Let’s take a look back at some of our most viewed content from Instagram. There are some gems here!
Last but not least, this group photo from So Cal!
Videos – Retention, Brass over Bolt and Marksmanship
18 Wednesday Sep 2019
Posted in Training
Tag Archives: handgun
Drop Leg Holsters – When to use and how to use correctly
21 Wednesday Aug 2019
Posted in Gear Reviews and Tips, Training
By Aaron Ward
In the world of holsters, there are a plethora of options for carrying your handgun. From In the Waist band, Appendix carry, Outside the Waist Band, duty/battle belt mounted, armor mounted and drop leg holsters. Each of these holster options have their place in the world, depending on your mission, environment, body type, gear selection and lay out. While many have chosen to adopt their drop leg holster for their purposes, does this holster choice fit your needs? Do you know why you’re using it? Are there other options that better fit your needs? We’re going to dive in the weeds a bit to help you better understand the why’s of the Drop Leg Holsters and the When’s.
First, some history…
The forebearer of the modern Drop Leg Holster/thigh holster started initially with the U.S. Calvary and cowboys during Western expansion. These were simple holsters with long leather drop downs and simple leather thongs tied around the upper thigh. These allowed the holster to be drawn easier from the saddle. In a more modern context, we see these holster begin to gain prominence again, however for a very different reason. As police forces and militaries began to issue their personnel more body armor in response to ever changing tactical scenarios, these personnel found that a traditional belt mounted holster would be obstructed by the increasing bulk of body armor and equipment. The Thigh Rig/Drop Leg Holster allowed for the pistol to be drawn from without being fouled by equipment being worn.
The Why of a Drop Leg Holster:
- If wearing bulky gear or body armor a Drop Leg Holster (DLH) moves your gun and holster down further from that equipment, allowing for a cleaner draw stroke.
- If seated frequently a drop leg holster can be employed, as it may allow an easier draw from the seated position.
- If you have a body proportion where your arms are longer than your torso, the lower gun position may produce a smoother draw
Some things to think about…
- If worn improperly, the thigh rig can, and will rotate around the thigh during intensive movement, such as running, jumping, crawling and other strenuous activities.
- While moving, your holster is moving as well. There for your handgun is moving as well by nature of being attached to your leg. This can make drawing more unpredictable during movement. Requiring the user to modify their movements in order to successfully draw.
- DLH can be more difficult for the wear to maintain control of the firearm should they find themselves wrestling for control of the holstered gun.
Tips for Proper Wear and Use:
Wear a Stiff Belt
As with most holsters, a DLH relies on a belt to be utilized correctly. A flimsy belt will allow the holster to sag, with the holster itself sliding down further on the leg. Possibly putting the butt of the gun out of reach of the user’s hand.
Wear High on the Thigh
A general rule of thumb for wear of the DLH is the mouth of the holster should sit no lower than the top of your pants pocket. Or the butt of the gun should be able to rest easily within your grasp if your arms are resting at your side. If you have to bend/stretch your torso to draw, your holster is too low.
Use the Thigh Straps
DLH will come with a thigh strap. These should be worn as high on the leg as possible. Generally right below groin junction inside your leg will be your benchmark. These straps should be worn tight enough to prevent movement of the thigh rig, but not so tight to become uncomfortable or restrict blood flow.
Holster must have a Retention Device
Holsters with retention devices are highly recommended in my opinion, due mostly to the movement your gun will go through just completing daily task, or strenuous activities. Ensure any retention devices can being deactivated without requiring extra movements at the waist.
As with any gear used in a self-defense, you should know your gear, and practice with it regularly. Get out and move around with your holster of choice on, crawl, jump and run while wearing it. Take the time prior to training days, or duty use to hash out any issues and ensure that everything fits properly and feels comfortable.
Tips for Success on the Range: Defensive Handgun Skill Builder
24 Wednesday Jul 2019
Posted in Classes, Gear Reviews and Tips, Training
Tags
belt, dhsb, ear muffs, ear protection, gear, handgun, holster, knee pads, manipulations, pistol, skill builder, training
So you’ve signed up for Defensive Handgun Skill Builder class! Between being excited for the opportunity to shoot dynamic drills on an outdoor range and the eagerness to build on your self defense skills, you may have some concerns as to what you need to bring with you to have a successful learning experience.
