Off-range Trigger Time
Physical conditioning is an important consideration for anyone’s shooting skills, and especially so the aspirant Anhur. Years ago, I read a section in one of Colonel Jeff Cooper’s benchmark works. It essentially advised to select a weapon based on the capability to hold the rifle with one hand, arm fully extended, for 60 seconds.
While I never quite understood the logic of that specific position, the point was well taken – don’t choose any tool you can’t handle or wield. While this is excellent advice for the typical person, a Shootist looks at the subject a little differently.
If there is a weapon I feel will help me win the gunfight, and I’m not strong enough to use it properly, then I will increase my strength to the point where I can perform with the tool. Obviously, there are limits to how much weight anyone can lift. An M1 Abrahams Tank would win practically any gunfight, but I can’t carry one around on my back no matter how many visits to the gym I make.
For years, I trained with the AR15 family of weapons. With a few exceptions, these rifles top the scales at 10.5 pounds fully loaded and equipped. Some time ago, I decided I required a .308 (7.62 x 51 NATO) for desert and open terrain operations. These weapons, fully loaded and equipped, can top 12 lbs.
Most folks would think that a mere two pounds of additional weight would be child’s play to a robust, high speed, low drag individual. Most folks would be wrong. I, for reasons unimportant now, decided on the AR10 platform. As I began training with the weapon, I realized that
seemingly insignificant amount of poundage was making me less effective in a combat situation. I was young, strong and in excellent physical condition, and yet I felt like I was moving in slow motion as I tried to acclimate myself with the new blaster.
It took a lot of work, but eventually I became almost as proficient with the heavy weapon as my lightweight, M4 Carbines. During that time, I would hit the rack after training for the day and realize my body was sore. It was a similar experience to working out with weights at the gym. I was building muscle.
After weeks of preparing to use the AR10, I decided to spend the day with my old friend, the M4. The experience was an eye opener. The firearm felt almost weightless in my hands. My drill times and accuracy skills improved dramatically. My threshold of shooters fatigue was raised significantly.
Now I stay in pretty good physical condition. A few pounds here or there is a small percentage of the weight used in my normal exercise routines. Why did it make so much difference with a rifle? The answer is obviously centered on which muscles/tendons were being used. My exercise routine with iron was not addressing the parts of my body required for shooting.
This presented a dilemma. My days are full. I have a family, job and commitments – how could I possibly work in additional exercise routines without sacrificing somewhere else? I realized I would have to combine rifle-based weight training with another ritual – kill two birds with one stone, if you will.
I won’t bore the reader with my initial attempts to develop something that worked - partially because it doesn’t matter, but mostly out of embarrassment. Let it suffice to say that I suffered some epic failures, and a few of my attempts were downright dangerous. One effort worthy of note was an early attempt to rig a weight to the barrel of my rifle. The weight came loose, and I was nanoseconds from sending a 63 grain bullet flying down the tube, directly into the lead weight blocking the barrel. I’m not sure what would have happened, but I can’t imagine the results would have been positive.
Eventually, the solution was simple, and like the answer to most problems, somewhat obvious. The sections below expand on that resolution and what I believe is one of the most critical components of becoming a Shootist.
Dry Firing
Everyone has a busy life and tight schedule. This, combined with the cost of ammunition, makes it difficult to train or practice with your weapons. While there is no substitute for going out and training with live ammo, there are exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home that will increase your proficiency with any weapon. Years ago, I found out that many Special Forces operators dry fire their weapons on a daily basis. I decided to give it a try, and it works.
One of the great mysteries of the shooting universe is why more people don’t develop a routine that improves their skills without going to the range. I know golfers who spend countless hours with swing tools, whiffle balls, and other off-course training. Practically any skill involving hand/eye coordination and muscle memory can be improved by various methods that don’t involve the actual execution of the activity.
Shooting is no different.
Dry firing is exactly what it implies – you operate the weapon with a snap cap, empty chamber, or even a spent round. A cap is a dummy round that keeps the firing pin from slamming into an empty chamber, which some experts believe can harm the weapon over the long term. Since certain weapons can be damaged by this act, snap caps were developed.
