Category Archives: Training

THE PATH TO MASTERING TRIGGER CONTROL

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“Ball and Dummy” Drills Have Been Around for Over A Hundred Years For A Very Good Reason – They Work!

These venerable drills have lasted because of their effectiveness and have bridged the mainstream transition from revolver to semi auto pistol. I have a Police manual from the 1930’s that describes the drills in detail, so while Col. Cooper may have brought the elements of marksmanship and trigger drills to the masses, he certainly didn’t invent them. The problem with skip loading is that most shooters have not been instructed on how to do it properly, and with a modern service pistol, ignorant skip loading quickly degenerates into a sloppy failure to fire malfunction clearance drill. The beautiful thing about proper skip loading is that it can help stretch your ammo budget and range sessions while making novice shooters good and good shooters even better.

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Preparing for Combat through Competition

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Above: My Tie-Breaker Stage at the 2012 Pro Am Match in Frostproof, FL

Recently, we have received comments from various readers expressing that competition is impractical or unrealistic training for combat. If you are expecting a gunfight to be the same as shooting an IDPA or IPSC match, we at MSW wholeheartedly agree. However, there are valuable lessons to be learned through competition. The first is the development of mechanical skill. While there are certainly other facets to prevailing in a gunfight, one cannot argue that quickly and efficiently manipulating the gun and putting rounds on target would not be beneficial in a deadly force encounter.

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Improving Target to Target Transition Speed: The Circle Madness Target

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One of the lessons Hilton and I learned this year after the Pro Am match was the importance of practicing target to target transitions. This year’s match had quite a few stages in which shooters were forced to transition between targets of varying difficulty. The tendency is to engage a target too fast after engaging an easy (large or close range) target, or take too much time on a close range target after making a more technical shot. Continue reading →

Get the Lead Out: The Very Real Threat of Lead Poisoning

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by Nick Kim. Used with permission.

In the Wild West someone said to have “lead poisoning” usually died of a gunshot wound, although some actually probably did die of illness caused from excessive exposure to lead.   (Annie Oakley, so they say).  While it would be extraordinary today for a frequent shooter or instructor to die of  illness caused by long term exposure to the heavy metals associated with ammunition, the serious inhalation and contact hazards associated with shooting, handling ammunition components, and cleaning of firearms can and should nevertheless be minimized.  This is especially critical if you or someone in the household is pregnant or have children in your home.   Continue reading →

NLT’s Zombie SIRT

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Next Level Training’s Latest SIRT Model with Green Slide

Most of our readers know that we are big proponents of Next Level Training’s SIRT Pistol. Using this innovative training tool for dry practice and integrating it into live fire training has yielded tremendous results in terms of speed and accuracy.

The latest addition to Next Level Training’s product line is the “Homo Coprophagus Somnambulus” or Zombie model. Despite the bright green slide and timely marketing, this model is extremely practical: it combines the economical polymer slide of the Performer model with the versatile green laser indicator found in the top of the line 110 PRO Model, which can be used outdoors in bright daylight conditions. With an introductory price of $289, Next Level Training has effectively lowered the barrier to entry for anyone serious about pistol training.

Remember that our readers are eligible for a 10% discount by entering “10-8” in the coupon code box at checkout. Active/retired Law Enforcement or Military should contact me directly for an even more generous discount.

Link: http://www.nextleveltraining.com

SIRT Drills: Maintenance Drill #2

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Earlier this week, my good friend Hilton Yam posted on the 10-8 Performance Blog a simple maintenance set of drills that can be done with the SIRT pistol from Next Level Training. It’s an excellent way to get 40 quality trigger presses in from every (normal) way one might hold the pistol. Hilton’s post reminded me of a warmup I used to do to start off every range session.
The set is very simple:

Aimpoint CCO Training at Telluric Group

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I just returned home from an Aimpoint media event and training course hosted at the Telluric Group training facility in Brunswick, GA. Now this was a bit of preaching to the choir on Aimpoint’s part, as I have been an end user and believer in the Aimpoint red dot sight for over a decade. I will be covering the specifics regarding the training in an upcoming article and sidebar for Soldier of Fortune Magazine, but some notable news:

Wilson Tactical Training: Defense Fit

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Hilton engages multiple targets with the SIRT Pistol while I begin my weighted box jumps/steps in this DefenseFit session.



