Range Master Conference 2017: Bolke/Dobbs What Really Matters

This is the first of several posts that will be a summary of  my notes from the Range Master Tactical Conference. All material belongs to the presenters and I am posting my notes for the benefit of the greater body of knowledge available to those who couldn’t make it.

Darryl Bolke and Wayne Dobbs of Hardwired Tactical gave an excellent lecture and range session that is spun off from their previous lecture “Training Secrets of Highly Successful Gunfighters”.

Darryl’s forum posts are what inspired me to write Zen and the Art of Not Shooting, as well as What Does Avg. Joe Need In A Trigger. I was looking forward to hearing him talk about these topics in more detail.

Classroom

• “Practice makes permanent” – Pat Rogers
• “Train for maximum efficiency at an assessment speed on an acceptable target” -HiTS
• Assessment speed-The speed at which you can see, interpret, and choose where to hit a target. Asking yourself, “is my target still there? No? Stop Shooting. Yes? Keep shooting”
• Acceptable target- Is a target about the size of a grapefruit – period (The black of a B-8 bullseye target) Heart and brain are both about this size.
• Always be thinking you’ll need a failure drill (ending with a headshot) and practice with that in mind.
• Why should we shoot faster than we can assess and faster than we can stop? You want to go fast? Then go ‘street fast’.
• Draw but don’t touch the trigger until you have a good sight track. This isn’t good for shooting, but it’s good for people management.
• Don’t touch the trigger until you have satisfied these three. Target ID, Objective reason to shoot, and your firearm is aligned with that shoot target.
• Let’s be right before we touch the trigger.
• “Advanced Shooting” is just more difficult problems applying the same fundamentals
• They like the overhand rack method to solve multiple problems with the gun.
• Train what is hard (50 and 100 yd pistol shooting, for instance)
• Train to an accuracy standard, not a time.
• Application of lethal force – The only thing going through your head should be front sight, press, follow through
• You WILL be able to see movement of your target peripherally while maintaining a hard focus on your sights. Use your sights.
• All you REALLY need in a carry gun is sights I can see, a usable trigger, and reliability
• Revolvers still work.
• If you’re slower than .3 second splits, practice shooting faster
• If you’re faster than .2, you don’t need to concentrate on shooting faster
• There is almost never a need to perform a slidelock or speed reload
• Move at ‘natural human speed’ (the speed that your hands move to catch a sneeze), don’t be spazzy.
• LAPD trains to a .5 second split time
• It takes about .3 seconds to stop shooting once you’ve decided to
• If your splits are faster than .3 seconds, you’ll fire unintentionally until the signal to stop makes it to your hands. (force science)

(Poor Audio. This is Dobbs talking about force science research about the time it takes to stop shooting)

Range and Drills

Ken Hackathorn – Super Test (On b8 from low ready). The Advanced ST is shot from holster, same par times. A good score is 270

• 15 yds, 10 rounds, 15 seconds
• 10 yds, 10 rounds, 10 seconds
• 5 yds, 10 rounds, 5 seconds

Single shot from holster. x ring accuracy standards

• 5 single shots from a low ready at 7 yds (A legit ready, aimed below the ‘feet’ of your target)
• 5 doubles from low ready at 7 yards. (10 shots)

These drills are critical for grip, sight usage, trigger control, and follow-through

Don’t give them a free chance. Sight alignment should improve as you progress through a string of fire. Sights/Slack/Hit?(give it about 2 seconds of assessment, don’t snatch it back unless you perceive a slide lock or malfunction)

• 5yds, 5 rounds, 5 seconds on a 5″ circle
• 3rds, 3 rnds, 3 seconds from holster with a sidestep

Qual A:

• 25 yds, 4 seconds, 2 shots, low ready
• 15 yds, 3 seconds, 2 shots, low ready
• 10 yds, 3.5 seconds, 2body 1 head, low ready
• 7 yds, 3 seconds, 2body 1head, low ready, 2 reps
• 5 yds, 2.5 seconds, 2body 1head, low ready, 2 reps
• 3 yds, 2 seconds, 2 body 1 head, low ready, 2 reps
• 7 yds, 4 seconds, 2 body 1 head, from holster, step left, then right (2 reps)
• 5 yds, 3 seconds, 2 body 1 head, from holster, step left, then right (2 reps)
• 3 yds, 2 seconds, 1 headshot, from holster, step left then right (2 reps)

Scoring:

• 80% pass
• head (t-box) – 2 points
• Outside the t-box – 1 point
• within 8 ring of b8 – 2 points
• within 7 ring of b8 – 1 point
• all else – 0 points

 

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