The outdoor range I train/practice on is a 45 minute drive from my home. I drove there today, and as often happens in Florida, it started pouring rain as soon as I got set up. Since it was 88 degrees and a 25 mile drive home, I decided to stay and practice in the rain. Every now and then we need to train and practice in adverse conditions, so we know what to expect if we have to defend ourselves in such circumstances.
I shot the FBI qualification cold, as a cold skill check and warm-up. I scored 95%. I then shot the Rangemaster Instructor Qualification, and shot 97.6%. I finished with the 5 Yard Round-Up, scoring 98%. At that point, all my gear and I were soaked and I elected to leave. This experience reminded me of a couple of training points.
First, once I got good and wet, my shirt was clinging to my undershirt. It took an aggressive drawstroke to clear the outer garment sufficiently and make an efficient presentation. One should always practice an aggressive drawstroke, just in case it gets wet or the wind is blowing strongly from a direction that pins your outer clothing to you.
Next, the grip texture on my Boresight Solutions Glock 17 worked just fine, even when my hands were soaking wet. The support hand, however, is mostly gripping wet flesh. You really need to clamp down with that support hand to keep the grip together in multiple shot strings, especially when your hands are wet.
The late Pat Rogers often said that we don’t always get to train when it’s a sunny 70 degrees, with an impossibly blue sky and cottonball clouds. He was right. The next time you’re going shooting and it starts to rain, stick around and get used to it. It’s just part of being properly prepared.
I shot the FBI qualification cold, as a cold skill check and warm-up. I scored 95%. I then shot the Rangemaster Instructor Qualification, and shot 97.6%. I finished with the 5 Yard Round-Up, scoring 98%. At that point, all my gear and I were soaked and I elected to leave. This experience reminded me of a couple of training points.
First, once I got good and wet, my shirt was clinging to my undershirt. It took an aggressive drawstroke to clear the outer garment sufficiently and make an efficient presentation. One should always practice an aggressive drawstroke, just in case it gets wet or the wind is blowing strongly from a direction that pins your outer clothing to you.
Next, the grip texture on my Boresight Solutions Glock 17 worked just fine, even when my hands were soaking wet. The support hand, however, is mostly gripping wet flesh. You really need to clamp down with that support hand to keep the grip together in multiple shot strings, especially when your hands are wet.
The late Pat Rogers often said that we don’t always get to train when it’s a sunny 70 degrees, with an impossibly blue sky and cottonball clouds. He was right. The next time you’re going shooting and it starts to rain, stick around and get used to it. It’s just part of being properly prepared.
