CWP, 18 March 2014 A.D.
Greetings Concealed Weapons Permittees,

***** Training *****

"8 Reasons You Need Real Firearms Training"
by Tom McHale
http://blog.beretta.com/8-reasons-you-need-firearms-training

"Get More From Your Training"
by James Yeager
http://www.tacticalresponse.com/d/node/167

"Get the most from IDPA"
by James Yeager
http://www.tacticalresponse.com/d/node/233

Hi Jon-
I recently picked up a Ruger Bearcat which is a
smaller frame single action .22 caliber to teach my kids
how to shoot a pistol.  Both kids are right handed.
Should I teach them to cock the hammer with
their left hand thumb, keeping a solid grip on
the pistol with their right hand?
Of course, trigger finger in the register position.
Jeff

Hi Jeff,
     Yes, you are correct.  In the "modern technique" as taught
by Jeff Cooper, one maintains the firing hand grip from before
the handgun is removed from the holster to after the handgun
is holstered.  So, cocking the hammer would be done with the
support side thumb.  (As cocking with the firing side
thumb would cause the shooter to lose the proper grip.)
     Such single action revolvers should never be fanned
(Holding the trigger to the rear with the trigger finger,
while cocking and releasing the hammer with the support
side palm.) as these pistols are not designed for fanning.
I only mention it because your kids may have seen the
cowboys in the old western movies do it.
     When I mentioned this to a student once, he thought
I said "fam fire" (as opposed to "fan fire"),
which in the military refers to
"familiarization fire", to familiarize the soldier with
the weapons system, as opposed to a full of course of
instruction.
     Familiarization fire of all weapons systems is good.
Fan firing a single action revolver is not recommended.
Cheers,
Jon

Color Code by Friar Frog
http://www.frfrogspad.com/color.htm

***** Lessons Learned *****

Malfunction -- This past Sunday, 3/16/14, I had a malfunction
with my model 1911, Kimber Pro Carry, and Wilson Combat
magazines, that I had never heard of before.
The magazine went too far up the magazine well.
     Context:  upon running out of ammo, I ejected the empty
magazine.  The slide was locked to the rear.  I inserted a
new magazine and racked the slide.
     The symptom was dead trigger, no click, no bang.
The slide was to the rear.
     I applied immediate action:  Tap, Rack, Point.
The slide would not rack.
     I locked the slide to the rear and attempted to strip
the magazine out.  The magazine would not eject by itself.
I could not pull the magazine out.
     At this point the Safety Officer, John Scott, who had
seen this malfunction before, told me that my magazine was
too far up the magazine well and that I needed to push it
out.  I inserted my support side thumb in through the
ejection port and pushed the magazine out of the pistol.
The magazine had gone too far up the magazine well.
     Once the magazine was out, I loaded and continued the
course of fire.
     I have not been able to replicate the malfunction.
With the slide locked back,
no matter how hard I hit the magazine, I can't get them
to go too far into the mag well.  So, I can't figure out
how I caused the malfunction.
     You all got any suggestions?

     Watch the draw strings of your jacket when holstering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrJMQupYxaw
Carefully, gently holster.  Watch what you're doing to
ensure nothing is getting caught in your holster or gun.
We use holsters that stay open (a leather holster will
have a reinforced mouth) so that we can holster with one
hand, not so that we can holster without looking.  We
always look at what we are doing when we holster.
You would only holster when you are sure there is no
threat.  So, you can look at your holster when you are
holstering.
     The Police Chief shot himself because he was
complacent.  I write these emails to cause my students
to think, with the hope that such thought prevents
complacency.
     A pistol with a grip safety or a thumb safety
would not have fired when the trigger was pulled
by the draw string in this scenario.

***** Equipment Review *****

     I bought an Alien Gear holster.  Wore it a few days,
and used it in an IDPA match.
http://aliengearholsters.com/
$29.88  right handed holster for 1911 Pro Models with 4" barrel.
  6.95  shipping and handling
 36.83  total
Made in America.
I was very impressed with the quality of materials,
craftsmanship, and design.  I was pleasantly surprised by the
abundance of spare parts included to allow for adjustment. 
The cant and height relative to your belt are adjustable.
The tightness of the holster on the pistol is adjustable,
though your belt tension is the dominant factor.
I spent a bit of time tinkering, as there are a lot of
adjustments you can make.
     You can tuck your shirt in over the pistol and
holster.
     I had to cut a bit of the plastic to allow the middle
finger of my firing side hand to achieve a proper grip on
the pistol while the pistol is in the holster.  The plastic
was hitting my middle finger.
     I had to cut a bit of the plastic to allow my pistol,
a Kimber Pro Carry, to fit in the holster.  The plastic hit
my grip stock.  The plastic had obviously been molded to
go around the grip stock, but it wasn't enough.  I had
to cut the plastic to get the pistol to go all the way into
the holster.
     The plastic is not hard.  With a sharp knife you can
whittle it as you would a piece of wood.  If you can't
whittle, you can use a soldering iron to melt and shape
the plastic, or a Dremel Fortiflex tool to grind away
the unwanted plastic.
     30 day money back guarantee.  You can trade the plastic
shell for one to fit a different gun.  Free replacement or
repair if anything breaks.  At least that's the claim.
     I recommend this product.
     Another review,
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1522410

***** Gunsmiths *****

Jeff Cole recommends Bowen Classic Arms Corporation,
http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/

Cheers,
Jon