Ask a firearm instructor anything!

[Lightfighter]

I'm a certified and marketable firearm instructor, use of force expert, federal LE employee, close combat veteran, and close protection specialist.

AMA!

[Hest]

I have a question. What would you do if your student turned the firearm towards their head while they were practicing shooting?

[Lightfighter]

I have a question. What would you do if your student turned the firearm towards their head while they were practicing shooting?

Lunge to them and attempt to gain control over them and their firearm. Your question is my worst nightmare. My saving grace is that our classes are either expensive and/or exclusive. The dude who wants to kill himself will go for the cheapest option. :/

[ZombieWolf2508]

How many psych evaluations do they torture you with before they let you teach people to handle weapons?

[DeathBlade/13.666]

How hard is it to get licensed and certified as a firearm instructor?

[Sympathy]

what do you get more of, people being trained in firearms for personal protection or for their profession?

[Ranshiin]

Do you know anybody that went through your classes and ended up getting arrested or involved in some criminal thing?

[someoneofforumpast]

Ummmm..... Is it true that there's a point on a man's head where if you shoot it, it will blow up?

[CapnJack]

Is your grip on a handgun as important as keeping your arm slightly bent when expecting the recoil?

I was once at a firing range with my (then) brother-in-law who was in police academy. He was going to let me fire his 9mm. He kept telling me "loosen your grip... loosen your grip... loosen your grip." If I'd have held it any looser, the gun was surely to jump out of my hand and into my face. I understood not to keep your arm stiff for obvious reasons, but he got, what seemed, way too anal about my grip. I can barely remember getting just one shot off the entire day. I believe I was 13 or 14 at the time.

[Lightfighter]

How many psych evaluations do they torture you with before they let you teach people to handle weapons?

lol

No psych evaluations needed. I have however passed a few psych evals for work. So.. there's that.

---------- Post added at 07:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 PM ----------


How hard is it to get licensed and certified as a firearm instructor?

That is dependent on what type of classes you want to teach. For me, I had experience teaching classes in the military and I am certified by the NRA. The NRA instructor level classes are widely accepted as a national standard. They'e great for teaching someone how to teach.

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 PM ----------


what do you get more of, people being trained in firearms for personal protection or for their profession?

I'd say it's about even, depending on the type of class. We offer very basic introductory classes that cover safety, best practices, fundamentals, how to store your firearms, etc. As you would imagine, those are populated by young couples, the elderly, and anyone who doesn't own a firearm yet (we provide the guns and ammo in these classes). The guns and ammo are strictly controlled by instructors and range safety officers.

We also offer more "advanced" classes that cover balancing speed and precision, drawing from the holster, reloading, malfunction problem solving, working around cover, movement, and more a long those lines. We also like to talk about mind/body alarm responses and how humans typically respond to deadly force encounters. We have a classroom and powerpoint presentations. These classes have a bit more professional student base and tend to be more expensive (students also need their own gun/ammo and equipment).

---------- Post added at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 PM ----------


Do you know anybody that went through your classes and ended up getting arrested or involved in some criminal thing?

Not that I know of. One thing I do know is that criminals don't usually take actual shooting classes.

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------


Ummmm..... Is it true that there's a point on a man's head where if you shoot it, it will blow up?

lol

I guess with the right caliber, anything is possible..

We never advocate aiming for the head.
1. The head is a small moving target, and really the only central nervous system one shot stop area is about the size of a playing card.
2. Depending on point of impact and angle, hits deflect off the skull. People survive being shot in the head all. the. time.

[Sympathy]

interesting. i have another question. do you ever get a student in your classes, whether they're there for personal or professional reasons, that is so inept, you fear giving them a pistol with a round in the chamber and the safety off? i ask this because i've seen a lot of videos and actually shot with people that handled guns like they were never taught the basics, meaning they pointed it at people inadvertently or shot while someone was in their field of view.

[Lightfighter]

Is your grip on a handgun as important as keeping your arm slightly bent when expecting the recoil?

I was once at a firing range with my (then) brother-in-law who was in police academy. He was going to let me fire his 9mm. He kept telling me "loosen your grip... loosen your grip... loosen your grip." If I'd have held it any looser, the gun was surely to jump out of my hand and into my face. I understood not to keep your arm stiff for obvious reasons, but he got, what seemed, way too anal about my grip. I can barely remember getting just one shot off the entire day. I believe I was 13 or 14 at the time.

