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SOG DonationsIMO, if I have to use a firearm for personal defense, it will most likely be a handgun. I realize carbines are used but it’s a rare event. So, for us civilians, how practical is it to attend a carbine training class. Change my mind.
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One can’t know too much.
Knowing how to effectively use a shotgun and carbine in addition to a handgun might just save the day.
One of them could even be what the bad guy brought.
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Robert:
I agree, and love your humor!
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good points, g.willikers.
However, I would have to be really desperate (which is hopefully never), to use the thug’s gun(s).
I prefer the “New York reload” option (basically, carry more than one gun).
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58marine:
If you have the time and money, more training is (almost?) always a good thing.
For carbines (especially pistol caliber carbines), there is a practical use in home defense - namely, operating from a fixed vantage point, such as your bedroom or your “safe room” (which may or may not be where your bedroom is, or for that matter, where your gun safe is). For those places (states…), that don’t honor the castle doctrine, having a safe room (where you consider safest to defend yourself, as well as your family), makes (even more) sense.
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I’m with @g.willikers on this. Any training is always practical. My go to guns are a pistol and shotgun for in the house. But why not have the skills with any weapon you’ve got? You just can’t know to much.
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This is the best point in here. You’ve got to use what you’re comfortable with and trained on. The only bad self defense firearm is the one you cannot use comfortably and without thinking from training. And training can be something as simple as range time to generate muscle memory or formal training. Though in my opinion any formal training should be secondary after personal training (range time + muscle memory) once you reach a confidence level of your firearm to save your life. 
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mquinn55, Mister_Torgue:
Totally agree. Great points.
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58marine, Robert:
I agree. You, Robert, are an asset, not a PIA. And, thanks for toning things down.
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There’s quite a few shotgun and carbine training facilities around the country.
Like Shootrite, Gunsite, plus all the roving instructors who might be in your area.
But there’s other ways to acquire the skills.
There’s a lot of online videos graciously contributed by some of the top names in the training world.
Attending organized matches, as others have suggested, works pretty good, too.
There’s plenty of ways to learn, from the top dollar schools to home practice.
They’re all good.
All it takes is the motivation.and desire.
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It all is necessary to survive a fight for survival.
Training definitely helps with the little things that can make the difference.
Like using cover with a long gun, for example.
Being able to switch shoulders for better access around cover.
It’s hard to find a place to practice that other than a training facility.
Just a thought.
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I agree with the OP (from 2 years ago), that under normal circumstances a handgun is most likely what will be used outside the home. But it’s those unusual circumstances where a long gun just might be used.
For instance a break down of society. We came close with the WuFlu IMO. What would have happened if the warehouses had emptied and the stores had no resupply? It could have gotten very ugly.
I’ve mentioned it before, 2 years ago we had a cop killer in our backyard and a handgun for SD was the worst option because potential shots could have been up to 100 yards.
At the video link is the story picked up on the 3rd day after the roadblocks had been taken down and reporters had been allowed in. It also includes my 2 seconds of fame on national news. I’m the gent mentioning “…we all have guns up here…”. Don’t blink or you miss it.
But anyway, during that time rather than being married to my EDC as I normally am, I was married to my rifle, just like back in the Army. Once we knew what was going on after we woke up on day one everyone who could locked and loaded the long guns. Many of us locked and loaded more than one. I quickly found that a conventional long gun was a true PITA for doing chores, and swapped to a bullpup. That launched my desire and fulfillment of a SBR PCC which I also compete with.
Too, a handgun is used to fight ones way to a rifle. Indoors, my choice is a suppressed rifle and stay in the safe room while the cops clear the house. A handgun is a low powered option as compared to a rifle or PCC, and harder to hit with. But a bottleneck cartridge is absolute hell on the ears indoors unless it can be suppressed. You know what your options are in your state and they will dictate what you have available. If suppression isn’t an option a PCC is a viable alternative. By the time a pistol caliber bullet comes out of a 16" barrel the pressure is quite low and the blast is easily tolerable.
But no matter what is chosen, look into competition. For one thing, it’s fun once you realize everyone there is the same as you and no one looks down on anyone. You’ll make friends that will look forward to shooting with you and you them. It will teach shooting under stress with whatever you choose to use and prove out your chosen gear. If it holds up in competition it’ll hold up in the safe room in your home. Another thing it also does is reveals in stark reality just how good, or bad, your shooting is. But as I tell folks, we don’t shoot competition because we’re fantastic shooters, we shoot competition to get better. Just understand that’s it’s a game. Some folks shoot it as an end in itself, others use it to “bring to the street”. When we were in Iraq in a big way troops would shoot with us because it was the closest thing to the real thing they could get for training. Those were their words and not mine.
But however you get it, train, train, train.
PCCs are now allowed in competition. This video is pretty good other than that omission.
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Great point. Competition will highlight your strengths and amplify your weaknesses. I thought that I was a pretty good shot…until my first match. LOL
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Thanks.
Yeah, I took a buddy to a match. He had a very high opinion of his own shooting expertise. That one match showed just how bad he was and he was pissed that magically his shots didn’t go where he wanted them to be as fast as he thought he could shoot. So he put on a show to indicate to everyone that he was gods gift to shooting or whatever. He didn’t listen to the ROs words and rapidly cleared the gun, let the slide forward, then removed the magazine and dropped the hammer. Of course he fired the round in the chamber for an instant DQ. He clearly demonstrated to everyone just how much of a shooter he was. Then he had balls enough to blame the game and not himself. Oh yeah, it definitely points out weakness. I told him repeatedly in practice to just get through the match and expect nothing as far as results the first few matches. But my words had no dwell time between his ears.
I think most people have a much higher opinion of their shooting than is actually measurable. When it’s seen on paper and under the timer they’re surprised at just how lacking they are. I don’t know if everyone is capable of shooting competition because of that. My buddy certainly couldn’t accept it. Especially if one EDCs or keeps a gun at home for protection, do they really think that they can suck on paper but somehow magic will happen when under stress and they’ll instantly be able to do what’s required? I just don’t understand that sort of thinking.
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I’m pretty much the opposite of this. I practice often and attend pistol classes but still think I should be better. I don’t compare myself to the average shooter you see at the range, though. Sad to say, that’s a rather low bar to set.
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