Dave asked a great question that I have never thought about addressing on the blog concerning holster fit issues when using Big Dot’s on a Ruger SP101.  Our experience has been that this isn’t an issue.  While they are a big front sight, they are not so big as to cause holster fit issues in most cases.  Since we started doing the conversion several years ago, we haven’t had anyone inform us of an issue.

In fact, we install almost as many of these sights on Glocks as we do the SP 101’s, and the experience has been the same.  They seem to work out just fine.

I would like to hear from some of you on this subject.  If you have been using Big Dots on your SP 101’s and have good holster that works for you, post it in the comments.  Also, if you are aware of any holsters not suited for this combo, let us know that as well.

I had a friend who was pulled over the other day for making a U turn at the top of a hill in a park.  Might sound petty, but Law Enforcement will often make a stop on what you think is a minor violation to make sure you are a squared away driver.  If your license and registration come back clean, most of the time you will get off with a warning.

During the course of the stop my friend failed to mention that he had a concealed weapon in the car.  He has handgun carry permit, but it didn’t cross his mind to alert the officer.  The database informed the officer that he was a CCW Permit holder.  You can imagine the officer’s level of frustration when he returned.  He gave a stern warning and a lecture about proper procedure.

I want to remind all of our readers that Cops are generally (yes there are a few who are not, but then again there are gas station attendants that aren’t cool either so get over it) cool if you let them know.  Cops aren’t afraid of guns they know about.  If you are pulled over, immediately alert the officer when he approaches your car, make no sudden movements and wait for instructions.

In some places the law requires you to inform the officer.  In others it is not required, but I promise your stop will go a lot better if you are considerate of the officer’s safety.

I had a conversation last week with a metro officer who was alerted to a baby left in a car in a mall parking lot.  The young teenage father claimed he forgot about the child while he went in to buy some shoes with a friend.  When the officer arrived at the vehicle, the child had been in the car for about 20 minutes with an inside temperature around 106 F.

The officer used a neat tool called Res-Q-Me. This tool allows you to break a window without any force.  Press the round end against the window, and a spring loaded metal piece will shatter the window.  It also comes with a seat belt cutter.

For $9.95 you can get this at Cops Plus.  Cops Plus is a great website for those of you interested in LE gear, but they also have a great selection of gear for civilians as well.  You might think about adding one of these to your key ring or leaving one in an accessible place in your vehicles in case you ever need to get out of a car quickly when doors will not open.

By the way, thanks to the officer the child made a full recovery.

We are truly in the dog days of summer in Nashville.  The heat has been unrelenting over the last few weeks.  This week we have seen highs near 100 F.  For those of you that use Kydex, you need to be mindful of leaving your holsters and mag pouches vehicles.

One of the greatest improvements in Kydex has been the ability of holster makers to offer a thinner material that makes the holsters less bulky and easier to use.  Most of the makers have done a good job balancing the need for sturdy material with the newer thicknesses.  The downside is that they will curl up or deform if left in your vehicle.

Kydex can be shaped and manipulated by using a heat gun for a few minutes.  Think of your car as the ultimate heat gun.  If it is hot, take your kydex with you.

I am sorry to have to post this, but I must.  It is in no way relevant to what we do here, but it should have you in stitches.  Please watch the videos in order for full effect.

I just put another pair of XS Big Dots on for a retired cop yesterday, and I am continually impressed with the response they generate.  Lately it seems we have been doing a pile of revolver work, but the last three weeks have seen Big Dots going on Glocks like crazy.  If you have been considering them, let me tell you why you might want to get them installed on your Glock.

The Big Dots are as fast as any sight that is out there.  They make a great IDPA sight or carry gun sight because of how quickly they can be acquired.  Put the dot where you want the impact to be.

The other group of people who love them are the guys who are wearing bifocals.  As we all know, sights get harder to see when our vision up close gets blurry.  Big Dots don’t rely on you to get the sights leveled across the top, and they don’t require you to get equal amounts of light on either side of the front sight.  Dot the i and let it roll.

