5 Day Pistol Course - Lesson 4

Type: Practice (live ammunition)

Time: 1 hour

Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 4

Range

Students: 12

Student Equipment: 12 X Pistols

36 X Pistol magazines

100 X pistol rounds per student

Instructor Equipment: 1 X Pistol

3 X Pistol magazine

50 X pistol rounds

Assistant Instructors (AI'S): 2 (Names)

PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES:

Prior to arrival of students:

- Write lesson title on board.

- Set up classroom chairs.

- Layout 1 X pistol, 3 x magazines and 100 rounds under each chair if students are not providing their own.

- Safety check all weapons.

- Inspect all magazines, no live rounds/ensure working.

- If used, load/check PowerPoint.

On arrival of students:

- Safety declaration, check no live rounds.

- Seat.

CONDUCT OF LESSON

This lesson, Pistol-Lesson 4, teaches Loading/unloading, Site in drills and the High/low ready positions. I am the primary instructor (if first time with students, give name and background) and I will be assisted by (introduce the assistant instructors).

Introduction

EXPLAIN- One of the first things we'll need to do on obtaining a pistol is to make sure the sights are aligned with the point of impact of the rounds. To perform this safely, we'll also need to know how to load and unload the pistol. Further to that we'll look at the two main positions the weapon will be held in while performing drills on the range that don't require the pistol to be in the holster to start.

Objective

EXPLAIN- At the conclusion of this lesson, you will be able to demonstrate correct load/unload procedures, correctly site in your pistol and adopt the High and Low ready positions.

Review

EXPLAIN- The previous lesson, Lesson 3, covered Equipment placement and the Fundamentals of Shooting.

Here are some questions for you:

How many Fundamentals are there?

What are they?

Loading

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE - The loading procedure is not a drill and, like the Safety Check, should be conducted deliberately with attention to the actions being performed. The steps to the loading procedure are as follows:

• Keep your trigger finger away from the trigger and the weapon pointing in a safe direction (at the targets in a range environment)
• Grab a loaded magazine from your magazine pouch with your support hand. Your index finger should run down the front edge of the magazine with the point of your index finger stopping just short of the tip of the first round. Grabbing it in this way will naturally orient the magazine to the housing with minimum effort on your part.
• Keeping the pistol pointing in a safe direction, bring the pistol into a position that is close enough to the body to facilitate easy manipulation while maintaining maximum situational awareness and rotate the pistol so that you can see the magazine housing. This position is referred to as our "workspace". The position is such that if we placed the elbow of the strong arm on our hip and bent the arm at 45 degrees to our front, the front sight of the pistol would intersect our line of vision to the target.
• Firmly insert the magazine into the housing feeling and listening for the audible click.
• On retracting the support hand, pull down on the magazine to check it's fitted correctly.
• Grab the serrations on the slide with your support hand, pull back all the way to the rear and let it go forward under the force of the recoil spring.
• At this point we can conduct a press check. Keeping the weapon pointing in a safe direction, grab the slide by the serrations again and gently pull to the rear just enough to see that the extractor has hold of a round that is in the chamber.
• Allow the slide to go forward again under the force of the recoil spring and apply the safety catch, de-cock or do nothing as appropriate to your particular firearm.

Ask if any questions

Unloading

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE - The unloading procedure for the pistol is similar to the Safety Check. The only difference is the weapon is known to be loaded. The unloading procedure is as follows:

• Keep your trigger finger away from the trigger and the weapon pointing in a safe direction (at the targets in a range environment)
• Keeping the pistol pointing in a safe direction, place the support hand onto the base of the magazine. With the thumb of your strong hand depress the magazine release button/lever ejecting the magazine into the support hand. Place the magazine back into a pouch if you wish to do so.
• Firmly grasp the slide and vigorously pull to the rear and watch to see if anything is ejected from the ejection port. Allow the slide to go forward and vigorously pull it to the rear two or three times more. Pull and hold the slide to the rear while engaging the slide locking lever. The Slide will now be held to the rear allowing physical inspection of the chamber and magazine housing.
• Look and feel to ensure there is no round in the chamber. Use the index finger of the non-shooting hand up through the magazine well to feel for an empty chamber.
• When satisfied the chamber is empty, disengage the slide locking lever or pull the slide to the rear allowing the slide to go forward.
• Point the pistol in a safe direction and pull the trigger.
• The weapon is now considered safe and empty.

