Firearms Training

Handguns are complex little devils. Even a Glock, widely considered the simplest of all handguns, has 30+ parts. A 1911 has maybe double that. With that many parts, things are bound to go wrong occasionally. There are two reasons your gun might stop running; malfunctions and jams. Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. A “malfunction” is a temporary stoppage of your gun. A malfunction may be caused by lack of ammunition, failure to feed a live round properly, failure to eject a spent case properly, etc. Malfunctions can be diagnosed and fixed very quickly, so you can get right back into the gunfight. “Jams” are at the other end of the spectrum. A jam basically means your gun is broken. Problems like a broken firing pin or a broken trigger return spring result in a jam. To fix a jam you will likely need tools, parts, and time. A jam is NOT a problem you can fix in the heat of battle. To avoid jams, the best you can do is purchase a high-quality handgun, maintain it properly, use high-quality ammunition, and hope for the best. The good news is that handguns rarely “jam.”

Since a malfunction can be diagnosed and cleared in the middle of a gunfight, let’s explore the best way to do that. You had better be proficient at clearing malfunctions; your life may well depend on it!

There are four basic types of malfunctions with a semi-automatic handgun:

1. Failure to Fire. This is when the trigger seemed to function properly but the gun didn’t go “Bang!” This is often caused by an empty chamber but may also be caused by a bad round of ammunition.
2. Failure to Eject. This is when a spent case didn’t eject properly and is now bound up in the ejection port.
3. Failure to Feed. This is when two items are competing for the chamber at the same time. This is usually caused by an extraction problem but may also be caused by a faulty magazine.
4. Failure to go into Battery. This is when the slide is not quite all the way forward in the proper position. This is often caused by a dirty gun, weak recoil spring, or bad ammunition.

We at Front Sight firmly believe that you are an intelligent being who is capable of diagnosing and fixing these various malfunctions, even under stress. We therefore, have several different clearance procedures to handle these malfunctions. Now to be fair, you will need to learn each clearance procedure and practice it to become proficient.

There are other training facilities, particularly some major police departments, who feel that people are mere bumbling idiots under stress and will not be able to diagnose anything. Therefore, these folks have only one malfunction clearance which handles everything. This is the classic example of “One size fits all.” Their chosen solution for any malady is a Type 3 Malfunction clearance because it will fix the following issues:

• Type 1 (failure to fire)
• Type 2 (failure to eject)
• Type 3 (failure to feed)
• Type 4 (failure to go into battery)
• Tactical Reload (partially depleted magazine)
• Speed Reload (partially depleted magazine)
• Emergency Reload (completely empty gun)

On the surface, this sounds pretty smart. If your gun stops running, regardless of the cause, you apply the exact same procedure. No thinking required! After all, “Keep it simple,” right? The only problem with this approach is time. Yes, you can use the most laborious clearance technique to fix any malfunction, but it comes at the expense of wasted time. For example, to diagnose and clear a Type 1 Malfunction takes perhaps 1.5 seconds. To clear a Type 3 Malfunction takes perhaps six seconds. If you apply the Type 3 malfunction clearance to a Type 1 Malfunction, you will certainly fix the problem but you just wasted 4.5 seconds. The average gunfight lasts roughly 2.5 – 3 seconds. If you waste 4.5 seconds in the middle of a gunfight, the fight may well be over…and the other guy won!

It is much more time efficient to diagnose the problem and apply the correct solution rather than apply an “overkill” solution. You are an intelligent person. Why use a sledge hammer when you really need a screwdriver? True, the correct diagnosis and correct clearance procedures will take some training. Imagine…I know just the place to get it!