I prefer to shoot outdoor. It's much more pleasurable, even in not-so-nice weather. And one never knows when you may need to shoot in adverse weather, so training in bad weather is actually a good thing. Further, when shooting in cold weather a lot of changes that happen to the body (tremors, stiff fingers, etc.) are similar to what may happen to the body under high stress (adrenaline tremors, vasoconstriction, etc.).
However, I recently stumbled onto a training concept I had not considered before: The value of training INDOOR.
I was at a recent indoor shooting facility that opened up near where I work...liquid lunches are not such a great idea but SHOOTING lunches are AWESOME. I only had my ballistic sunglasses with me...indoor shooting with tinted eye protection caused a low-light condition. So, seeing the front-sight clearly was a challenge. Also, I was shooting cheap ammo which was quite smoky and caused a temporary haze to form between me and the target. So, shot placement was also a challenge. Also, the volume of the report was a lot louder than shooting outdoor.
Needless to say, I didn't shoot as well as I normally do when outdoor. However, I learned a valuable lesson: Incorporate indoor shooting into your training regimen. I plan to do so once a month using both clear and tinted glasses and the smoky ammo so that I am able to shoot better indoor.
Of course there are often limitations on indoor shooting: no drawing and firing; no movement; no rapid fire; etc. but I've found it to be a valuable experience that I am now recommending my students to periodically partake of.
Take care and BE SAFE!
However, I recently stumbled onto a training concept I had not considered before: The value of training INDOOR.
I was at a recent indoor shooting facility that opened up near where I work...liquid lunches are not such a great idea but SHOOTING lunches are AWESOME. I only had my ballistic sunglasses with me...indoor shooting with tinted eye protection caused a low-light condition. So, seeing the front-sight clearly was a challenge. Also, I was shooting cheap ammo which was quite smoky and caused a temporary haze to form between me and the target. So, shot placement was also a challenge. Also, the volume of the report was a lot louder than shooting outdoor.
Needless to say, I didn't shoot as well as I normally do when outdoor. However, I learned a valuable lesson: Incorporate indoor shooting into your training regimen. I plan to do so once a month using both clear and tinted glasses and the smoky ammo so that I am able to shoot better indoor.
Of course there are often limitations on indoor shooting: no drawing and firing; no movement; no rapid fire; etc. but I've found it to be a valuable experience that I am now recommending my students to periodically partake of.
Take care and BE SAFE!
