Glock 43

What the Glock 43 single-stack 9mm release means for cops

This pocket-sized 9mm weighs 16.19 ounces (empty), has a slide length of 6.06” and a barrel length of 3.39 inche

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

- Plutrach

Article by Todd Green

Picture, Ken Hackathorn

                                                 
                                                  

All or Nothing: Unsighted Fire

by ToddG

Hackathorn’s Law: under stress you won’t try to do anything you’re not confident you can accomplish.

Lately I’ve seen quite a few discussion about sighted vs. unsighted fire both at pistol-forum.com and on Ballistic Radio‘s Face Book page. And like so many internet discussions it seems to devolve into an all or nothing binary only my way works debate.

Coincidentally, last week I was talking to Ken Hackathorn about sighted vs. unsighted fire. Ken, as anyone could tell you, is an absolute tyrant when it comes to accuracy. That’s me in the red at Hackathorn class in 2009. Ken stresses accuracy above all else in terms of technical shooting skills.

So why does Ken have everyone tape over their sights during a major part of his class when students have to hit multiple targets while shooting on the move? That’s a question worth exploring, and one that gets back to the problem of seeing (pardon the pun) sighted and unsighted fire as two extreme and mutually exclusive skills.

Unsighted fire doesn’t have to mean you’re shooting with your eyes closed. It doesn’t have to mean hip shooting. It simply means you’re not focused on the front sight. The gun can still be up in front of your face providing a reference — both visual and kinesthetic — of where the muzzle is pointed. Let’s face it, even if your eyes are closed, the gun is still pointed somewhere. As people learn quickly during Ken’s drill, you can still get pretty good torso shots while moving even if you aren’t using the little bumpy things atop your pistol.

So, that brings us to the 800# gorilla in the room: most people won’t focus on their sights under stress. It’s something we all know (often from personal experience simply doing stressful practice drills) but many “serious” shooters want to ignore. We’ve all been taught “front sight, trigger press” as a mantra and it’s essentially a sin to do otherwise.

Reality, however, is different. Many folks simply don’t want to accept it.

“So,” the unsighted fire advocates ask, “why bother practicing with your sights in the first place?”

There are two main reasons. They’re both pretty obvious once you think about it for a little while.

First, there’s the kinesthetic benefit. The more you practice putting the gun in the right spot in front of your face, the more natural it becomes. Your brain and nervous system literally start building connections that turn that practice into habit until it becomes preconscious. Even with your eyes locked onto the target, the gun appears right there in line with your eyeballs because that’s what you’ve practiced time and time again. You may still be focusing on the target but you’ve gone through the motions so many times that you’re still putting the gun where it needs to be and, ideally, you’re still aware of the gun’s position to some extent or another.

Second and most importantly, the only way you will ever reach the point where you can see the sights under stress is if you practice it. There was a long time between when I thought I was using my sights in force-on-force scenarios and when I actually saw my sights consistently. Since then, I’ve been very conscious of my sights in FOF training (and just as conscious the times I screwed up and didn’t use them). My performance in terms of being able to maneuver and get hits on a moving target improved dramatically, as did my ability to get good hits from awkward impromptu positions behind cover.

So there are three takeaways from this:

1. Unsighted fire happens, and more often than we often like to admit.
2. Practicing sighted fire helps improve your shooting ability even if you don’t focus on your sights under extreme stress.
3. Practicing sighted fire diligently can maximize your potential to see and use those sights under extreme stress.

As I’ve said many times in class, practicing sighted fire will improve your unsighted fire, but it doesn’t work the other way around.

Train hard & stay safe! ToddG

Glock 43....Single Stack 9mm

Hi Folks, 

                  It has been awhile since I have penned a post so I figured, that since there is something out there that has gotten my attention, I would share my thoughts about it.  I also thought that before every swinging D...  jumped on it I would get ahead of all the chatter.  

As you can probably guess from the picture above it is in regard to Glock introducing it's first single stack compact 9mm pistol the model 43.  