Family members and friends almost always make the worst instructors.

I consider grip to be an important supplemental factor, especially with handguns.

First, this is close to a solid two handed grip:

http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/leatham-enos-grip.jpg
(Not my pic)

Some refer to it as a "thumbs forward grip"

Ease your right hand's grip up a bit, and tighten down the most with your left hand. Your right hand's primary job is working the trigger, not stabilizing the gun. That is your left hand's job.

The elbows can be bent or not depending on what you're doing.. I personally don't bend mine much at all:

[Sympathy]

Ummmm..... Is it true that there's a point on a man's head where if you shoot it, it will blow up?

i think a .50 at point blank range might do the job.

[Lightfighter]

interesting. i have another question. do you ever get a student in your classes, whether they're there for personal or professional reasons, that is so inept, you fear giving them a pistol with a round in the chamber and the safety off? i ask this because i've seen a lot of videos and actually shot with people that handled guns like they were never taught the basics, meaning they pointed it at people inadvertently or shot while someone was in their field of view.

We have had at least one in a basic class. We really hammer on the safety rules and if we see anything unsafe we'll respond appropriately. I have never had to kick someone out of a class.

[Sympathy]

i see. i have a another question that i've always wanted to ask someone with the appropriate knowledge.

what do you personally consider the best home defense firearm? is it just whatever the shooter is most comfortable with, or maybe larger calibers are better to stop an intruder immediately, or maybe the old cliche is true and a shotgun is best? i've just always wondered what someone with training and experience would use.

[Lightfighter]

i see. i have a another question that i've always wanted to ask someone with the appropriate knowledge.

what do you personally consider the best home defense firearm? is it just whatever the shooter is most comfortable with, or maybe larger calibers are better to stop an intruder immediately, or maybe the old cliche is true and a shotgun is best? i've just always wondered what someone with training and experience would use.

Whatever someone is comfortable with is better than nothing, but what I would consider to be ideal may seem a little bit controversial at first.
This debate comes up a lot in my community and many of us have come to the conclusion that a compact, short barreled, small caliber carbine (like an AR-15 in 5.56) with a very bright light (surefire or streamlight) is ideal for home defense and I'll explain why.

1. Compact means it is light weight and handy.
2. Low recoil makes it easy to control.
3. Shot accountability. Because of the low recoil and precision, I can quickly put individual rounds exactly where I want them.
4. .223 does very poorly through layers of dry wall and other household items. This is counter-intuitive as it goes through soft armor like butter. The difference is multiple layers. Even common handgun rounds and shotgun pellets perform better with these barriers. This would suggest that .223 is less likely to over-penetrate.
5. A bright light is incredibly important as I need to see and be able to identify any threat. I would NEVER shoot at something I can't positively identify. Also, a threat may become disoriented after taking a bright light to their night-adjusted eyes. Possibility of aiming a gun at a non-threat? I don't think so if you know what you're doing - the light is bright enough that you don't need to shine it directly at something to identify it. Use the spill.

A handgun with a light may be a decent option because it is easier to operate with one hand, allowing you to be on the phone with 911. Personally, I keep my bluetooth ear piece on my night stand. If I ever sense a break in in progress, I'll immediately throw on the bluetooth and dial 911. That way I am on the phone with 911 and I can use both hands.

Something like this could also work well, although I don't know anything about this particular manufacturer: http://www.centerfiresystems.com/ri0034.aspx
Inexpensive, easy to control.

As for the old stand-by, the pump action shotgun: I'm really not a fan of them for anything but skeet shooting. Going back to my theme of control, I cringe at the thought of haphazardly launching deadly projectiles. I want precision and control of every single round.

You won't hear this stuff at the wal mart gun counter. :biggrin:

I alternate between my AR and my duty pistol (full size 9mm with streamlight TLR-1s). The handgun is kept in a holster in my nightstand.

[Sympathy]

this is fascinating stuff. thank you so much for joining this forum! i was unaware that 5.56/.223 had trouble penetrating dry wall and such, i figured with the bullet's light weight and velocity it would over-penetrate pretty much any soft target, as opposed to, say, a slower .45 slug, which dumps its energy and creates a large cavity in whatever it enters.

do you teach double/triple tap? like actually teach the most efficient way to put down an assailent? or do you only teach how to handle and fire the weapons?

