Even if you’re an avid shooter you may not get out to shoot your carry gun that often.  There are skills you are going to want to practice to be proficient, like shooting at different distances and positions.  We’re going to go over those today.

We’re starting with a close target because in defensive situations the threat can be close.

Now we’re moving back to seven yards. Because carry guns tend to have a shorter sight radius, they can be more challenging to shoot the further back you go. From this distance you’ll notice your sights are going to track off the target a little bit more.

I’ve moved back to the 15-yard line and it’s at this distance that things become critical. You need to know whether you will be able to shoot accurately at this distance and beyond. These shots were taken from an ideal standing position, but that’s not what you might encounter in a defensive situation, so the next step in you training is shooting from the kneeling and prone. We’re going to do that next.

Shooting from kneeling isn’t that much different than shooting from the standing position until you add the element of cover.  When you’re behind cover you obviously want to expose yourself as little as possible to your threat, but doing that means you’re going to be a little off-balance. That’s going to translate to how the sights look on target and how fast you’re able to shoot.

Shooting from prone is one of the most stable shooting positions you can shoot from, but with a carry gun because of the size and sight radius, if I extend on target and get down on the ground with the gun I’m only seeing the feet of my target. 

Instead, to get on the center of the target, I’m going to have to raise the gun up like so. That results in less stable shooting. You’re going to want to get down on the ground and see how it works for you and your body.

Don’t take shooting your carry gun for granted. Shoot it from different distances and from different positions.  The results today are for me and my M&P shield.  They will be different for you and your carry gun. But you need to know how your carry gun will shoot before you find out in an emergency.