Pistol Range: Drawing From Concealment

[WrongHanded]

I moved to a different gun club/range just recently, and today got signed off to draw from the holster. But I was disappointed to find that the new range does not allow drawing from concealment, IWB, or pocket. All of those have been part of my regular training for a while now, either consistently, seasonally, or intermittently, depending on how I'm carrying.

I guess I just took for granted that I could do all of that at an indoor range. It's becomes my weekly range routine to walking in carrying, swap out my mags for ones with range ammo, and get to work on a set of drills. But it looks as though that will no longer be a possibility. Which will mean more dry fire practice from concealment, and more OWB live fire practice sans concealment garment.

Is it just rare for ranges to allow holster work from concealment?

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes.

I have worked my way up to open draws on the local lane rental range. I think that unusual.
Last time I was working from my pocket.
I'll see if they will tolerate concealment tomorrow, practice for next IDPA.

The next nearest indoor range runs regulation USPSA.

 

[Bronco72]

Are they specific about the holster, where it is on your body ?? If not !
Wear your concealed holster and not put the over clothes on to conceal it East Peasy

 

[dcloco]

Might ask them why....unfortunately.

Check any indoor range you attend....look at the floor and the roof, directly below and above the firing line. There are patches and divots and holes. ....guarantee it.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Back when I used to frequent indoor ranges once you were "qualified" to draw they didn't care about where, although I never saw anyone drawing from pocket.

I was at a informal USPSA/IDPA match a few years ago where a guy on my squad was drawing a G17 from appendix and no one said anything. In my local IDPA club that's not allowed. Nor is drawing from the pocket. I imagine both are for safety reasons.

Fortunately I can practice at home on my own property, even though I EDC and compete OWB so not really an issue.

 

[WrongHanded]

Are they specific about the holster, where it is on your body ?? If not !
Wear your concealed holster and not put the over clothes on to conceal it East Peasy

It's seems to be only OWB 3-4 o'clock (or opposite for lefties). No IWB, and therefore no appendix either. Although technically an appendix holster could be outside the pants, but behind the belt. I'm not sure how they'd feel about that.

 

[Mars5l]

My regular range asks that you inform if you plan too

 

[FL-NC]

Different ranges, different rules. Things that may come into play: Owner/operator general risk aversity, vetting of members, and previous negative experiences.

 

[Axis II]

While you may trust yourself, would you trust a stranger in the stall next to you, jerking a gun from a holster and firing? We use an indoor range for my yearly requal and several years ago they moved everyone in front of the stalls because of an "accident" and most of these guys are govt protective services who guard federal buildings, etc and not your everyday joe.

I went through this at my outdoor gun club. Guys showed up with G19, weapon lights, appendix carry and wanted to run "drills". We call cold range and my girlfriend is changing her targets while one of the idiots is practicing drawing from the holster while she's down range. Granted she was 40ft to the left of him and his excuse was its empty, I am just practicing. You never know who's next to you and just how dumb they are. I can see why the range prohibits it.

 

[wgp]

I am truly fortunate to have my own (outdoor) range. I can draw from concealment, IWB, OWB, shoot with movement, work on doorways (I built one), work around obstacles and engage multiple targets with double-taps etc. I've had multiple classes on all of these things and quickly tired of indoor ranges which limited me to standing upright, shooting slow-fire from Weaver. Now, in defense of the commercial range rules, I too have had enough of shooters in the adjacent lanes carelessly pointing their guns at me, and you just can't fail to think about the bullet holes in the ceilings. And, can't forget the time at an outdoor public range when a guy wanted to stand on the 100-yard berm above the targets so he could better see where his buddy's rounds were hitting.

 

[WrongHanded]

While you may trust yourself, would you trust a stranger in the stall next to you, jerking a gun from a holster and firing?

Well to be perfectly honest, yes. If the person has been assessed by the range and signed off as competent, and providing they didn't appear to be doing anything dangerously (I'd inform the RSOs in such a case). I've stood in the booth next to people shooting from the holster, both open and concealed, on many occasions and never felt unsafe. Those people always seem to be serious about what they're doing and very safe.

I do understand there's a liability issue, and I get why drawing from concealment adds another factor to the potential dangers. I'm not saying any given gun range should do things my way because reasons. After I've established myself there, I'll see about talking to the owners in the hopes we might be able to work something about. For right now I'll just do things their way, keep practicing safe shooting, and dry fire to compensate.

I was just surprised to find it was this way. My main priority with firearms is self defense, and that's primarily based on concealed carry. A logical extension of that is to practice shooting with a draw from concealment. And I had no idea what I was able to do at my previous range was in anyway unusual.

 

[Craig_AR]

Is it just rare for ranges to allow holster work from concealment?

Yes, it is rare for an indoor range to allow draw from a holster, either open or concealed.
I envy the folks with access to a range that does allow holster draw, with or without special qualifying tests.
Even our multi-range outdoor club allows holster draw on only one specific range.

 

[CapnMac]

Is it just rare for ranges to allow holster work from concealment?

I have yet to find one.
Drawing from holsters is rare enough as it, if not quite hen's teeth.

 

[trackskippy]

Other than the range I belong to now, none of the others I've belonged to in the past would allow you to draw from a holster, in any fashion, and most didn't even want you wearing your gun either. Just trying to find one that will allow rapid fire or targets other than bullseye or generic forms, is tough anymore. I think most of them are afraid of being shut down and down want you doing too much.

Im real lucky now, and I can do pretty much anything I want, and they really don't care, as long as youre safe about it. I can draw, move as I shoot, shoot as fast as I want, rifle, handgun, SMG, etc. They dont care about what you shoot target wise either, as long as it isn't glass and you clean up. And on top of that, its basically a private range and no one is ever there.

When you consider how little most places will let you do and kind of realistic shooting or practice, and then consider how many are carrying guns with no real experience beyond slow fire bullseye target type shooting, its kind of scary.

 

[Jim Watson]

About an hour ago, I was shooting on the local indoor lane rental place. Using my ACE .22, I was shooting transitions on a multiple bull target as fast as I could. I seldom double tap with a .22, I fear that the lack of recoil even with the floating chamber will give me funny ideas about recoil control, so I do acquisition, not hammers.

When I do that or draws, the range staffer looks to see who it is, says, "Oh, him again." and leaves me to my shooting.

 

[toivo]

My club allows drawing from a holster on the outdoor range only. It's actually the rifle range, but if no rifle shooters are using it, you are allowed to walk down to the berm and practice any kind of draw you want.

 

[shoobe01]

Up till just a couple years ago I traveled a lot, and the last couple years was by car, no especially restrictive states, so I'd try to find places to shoot evenings, weekends, etc. Hardly ever found one. Private clubs with hard applications is an issue but mostly it was suspicious old rangemaster slowfire places. Not just NO drawing, but baffles, and big signs about no rapid fire which can be anywhere from one shot every 2 seconds to one every TEN. I visited a lot, paid my money and pulled out my guns almost never.

Me, if I ran a range (or when I do training courses where there are no other restrictions) say that holster is none of my business until it gets out of the holster. So, carrying in a shoulder holster? Okay. Drawing from it on my range? Nope! Because the moment it clears, it is facing uprange, and that's instant ejection. Etc.

I can see how IDPA bans AIWB, for safety, but people do carry that way and holstering on the clock is already banned (for safety, good idea there) but... the more you restrict the more I fear that people are un-practiced, so are dangerous on the street, in their car in the parking lot (yes, plenty of NDs in the parking lots of gun ranges!) or at their home.

 

[Jim Watson]

I can see how IDPA bans AIWB, for safety

IDPA ran a survey recently, 68% of members in favor of allowing AIWB. No indication of whether Joyce et al will pay any attention to it, she was adamantly against it in the past.