I, like my of my colleague's in the firearms training world have been waiting for this to happen for a long time.  If you have taken any of my training classes or have shared time at the range with me, you know that I am what you would call a Glock Guy.   It wasn't always that way until back in the late nineties that I grew a liking an affection for this simple but extremely effective tool.  It is as they say "PERFECTION".   GOFF PROOF!

When I was fortunate to be involved with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, a Deputy Conservation Officer, the Glock Pistol was my primary duty gun for both uniform and non-uniformed purposes.  We utilized The Glock in both the 357 Sig, 125 gr. round and then in the 9mm, in the 115 gr. +P+ load.  After intensive testing we discovered that both of these rounds had the potential of defeating the level 3A vests that we wore.  Not a good thing!  So we then went to the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P load.  Very effective load when you put it where it belongs.  Remember, no matter what gun or caliber you are carrying, "ONLY HITS COUNT".  You need to put them in that 8" circle on the high chest area.  

My friends an colleagues will confirm that when I have a gun on it is a Glock and most likely in the 9mm  flavor.  I own every 9mm that Glock makes an will generally have the model 19 in my holster.  I have said many times that I believe that model to be one of the best choices for concealed carry and general purpose use.  One of the best combat handguns out there. Why?  Here are a few of the reasons;

1. Reliable, it goes bang when you press the trigger.

2. Accurate,  will print tight groups if you know             how to shoot!

3. Powerful, the 9mm defensive loads are leaps and       bounds of what they were previously.

4. Fit, feels comfortable in most shooters hands.  If       not go down in size to the 26 or up in size to the 17.

    And now you have another option, the 43

5. Plenty of rounds, one in the pipe and 15 ready to       go in the mag.  If you can't handle the problem           with 16 rounds then the problem will most likely       handle you.

    A good rule of thumb is to always have a fully             loaded spare mag on you, preferably carried in a       good mag pouch.

OK, enough said about the 19.  Lets get back to what this post is about.  That being the new model 43, single stack 9mm.  It is designed to be lighter and more concealable then the 26 and the 19.  Taking that into consideration, you do give up the advantage of having more rounds available and that is why it is imperative that if you decide to carry the 43 that you definitely have that spare mag with you at all times.  

I have not had the opportunity to fire one yet, but I would assume that it will have all the inherited advantages of the Glock Pistol System.  

I have held off buying a 42 in the 380 ACP caliber.  I am not and have never been a big advocate of that particular caliber and a lot of the guns that were designed to fire it, with the exception of the Sig p230.  Now, I will be the first one to tell you that because of the advances that have recently taken place not only with the ammo, but also with the design of the guns that are out there today I have a little more respect for that caliber.  Again, that rule that applies is hitting something significant.  "ONLY HITS COUNT".  You need to put them in that 8" circle on the high chest area.  It is even more important when you downgrade your power factor in defensive handgun rounds.

I figured it would only be a matter of time before Glock introduced the single stack 9.  They have done it before with the 45 ACP, the model 36.  the Glock 43 will be a nice solution to carrying concealed in the warmer weather.  Confidence comes in knowing that you have a have a handful of bad news in a nice small package.  

COVER YOUR 6 / AND STAY SAFE!    

   

THE 3 P'S

PRACTICE, PREPARATION = PERFORMANCE!

STAY SHARP, PRACTICE AND PERFECT YOUR SKILLS.

BECOME UNCONSCIOUSLY COMPETENT! 

GOOD READ....SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Don't know exactly who the author is, but I figured it's interesting enough to pass on.

KNOCK KNOCK, REAPER’S HERE

The trouble is, you think you have time 

On January 15, 2009, shortly after takeoff, US Airways Flight 1549 suffered multiple bird strikes that caused both jet engines to fail. When Captain Sullenburger safely landed that passenger jet, unpowered, on the Hudson River, he didn’t have time to practice; he chose the best option available at the time. Regardless of the way a crisis or event manifests itself, the reality is there won’t be time to practice and we don’t get to choose the time or the place. We set ourselves up for success by having a plan and tools to implement that plan. If we recognize now there is never enough time, we need to practice our plan. Captain Sully had practiced flying gliders for thousands of hours so when the time came – and his big passenger jet decided to become a glider – he made the only choice he could: he glided. Perfectly. He not only had a plan, but he had trained and tested his plan. Having a plan is great, having a tested plan is better. Mike Tyson used to say “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