Ask if any questions

IMITATE, PRACTICE AS MUCH AS TIME PERMITS (Demonstrate the Load and Unload again and have the students slowly imitate each step of the procedures in time with the instructor. When satisfied actions are correct, gradually allow students to speed up, then allow to practice in their own time with oversight.)

Sight in drills

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE- Using a 3 inch diameter dot at a distance of 7 yards we will assess, and adjust if necessary, the alignment of our pistol sights with the point of impact of the ammunition.

From the standing position, the student will fire 3 well aimed shots at the center of the dot. Use the single action function of the weapon where possible. The instructor will evaluate the targets for accuracy.

• A pistol will be considered sighted in when all rounds are inside the 3 inch dot after three volleys of three rounds have been fired.
• If shots are not falling within the 3 inch dot, the instructor will shoot the pistol and assess. If the shots fall within the 3 inch dot no further action is required as far as sighting in is concerned.
• If the instructor cannot get the pistol to sight in then the pistol should be evaluated for an armorer and a replacement sought for training.
• Remember, the purpose of this evolution is to check the alignment of the sights with the impact of the rounds; it is not to assess the accuracy of the shooter.

Ask if any questions

PRACTICE AS MUCH AS TIME PERMITS (allow the students to continue practicing and getting used to the feel of the trigger during pull and reset, the recoil and the sound of the gun firing).

High and Low ready Positions

EXPLAIN- When the pistol is out of the holster or no holster is present and we are not involved in an engagement, the pistol needs to be carried in a safe position that is ready to use at a moments notice. Both positions have their best use scenarios dictated by common sense.

• HIGH READY: The arms will be bent at a 45 degree angle with a full two hand shooting grip on the pistol and the muzzle pointed upward at a 45 degree angle. The front sight, rear sight, and the top of the slide should be in clear view of the student and about 11 to 15 inches away from the face. Using a 8 inch dot at 6 feet off the ground, the student should see the target clearly with the front of the muzzle just below 6 o'clock position on the target. From here the student extends the pistol out towards the target bringing the rear sight up into the same plane as the front sight. At this point the student should have sight alignment and sight picture on the target. The finger is placed on the trigger once the sights are on the target.
• LOW READY: The arms will be held straight with a full two hand shooting grip on the pistol and the muzzle pointed down at the ground at a 45 degree angle. When close in on the target the muzzle can be brought down lower but should never be pointed at the feet. The student will sweep both arms up bringing the sights up to the target. From here the student will have sight alignment and sight picture on the target.
• For both ready positions the safety catch (where applicable) is taken off on the last third of the pistols extension to the target and the finger is placed on the trigger once the sights are on the target.

Ask if any questions

IMITATE, PRACTICE AS MUCH AS TIME PERMITS (Demonstrate the ready positions again and have the students slowly imitate each step of the procedures in time with the instructor. When satisfied actions are correct, gradually allow students to speed up, then allow to practice in their own time with oversight.)

Final practice, if any

Ask if any questions

Ask the students questions for final confirmation

Summary

EXPLAIN- Having faith in the knowledge that our pistols sights are looking where the rounds are hitting is important to our success in any given arena particularly in ones where accuracy is of paramount importance. Safe loading and unloading coupled with correct and safe carriage are essential elements of any basic firearm manipulation.

Look Forward

EXPLAIN- Your next lesson is Lesson 5 which covers Reload drills and Malfunctions.

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