We’ll talk about some things that will set you up for success in Defensive Handgun Skill Builder class and any future firearms classes you may attend, whether they be with us at Monarch Defense or any other instructor/school.
First let’s talk about your hardware (guns, gear etc…)
Belt
This one may seem like a no brainer, but you should be wearing a belt when you attend class. While any belt is better than no belt, you should be looking to bring the stiffest belt you own. This belt will not only keep your pants up but will also be responsible for keeping your holster and magazine pouches in place during movements you will be undertaking.
The stiffer your belt, the less movement in your holster you will get as we move through drills that include drawing the pistol, or re-holstering. This is vitally important. A loose or flimsy belt will flex and yield during these movements. Either fouling, or slowing your draw stroke. This is all applicable whether you’re carrying OWB (outside the waistband) or IWB (inside the waistband, concealed carry).
Holster
Ideally your holster should be fitted to your model gun, whether it be a kydex form fitted holster, or something like the Safariland ALS. These holster are designed to fit your gun, and will retain your pistol far better than any so called “universal holster” that is usually made of flimsy nylon. For a better idea on which holster to choose and what carry position is suitable for you, take a look at our “Choosing the Right Holster” article.
Ear Protection
Allow me to get a little more in depth on this one. While you’ll be served just fine using the tried and true “foamy” ear plugs, you may often times find yourself removing at least one of them, allowing you to hear instruction during class and having to haphazardly put them back in again when the line starts up again.
I’ve found that a huge benefit can be gained in training and your own sanity if you invest in good over-the-ear muffs. Even more so if you decide to get electronic ear protection, that allows you to hear instruction clearly, yet cancels out the noise of gunshots.
Useful tools
Some other things that you should consider bringing include:
- Multi-tool: They always come in handy. A good one should include pliers, a knife blade, and a Phillips and Flathead screwdriver.
- Knee-pads: While we don’t always end up in alternative shooting positions such as kneeling or prone position. If we do, you’ll likely be thankful you brought them along.
- Cleaning kit: Any time you take your firearm out to the range/shooting, you should bring along a cleaning kit for said firearm. It should include at minimum: cleaner/lube, a brush (old tooth brush works well), chamber brush, and cleaning rods. If your gun fouls up during the day from carbon build up or dirt, this will help you get back up and running.
Now that we’ve talked about some of the gear that will aid you in having a successful DHSB, let’s talk about some of the things on the software side, what you bring to the table.
Open Mind
Some of you will be coming to class with little experience shooting on an outdoor, dynamic and hot range, and that’s totally fine. Others will be coming with a plethora of shooting experience, and that too is awesome. And others will fall somewhere in the middle. The key to learning is coming into the event with an open and eager mind ready to soak up whatever knowledge may be presented to you.
Being open minded can be a challenge, especially if you’re invested in the methods you’re currently using. But as with all things in life we’ve got to be willing to try new things. Much as the world has adopted the internet as a means of communication over the letter. We too should strive to continue to learn and adopt new methodology and training in order to allow us to continue to become more refined shooters, and more responsible gun owners.
Safe Manipulations of your Pistol
In class we’ll go more in depth on how, where and why certain manipulations should be undertaken. Prior to class you can get a one up on your learning by going over some simple ones that you should be familiar with, and eventually instill into yourself as second nature.
These include locking the slide to the rear, ejecting magazines using the magazine release, working the safety if your pistol has one. This can be tricky depending on the size of your hands and the model pistol you intend to use. Finally exercise conscious thought on ensuring your finger is off the trigger, and firmly planted on the slide of your pistol when not shooting. Check out our video guides on basic handgun manipulations that you can practice at home. Training tips – 3 basic handgun manipulations
We look forward to seeing you out on the range. If you have questions about how to prep for this class, whether it be gear related questions or anything else, feel free to message us on Facebook, Instagram or email us directly at info@monarchdefense.org.
