I know I’ve been preaching this for awhile…
… but I recently ran across a drill from my friend (and legendary gun expert), Massad Ayoob, that will let you see for yourself what REALLY happens in close-quarters gunfight.
It’s based on the reality of what’s called the “Tueller Drill” – a well-known exercise that – in a nutshell – established that 21 feet is the recognized distance an attacker can reach you before you can engage them with a handgun.
Now, there are MANY things wrong with the results of that famous exercise.
But I think it’s really important for you to realize this yourself – and this simple, safe drill will help you understand…
(Safe) “Tueller Drill” Alternative For Tactical Firearms Training At The Gun Range…
First, you can do this at a live fire range, but I actually recommend using a training gun (like airsoft, SIRT, or “blue gun”) because it’s safer AND you can do this right in your own backyard or larger area.
Ok, Try This Version Of The Tueller Drill The Next Time You’re At The Live-Fire Gun Range…
- Grab a friend and your “training gun” and head to a safe, open area.
- Holster your weapon the way you normally would carry it “concealed” and pick a target about 7 yards or so away (can just be a tree or some other “man-sized” object to aim at).
- Have your friend place a hand on your shoulder, prepared to run.
- Whenever your friend is ready, he takes off in a safe direction behind you (where you can’t see him).
- As soon as you feel his hand leave your shoulder, draw, aim, and squeeze the trigger, yelling “BANG” loud enough so your friend can hear you.
- When he hears ‘bang,’ he stops.
- Now turn around…
That short distance between you and your friend is a “kill zone“.
And unfortunately, it’s YOUR death we’re talking about!
That is the distance an attacker can close while you only get ONE round off.
And herein lies a problem…
Experts know it usually takes SEVERAL shots to stop an attacker in his tracks.
In fact, there are only 2 places in the body where you might possibly have the “luck” of getting a 1-shot man-stopper: the brain and the left ventricle of the heart.
That’s one hell of an expert shot if you can hit either of those small targets WHILE your attacker is charging at you full speed!
And that’s why it’s even worse than you think…
To Show You What I Mean, Run “Stage 2” Of The Drill…
- You start from your current positions – you in your same “defense spot” with your concealed firearm holstered… your buddy standing where he was when you yelled “BANG!”.
Only this time, your friend runs AT you!
(Again… keep in mind to make sure you’re using a safe version of your firearm for dry-fire.)
For extra realism, try it with your friend holding a training knife, giving his best war cry as he barrels toward you.
- When he starts running, you draw, aim, and yell “BANG!” when he’s confidently in your sights.
My guess?
You’ll never even get your finger on the trigger before he’s right on top of you!
I know you’d like to think you will (because you’ve practiced your draw 1,000’s of times, right?), but we’ve run this drill with everyone from FBI agents to military contractors and not many can do it.
In realistic scenarios, the majority of gun owners clam up and fumble with their weapon.
And we’re talking about a scenario where you KNOW you’re being “attacked”!
In A Real Gunfight, The Odds Are REALLY Stacked Against You…
- You won’t know your attacker is coming (criminals know better and prefer to ambush you when you’re not looking)
- Most of your shots will miss your attacker – even at super-close distance!
(Fact: Even the highly-trained Los Angeles Police Dept. has only a 28% hit ratio in close quarters. That means about only 1 out of every 3 rounds hit the assailant. Assume you’ll fare worse off.)
3. And we already know that it takes several rounds to physically stop an attacker.
In other words, all that traditional “tactical training” being taught out there won’t do you a lot of good in a close-quarters assault.
You’ll likely need to know how to “fight to your gun”… draw with 1 hand… shoot with 1 hand… and a whole bunch of other stuff not currently being taught at most ranges.
In fact, we were shocked at the cold, hard truth about what it takes to REALLY stop an enraged attacker with your gun.
You see, if you change your training to match real attacks, you’ll have a much better chance to get yourself out of a deadly scenario alive, wouldn’t you agree?
