Shoot, Don't Shoot. That is the Question...

I killed someone today.   I didn’t mean to.  It just happened. 

I was alone at the office, and I heard noises from the lobby where the elevators empty to our hallway.  I didn’t expect anyone, and the building had a break-in on the 3^rd floor.  I was freaked out, but I had a gun in my laptop bag, and I drew it.

When the delivery guy came around the corner, I just fired before I recognized his uniform.

Blam!

Of course, no innocent delivery guys were harmed in my virtual experience, but it also wasn’t a video game.  At least, not a typical video game.  I spent a few hours at the new Gander Mountain Academy in Lake Mary, Florida, a state of the art firearms training facility just north of Orlando.   In addition to their live fire ranges, Gander Mountain Academy has three terrific virtual ranges that present all sorts of training options for new gun owners and experiences shooters alike.

On the virtual range (V-Range), shooters have the option of shooting a Glock G22 or an AR 15 on a virtual range with a wide choice of targets and training courses.  The guns are all air powered, but offer shooters realistic weight, trigger and recoil experiences.  I’ve shot the G19 for almost 15 years, and I was suitably impressed with the virtual G22 experience.  The weight and trigger pull perfectly matches my G19, and the recoil on a full air cylinder fairly mimics what a .40 S&W round feels like to shoot.

The virtual range let me shoot two hundred rounds without having to reload magazines or pay for targets and ammunition.  I fired three qualifying courses for various marksmanship drills.  I tried my hand at different targets and different distances in the comfort of an air conditioned facility.  Best of all, the support staff are nearly all law enforcement instructors, so you get great tips and training advice from a pro.

But, the real fun and best value of the Gander Mountain Academy lies in their simulation ranges.  With two immersion style environments, shooters can train more than marksmanship on a paper target.  The simulation ranges provide action drills, IPSC and IDPA style match practice, moving target simulation, and tactical drills.  Best of all, several tactical scenarios test a shooter’s decision making ability, not just marksmanship.

It was on that range that I killed a delivery guy and got blown away by a burglar, but with a quick tap on the touch screen, I could replay the scenario and adjust my decision making.  The Gander Mountain Academy simulation ranges let me test my reactions and decisions in stressful scenarios without the risk of being in a real gunfight.  On the simulation ranges, I can train with holsters without shooting off my toes.  I can change my tactics and practice new strategies for dealing with high stress scenarios.  I can spend my time dedicated to practice and decision making, not changing targets, reloading magazines, or cleaning pistols.

As much as possible, the simulations use live actors, not computer generated cartoons, to promote realism in the various scenarios.  I was struck by just how shocking it was to realize I failed the “shoot/don’t shoot” test and “killed” a civilian.  It really stopped me in my tracks.  My instructor walked me through different drills and tests to help me make better decisions, find time to assess the situation better, and avoid another mistake.  I feel much more confident that if I’m put in a life or death position again, I’ll behave better.

Gander Mountain Academy isn’t cheap, but considering the cost of ammunition, it’s a better value than a lot of ranges in the area.  They offer live fire ranges for $25 per hour, and they really are the best live fire ranges in Central Florida.  I spent $30 for 30 minutes with a coach on the virtual range, and $40 for 45 minutes on a simulation course.   For that expense, you get unlimited firing and a ton of free coaching.  In 30 minutes at my gun club, I can fire 50 -75 rounds, but I spend 10 minutes reloading magazines.  On the virtual range, all of your time is spent shooting and working drills.  All in all, a very good value for the money.

Virtual ranges and air-powered shooting isn’t a replacement for live fire with your personal handgun, but there’s no safer or better way to train in real-world scenarios than at the simulation ranges.  To reproduce the range of marksmanship drills, a shooter would have to cart around tons of gear or belong to multiple types of ranges or clubs.  And, with most clubs or ranges prohibiting holster work, or shooting on the move, I don’t have to go to an expensive tactical school for that kind of practice.

I’m a fan.  I’ll still put a lot of real lead downrange at my gun club and practice with my personal handguns and rifles, but for tactical practice, safe holster work, and IPSC or IDPA style practice, I can’t do better than time on the virtual ranges at Gander Mountain Academy. 

Why Not a .380? I'll tell you why not...

The market for small, easily concealable, sub-compact or micro pistols has exploded in just a few years.  All the typical outlets, website, magazines, and online forums, proclaim that these pistols tap a consumer need for a comfortable and concealable carry gun.  These same outlets have nearly uniformly praised the Ruger LCP in .380, the Bersa Thunder, and the new Diamondback as terrific guns for concealable personal protection.

I have a different theory.  I think that the only reason that manufacturers released new .380 pistols is in reaction to the challenge of finding 9mm and .45 ACP ammunition, and now that ammunition is both more readily available and less expensive, the .380 guns are going to disappear.

Here’s why.

Most of these guns are utterly useless.

That’s just my opinion, mind you, but what good is a gun that might be easy to conceal, but fires a round without much stopping power and has a barrel too short to be very accurate at safe distances from an assailant? 

Really, this class of .380 micro-compact weapons nearly always have the semi-auto equivalent of a snub-nosed barrel that seems barely longer than the already short bullet.  The anemic .380 round can barely muster any muzzle velocity to do much damage to a watermelon let alone a crack-addled attacker.  Of course, that’s only if you can hit someone by shooting instinctively, since the ultra-short barrel length of this class of guns offers too little sight radius to be effective in anything more than a point-and-shoot scenario.

I’d be hard pressed to carry any of these guns confidently, and I really see no reason to bother.  Since Iraq started winding down, I haven’t had any trouble finding ammunition in 9mm or .45 ACP.  And, that’s the issue, I think.  While we’ve always had .380 handguns available, the latest tidal wave of product was developed during a period of extreme ammunition shortages in 9mm and .45 ACP.  With most production in those calibers going to resupply various military buyers, little was left to the civilian market.  Many distributors and select buyers hoarded their supply, creating wild inflation in ammunition prices.

With 9mm and .45 ACP in steady supply and prices returning to normal, if slightly inflated, prices, the need for a .380 handgun doesn’t seem as vital.  I wonder if we’ll see such a wide variety of manufacturers still building these guns in a year or two.

My advice, buy a compact or subcompact 9mm and a good quality holster that keeps the butt of the pistol from showing.  Join a club or visit a range and practice good shooting techniques.  Using an empty gun, practice drawing the gun from a holster and finding your sights.  Follow those steps and you will put bullets on target dependably in a crisis scenario .   You don’t need a smaller gun and a smaller round to stay safe on the streets.  Just a good holster and some practice.

But, of course, that’s just my opinion.