Too many times I have either attended or taught firearms courses with students, wishing to learn how to survive a deadly force encounter, who would be better served walking around the block. Don’t get me wrong, anyone serious about personal safety should have a baseline level of firearms knowledge and I applaud anyone willing to spend their own money and take the time to better themselves by attending a firearms class. However, there are many folks who wrap themselves around the axle about caliber selection or the best way to put down multiple armed attackers when the reality is, given their physical condition, they are far more likely to die of a heart attack or slip into a diabetic coma than find themselves in the middle of a home invasion robbery.
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Bullseye Shooting and the Importance of Basic Marksmanship

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My target after the 25-yard portion of the FBI Bullseye Course

With the proliferation of “tactical” training, I have noticed that one area that many shooters tend to neglect is basic marksmanship. Sure, it is a lot of fun to practice hosing a target at five yards, but it really doesn’t do anyone any good if the rounds are not on target.

It isn’t nearly as exciting to shoot slow fire groups at 20 or 25 yards, but I have learned this skill separates the “men from the boys” especially in the police firearms training world.

One of my favorite courses of fire to evaluate Basic Marksmanship skills is the FBI Bullseye Course. It is not fancy, but it is a great evaluation of the shooter’s understanding and application of sight alignment and trigger control.

The course is simple and is scored on an FBI Bullseye target (similar in dimensions to an NRA 25 yard rapid fire pistol target). All stages begin with pistol aimed in, safety off, finger on the trigger. This is not a tactical course but rather one that evaluates a specific skill set.

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Tool of the Trade: The Shot Timer

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Various shot timers I have used over the years

It never ceases to amaze me when I meet a firearms instructor or self professed serious shooter who does not own a shot timer. Some have never even heard of one, let alone actually have one in their range kit. So first things first, what is a shot timer? An electronic shot timer is a device that gives off a start signal (usually a loud beep) and then listens for shots and records the time. Devices range from super fancy (like the PACT MK IV, that has more computing power than the mainframe that launched the first space shuttle) to simple like the PACT Club Timer III. There are even apps for the iPhone that will do the same thing.

Why a shot timer? As shooters, we are always trying to pursue that elusive balance: the perfect combination of speed and accuracy. Well, accuracy we can measure. We can look at holes in a paper target or listen for that satisfying ding on that steel plate.  Without a shot timer, we will never know what we are capable of in terms of speed. Feeling fast and actually being fast are two very different things. If you watch a top level competitor draw and fire, it does not look all that fast. But the timer doesn’t lie. The reason for this is because that USPSA Grand Master is not fast because of sheer hand velocity, but rather, he has found the most efficient path in which to move. It is economy of motion. And there is no way to accurately measure this without a shot timer.

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SIRT Performer Training Pistol

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Next Level Training’s SIRT Performer

There is no excuse not to own Next Level Training’s SIRT (Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger) Pistol. It has all the features of the SIRT 110 Pistol, but utilizes a red shot indicating laser and a red take-up indicating laser. It is perfect for indoor training. Instead of the machined from bar stock slide, the Performer’s slide is made of a lightweight polymer. The result is a training pistol that has a street price of about $200!

We at 10-8 have been training quite a bit with the SIRT pistol over the past several months and have attributed our increased skills directly to the addition of the SIRT to our training regimen. When it comes to effective training, it really does come down to training quality movement in high volume. The SIRT removes barriers to dry practice training. Because it is not an actual pistol, it does not pose a safety hazard and there are no worries about dinging up your walls with airsoft pellets or worse yet, unintentionally launching a round into your wife’s priceless grandfather clock.

Visit NextLevelTraining.com and check out all the SIRT products to find out which one is right for you. A hint: red/red works great for indoors and green/red is better at outdoor training as the green laser is much more visible than the red laser in bright outdoor conditions.

When you order, use the “10-8” coupon code to receive your discount. If you are active duty Law Enforcement, email SIRTPromo@10-8performance.com for a special code to get an additional discount!

Tim Lau
10-8 Consulting, LLC