About the Author
Aaron Ward was born and raised in Southern California. Spending 11 years in the Marine Corps as an Infantryman, deploying to Iraq, and around the world. He’s been instructing with Monarch Defense since 2018. Follow him on Instagram! @keeper0311
Why shoot competitive matches
16 Tuesday Apr 2019
Posted in Training
Tags
Fun fact! Did you know that Brian met Carolyn, our photographer and marketing person, for the first time at an IDPA match in southern California back in 2015? At the time Carolyn was a new shooter and she was weary about shooting a competition. Brian and Henry convinced her it was going to be a great learning experience. We recommended competitive matches as a way to practice and improve shooting skills, whether you are new or an experienced shooter.
Tactical Handgun Match hosted by Threat Scenarios on May 4 & 5 at Linden Gun Range is coming up and we wanted to revisit the reasons why shooting a competition can make you a better shooter.
Psst! FREE Monarch Defense shirt offer at the bottom of the page!
Test a variety of skills at an affordable price
By far the best deals in firearms events are competitive matches. For the entry fee, you’re able to shoot the stages and each stage is set up to execute a variety of skills such as shooting from behind cover, shooting from different position, identifying shoot or no-shoot targets, identifying pass-through targets and so on.
It really is a test in that you only shoot the stage once. There’s a pressure to perform and you have to give it your all in one go. The score is calculated based on time and accuracy. This objective way of measuring means that you can track your performance over time.
Dealing with mental stress
A difficult thing to replicate in training is mental stress that happens when we encounter a real life-threatening scenario. In training we try to add stress through physical stressors such as sprinting or mental stress through manufacturing malfunctions or aggressive commands.
With competitions, the added layer of stress closely emulates the stress of a real scenario. While shooters do get the chance to inspect the stage at the beginning, the actual deed of shooting through the stage can be challenging. You need to rely on skills you’ve practiced and might struggle through remembering what to do and how to do it safely. Much like a real life-threatening situation, you will have to work it out as it unfolds and have to rely on being able execute what you know.
Observe and learn from fellow shooters
Shooters are split up in to squads to run the event smoothly. Most likely you will be squaded up with some people that you don’t know and that you’ve never shot with. (You can squad up with your friends as well.)
Shooting alongside others, especially those who are more experienced, is a great learning opportunity by observing the different ways shooters progress through the stage. Watch for their footwork as they move from obstacle to obstacle, how they transition from shooting a target to another target a significant angle away from behind cover, how they handle multiple shots on target and so on. Don’t be shy about asking questions too. Matches are filled with friendly like-minded people.
Before you go…
We mentioned above that Tactical Handgun Match hosted by Threat Scenarios is happening on May 4 & 5. We hope that some of our students will take this opportunity to expand their firearms training and shoot a competitive match.
To sweeten the deal, we are sending a FREE Monarch Defense shirt to anyone who signs up for the match with code MonarchTHM (while supplies last) Online Registration here.
Choosing the right holster
09 Tuesday Apr 2019
Posted in Gear Reviews and Tips, Training
Tags
appendix, ccw, concealment, crossdraw, dropleg, handgun, holster, iwb, ladies, owb, pistol, skillbuilder, training, women
This post was to be written as a “holsters for ladies” type article but this post applies to anyone who is looking to choose the right holster for their purpose and physical build. We thought a post title of “Holsters for people with shorter torsos compared to the ideal male physical build that is targeted by the gun accessories market” would be too long.
Natural wrist position
A natural wrist position is crucial for a smooth, fast draw. The less the wrist bends while going from holster draw to presentation, the more efficient the movement will be.
The position of the holster and therefore the gun determines the wrist angle when the shooter goes for the draw. Aim to have the forearm and wrist in a straight line with enough room to get the gun out of the holster. This goes for appendix carry, hip carry, back carry and etc.
When the holster is low, for example at the thigh level, the arm and wrist won’t bend at all. As the holster position rises up the body, the shoulder will rotate backwards, the elbow will bend and as you go even higher, the wrist will bend as well.
A good holster position will be allow the gun to come out of the holster with minimal wrist bending. The position will be different depending on torso length relative to arm length. Ladies will typically have a shorter torso and therefore holsters that sit on the belt line are too high up. They should opt for a holster that sits below the belt line.
What about concealment?
In the words of Lil Jon, shake what your mama gave ya. This means, work with your physical attributes to achieve your purpose.