As the picture (Figure 5.1) shows (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) there are several calibers and designs available. You can purchase snap caps at practically any sporting goods or firearms store for a few dollars. Even if you don’t believe dry firing will harm your specific weapon, these little devils can enhance several different training routines. They will be referenced throughout this work.
Another helpful tool for improving skills is an ankle weight. In reality, any one to two pound weight that can be securely fastened to the weapon will do. I have found baseball swing weights work well with some rifles while ankle weights are the best match for others.
For working with a long gun, I have found a soft, flexible weight of about two pounds is best. Various models can be obtained at most sporting goods stores for a few dollars. They can be securely attached almost anywhere on the weapon via the included straps.
The logic for using a weight is obvious. Just like a baseball bat, tennis racquet, or golf club, practicing with a heavier item builds muscle, balance, and endurance. If you execute the drills below with a weight onboard, you will find you can train longer with less fatigue and your drill times will improve. My 7.5-pound M4 Carbine feels like a feather after working out with a weight.
WARNING – Don’t shoot with any sort weight attached to your weapon. Gun barrels become hot enough to catch many types of material on fire. Weights can shift and block the muzzle. The combination of snap-caps, weight, and a few drills can make a huge difference. Even though I shoot a couple thousand rounds a month, I continue to execute a weekly routine, and it helps keep my skills sharp.
The Rifle Dance
In my first fiction novel, Holding Their Own, one of the characters practices what is referred to as “The Rifle Dance.” Without delving into any Zen-like philosophies, let it be said that my dry fire drills have become more than just a muscle-building exercise. This workout enables the weapon to feel like an extension to my own body, as much as such a thing is possible. After a few weeks of executing the steps below, you should experience a significant improvement in practically any live-fire drill.
Here is my weekly routine:
Follow all firearm safety rules!
Double-check that the weapon is unloaded. Load two magazines with a few snap caps each.
20 repetitions of bringing the weapon up, acquiring a target (normally a picture on the wall) and firing. Pick an angle or target positioned so that even if the weapon fires, you won’t shoot the family in the other room watching TV.
20 more reps left handed.
20 reps of firing, then switching magazines and chambering a new round (cap). Repeat, left handed.
Place weight onto the barrel and do 10 reps, with each hand, of bringing the weapon up and firing.
Keeping the weight on the weapon, hold the weapon in firing position for a count of 20. I do this 10 times with each side.
Keeping the bat weight on the weapon, hold the weapon in firing position with one hand and count to 20. I do this 5 times with each hand.
While this may sound easy to many shooters, I suggest you try it. I found that my arms started shaking as I got muscle fatigue. At first, it was difficult to hold the weapon on target with the weights. I also found that doing the exercises one-handed was a chore at first. After about two months, I could accomplish my basic routine without too much effort.
Later, I started timing myself on the mag changes. If you follow a tight schedule, it goes something like this:
1. Click timer on wristwatch (or whatever you choose to use). 2. Bring weapon up and dry fire.
3. Eject the mag and let it drop to the floor. 4. Clear the weapon.
5. Insert new mag and chamber a snap cap. 6. Bring weapon up and dry fire.
7. Eject the mag, bend over, and pick up the first one. 8. Repeat 4 – 7.
This exercise will help with several skills, not the least of which is that in a gunfight, you probably won’t be standing straight up, so bending over simulates movement and balance, as well as helping you get familiar with your sling and how it feels.
Timing adds stress, and while it is not the same stress as a real fight, any stress in training will help later.
Why shoot one-handed? Over 70% of the injuries police officers suffer in gunfights are to their hands or arms. If you get hit or have an arm you can’t control anymore, you either know how to continue one-handed, or you are out of the fight. Another reason why you should become skilled one-handed is that houses have doors, drapes and other obstructions that you may need to use a hand to open. What if you have to hold a flashlight?