[Lightfighter]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I'll try to find the tests that compared cartridges and dry wall/household materials.

We teach multiple rounds center of mass. We don't like set numbers, as that can be a training scar (bad habit). People who train with a set number (2 rounds every time, for example) typically will fire 2 rounds for each drill, then mentally end the drill. It's over for them in their head. What you do in training, is what you will do in a deadly force, interpersonal conflict (under stress). So we advocate mixing it up with 2-6 rounds per iteration or drill. I also like to emphasize "assessing" the target for several seconds after firing. Even firing a couple more rounds after your "assessment" is a good idea from time to time to simulate a threat that is still fighting.

[sunnyside]

What do you think about using a tactical flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other. The reson being to avoid pointing a loaded gun at someone and fidling with things on it to determine if they're a threat.

[Lightfighter]

What do you think about using a tactical flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other. The reson being to avoid pointing a loaded gun at someone and fidling with things on it to determine if they're a threat.

An additional hand held light is nice to have, but if my gun is out, I want a gun-mounted light.

[Albear]

Hello is there a proper fom to hold a gun with one hand? Or is that just gangter style crap? I once viewed a video where police dudes trained with ballistic shields and a gun, so I was thinking maybe it is professional to hold a gun with one hand.

[Lightfighter]

Hello is there a proper fom to hold a gun with one hand? Or is that just gangter style crap? I once viewed a video where police dudes trained with ballistic shields and a gun, so I was thinking maybe it is professional to hold a gun with one hand.

It's good to practice with one hand, just in case one is injured.

If you're shooting right hand only, step out with your right foot.

High speed camera Iphone app. :)
http://vid173.photobucket.com/albums/w72/enderwood/496_zpset90tegv.mp4

[Sympathy]

question! this is something i've been considering for a long time. in your opinion, what is the ideal service rifle for the U.S. armed forces? the AR-15 design is getting pretty dated, although H&K and other manufacturers do a good job of modernizing it. but i always thought that the bullpup design was a better way to go, as it can be much more compact without sacrificing barrel length. i realize the military wants to stay as close to the AR-15 design as possible to keep soldiers familiar with the weapon, but do you think it's time to modernize or is the M4 and its cousins doing just fine?

[Lightfighter]

question! this is something i've been considering for a long time. in your opinion, what is the ideal service rifle for the U.S. armed forces? the AR-15 design is getting pretty dated, although H&K and other manufacturers do a good job of modernizing it. but i always thought that the bullpup design was a better way to go, as it can be much more compact without sacrificing barrel length. i realize the military wants to stay as close to the AR-15 design as possible to keep soldiers familiar with the weapon, but do you think it's time to modernize or is the M4 and its cousins doing just fine?

The AR platform is going to be the primary rifle for mil and LE for a long, long time. It will take a major leap in small arms tech in order for it to be replaced. The design is so modular that it can be tweaked to meet just about any need. I believe an outstanding stop-gap measure would be to update all M4's to M4A1 SOPMOD Block II, or something similar. The parts already have NSN's and they've already been fielded by SOF for years. We also need more variable low power optics. I don't like being stuck with 1x, or 4x. The ability to quickly switch magnification is a huge force multiplier, IMO.
The AR platform is just such a great "shooter's platform." The ergonomics (with slight tweaks perhaps) are unmatched, the reliability is top-notch 99% of the time, the accuracy potential is unmatched for a semi-auto, and the market has exploded which means a multitude of companies are constantly innovating ways to make it work even better.

As for bullpups, they're weird. :biggrin: Seriously, while the compact form factor is definitely appreciated, their triggers are typically horrible, and their controls take some getting used to. I'd sooner just take a MK18 and suffer the velocity penalty.

[Sympathy]

is the only major difference between M4 and M4A1 the addition of a picatinny rail system? cosmetically that seems to be the case.

hm, i wasn't aware of that drawback for bullpups. european nations seem to eat it up, with the FAMAS in France, the Tavor in Israel, etc. i just thought the U.S. was missing out on some kind of small arms breakthrough.

[Animedude5555]

I've seen gun use depicted in many different movies, TV shows, and video games. Are the damaging effects (both against people and objects) as depicted in these various pieces of visual entertainment realistic? Or do they tend to be over or under exaggerated, compared to what real guns do? How far from realistic are the effects that are depicted in fictional instances of gun use?