I have a close friend of mine that has trained with me for years. He is a traditional white-collar guy that has studied and practiced combatives his entire life. A lifetime of combative training makes him no stranger to getting punched in the mouth. The differing size of burn scars on his body from hot brass show he knows his way around a wide variety of weapon systems. He trains extensively with weapons and fighting concepts and, as far as skills go, he is pretty good. His weapons and his gear are solid. He is a professional, a thinker, he’s “switched on”, if you will.   He called me the other day to talk about a gunfight he almost found himself in. Almost. And almost without a gun. Seems The Reaper decided to make a house call, unannounced. And all of that high-speed gear and equipment that he carries and trains with all of the time? It decided to sit this one out.   You will fight with what you carry.

The other example I will use comes from another great friend, a cop. This guy is SWAT trained and SWAT tested, and now serves his country in the deepest and darkest corners of the world. He is – hands down – one of the most highly trained and operationally experienced guys that I know. He met The Reaper once and punched that bitch in the mouth. He, too, found himself – with his family – in the middle of a gunfight without a gun. Sitting at an intersection with his family, a man steps out of a vehicle a few cars in front of him, buttons his jacket, pulls an AK47 from his trunk, and begins walking through the lines of traffic shooting. The trouble is, you think you have time.

There has been chatter recently about “ tactical minimalism”, and the idea that having less than a full load out makes a person inferior or less capable. When I talk about minimalism I am specifically referring to living as a minimalist within the context of personal protection and the use of available tools, i.e. firearms, knives, gear, etc. A better term comes from the military and is “line gear”, and is referenced as first line gear, second line gear, and third line gear. First line gear is described, simply, as gear you will never be without or gear that you have with you at all times. Quiz time: knock knock, Reaper’s here…what is your first line gear? Remember the rules: it must be gear that you have on you at all times. For me in my life I want to say that my first line gear is a gun, a light, a knife, and a tourniquet. But I’d be lying. So would most of you. Do you fly commercially as a civilian? Do you go into restricted areas, either government buildings or school zones? Do you swim in a pool or spend time at the beach? If you do, the chances are, like me, you aren’t carrying a gun. Maybe a knife. So that makes my first line gear – the gear that I have with me at all times – simply a light and a tourniquet. Seems fairly benign, yet it is realistic. When confronted by people who say they always carry and have tons of gear and equipment every time, all the time, my response is two-fold: they are either full of shit or they don’t get out very much.

Regardless of whether you train with a lot of gear or with very little, you need to become comfortable with fighting with nothing.   For those that train on the mats – do you restrict one arm or both legs and practice fighting? For those that train with firearms, do you train with it when it won’t shoot anymore?   When Cain killed Abel – whether with a rock, or a bone, or a spear – he picked up a tool from the ground and went to work. Knock knock, Reaper’s here. You fight with what you carry.

No matter what our path in life, recognize how the basics apply to our circumstances. In the end, you will fight with what you carry. You are either ready or you are not. Be a realist; don’t worry about things that aren’t real. Have a plan that will survive getting punched in the mouth. Recognize the bigger issue: the trouble is, we think we have time.

During the analysis of an event, regardless of what it is labeled – after action report, case study, debriefing – the most important factor is setting the stage: painting the picture of the narrative through context and circumstances. The label we use is irrelevant, because here is the important distinction: you don’t get to choose the circumstances or the context. The three examples above illustrate equally that the event chooses you. You want powered engines? Nope, you get a glider. You are used to training with a ton of gear and equipment? Nope, you get pajamas and a pistol. Oh, you slapped The Reaper? You don’t even get a rock. You go into the event with what you have, not with what you want to have. And the kicker is: the event is going to happen whether you are ready or not. In the end, you will fight, work, survive, conquer – whatever label you want to put on it – only with what you carry.

Knock knock, Reaper’s here.

– Matt