Target Back Practice Instructions Please

Can someone please give me instructions for target back practice?

Irons or dot? With dot, hold center and break clean shots. With irons set for a sub six, hold at in that area of the target and break good shots. 

Get the USMC workbook from Xins website, read the relevant section there. 

http://www.brianzins.com/wp-content/uploads/USMCPistolTeamWorkbook.pdf

jmdavis wrote: "Xins" website, 

Was that intentional or subliminal?  LOL

- Dave

Fat fingers. But it fits.

Here's a video about overcoming an injury. As it progress it become a great video on how to train! Watch or listen to it completely as it has an interesting way to do dry fire. At the end the interviewer states it is also a good way to learn to shoot for those that didn't have an injury requiring the need to switch hands and I think will be a good addition to the Marine Corps manual found on Zins's site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyNkZHjkkB8

A good many years ago I went thru the Ohio Highway Patrol Academy. We trained w/ revolvers on a blank sheet of white typing paper. We loaded 5 empties & 1 live rd at the time. 5 shots were fired per session.

This course was the only routine for several weeks then to a real range for 1 practice course then 2 qualification sessions. The course of fire was a 60 shot modified PPC. Even tough we only practiced the course once almost all of us qualified on the 1st try. All those left made it the 2nd session.

There was much emphasis on sight picture and a lot of dry firing before the revolvers were fired. The only exception was training w/ shotguns, Thompsons, and the .351 Winchester carbine.

Thought some of you might find this of interest along with our blank target back posts.

Ron Habegger

Thanks Ron. Every really good shooter I've ever known has been a strong proponent of dryfire and more than a few believed in shooting at blank targets as well. 

I wouldn't have thought that the .351 Winchesters would have still been in Service when you were training. I know that by the 60s a lot had been replaced with M1 carbines.

I used to have the .401 Win SL.  Bullets we made by swaging down .41 pistol 210 grains.

jmdavis wrote:
I wouldn't have thought that the .351 Winchesters would have still been in Service when you were training. I know that by the 60s a lot had been replaced with M1 carbines.

JM,
My class completed training in June '65. We carried the Winchesters in a "boot" in the front seat and a riot gun in the trunk and a spare 50 rd box of .351 ammo in the glove box. The Winchesters used either a 5 or 10 rd clip. Some of this is pretty fuzzy after 50+ yrs but it seems there was a spare mag (loaded) with the aforementioned box of ammo.  Try as I might I can't remember details as to the change in weapons. I maintain contact w/ 2 or 3 of the fellow officers and and intend to ask them.

One of the BE shooters at my former club has a .351 and says ammo is very scarce and, of course, expensive. Soon after our graduation there was a movement to switch the shotgun to the boot and the carbine to the trunk. I have heard the carbine was used widely by prison guards.

It seems Elmer Keith mentioned it being used by Zane Grey. He did not speak highly of either! I used it one time, when called to assist in a hostage situation, arriving on the scene I pulled it form the boot, checked the chamber and promptly walked into the path of a .38 snubbie! No one on the scene bothering to say anything when I pulled up! I kept moving and neither of us fired in the brief encounter!

Ron Habegger

I think of the Winchester as a Classic Carbine. Brass is still available sometimes and with mild lead loads would last a long time. 

I want to say that was the Carbine at Alcatraz in the 30s and 40s. I know someone who could likely say for sure. He lived on the island as a child. 

I remember Keith's dislike of Zane Gray, but I didn't recall anything about the Winchester. Then again with his loads and choices I can easily see him not being impressed.

jmdavis wrote:
I want to say that was the Carbine at Alcatraz in the 30s and 40s. I know someone who could likely say for sure. He lived on the island as a child. 

Wasn't the carbine a development after the start of the war? I've read about Carbine Williams and saw the movie, Jimmy Stewart, always a favorite, but having trouble w/ the recall. Wasn't it to replace the 1911 in certain applications? Heresy, Heresy cry the true believers!!

Prison stories told by the older officers were of The Ohio State Prison riot in the 50's. 1( In some cellblocks prisoners were not contained in their cells. On the upper floors prisoners filled containers w/ excrement then dumped it down toward officers under-neath them. A response was to hold a Thompson vertical and spray the upper floors w/ slugs. 2( One of the Corporals told of a number of accidental bursts at guard change... handed a Tommy the officer, forgetting it fired from an open chamber,  would manage to release the slide. I don't know how that was done but I don't remember much about the Thompson mech. now.

Ron Habegger

Colt711 wrote:

jmdavis wrote:
I want to say that was the Carbine at Alcatraz in the 30s and 40s. I know someone who could likely say for sure. He lived on the island as a child. 

Wasn't the carbine a development after the start of the war? I've read about Carbine Williams and saw the movie, Jimmy Stewart, always a favorite, but having trouble w/ the recall. Wasn't it to replace the 1911 in certain applications? Heresy, Heresy cry the true believers!!

Prison stories told by the older officers were of The Ohio State Prison riot in the 50's. 1( In some cellblocks prisoners were not contained in their cells. On the upper floors prisoners filled containers w/ excrement then dumped it down toward officers under-neath them. A response was to hold a Thompson vertical and spray the upper floors w/ slugs. 2( One of the Corporals told of a number of accidental bursts at guard change... handed a Tommy the officer, forgetting it fired from an open chamber,  would manage to release the slide. I don't know how that was done but I don't remember much about the Thompson mech. now.

Ron Habegger

I meant the Winchester .351 carbine rather than the M1. Sorry about that. 

I know one way to release the slide on the Thompson, just squeeze that little trigger thingy.

If I recall correctly the carbine was intended to replace the 1911 as most officers that were issued the 1911 couldn't shoot it. However the Carbine was liked and used in the Pacific against the Japanese and large capacity magazines were made by taping two together, when one was empty it was removed flipped over and re-inserted.

jmdavis wrote:Irons or dot? With dot, hold center and break clean shots. With irons set for a sub six, hold at in that area of the target and break good shots. 

Get the USMC workbook from Xins website, read the relevant section there. 

http://www.brianzins.com/wp-content/uploads/USMCPistolTeamWorkbook.pdf

The Brian Zins blog is down (domain expired) so the link above appears to be broken.

Until it's back up if you need a copy of the workbook you can get it here:

USMC Pistol Team Workbook

- Dave