Reality Check and the Need For Training

Guns And Gunsmiths All the latest news and information for gun lovers, gun owners, and gunsmiths Main menu Skip to content Home Tips & Tricks Special Deals Authors Resources Forums Readers’ Gallery Contact Post navigation ← In Gun News This Week SHOT Show 2015 Coming Soon! → Reality Check and the Need For Training January 12, 2015 Posted by admin Howes2by Gary Howes Guns and Gunsmiths Editor Recently there have been several articles here on Guns and Gunsmiths where readers have commented about the operation of the thumb safety on Mossberg shotguns that have been fitted with a pistol grip–mostly negative. Well, here is my own opinion on the topic. Of course, you can choose whatever type of grip or buttstock you want on your own personal defense shotgun. I happen to like the feel and control that I get with a pistol grip with this type of short-barreled weapon. It allows me to keep the gun under tight control in close quarters. Naturally the Benelli shotgun I use when trap shooting has a traditional buttstock that allows for precise aim and comfort, but my Mossberg simply sits besides my bed, waiting for the “zombies” to come a-knockin’. So, just how difficult is it to operate the safety on a Mossberg with a pistol grip, and how much additional time does it take compared to a trigger safety? In my opinion, it is as easy and as fast as long as you have practiced enough. To demonstrate, I made this short video this morning. Excuse the poor quality–I wasn’t trying to win any Oscars. Which brings me to my second point–the need to train regularly if you keep a gun around or on you for self defense. When the bad guys come banging on your door in the middle of the night, someone is trying to carjack you, whatever the situation is–that’s not the time to be trying to figure out what to do. It is imperative that you practice drawing your concealed weapon quickly and safely from the different holsters you may use, and from the different clothing you may wear, without shooting yourself in the foot. (Make sure your weapon is unloaded when you are doing this!) Walk around your house in the middle of the night and figure out in your head where the blind spots are. Put yourself in the mind of the intruder and ask yourself where you would hide. Practice carrying both your firearm and a flashlight and using them in a way that benefits you, but not the intruder. The more you do this, the more instinctive it will become so that if, God forbid, the time comes that you need to put your training into use, it will come instinctively. And make sure that you involve your family in your training and emergency plans as well. They need to understand and practice what you want them to do so they are out of harm’s way as much as possible. Anyway, that’s my opinion about pistol grips and training. Tell me what you think in the comments below. And don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings if you disagree with me. After all, we are all different, and we are all entitled to our own opinions. This entry was posted in Gary Howes. Bookmark the permalink. Post navigation ← In Gun News This Week SHOT Show 2015 Coming Soon! → One Response to Reality Check and the Need For Training David A. Zinz says: January 14, 2015 at 7:45 pm Practice makes perfect as the old saying goes. Any change to a weapon’s configuration requires one to “start over” and train as if the weapon is new. Reply Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment You may use these HTML tags and attributes: