The range is a great place to practice the fundamentals of shooting— everything from your grip to your sight picture and shooting stance. However, when it comes to practicing defensive shooting, some ranges (especially indoor ranges) have strict rules regarding drawing from your holster and shooting rounds down range at a rapid pace. This may seem discouraging, but there are still ways to practice the skills that will keep you safe in a defensive gun use situation.
Check out these examples of defensive drills that won't get you thrown out at the range.
Emergency Reload Drills
While four or five shots is all it takes to end most defensive gun use situations, it's always important to practice your emergency reload. At the range, keep your second magazine in the same place you normally carry it, shoot to empty the magazine in your pistol then practice swapping the two out and putting a few more rounds down range. Check out this 5 and 5 drill demonstration video from USCCA.
One-Handed Drills
If you can, it's obviously best practice to shoot two handed when practicing self defense. However, when it comes to defensive gun use, you may not always be able to use both of your hands to eliminate the threat. Knowing this, it's important to practice one-handed shooting drills in order to prepare for that possibility. Check out these great videos on one-handed shooting from Tactical Rifleman and USCCA:
Strong Hand
Weak Hand
Tap Rack Bang
It's every shooter's worst nightmare: a gun malfunction while defending yourself from a threat. Whether your magazine isn't fully seated, your round had a problem ejecting or any number of other possible malfunctions, there's one simple cycle that can get you out of a jam and allow you to continue to fire: Tap Rack Bang. Watch the guys over at Tactical Rifleman explain the drill and how you can practice your malfunction management at the range.
By practicing a few of these drills each time you take your everyday carry or home defense pistol to the range, you'll be better equipped to handle the different complications that can sometimes come with defensive gun use situations. While it may feel odd to practice something other than marksmanship at the range, the practice may just save your life.
