Close Contact/Night Shoot
As a student of combat pistolcraft in the 1960s I learned the “Speed Rock” shooting technique from practical pistol Pioneer Jeff Cooper. The pistol was fired from belt level with the shooter leaning slightly backward to achieve the elevated muzzle position more quickly. It was state of the art at the time. In 1969 at the Los Angeles Police Academy I learned a technique for “point shooting” or “hip shooting” with the primary elbow held near the hip and the forearm parallel to the deck. This was similar to the speed rock except that the shooter crouched and leaned forward. LAPD learned this shooting position from the FBI, and they learned it from a famous gunfighter name Jelly Bryce. Bryce was a Law Enforcement Officer and veteran of numerous gunfights when he was hired by J. Edgar Hoover to teach the FBI how to fight with guns.
As an LAPD Officer I studied every Officer involved shooting and noticed that struggle shootings were not uncommon. In one year, LAPD officers had at least four muzzle contact shootings (with revolvers) while fighting with suspects.
In 1976 I devised a system for engaging suspects at arms-length or less. I called my system the “Close Contact Weapon Retention Shooting Technique.” I introduced this technique to LAPD Metro B Platoon during a training day in November 1976. Later I taught the system to all the Officers of Metropolitan Division, LAPD SWAT, DOE Central Training Academy, the National Tactical Officers Association, the USMC Recon Battalion Camp Pendleton, the USMC Special Operations Training Group Camp Pendleton, the Philippine National SWAT Team, LAPD Training Division and numerous law enforcement agencies and SWAT teams. Today, virtually every combat shooting instructor teaches some version of my technique although very few of them know the history or the source of my system.
If a civilian is accosted by a criminal who attempts to commit an armed robbery, a rape or a car-jacking, it should be obvious that the criminal may be within arms-reach of his intended victim. It is widely believed that the typical civilian self-defense shooting occurs at approximately three feet. This is classic Close Contact Weapon Retention Shooting distance. When a civilian is required to use deadly force in self-defense it is likely that he will not be able to bring his pistol to eye level without offering it to his assailant. Being skilled in the use of the Close Contact Weapon Retention Shooting Technique is essential.
In this class you will become proficient at firing from the close contact position. You will practice during daylight and night conditions. All presentations will start from concealed carry. Multiple target close contact techniques will also be learned. There is no other tactical skill as important to the concealed carry armed citizen as the Close Contact Weapon Retention Shooting Technique.
Close Contact/Night Shoot Class:
Learn to safely present from concealment
Learn the close contact position shooting technique
Use your support hand and body position to guard your pistol
Engage your target effectively
Pivot to engage multiple close contact targets
Increase distance from the target while maintaining proper balance
Scan for additional threats
Transition quickly to sighted fire at more distant targets
Deliver accurate follow up shots
Shoot from close contact while seated at a table
Shoot from close contact at night in very low light
Learn your effective range for close contact shooting
Practice close contact techniques while using a flashlight
Equipment List for the Close Contact/Night Shoot Class
Handgun– Bring a safe, reliable, accurate and appropriate handgun. You may use a striker fired, a double action, a single action cocked and locked pistol that you know how to manipulate correctly. We suggest that you bring your full-size home defense pistol that you used in Pistol 1-4 but any safe handgun that you know how to manipulate correctly will suffice. Call us if you have any questions. When attending any class, we recommend bringing a spare pistol and accessories in case of a breakage. We usually have at least one loan pistol available.
Magazines– Minimum of four functional, reliable high capacity magazines are required (ten rounds or more). If you have a single stack magazine pistol (such as a Glock 43 you will need 5 or 6 magazines rather than 4. We also suggest, if you own a single stack subcompact pistol you should own and bring at least 3 increased capacity magazines such as “Taran Tactical plus 2 or plus 3 magazines” or HYVE extended magazine floor plates. These can be used for training, skip loading, home defense and carried in your spare magazine pouch on your person every day without adding any bulk to the pistol in your holster. A pistol without magazines is almost useless. Magazines get lost in combat and they break.
Ammunition- Approximately 250 rounds (classes will vary) of reliable, accurate, factory practice ammunition, no Russian or reloaded ammunition, no tracer ammunition or steel core bullets. We have had serious problems with some “factory loads.” We do not recommend “no name or brand X ammunition”. We had a no name factory 9mm cartridge rupture, blowing the magazine out of the pistol, damaging the magazine beyond repair and stinging the shooters hand. We have seen cheap factory .40 ammunition break up in the barrel and hit the target as a bunch of fragments. As a result, we strongly suggest that you consider bringing only Winchester, Remington, Federal or CCI practice ammunition. For those who would like a specific ammunition recommendation, our current favorite 9 mm practice ammunition is 147 grain CCI FMJ followed by 147 grain Winchester 147 grain FMJ, 147 grain Remington FMJ, or 147 grain FMJ Federal. We prefer the 147 grain loads as they are apt to shoot close to our 147 grain 9 mm self-defense loads and they have a flat rather than a round nose. In .45 ACP we prefer CCI 200 or 230 grain TMJ. In .40 S&W a 165 or 180 grain CCI TMJ.
We have had nothing but problems with clients bringing reloaded ammunition. Yours may be great but the problems have been so serious that we have had to stop classes and send everyone to the store to buy factory ammunition to resume training. As a result, we were forced to adopt this policy. No reloads.
Additional Ammunition– 50 rounds of your everyday carry ammunition. These will usually be quality Jacketed hollow points such as Federal HST or Winchester SXT. This will provide you an opportunity to check zero and function test your ammunition. You should be familiar with firing your self-defense ammo which usually has a bit more recoil and may be louder. You should learn how your everyday carry ammunition groups and if it shoots to the sights. You may shoot this at any time and during any of the drills at your own discretion.
