I agree with Leatham's videos shown here. Leatham is much more expert than am I or my wife. After all he is a champion. However the three videos leave out what we consider perhaps the most important factor when It comes to self defense handgun shooting.
My wife and I carry a handgun gun for personal defense, not for formal competition. I always openly carry one of my two revolvers, depending on conditions, while my wife carries her one revolver all the time.
I have previously mentioned on this forum how we practice, as we have done for now over 50 years. So without repeating other details I will cut to the chase.
We regularly practice with the target at about 20 to 25 feet from our firing point. We believe that any requirement of self defense will most likely be within a range of 40 to 50 feet, otherwise self defense my not be immediately necessary. Accuracy at 20-25 feet that we require will be sufficient up to perhaps another 10 or 15 feet or even more for actual self defense.
We always intend to be able to draw from our holster and hit any point on the target with quick time, believing that speed is good but accuracy is final. Speed will come with practice, but should never compromise accuracy. Here is what we have learned and practice.
1. The handgun must fit the shooter's hand. This is why we have custom, fitted stocks on all of our revolvers. Our revolvers must always be an extension of our hand and index finger. It is natural due to human reflex that any normal person can without thinking, deliberately look at any specific point, instantly point a finger at that point, from any position, without even glancing at the finger. Your finger will point at the spot. Try this yourself to prove it. Even get someone to watch you and your finger as you do it. Or use a mirror.
2. An emergency self defense situation will nearly always be a relative surprise. If not then you are lucky. Therefore we always practice each shot, drawing from the holster.
3. We draw and point the handgun with normal, smooth speed, as fast as smoothness permits, point the handgun as soon as it is out of holster, already specifically looking at a very small point on the target, not the whole target, quickly fire the handgun as soon as we have pointed, never looking at the sights or even the handgun.
Our practice targets are normal paper targets, turned plain back facing us. We mark our practice targets with shirt button size spots on numerous random places on each target, that we can see from about 20 feet or so. We don't aim at the target at all when practicing. We deliberately only concentrate to look at one of the small spots as we draw from the holster and fire as soon as the handgun is clear, concentrating on the target spot.
Selecting either the same spot, or any of the spots, for each draw and shot for each of our six revolver shots, we are able to consistently put every bullet close enough to the spot on the target that a normal playing card or my cell phone that I use (measures 1-1/2 X 3-3/4 in) will always cover both the target spot and the bullet hole. Each draw and shot takes a fraction of a second.
Leatham is right and it is necessary to properly control the trigger and hold of the handgun. If everything comes together with practice, we believe the safest self defense process includes what I have described no matter our shooting position or position of the attacking perp..