Doing dry fire exercises improved my shooting time by over 20% when running drills. That can be the difference between life and death in a gunfight. The weight training helped my offhand shooting considerably.
Weight Training
While there is little doubt any sort of physical conditioning improves a person’s capabilities in a fight, there is one specific exercise that I seldom see recommended, and yet it has improved my shooting in measurable ways.
During my normal workout, I take two dumbbells and hold them vertically. The grip is
surprisingly similar to my rifle’s pistol grip. I hold the two weights in my shooting stance (Figure 5.3 above) and count for a number of seconds (I use 20).
At first, I started using 10 lb. weights, but this didn’t seem to pose much of a challenge. My rifle still felt heavier. How can a 7.5 lb. rifle feel heavier than 20 lbs. of iron? I’m not sure why, but it does. I switched to 25 lb. weights, and that became a workout.
The effort here is not to build muscle, but endurance. Most people start to tremble after holding the rifle for a short period of time in the offhand position. This is why any sort of braced hold is considered more accurate.
I, for one, never wanted to count on having a good support for my weapon in a gunfight. As stated herein, I don’t like going prone and losing my mobility. Taking a knee is an option, but that position has its limitations of mobility as well.
Firing accurately offhand gives you the best combination of mobility, reaction time, and flexibility of cover. Any type of weight training you can do to improve your endurance and manage the recoil of the weapon (for faster target acquisition on follow-up shots) is of benefit to the Shootist.
There is another advantage to this exercise. As pointed out in the section on stances, I torque my rifle downward against my weak side (left for me) hand. This exercise strengthens my left arm and allows me to remain in the above described position for longer periods of time without fatigue.
Laser Pointers
Another at home training exercise involves using lasers. I don’t use aiming lasers on my long guns, but my pistols have them built into the grips. The laser turns on and off by squeezing the grip. I run a little drill where you pick five targets, like a vase, mirror, picture, or fencepost. You simply bring the weapon up to firing position and engage the laser to see if you are on target. The laser won’t lie. This helps with acquisition shooting skills. Again, you can use a timer and have competitions between friends to add stress.
As mentioned above in section Pulling the Trigger, many office supply stores sell very
inexpensive laser pointers. The one pictured below was actually purchased in a gas station for $9.
Two rubber bands attach it to the rifle barrel, and while neither accurate, nor intended for aiming, it does make a reasonable training tool. I mount mine on the weak side of the fore grip where my thumb naturally rests. You should fiddle with your setup and mount the laser where you can reach the on/off switch without messing up the initial point of aim.
Once the laser pointer is attached to the weapon, the exercise is simple. Pick four or five random targets in your home or backyard - a doorknob, vase, light switch on the wall, etc. With the laser off, quickly acquire what you believe is the aim point without using the sights. Just snap the weapon up as if you were initially addressing a threat. Without moving, turn on the laser. Make note of where the laser indicates you initially aimed in regards to the target. Most people will be consistent in where their brain thinks the weapon is aimed versus where the laser actually points. I, for example, consistently aim left and down from the target. At 25 meters, I am about two inches left and one inch down.
A key point of this instruction is: Don’t adjust your aim – adjust your stance and grip. Before I learned this important lesson, I made the mistake of correcting my perceived aim point. After a few dozen iterations, I started over-compensating and going high and right. Most
operators will do exactly the same.
The proper reaction to this laser-generated feedback is to adjust your stance and grip – not your natural, reactionary point of aim (NPA). I found on a rifle that if I moved my off hand about one inch forward, my eye-hand coordination was almost perfect. Years later, after requiring
Over time, I’ve found that practically every human being’s reactionary point of aim is nearly perfect. Unless an individual is grossly uncoordinated, the ability to point at a specific target is something we develop as infants. The wise instructor (or shooter) doesn’t attempt to modify this gift, but rather works on adjusting everything else around it.
Tip – Attach the laser where you can activate it without changing your grip on the weapon. The purpose of the drill is to improve immediate acquisition or the initial pointing of the weapon at a target.