5 Day Pistol Course - Lesson 5

Type: Practice (live ammunition)

Time: 1 hour

Venue: Title: Basic Pistol Course- Lesson 5

Range

Students: 12

Student Equipment: 12 X Pistols

36 X Pistol magazines

50 X pistol rounds per student

Instructor Equipment:1 X Pistol

3 X Pistol magazine

10 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 50 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 5, teaches reload drills and malfunctions. 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- At any given point in a shooting incident, there is the potential for us to need to reload during the encounter. Whether we have run the gun dry or have decided that we have shot enough rounds that we should reload prior to running dry, we need quick and effective drills for keeping our weapon in the fight. Malfunctions are also a reality that require rapid recognition and resolution.

Objective

EXPLAIN- At the conclusion of this lesson, you will be able to demonstrate both types of reload drills and will be able to effectively deal with a malfunction.

Review

EXPLAIN- The previous lesson, Lesson 4, covered Loading/unloading, Site in drills and the High/low ready positions.

Here are some questions for you:

What is the purpose of the sight in drill?

Name the ready positions?

Speed reload

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE - The speed reload drill is conducted once the shooter has fired the gun until it has run out of ammunition and the slide is locked to the rear (i.e. there are no more rounds in the chamber or the magazine). The drill is performed as follows:

• Keeping your trigger finger away from the trigger, bring the weapon into your "workspace".
• 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.
• Simultaneously, with the thumb of the strong hand, depress the magazine release and allow the empty magazine to fall freely to the ground.
• With the pistol rotated so that you can see the magazine housing, firmly insert the magazine into the housing, feeling and listening for the audible click.
• Once the magazine is seated correctly, activate the slide release with the thumb of the strong hand or pull the slide to the rear and release with the support hand.
• Reacquire your two handed grip and reengage your target or adopt a suitable ready position.

Ask if any questions

Retention reload

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE – The retention reload is conducted when we know we have fired a significant number of rounds but have not yet run dry, and an opportunity presents itself to refresh our ammunition supply. Knowing that we have a limited ammunition supply, this drill allows the firer to preserve any ammunition left in the magazine vs dropping it to the ground as in a speed reload. For example, we have been using local cover from fire and believe that we may have neutralized the threat as our assailant has fallen to the ground but is out of sight. We know we have fired a significant amount of ammunition during the engagement and the current magazine is low. While still in cover and prior to moving forward, we can conduct a retention reload to fully replenish the ammunition in the gun in case the encounter persists. The unloading procedure is as follows:

• Keeping your trigger finger away from the trigger, bring the weapon into your "workspace".
• 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.
• Simultaneously rotate the pistol so that you can see the magazine in its housing.
• Bring the support hand with its freshly acquired magazine to the base of the magazine housing and present the free portion of the palm such that it can capture the ejected magazine as the thumb of the strong hand depresses the magazine release.
• Rotate the support hand so the full magazine is aligned with the magazine housing and firmly insert until you hear and feel the audible click.
• Activate the slide release with the thumb of the strong hand or pull the slide to the rear and release with the support hand.
• With the support hand, place the partially expended magazine back into a pouch.
• Reacquire your two handed grip and reengage your target or adopt a suitable ready position.

It is also possible to conduct this drill by removing the partially used magazine from the gun and replacing it in a pouch prior to replacing it with a full magazine. This is a perfectly acceptable alternative although a little slower in getting the gun back into the fight.

Ask if any questions

IMITATE, PRACTICE AS MUCH AS TIME PERMITS (Demonstrate both reloads and 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.)

Malfunctions

EXPLAIN & DEMONSTRATE- Malfunctions occur in two main types – those that can be remedied quickly by the immediate action drill and those that can't (hard malfunction). Those that fall into the "quickly" category are magazine not seated correctly, ammunition failure to fire (light strike), top slide not fully forward, partially ejected case (often referred to as a "stovepipe"). Falling into the hard malfunction category are failed extraction (double feed). In both cases, our first indication all is not well will be that the weapon fails to fire:

Immediate Action – "Tap, rack, reacquire"

• Keeping your trigger finger away from the trigger, bring the weapon into your "workspace".
• Remove the support hand from the grip and firmly slap the base of the magazine to ensure that it is seated correctly (Tap). 
• Next grasp the serrations on the top slide and pull fully to the rear and release allowing it to travel forward under the pressure of the recoil spring (Rack). 
• Visually check that the top slide is fully forward and in battery. If it isn't, with the palm of the support hand strike the rear of the slide ensuring that it is fully forward.
• Reacquire your two handed grip and reengage your target or adopt a suitable ready position (reacquire).

Hard Malfunction

• Keeping your trigger finger away from the trigger, bring the weapon into your "workspace".
• Remove the support hand from the grip and firmly grasp the slide. Pull it fully to the rear and attempt to lock it in position by activating the slide lock with the thumb of the strong hand.
• Irrespective of whether or not you are successful in locking the slide to the rear, vigorously strip the magazine from the weapon with your support hand.
• Using your support hand, firmly grip the slide and pull it back and forth two to three times ensuring that both the chamber and the magazine housing are free of obstructions.
• Lock the slide to the rear if possible.
• Using your support hand insert a full magazine into the weapon.
• Using the thumb on your support hand activate the slide release allowing the slide to go fully forward. If it wasn't possible to lock the slide to the rear, cock the weapon.
• Reacquire your two handed grip and reengage your target or adopt a suitable ready position.

Ask if any questions

PRACTICE AS MUCH AS TIME PERMITS (The Immediate Action can be set t up by loading the pistol and unseating the magazine approximately 1/8th of an inch - allow the students to continue practicing. The Hard Malfunction can be set up by using a spent case in the chamber with the slide locked to the rear. Insert a magazine into the pistol and gently ride the slide forward until the nose of the cartridge is resting on the back of the spent case).

Final practice, if any

Ask if any questions

Ask the students questions for final confirmation

Summary

EXPLAIN- Mastering both types of reload so that they can be performed reliably while operating under duress is an essential "battlefield" skill. Malfunctions can occur without warning and at the most inappropriate moment. It is vital that we are able to get our gun back in the fight as quick as possible.

Look Forward

EXPLAIN- Your next lesson is Lesson 6 which covers

• Reaction times
• Recoil management
• Multiple targets
• Man v man
• 24 yard test
• Drawing the pistol

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