BAREHANDS TO HANDGUNS

THE GUIDED CHAOS APPROACH TO WEAPONRY

John Perkins is one of the top handgun instructors in the U.S. and is a Certified Close Combat/Point Shooting Master Instructor under the International Combat Martial Arts Federation. For lessons, contact us. Check out the Guided Chaos Weapons Series DVDs

LINKS:     State Handgun Reciprocity Laws                     USA Open and Concealed Carry Laws                     Criminals Need Your Help! (Satire)

USING HANDGUNS FOR SELF-DEFENSE
(from ATTACK PROOF p. 199)

A well-trained person with a pistol in hand, ready for action, is a rarity. All too often, people buy a gun and some ammunition and go to the nearest range or empty lot and fire off a few rounds, thinking they're now ready for anything. Conversely, a person can train for years firing at static targets, get high scores, and still not be ready to defend him- or herself with a handgun. Over 90 percent of gunfights occur within 21 feet. More than half of these occur within 5 feet. Most people, when put to the test, can't even get their guns out in time to defend against a person rushing them from across a large room. You must also know hand-to-hand combat.

The first step toward carrying a handgun for self-defense is to find a competent trainer through the NRA. After you've learned some basic home defense and how to handle a gun safely, you should practice simple marksmanship for 10 to 20 hours. Once you can hit a man-sized target with sighted fire (i.e., using the gunsights), you can graduate to the more serious aspects of shooting for self-defense. At close range (0-21 feet), it's not necessary to bring your handgun up to eye level. Here is where point-shooting, or what's called instinctive shooting, comes into play. This information is not as widely available.

Basic Information on Self Defense for Handgunners

The most basic training for handgunners is simply learning how to safely handle a handgun according to the rules of the NRA. For this information please contact a competent OFFICIAL NRA instructor and learn the basics. Once you are given the proper training and can safely draw from concealment and hit a pie plate at 21 feet one or two handed in less than 2 seconds you are ready for the basics of learning how to shoot under realistic conditions.

One of the first things to think about is what type or specific handgun you wish to carry.

One rule of thumb is this. Make sure that it is a handgun that you will carry and not leave home because it is, for instance, too heavy or too large to carry comfortably.

We are now lucky today in that there are many new, in the last two decades, light, compact and powerful handguns to choose from.

Once you find one that "fits" you you may begin to practice some of my personal favorite drills taken from my Barehands to Handguns course.

You must practice with what you will carry along with the type of ammo you are happy with.

Some ammo suggestions are the following.

For short barrelled 9mm pistols:

3 inch barrel pistols such as Kahr PM9, Kel tec,

4 inch barrel pistols such as most major brands. S&W, Kahr, Taurus, H&K, Sig, Glock, Colt, Browning,  Ruger etc.

Ammo 3 inch:  personally tested and found excellent

9 mm cal.  winchester ranger talon 127 gr. corbon 115 gr., 125 gr.

Ammo 4 inch or more:   personally tested and found excellent

9 mm cal.  winchester ranger talon 127 gr. +p
                  corbon 115 gr., 125 gr. +p
                  speer gold dot 124 gr.  +p
                  federal 115 gr. bple  +p

There is much great ammo out there from what I have read about and have heard about. I can only comment on the ammunition that I have personally tested. Some folks like non +p ammo. If you find that it suits you personally and it enables you to shoot better with fast follow up shots then go with what you prefer. A hit with adequate ammo is far better than a miss with ammo that you are not comfortable with. REMEMBER check your ammo with a competent instructor who you trust and who is reputable.

For short 3.5" barrel 40 S&W pistols   Kahr, Glock

40 S&W cal.  Remington Golden Saber 165 gr., 180 gr.
                     Speer Gold Dot. 155 gr., 165 gr., 180 gr.
                     Winchester Ranger Talon  155 gr., 180 gr.
                     Corbon 135 gr. powrball

For 4 inch barrels  Glock, Sig, S&W, H&K, Beretta,

40 S&W cal. All of the above.

What are the best guns to purchase for basic self/home protection?

Nothing beats a basic 12 gauge pump gun. You can use bird, buck or ball for all
sorts of purposes. Bird shot for in house so as not to penetrate walls and hit others in
the home. #6-8 bird shot works well. Use a low power cartridge. At close range 5 to
15 feet it will shred a bad guy. Buck shot #4 to 000 buck is for killing from 5 feet up
to 30 to 45 yards. Ball or Slug is good for killing from 5 feet up to 150 yards.
A standard 5 shot pump is adequate or you can get an extension which will add
2 extra shots. Or get a shotgun already made withe a 7 or 8 shot capacity. You can
buy one with a pistol grip only or a combination pistol and shoulder stock or just a
shoulder stock model. I prefer the pistol/shoulder stock model. You can hold the
shotgun in one hand by the pistol grip while the stock is held under the armpit in
case you must point with one hand while using the other.

RULES FOR A GUNFIGHT:  My Memories of BCT at Ft. Benning  by Drill Sergeant (E-7) Joe B. Fricks

"RULES FOR A GUN, KNIFE, BASEBALL BAT OR FIST FIGHT" 1. Forget about knives, bats and fists. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. Bring four times the ammunition you think you could ever need.     2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammunition is cheap - life is expensive. If you shoot inside, buckshot is your friend. A new wall is cheap - funerals are expensive       3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.   4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.       5. Move away from your attacker and go to cover. Distance is your friend. (Bulletproof cover and diagonal or   lateral movement are preferred.)     6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a semi or full-automatic long gun and a friend with a long gun.     7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.     8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. Yell "Fire!" Why "Fire"? Cops will come with the Fire Department, sirens often scare off the bad guys, or at least cause then to lose concentration and will.... and who is going to summon help if you yell "Intruder," "Glock" or "Winchester?"     9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.     10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.     11. Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.     12. Have a plan.     13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work. "No battle plan ever survives 10 seconds past first contact with an enemy."   14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible, but remember, sheetrock walls and the like stop nothing but your pulse when bullets tear through them.     15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.     16. Don't drop your guard.       17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees. Practice reloading one-handed and off-hand shooting. That's how you live if hit in your "good" side.     18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. Smiles, frowns and other facial expressions don't (In God we trust. Everyone else keep your hands where I can see them.)     19. Decide NOW to always be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.     20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.     21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet if necessary, because they may want to kill you. 22. Be courteous to everyone, overly friendly to no one.     23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.     24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with anything smaller than "4".     25. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket." At a practice session, throw you gun into the mud, then make sure it still works. You can clean it later.     26. Practice shooting in the dark, with someone shouting at you, when out of breath, etc.     27. Regardless of whether justified of not, you will feel sad about killing another human being. It is better to be sad than to be room temperature. 28. The only thing you EVER say afterwords is, "He said he was going to kill me. I believed him. I'm sorry, Officer, but I'm very upset now. I can't say anything more. Please speak with my attorney." [It's actually better to just say "speak with my attorney." --editor's note]   Finally, Drill Sergeant Frick's Rules For Un-armed Combat.   1: Never be unarmed.       2: If you have your hands, your feet, your mind and your Spirit as an American Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine or Coastie, you are never unarmed. [And of course we must add #3: "Learn to fight bare-handed because a gun is useless if you can't get it out!"]