[Lightfighter]

I've seen gun use depicted in many different movies, TV shows, and video games. Are the damaging effects (both against people and objects) as depicted in these various pieces of visual entertainment realistic? Or do they tend to be over or under exaggerated, compared to what real guns do? How far from realistic are the effects that are depicted in fictional instances of gun use?

The more over-the-top the effects are, the less realistic it is.

---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------


is the only major difference between M4 and M4A1 the addition of a picatinny rail system? cosmetically that seems to be the case.

hm, i wasn't aware of that drawback for bullpups. european nations seem to eat it up, with the FAMAS in France, the Tavor in Israel, etc. i just thought the U.S. was missing out on some kind of small arms breakthrough.

We've been playing with various bullpups for decades. We just don't really like them. /shrug.

[someoneofforumpast]

lol

No psych evaluations needed. I have however passed a few psych evals for work. So.. there's that.

---------- Post added at 07:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 PM ----------



That is dependent on what type of classes you want to teach. For me, I had experience teaching classes in the military and I am certified by the NRA. The NRA instructor level classes are widely accepted as a national standard. They'e great for teaching someone how to teach.

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 PM ----------



I'd say it's about even, depending on the type of class. We offer very basic introductory classes that cover safety, best practices, fundamentals, how to store your firearms, etc. As you would imagine, those are populated by young couples, the elderly, and anyone who doesn't own a firearm yet (we provide the guns and ammo in these classes). The guns and ammo are strictly controlled by instructors and range safety officers.

We also offer more "advanced" classes that cover balancing speed and precision, drawing from the holster, reloading, malfunction problem solving, working around cover, movement, and more a long those lines. We also like to talk about mind/body alarm responses and how humans typically respond to deadly force encounters. We have a classroom and powerpoint presentations. These classes have a bit more professional student base and tend to be more expensive (students also need their own gun/ammo and equipment).

---------- Post added at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 PM ----------



Not that I know of. One thing I do know is that criminals don't usually take actual shooting classes.

---------- Post added at 07:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------



lol

I guess with the right caliber, anything is possible..

We never advocate aiming for the head.
1. The head is a small moving target, and really the only central nervous system one shot stop area is about the size of a playing card.
2. Depending on point of impact and angle, hits deflect off the skull. People survive being shot in the head all. the. time.

i am just Kidding lol. I was a firearms instructor with my last job :P I never got to get my NRA license tho.

[Sympathy]

i have another question. does the Call of Duty franchise piss you off? it's very misinformative about the real life characteristics of firearms. i've had people who love the franchise claim that the M16 is the most powerful assault rifle ever because it is in CoD. that level of ignorance is astonishing, and the franchise is perpetuating it. so does it annoy you or do you see it as harmless?

[Lightfighter]

Not at all. While I do appreciate realistic gun handling and ballistics, I understand that it is a video game. The highest priority for the developers is to make a fun game that will sell.

I find it more amusing than anything.

[TragiK313]

Hay I got one that's a little morbid. A while back there was a story all over every form of media about a 9 year old girl losing control of a fully auto Mac 10 or some Uzi type sidearm, and shooting her instructor in the head. Not to speak ill of the dead and all but do you think that any trained person could have thought that was a good idea to begin with? And I guess if you were asked how would you respond to a parent asking you to teach their 9 year old how to fire a full auto handgun

[Lightfighter]

Yeah, I've seen the video. The "instructor" had very poor judgement and paid for it.

He won't do that again. :/

No, that isn't something I would EVER do. Depending on the kid, a 9 year old may be OK with a 10/22 or something similar, under the right supervision and with the right instruction.

[TragiK313]

The way I see it a kid that age should be taught dry or with blanks. Accuracy is not important at 9 safety is live rounds are pointless. That's sad shit tho

[CapnJack]

This question is about vests. Have you experienced various handgun rounds while wearing a bulletproof vest? Which bullets hit the hardest to knock you back or even off you feet?

[Lightfighter]

I have not. However I have witnessed more than one person take 7.62x39 to the hard plate, up close.

As for your second question, I am not a scientist or physics expert but I have studied this a bit. Generally, small arms don't carry enough energy to knock someone down. This is what the typical handgun round will do:
(It starts at approximately the 1:15 mark)
https://youtu.be/rI01qKAqYts
Yep, it's real. And after posting that video, I will say: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever do anything like that for any reason. Ever.