Holster– A belt holster carried on the primary side, pistol butt to the rear, leather or kydex, made specifically for the pistol being used, no generic and no nylon holsters. We prefer Kydex holsters for range work and we strongly suggest a vertical draw and not a canted holster. If the package states that the holster “will work for the following long list of pistols,” you can bet the holster will not suffice. No shoulder or cross draw holsters for range safety. Our good friend and fellow instructor Thomas Erickson is local and makes excellent concealed carry holsters.
Due to the number of people who have accidentally shot themselves while drawing from the popular holster which has a plastic tab to unlock the pistol, we cannot allow its use in our classes. If you have a question about this, please call us.
Magazine Pouch- At least one, appropriate for the pistol magazines being utilized.
It should be cut low exposing about half of the magazine. It may be leather or kydex but not nylon.
Dummy Rounds- Pink Rhino brand or A-Zoom brand in the appropriate caliber. A minimum of 5. Necessary for manipulation drills and simulating malfunctions. Due to breakage and malfunctions caused by using Tipton dummy rounds those will not be accepted for use in our class. We have also witnessed accidental discharges which occurred because other dummy rounds being used could not be easily distinguished from live rounds when observed in the feed way during a chamber check.
Note: You need a minimum of 5 and more would be better as some will no doubt be lost on the live fire range. We suggest that you paint the tip of the nose of the bullets (only) in the dummy rounds so that they will be easier to find on the range and so that yours can be identified from those of other shooters. Note also if you paint the entire nose of the bullets in the dummy rounds they will become lodged in the firing chamber and leave dry paint residue in the pistol causing malfunctions.
Glove for Your Support Hand- With exposed fingers, to protect the support hand during pistol manipulations. The glove should be thin in the palm.
This is an optional item for this class.
Hearing protection- Rubber (not foam) ear plugs on a string and a muff type head set. Foam ear plugs must be squeezed and compacted with your fingers to get them into your ear canal. Your fingers will be contaminated with airborne lead and Mercury. The time required to compact your ear plugs perhaps 10 times a day adds up. Often shooters will have difficulty compressing their foam ear plugs and cannot get them to properly enter the ear canal while the class stands ready and waits. The soft rubber tapered ear plugs (with multiple flanges) are easy and quick to insert. They do not require you to touch them with your contaminated fingers. If the use of foam ear plugs had not been a constant hindrance in the past we would not insist on a specific type of plug. You may buy these at Wal Mart or most any sporting goods or gun store. Electronic Muffs are allowed and preferred.
Note: If you cannot hear the range commands while wearing both plugs and muffs you may wear only the muffs. Wearing only the plugs is insufficient to protect your hearing and is not allowed.
Eye Protection- clear and shaded shooting glasses
Small Pocket Note Book- Essential for taking notes on the range.
Belt- A wide thick belt that will fit and fill your belt loops and accommodate your holster will be required.
Trousers with wide belt loops- such as cargo trousers (preferred) or jeans.
Dress in Layers- Be able to adapt to changing temperatures.
Boots- or sturdy shoes, high tops providing ankle protection preferred. We are off the concrete. There are rocks and occasionally snakes.
Chair– Folding and camping chair.
Baseball Cap- A cap or hat, not a visor and make sure it is compatible with your head set and your shooting glasses. You may also bring a brim hat to wear during lunch and other breaks.
Mosquito Repellent- Optional.
Sun Block- Strongly suggested.
Sun Shade- Umbrella or Awning optional– Beware of strong wind gusts.
Bring a Lunch- You will not have time to leave the range for lunch. The dirt road is slow. Nothing is close by.
Water- We suggest a gallon of drinking water plus sports drinks for electrolytes each range day.
Note Book– Your note book should contain all the pre-training documents we emailed to you and we suggest that you include a copy of the articles on our web site as we consider them part of the course.
Pocket notebook- For taking notes on the range.
Writing Implement- You will need to take notes.
Optional Item- Fire Extinguisher-If you have a fire extinguisher or 2, please bring them. The possibility of starting a fire with the type of ammunition and targets that we use is almost zero. Due to the recent wild fires we wish to err on the side of caution. If we have 10 or 12 fire extinguishers, shovels and water we should be able to stop a problem before it gets out of hand. Fire can start from a hot exhaust pipe.
Flashlight- A quality high intensity flash light of medium size with the on and off switch mounted on the back end of the tube opposite the lens. You will be activating this button with your support hand thumb while holding the body of the light in an over hand grip with your support hand. This light is for shooting only. See the next item for checking targets.
Small Flashlight- Bring a very small low powered flashlight for use in checking and taping targets to preserve your night vision. You will place your hand over the lens and only allow a very small amount of light to be emitted for the purpose of checking and taping targets. Light discipline will be strictly enforced and maintaining your night vision will be of the utmost importance.
Optional weapon mounted illumination device- If you wish to bring an additional light which can be mounted on your pistol you may do so. You may also use a mounted Lasor device for aligning your pistol with the target.
Cell phone– An old inoperable cell phone or anything that you can use to simulate a cell phone. A small block of wood will suffice.
Rain gear– Be prepared for any possible conditions
Concealed Carry Garment– light-weight wind breaker, heavy button-down shirt, a vest or similar clothing item to conceal your pistol. Make certain that you can safely and efficiently present your pistol while wearing this item.
If you are flying in from out of state please email us with a list of those items that you would like us to provide for you, such as folding and camping chairs, ground blanket, etc. well in advance.
Any questions regarding equipment please call us at 801-669-1886
Larry and Stacey Mudgett
Marksmanship Matters LLC