For men, who typically have broader back and shoulders, this means wearing a holster at the belt at the 4 o’clock position so the butt of the gun can be concealed in the arch of the low back by the loose clothing hanging off the shoulder. For ladies, carrying in that same holster and position would not work well. Let’s take a look at this photo.
This particular holster has a built-in forward cant of the holster called the FBI cant. Back in the day, the technique was to shoot from a crouch or to draw the gun with a slight forward bend of the body. The holster complemented that by canting the gun forwards slightly so the wrist would be in a more natural position.
In this case, the holster is working against the shooter. The shooter’s wrist is at an awkward angle and while this photo is not of a concealed holster, put on your imagination hats for a minute and you can imagine that a shirt over this holster on this particular body frame would not be hidden very well.
Ladies can consider wearing the gun in front of the body at a 2 o’clock position either straight or canted slightly backwards which allows loose clothing hanging off what your mama gave ya to conceal the handgun and a smoother draw stroke.
What about [insert trendy carry position here]?
There are many ways to carry a gun. It all comes down to your purpose and working with your body’s physical attributes. There are pros and cons to different carry methods. They are too many to cover in an article here but we made a video of a few holsters that you don’t commonly see. Those are some examples of what kind of advantages and disadvantages different types offer.
If you have any questions about training with holsters, feel free to get in touch with us and we will try to answer your questions!
Teachable Moments – Mag fumble
19 Tuesday Mar 2019
Posted in Training
There’s always space for improvement, no matter how long you’ve been in the business.
In this video, we see the shooter go for his mag to reload and fumbles it. Twice! What can we work on here to make sure it doesn’t happen?
Use your hand, not your fingers
The first fumble is due to the shooter losing grip on the magazine through his fingers. When it comes to motor skills in gun handling, we want to use gross motor skills over fine motor skills whenever possible. Using your hand versus using your fingers. While fingers are dexterous and can perform all sorts of tasks, they may not be as reliable in a high stress adrenaline dump situation.
Drive the palm of your hand to the butt of your magazine while lining up your index finger along the front of the magazine.
Index the front of the magazine with your finger
Your hand-eye coordination is very good at lining up your index finger with whatever you want to point at. We line up the front of the magazine along the index finger to indicate to our brain where the front and top of the magazine is. This helps us aim the magazine into the mag well and guide it in smoothly.
Check out the post on our 3 basic handgun manipulations for a video demonstration and tips. Mag in, mag out is one of the basic skills that shooters should master.
Set your gear up for success
There is no best mag pouch or gear that we recommend as gear is a highly personal choice depending on your needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing how to carry your magazines.
How many magazines to carry – It depends on how you want to train. If you want to train concealed carry with one extra mag, then that’s the way to go. When training on the range, we do recommend carrying a few extra mags and rounds in your pockets to refill/replace your mag when you’re off the firing line. That’s purely for efficiency of training at the range.
Firmly secure, but not too tight – You will want your magazines to stay put as you run and move into different shooting positions, but not so tight that it is difficult to get out.
Leave room for your grip – Make sure you’re able to get a good firm grip with your hand when you go for your magazines. Test our your gear at home with a few repetitions.
Orient your magazines in the same direction – When you put your magazines in your carrier, orient them in the same direction so you know how to go for them each time. Even if you only have one magazine in your pocket, be cognizant of how that mag is oriented so it is consistent.
Store your empty mags – ON THE GROUND. Mama Earth will hold them for you until you’re done fighting. There’s no need to retain empty magazines. Just drop them on the ground when they’re empty if you’re in a fighting situation. Tactical reloads have their time and place.
Bonus tip! Mark your magazines so you can tell yours apart from everyone else’s.
About the Teachable Moments series:
When Brian blows the whistle and brings the class in for a teachable moment, we get a chance to learn from someone’s mistake. We’re hoping to encapsulate those moments in posts so more people can learn and improve their firearms safety, handling, marksmanship and overall understanding of self defense. These posts are not meant to shame or ridicule those who make mistakes. Instead, lets take a moment to say “thanks for the lesson in making that mistake. Now I don’t have to make it myself.”
You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.