And believe me they are plenty accurate.  Check out the following video for a little proof.

We have just added our Precision Rifle class to our Training Department.  It is amazing how fast this segment of our business is taking off.  The latest news is that our Precision Instructor has been selected for NRA Law Enforcement Sniper Instructor School.  This is a great honor and we are extremely excited and proud of him.

If you are interested in maximizing the potential of your long range shooting abilities, our one day class is for you.  We will teach you the fundamentals of precision shooting and help you grow as a shooter. You will come away with everything you need to begin your quest to hitting that elusive 1,000 yard target.

The class is a one day class at one of our private ranges.  Class size is limited to 2 unless you schedule a special private class.  You will get lots of hands on instruction by one of the best instructors around.

By the way, we just picked up our second Law Enforcement Agency who have chosen us to keep their guys up to date.  If you want to schedule a class or have questions about the class email us.

You have probably heard me say that your Glock trigger will never feel like your 1911 trigger.  The two systems are so radically different in form and function that it is impossible to replicate that wonderful 1911 feeling.

I recently had a customer come to me for help with the overtravel on his Glock.  He is an avid 1911 shooter who didn’t know if he could make the transition to the Glock.  He was interested in the Ghost Rocket Trigger because the overtravel can be adjusted.

As you can see from the above photo there is a tab that can be adjusted to precisely stop the overtravel that can hurt accuracy.  The Rocket cuts the pull to a very smooth pull of #3.5.  I actually think that the Rocket is probably the best connector that Ghost offers as far as the actual feel once it is installed. We generally don’t use it because of the extra cost to the customer ($75 for a trigger job with the Rocket installed), but it definitely makes a noticeable difference.

If you have a good 1911 setup but are a little frustrated with your Glock, give it a try.  You might find that it really does make a big difference in how you think about your Glock.

We have scheduled the Advanced Pistol Class for September 18.  This is a dynamic course that will move you beyond the basics of pistol shooting.  We will be involved in a lot of dynamic shooting from different positions as well as working on the fundamentals of pistol carry.

One of the things I want to make clear to everyone is that this is not a class on tactics.  While we will do some shooting from behind barricades, shooting from strong and weak hand, and shooting while moving, this class is geared to help you become proficient at drawing and firing your handgun.

If you have any questions about the class specifically, please feel free to email me.

It isn’t often that you run across a double feed malfunction when shooting your favorite pistol.  When you do, they can be a bear to clear if you don’t follow some simple steps to get your gun up and running.

Description:  A double feed is when you have one round in the chamber and another round is released from the magazine in order to feed.  Now you have two rounds trying to get into one chamber.

How does it happen?  You put one round in the chamber manually with the slide locked back, and then inserted the magazine and released the slide.  Or, you had round not fully seat in the chamber and didn’t fully extract it with a power stroke of the slide.  When you pulled back the slide, it didn’t get rid of the round and released another from the magazine to feed.

Get it cleared!  Step one: Lock the slide to the rear.  Step 2:  Dump the magazine.  Step3:  Rack, Rack, Rack the slide.  Step 4:  Lock it to the rear and visually inspect the chamber to make sure there is not anything left.  Step5:  Insert new mag and release the slide.

There are several things to consider with this type of malfunction that might save your life if you are ever presented with this scenario in real life.  First, carry a gun with a slide lock.  This past weekend one of our students had a double feed with a Walther 380 that didn’t have a slide lock.  He couldn’t get the malfunction cleared because he had to hold the slide back, release and strip the magazine all at the same time.  I was able to clear it for him, but it was much more difficult.

Second, carry a spare mag if you run an semi-auto.  Many of our police readers know that you get a little lazy off duty and just go with the mag in the gun.  Life is much easier if you have a spare mag for this type of malfunction.  In fact, life is just easier with a spare mag.  It will fix most of your issues.

Finally, practice this malfunction with dummy rounds.  Load a dummy round manually in the chamber while the slide is locked back and then insert your mag and release another dummy round.  Practice clearing it with the above procedure.  You will find that if it ever happens you will be better prepared.