Replies

Practice is good - you need to go to automatic. But I have studied shootouts for many years going back to the legends of the Old West. Deliberate movements go further than anything IMHO. Wyatt Earp (think what you will of him) was in many a shootouts and never even nicked. Most witness reports say he drew his weapon and took deliberate aim, often after the other guy was already shooting. His legend also worked for him.

In the one shootout I was in at a convenience store the perp had killed the clerk and was waving his gun around movie style. I drew my brother's 44 mag from the glove box of the car and took aim and shot the dirt bag. Missed dead center by 4 inches and did not have time for second shot since he went right down. 16 year old kid with a rap sheet three inches deep. Cops wanted to know why I didn't finish him off. Told them angle was wrong and they all said "Not a problem." My action was very deliberate - at that time by accident more than anything. My brain kept screaming "WTF" if you know what I mean. Dirtbag killed a clerk who had a family and was a friend of mine for $40 and an armload of smokes.

In retrospect I tell everyone who wants to carry that you had better have THE WILL to shoot. It is really embarrassing to have your gun taken away and be shot with it. IF you have even a small thought of "Could I pull the trigger?" then don't carry.

You are more than 100% correct. I was cop in '78 and was jumped by a guy with a pool stick who had 7 backups. After splitting my skull open, I pulled, shot "side handed, and went to finish him off (double Tap style), and would have shot my own foot off. Two of the guys with him threw down Saturday Night Specials and a third threw down a butcher knife. When it goes down you must have the ability to kill and NEVER doubt. Many guys on a range I associate with THINK they can kill, but would hesitate... thereby nullifying the entire reason why they practice.

I drew my brother's 44 mag from the glove box of the car and took aim and shot the dirt bag.

I've had regular shooters of pistols/revolvers tell me I'm confused...
but of a .44 Mag Ruger, .41 Ruger, .357 S&W and a 9mm Walther...
the easiest shooting and most accurate one for me was the .44 Mag Ruger.

In retrospect I tell everyone who wants to carry that you had better have
THE WILL to shoot.

That is EXACTLY the message from the "Americas's Most Wanted" Series.
They used to have some VERY informative segments from a retired cop from San Diego.
One of the segments was about a lady who didn't have the will to empty
her pistol into a house robber; the bad guy got the piece and finished her off.

You're right...without the WILL, all the training in the world and the
best gun are worthless in self-defense.

Wow. That's quite a story.

Never had to point one at anybody, much less pull the trigger. There were a couple of times I thought I was going to have to, but was able to avoid it.

But I have no doubt I could if I had to.

And there is one particular individual I wish I would have had the chance to do it to last May. He stabbed my sister to death, took her guns, drove across the river into the adjoining state and shot an old friend of mine twelve times, killing him as well.

But alas, I was 1200 miles away...