Want to Take Your Pistol Training to the Next Level? Start with Safety.

The following is adapted from Process and Progress Pistol Training by Drew Estell.

Safety is one of the most important aspects of our training. If you can’t perform the drills or general mechanics and handling, then you can’t trust yourself to go out onto the range and train to become better the same way those shooters at a high level do. A lot of times, we take safety for granted because we see guys with years of experience who do not appear to acknowledge safety protocols as obviously as newer shooters. They’re not as vocal about it. Why is this? Because for them, safety has been ingrained for years. It’s automatic and not something they have to preach because it has become the standard in all that they do when handling firearms.

Coaches who have spent years in Special Operations, elite law enforcement, and high-level competitions all include safety as a facet in their training. It’s always there and never ignored from the moment a weapon comes out, or they step on the range.

Proper firearms handling for professionals like this doesn’t just apply on a flat range — it’s also practiced at home while they conceal carry, dry fire, or clean their weapons. The gun is always treated as if it’s loaded, and this fact is never compromised. It’s never assumed and always confirmed every time you touch a firearm.

Firearm Safety Rules

Below is a list of the minimum basic firearm safety rules, plus a few extra best practices, that will instill good weapons handling. From the moment someone sees you touch a firearm, they should be confident in your abilities to employ it in the manner your training requires. You should have an ego about this subject, in the sense that you always hold yourself to the highest standard. That’s an example of ego being a positive for you.

1. Treat all weapons as if they are loaded.
2. Always know the condition of your weapon.
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you are willing to destroy your target.
4. Always know what is in front of and behind your target.

Additional range safety practices:

1. Know your left and right limits on the range.
2. Have a medical plan.
3. Identify an evacuation vehicle.
4. Identify the medical bag.
5. Know the nearest hospital.
6. If you unsling your rifle or unholster your pistol to set it down, clear it and lock the bolt/slide to the rear.
7. Wear eye and ear protection at all times unless all firing has stopped.

There is a notional laser coming out of your barrel at all times. Below are the only acceptable directions for it:

1. The laser is pointed at the sky if in the high ready.
2. It’s pointed at the ground if in the low ready.
3. It’s pointed at a target.
4. It’s pointed down range while scanning/searching for targets.

Pistol Loading and Unloading

Loading and unloading procedures are the foundation of proper weapons handling skills. I will say here again that you should never make an assumption about a weapon, and you should always confirm if it is loaded or unloaded. With these steps, if you perform them correctly and in order, you will always know the status of your weapon and be able to confirm it. These procedures were taught to us in the Special Operations community and were briefed and practiced every time we went to the range. From the most inexperienced operator to the most seasoned ones, we all did it. Safety is something never to get complacent with.

Loading

1. Bring weapon up into your workspace in a safe direction.
2. Attempt to place the weapon on safe.
3. Ensure there is no source of feed (ammunition/magazine).
4. Lock slide to the rear.
5. Check three points of contact (those operating parts that a bullet casing would contact), including chamber, mag well, and slide face.
6. Insert magazine, ensuring it is properly seated.
7. Slide forward, observing the chambering of the round.
8. Press check if needed.
9. Bring the weapon down in a safe direction and holster it.

Unloading

1. Bring weapon up into your workspace in a safe direction.
2. Attempt to place on safe.
3. Remove the source of feed.
4. Lock slide to the rear and observe extraction and ejection of the round.
5. Check three points of contact, including chamber, mag well, and slide face.
6. Slide forward.
7. Take one well-aimed shot down range — do not rerack the slide; this way, you know the gun is unable to fire.
8. Bring the weapon down in a safe direction and holster it.

Additional Notes

1. You can modify this protocol slightly to suit your weapon system, but keep in mind these steps will work for all weapons.
2. Every time you touch a firearm, lock the bolt/slide to the rear to observe your three points of contact and confirm that it is loaded. Don’t take anyone else’s word for it.
3. If you hand a weapon over to someone else on the range to shoot or inspect, state whether it is loaded or clear.
4. Conversely, if someone hands you a weapon to shoot or inspect, ask if it is loaded or clear and then confirm for yourself.

I’ve seen these steps save several shooters from having a Negligent Discharge (ND) and possibly costing them the shame of irresponsibility, the financial wallop of repairing a bullet hole in their car, or the incalculable impact of ending someone’s life. One instance was after a day of training with friends and high-level shooters. Just like we all like to do after the shooting is done and we’re packing up, some of the guys were showing off their guns on the back of a truck. There were probably twenty pistols and rifles in the bed, and naturally, everyone was dry firing and handling them. One guy went to pick up a friend’s pistol to check out the milled slide and red dot that he’d just added. His friend said it was clear. He picked up the pistol, pointed it in a safe direction, and as he was about to dry fire it down range, he stopped. He remembered what he had been taught and double-checked that there was no mag in the pistol (there wasn’t), then locked the slide to the rear. A round ejected. Because he stopped himself and did the right thing, he didn’t have an ND. He also didn’t have to look around and explain to everyone there whose pistol it was and say, “He told me it was clear.” It would have been nobody’s fault but his own. He would have been the person who had NDed on the range. Instead, he was the person who did the right thing. It was a good learning opportunity for everyone there and fortunately didn’t result in something far worse.

Be the person who sets the standard on the range. It starts with safety and handling, which enables you to do all of the high-speed movement and drills that you need to. Set the standard for others, because chances are, they won’t. This is a no-compromise skillset.

For more information on pistol training, you can find Process and Progress Pistol Training on Amazon.

Drew Estell served in Army Special Forces in various roles, deploying multiple times across the globe. After retiring from the military, he founded BAER Solutions LLC, providing high-level firearms training to a wide variety of enthusiasts and professionals, including military, police, competitive shooters, and hobbyists across the country.

It has been his great privilege to learn from and trade experience with the finest in the world. This work would not be nearly as thorough or complete without their input, including those who must remain nameless to protect their continued efforts in various arenas.

Connect with Drew online at baersolutionsllc.com.