Guns and Holsters

[Chapuis]

Properly used, a holster is a safety device: in fact, British Military training instructions on pistols refer to the holster as a case. The rules should be simple: the pistol should be cleared and holstered. The pistol is NEVER drawn from the holster except under the command of a range officer or in an approved designated fumble zone.
This is no different from Gallery Rifle procedure where the rifle is cased until on the firing point of a "live" range.
Fred

I'm in total agreement with you Fred and wearing a holster on our club range would be considered perfectly acceptable but there again most of us were pistol shooters and it was the norm. Unfortunately some shooters are not familiar with pistols even the those of the long barrelled variety these days.
All this talk about hot and cold is irrelevant as not many events or ranges are run hot so guns should have been confirmed as clear by the R.O. before it was holstered. I wonder if the people who talked about this on the range have actually shot a hot event in the first place.

[bradaz11]

so it sounds like its going to be a case of it depends on who's club I join then? I'm going to have to be joining a club in the Bristol / weston area, so It looks like that is going to have to be a consideration. the guy I work with is a member of BDRC and apparently they are very strict on the range, including max 4* of movement of muzzle, so sounds like shooting from a standing position is out too

[bigfathairybiker]

I get a bit confused with rule one sometimes.
What with all the "loaded" firearms pointing down range while I change my target...

Btw: I believe our club does not allow holstered firearms at all. With the possible exception in that as long as the holster is not attached to the person. And no firearm arms even if in a holster are kept within and outer covering until on the firing point.
Even then they must be removed from the holster between sessions to allow inspection by the RCO.

Mark

[Maggot]

No

I wont have it


Holsters are deadly


Many years ago I had an Air trooper put a round from a Browning into the deck just in front of himself

reason?

I have never done this with a holster before Corporal......FFS

Quite what that had to do with a make safe being some how transformed into simply bunging another mag onto a held back slide and the slide being released beats me (I was looking at another chap, my colleague saw the offence).

Got it the wrong way round bless. He got away with it, no harm done and iffy ammo apparently (again not sure how that makes the situation above but apparently it does).

So the morel is, "never trust a gobshite" The same man refused to soldier on exercise some months later and got a good smack for his attack on the det commander....never rush someone with their back to a wall and expect to win unless you are sure. It was the first and only time as an NCO I was ever forced to defend myself against a fool with a GS Shovel.

The annoying thing I was usually a "Sgt Wilson" type, "do me a favour will you" or "Do you mind doing this for me", very democratic and that's what you get

They should have kept him in Collie IMHO

[Chapuis]

Maggot what you describe there is poor or inadequate training with a pistol something for which many units of the British forces have been guilty of in the past and continue this day. I have witnessed some of the very worst gun handling ever by certain units and in particular with pistols. Far worse than I have ever seen on a civilian range.

That plus the continued use of a magazine safety on the Browning GP and poor drills are a recipe for a ND.

[Brookers]

so it sounds like its going to be a case of it depends on who's club I join then? I'm going to have to be joining a club in the Bristol / weston area, so It looks like that is going to have to be a consideration. the guy I work with is a member of BDRC and apparently they are very strict on the range, including max 4* of movement of muzzle, so sounds like shooting from a standing position is out too

Braddaz,

If your looking for a club in that area try FDPC, we will be opening the new range in the next few months in Shepton Mallet. Indoors and 7 days a week shooting with a 50 and 25m range. The 50 will be approved for FB rifle as well. You wont get any silliness with us. Everyone and is welcome, all disciplines are supported and encouraged so long as it's safe. We are a club founded on practical so it's positively encouraged. We are also actively recruiting new members.

As far as we are concerned a holster is a primary safety zone. Of course the shooter must check the pistol is clear before holstering in an appropriate safety zone and the pistol must be proved clear to the RO after firing before re-holstering.
Personally my LBP spends as little time in the holster as possible, it's a unwieldy lump to carry holstered all the time on the range. Most of the time it's in it's bag.
Pre 97 I never understood why people wanted to carry a pistol around in a holster all day, it gets uncomfortable, especially if your using a race holster!

Brookers

[Chapuis]

Brookers you are certainly right when you say "I never understood why people wanted to carry a pistol around in a holster all day, it gets uncomfortable, especially if your using a race holster!"
A proper pistol (not an LBR/LBP) is however safer unloaded and holstered than left on the firing point where it can be interfered with by others.

[Brookers]

Brookers you are certainly right when you say "I never understood why people wanted to carry a pistol around in a holster all day, it gets uncomfortable, especially if your using a race holster!"
A proper pistol (not an LBR/LBP) is however safer unloaded and holstered than left on the firing point where it can be interfered with by others.

While you have a point I don't leave a gun on the firing point when going forward, it's bagged and put away. I have always found in the past 23 years of range shooting that my fellow shooters are the most trustworthy people I have the pleasure to spend time with. I wouldn't think twice about leaving my wallet in view on top of my bag at my club. However I would never leave a chocolate bar on view with the gannets I shoot with

Brookers

[mr smith]

Don't know about carrying one in a holster all day but for a couple of hours on Sunday morning back in the day was the easiest way.However the lbp/lbr's are a pain in the wotsit stupid long bloody things that they are

[TattooedGun]

Brookers you are certainly right when you say "I never understood why people wanted to carry a pistol around in a holster all day, it gets uncomfortable, especially if your using a race holster!"
A proper pistol (not an LBR/LBP) is however safer unloaded and holstered than left on the firing point where it can be interfered with by others.

While you have a point I don't leave a gun on the firing point when going forward, it's bagged and put away. I have always found in the past 23 years of range shooting that my fellow shooters are the most trustworthy people I have the pleasure to spend time with. I wouldn't think twice about leaving my wallet in view on top of my bag at my club. However I would never leave a chocolate bar on view with the gannets I shoot with

Brookers

This is my thinking.

However I have been on some ranges that are not clubs where I wouldn't want to leave my firearms unattended, as such to walk 100m away I've bagged and taken my rifle with me. However I have always found that clubs generally do a good job of filtering out the riff raff and watch over your gear whilst changing targets if needed.

I've never seen anyone interfering with something that was not theirs, and especially not whilst people are down range changing targets.

A holster for a muzzle loader on an unfamiliar range however, I would agree with. Providing it's safe and unloaded, that's fine. In an indoor club situation at 25 yards with closed doors, a holster would be wholly unnecessary, specifically with LBR/LBP, I'd suggest wearing a holster would make you look like a bit of a walt...