Concealed Carry Corner: Planning For Success While Carrying

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner Last week, we took a look at some of the best items to grab after Christmas if Santa didn't bring you exactly what you wanted. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here. This week, I want to talk about some of the best things you can practice and work on at the beginning of the year. Having a way to plan your training in advance with a set goal can significantly raise the chances of you being successful in your goals throughout the year. Let's take a closer look at planning for success while carrying.

Practice Makes Perfect

Over Christmas and the week after, I spent almost every day shooting and practicing fundamentals as well as various shooting drills to sharpen up. In the past, I’ve talked about how much dry firing and practicing your draw strokes can improve your draw, pointing the pistol and getting the gun on target. Having a set amount of time each week or even month can drastically improve your baseline skills without firing a single shot. Getting out on the range and putting rounds on target is the absolute best way to work on your shooting skills. Mixing things up with shooting drills you can print off makes a huge difference when it comes to accuracy as well as consistency.

I will typically pick up cardboard targets, but a simple drill printed on a regular 8x12 piece of paper will allow you to drastically improve how you shoot in a short amount of time. Another common thought is you have to put hundreds and hundreds of rounds down at the range in order to better yourself. For most of the days, I shot roughly 100-175 rounds through the gun I was focusing on. Taking a deliberate amount of ammo and sticking to some sort of range plan allows you to stay focused without wasting time or burning ammo pointlessly. Having a plan not only for your range session but also for what goals you're working towards keeps you focused. Sticking to your plan and keeping yourself accountable will help ensure you better your skills while keeping you on task. Try it out and see how different your range sessions become!

Upgrade What Gear Needs To Be Replaced

There's always a fine line between letting your gear become too old or changing it out so often you aren't familiar with your daily carry setup. As most of you know, wearing out our carry guns is almost an impossible task. As long as you properly maintain your gun and clean it when needed, your carry gun will be a lifetime tool that you can count on no matter what. Other items like holsters, magazine pouches and consumable goods are less likely to last a lifetime and need to be replaced occasionally. Leather holsters take time to break in but eventually will become worn out and not properly protect the trigger guard. Given enough time, leather holsters can allow the firearm to accidentally discharge in the holster creating a life-threatening situation for not only yourself but everyone around you.

Kydex holsters aren't safe from the ravages of time either. Between the two types of holsters, Kydex holsters can be really deceptive since on the surface they look perfect but over time can become brittle. I’ve had a couple of different holsters break due to them becoming brittle over time. The latest victim of this was my G-Code holster where the clip attachment point on the holster snapped in half separating the belt clip and holster into two pieces. These things happen with time and it’s important to check your gear and be conscious they have a shelf life and can become ineffective over time.

Other items like night sights, fiber optic front sights and red dot optic batteries can all die if left unchecked so it's always a good idea to keep an eye on them and plan to replace these parts when needed. You can do everything perfectly and train on a monthly basis but if your gear is faulty or puts you in danger, everything else doesn't matter because you're still a liability. Planning ahead and inspecting your guns and gear will just be another step in having a larger plan for your own personal safety.

Overall Thoughts

As much as I wish it was true, carrying a concealed firearm isn't as simple as just grabbing a gun and tucking it into your waistband. In order to become a proficient member of society who carries a firearm, it takes practice and the proper gear. The last thing you want to do is make a mistake in a self-defense situation and end up hurting yourself or innocent bystanders. It's important to buy quality gear and inspect it on a regular basis to ensure everything is good to go.

The other major point is getting out and training on a regular basis with a plan to continuously improve your skills. It may seem like a simple look at things but in the end, it's not hard to be a solid shooter and benefit in society when carrying a concealed firearm.

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.

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