I have seen a LITTLE bellybutton carry in USPSA. A 45 degree start line got me swept once, the RO did not think it important.

 

[.38 Special]

I am lucky to live within driving distance of three indoor ranges. Only one allows holster work at all, and then only with an expensive course and instructor approval. There is no allowance for concealed draws under any circumstance.

I also am lucky to live near an outdoor range which pretty much leaves folks alone unless they get stupid, and also lucky that my neighbors don't mind the sound of shotgun primers going off in my garage when I practice with wax bullets and modified shells.

 

[Tenncvol]

I am very fortunate to now belong to a gun club that is almost desserted during the week so my own safety is the only draw limitation. Before I joined the club, I used a phone app called iTarget and a laser bullet to practice dry firng at home. The app provides a signal to draw, records the location of the laser strike, and shows the time from signal to hit. Not real, but it beat nothing.

 

[wgp]

All of this brings up questions for those who are restricted as described in the above posts: If you are carrying a gun to defend yourself, how do you practice your draw from concealment? How do you practice reloads, or clearing malfunctions? Have you ever practiced drawing from the holster with only your weak hand, or racking the slide using only your weak hand? All questions to be asking yourself.

 

[bangswitch]

All of this brings up questions for those who are restricted as described in the above posts: If you are carrying a gun to defend yourself, how do you practice your draw from concealment? How do you practice reloads, or clearing malfunctions? Have you ever practiced drawing from the holster with only your weak hand, or racking the slide using only your weak hand? All questions to be asking yourself.

I practice that at home, without live fire. I have enough snap caps to load a couple of magazines with 3-4 rounds each for magazine changes, and you can easily practice drawing from concealment and presentation and aim without firing a shot. Our club doesn't allow drawing from a holster at the pistol range, for what I see as an obvious reason, the same one the indoor ranges use. It's impossible to know the skillset of someone you only see now and then, and there is a liability involved for the range owners, even if the person that gets shot is the one practicing his draw. Drawing from concealment, even drawing from an unconcealed holster in a combat situation (same as self defense) is a practiced action, as you know, to be quick and SAFE doing it. Too many practice it too little, and put others at risk in those situations at a public range.

 

[WrongHanded]

All of this brings up questions for those who are restricted as described in the above posts: If you are carrying a gun to defend yourself, how do you practice your draw from concealment? How do you practice reloads, or clearing malfunctions? Have you ever practiced drawing from the holster with only your weak hand, or racking the slide using only your weak hand? All questions to be asking yourself.

Excellent questions!

And considering all the responses saying most ranges don't even allow drawing from an open carry holster, I can complete understand why some people put so much emphasis on getting "realistic training", and poo-poo the square range. My compilation of drills are all done from standing in a booth looking down a square range, but they're as dynamic as I can make them whilst staying in my lane.

 

[trackskippy]

You do the best you can, and hopefully, you're doing it as often as you can. Its really tough if you dont have a place to do something more though.

Dry fire, isn't just snapping a trigger either and will let you work on pretty much anything, to a point. At least you can have everything but the live round shooting part smoothed out and ingrained.

I also think dry fire presentations are a must as well and a big part of things and should be a part of regular practice. At least you'll be familiar with drawing your gun from how you carry it and less apt to shoot yourself or others trying to get your gun out and going.

I dry fire multiple different guns all the time, as it helps you stay on top of things.

 

[shoobe01]

If anyone has huge restrictions on things like draws, or little time to get to the range, I can't suggest the SIRT enough. Other laser trainers exist also, sure.

You can use them for marksmanship training with laser detecting targets and even scenario trainers. But I use it mostly for draw, cover/concealment, movement, observation, target-to-target swing speed etc. A favorite (at home or in a hotel room when traveling) is to find and shoot all of something common, like light switches, or lamps, or doorknobs.