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The Turn and Draw (Hands Up)

"Give me all your money!"


Words that will probably never be said to me. My aversion to designer labels doesn't exactly telegraph, "Mug me. I'm rich." It's not that I'm opposed to designer labels from a tactical standpoint (although I don't recommend walking down a New York alley flashing your Rolex), I'm more opposed to the price tag. I'm not going to pay $500 dollars for a designer dress I'll wear once, when one for $25 off the rack at Forever21 gets the job done. But I digress ...


If you are ever mugged at gunpoint, you'll probably be facing your attacker. He'll want you to see the weapon. But let's say you're in a bank, and you can tell by the terror on the teller's face, that the man shouting, "Nobody move. Hands up." (which is completely counterintuitive BTW) is holding a very lifelike gun. In this situation, a quick turn-and-draw will most likely come in very handy. For a couple reasons:


One: You're a moving target. Much harder to hit.


Two: In a room full of people, odds are their weapon won't be pointed directly at you.

If you can turn and draw from the hands up position and hit the target in under a couple seconds, the odds of their weapon getting to you first, greatly decrease.


A couple of things to consider before attempting a turn in draw in any scenario:


One: How escalated is this situation? If the robber seems relatively calm, I might just let him rob the bank and go on his way, rather than risk getting shot trying to defend the bank that's already robbing me blind with fees. Probably not the most noble decision, but the goal is not to die or let anyone else die.


Two: Is this person working alone and does the second person have a gun? If so, I'd want to have a pretty good estimation of where they're all standing before I whip out my gun. I'd first scan reflective surfaces. If that didn't work, I'd really have to dial in my hearing.


In this video, I'm doing a turn-and-draw from the hands up position and hitting my target in under a second and half. Not all my shots are in the A-zone, but they'll get the job done. I can tell you that with some practice, doing a turn and draw from this position is achievable in around a second. I, however, do not shoot when it's cold. And if I'm not shooting, I'm not dry-firing either. Which is horrible tactical practice. I only decided to make this video because the good Lord blessed us with a 65-degree day in the middle of January, and I wanted to get outdoors. So, bear with me while I work through the rust.


I'd say a "good" time for the turn-and-draw is anything around a second. And for the turn and draw with transitions, around two and half seconds. Because keep in mind, in a live scenario, I wouldn't know exactly where the targets are standing, and I'd most likely be drawing from concealment. All things that will slow me down. If this video has taught me anything, it's that I need to get off my rear, and put on my dryfire pants. If anyone has any advice on how to stay motivated and make that happen, please share.






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