealed carry. Highly recommended for the purpose of understanding how to carry concealed comfortably.
https://www.phlsterholsters.com/the-basics-of-concealment-mechanics/
DON'T LISTEN TO ANY ADVICE TO GO AIWB. I have a thread on my own blog showing THREE very recent deaths from carrying this way. They were muzzling a major artery that gushes blood in moments of being hit. Easy to find: "red nichols holster blog"
DO consider holsters configured for shapely women with a bust: Both Aker and DeSantis sell two different paddle designs for women, that I created for them in the late 1990s for FBI, SS, BATF. I created them on the torso of a shapely agent and know they work. WISH I COULD ADD IMAGES FOR YOU HERE.
Red, I know of far more people shot by their own firearm carrying OWB strong side than AIWB. In all cases, that I’ve looked at, the negligent discharge occurred due to not following safe handling procedures. I’ll just leave it there
AND shot dead? Or just shot. Big difference between being shot down the thigh (we've all seen that video) and living, and being shot in the femoral artery (shot dead). I know a chap, personally, who shot off one testicle carrying while muzzling "it". He lived.
Red, I said I’d leave it there. And I will. And I won’t show up on your blog going on about things you talk about there. Have a great day