Have a teachable moment to you’d like to share? Whether it happens in a Monarch Defense class, on your own training time or in real life, we’re up for an opportunity to learn! Send your story and a photo/video (if possible) to media@monarchdefense.org
Training tips – 3 basic handgun manipulations
12 Tuesday Mar 2019
Posted in Training
We’re working on bringing training videos to the blog! Let’s start at the very beginning with the most basic 3 handgun manipulations that you should learn, practice and know very well as you advance in your gun-fighting skills.
For left handed shooters, don’t feel left out! There are instructions for left handed manipulation as well.
Mag in, mag out
An empty magazine is of no use to us and getting it out of the gun efficiently is an often overlooked skill to practice. Depending on your hand anatomy and the gun, you will need to discover the exact amount of shifting and button pressing to release the magazine. Also, get used to the idea of the magazine dropping and hitting the ground. No need to spend precious energy and time retaining an empty mag while you’re shooting on the range.
When inserting your magazine, use your finger to index along the front of the magazine to help guide it into the right place. This is also a good time to think about how to orient your magazines in your mag pouches on your gear or in your pocket.
Roll and rack
This manipulation can be tricky for those who are new and unfamiliar to semi-auto handguns. Where do I put my hand on this thing? Why is this so hard to pull? Argghh errghhh.. The next thing we know, the student has the gun pointing all over the place trying to rack the slide. No. We don’t want that.
When practicing this, remember to push the gun away from you while holding the slide firmly. Use both push and pull to rack the slide. Facing the ejection port to the ground will allow gravity to help you clear the chamber when you do this manipulation as part of a simple malfunction clear.
Slide open and lock
By being able to properly clear your gun and lock your slide open the first time, every time, without fumbling, it demonstrates that you’re familiar with your gun and can show that the gun is clear when called upon.
We hope this was helpful and gives you guys something to practice on at home to prepare you for a successful training day on the range!
If there are any topics you’re interested in and would like us to cover, send us an email at media@monarchdefense.org!
Teachable Moments – How to hold your gun
07 Thursday Mar 2019
This week’s teachable moment comes from this photo of what happens when the shooter has poor grip on the pistol. Note the separation of hands. It is important to hold onto the gun by using force generated by both the strong and support hand.
With a weak grip, the recoil energy doesn’t travel through the arm to be absorbed by the body and instead flips the muzzle, making subsequent shots difficult to place on target without taking a lot of time to re-aim and adjust. This can also cause malfunctions if the gun isn’t able to harness the recoil energy properly to eject the spent casing and load a new round into the chamber.
How do we fix this? To maximize grip strength on a handgun, observe how the human hand applies the greatest amount of grip strength. A closed fist or grip around an object will have the thumb bent and strength applied through the thumb pad.
By using what is called the crush grip, the strong hand grips the gun with the thumb bent, applying pressure through all five digits. The support hand wraps around with the thumb pad pressing on top of thumbnail of the strong hand. This locks the hands together and allows both hands to be able to apply pressure through the thumbpad.
This also means that there is increased grip strength while using just one hand, either strong or support. Shooting with this grip one handed will offer a more stable platform and you can pick up speed and accuracy.
The crush grip is different from the two thumbs forward grip that is popular in firearms training for being faster and more accurate. Your speed and accuracy will depend on the time you spend training regardless of grip style. We’re not here to poo-poo other grips. Especially if you have spent a significant time training a certain way and have had good results, there is no reason to change (unless you want to. Don’t let some words on the internet tell you what to do!)
When we see shooters have trouble with grip, we teach the principles of crush grip as it offers more retention and better grip strength for those with weaker hands. With a more stable grip, other issues like poor marksmanship and malfunctions are easier to resolve.
About the Teachable Moments series:
When Brian blows the whistle and brings the class in for a teachable moment, we get a chance to learn from someone’s mistake. We’re hoping to encapsulate those moments in posts so more people can learn and improve their firearms safety, handling, marksmanship and overall understanding of self defense. These posts are not mean to shame or ridicule those who make mistakes. Instead, lets take a moment to say “thanks for the lesson in making that mistake. Now I don’t have to make it myself.”
You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.
Have a teachable moment to you’d like to share? Whether it happens in a Monarch Defense class, on your own training time or in real life, we’re up for an opportunity to learn! Send your story and a photo/video (if possible) to media@monarchdefense.org