When I began shooting I learned much of my target skills from using BB guns in a range my parents built in the basement. This gave me a great foundation for my target shooting abilities. Gradually, I began using larger caliber firearms and learning more about managing recoil. This led me to begin defensive shooting and, eventually, teaching defensive training classes. Unfortunately, many people do not have the luxury of growing up around firearms and having this slow progression.Utilizing airsoft or laser devices can still be useful to the new student, if utilized properly. Many defensive firearms have affordable replicas that, when used the right ways, can assist with learning defensive shooting skills.
Training Limits
First you must realize what you can and cannot train with these types of weapons. Airsoft, laser devices, or even rimfire ammunition, cannot possibly train you to manage recoil effectively. This makes their value for firing multiple shot strings nearly zero. These multiple shot strings (anywhere from 2-5 shots, normally) are utilized in defensive shooting, and one of the primary techniques for which we train. This makes it necessary to back up what we do utilize these to train with actual live fire from our personal defense firearm. By backing up this training with live fire, we can gain full advantage of the techniques we can learn.
Training Advantages
Intuitive Sighted Fire
In defensive shooting, I teach Intuitive Sighted Fire. To simplify this term, it is basically the idea that you use your sights when needed and do not use them when not needed. The very vast majority of defensive shootings involve the unsighted portion of this. Even shooters such as law enforcement who practice with using sights 100% of the time have stated after a shooting that they did not use their sights. An example of this is a law enforcement officer who teaches the laws portions of my Intro to Defensive Handgun Courses. Recently, in a class, he was talking about using simunitions during reality-based training and that he “never even saw the sights” during most of the simulated shootings.
This unsighted fire can be practiced very well and inexpensively with airsoft, rimfire, or laser devices by getting into a proper shooting position and simply placing the gun in and parallel to your line of sight. By letting your eyes focus on your target and placing the gun in and parallel to this line of sight you are creating a line to the target that the projectile will follow.
Disclaimer: Remember prior to completing these exercises that safety is our top priority. Remember to exercise the 2 primary safety rules of firearms!
1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
A simple exercise for this would be to set up a row of 3-5 paper plates or other similar sized object somewhere between 10 and 15 feet from where you will be shooting from. Start from your preferred ready position and extend the gun out toward the target. Your finger should remain off the trigger at this point. Place your finger on the trigger and, without using your sights, fire a round/airsoft BB/laser. If done properly you should get a hit. Remove your finger from the trigger and return to ready position between each plate and repeat the steps. After completing this drill multiple times, it will become easier to get consistent hits without the need for your sights.
Once you are getting consistent hits, it is time to reinforce this skill with live fire from your defensive handgun. If possible, set up a similar multiple plate system at the range—but if not you can utilize a single plate. Again, start from ready position and extend the gun out parallel to your line of sight. Fire a single round, landing a hit, then return to ready position. Now that you can get single hits, start firing strings of 2 or 3 rounds from ready position. Remember that prior to each string of shots you should return to this ready position.
Presentation from Holster
Another great skill that you can utilize airsoft for is presentation from holster. Beginning to present from holster can be intimidating and safety is key. Utilizing airsoft to build confidence from holster can be very valuable. Again, many modern defensive pistols have airsoft clones that will fit in your holster and allow you to practice this drill.
We will assume you are utilizing a standard strong side hip carry position and, to begin, no concealment garment. Start with your firearm in the holster and your hands in a relaxed position. With your strong hand, grab the grip of the firearm securely in a proper shooting grip. It is important to start your proper grip at this point so you do not need to adjust it after you draw. Clear the holster by bringing the pistol straight up. Many people new to defensive shooting do not completely clear the holster so this motion should be exaggerated to be sure the airsoft pistol is completely clear of the holster. If you utilize a compressed chest ready position, you can now simply orient the gun towards your target and extend and fire the same as the previous drill.
Your support hand can meet the gun at any time (or no time) between ready and firing. It is important to not have a special time they must meet because there are times when that may not happen in a realistic scenario, such as using your support hand to protect a loved one.
This drill should be practiced many times then reinforced with live fire of your defensive pistol. Someone once told me that to get “good” at drawing and firing takes 500 repetitions. Similar to the previous drill, begin with single shots and work towards multiple shot strings. Vary the amount of shots fired between 2 and 5 shots each time.
These drills are drills I practice from time to time to continue to refine the basics of defensive shooting. By utilizing airsoft, or a laser device, you will be able to practice them anywhere and with little-to-no expense. You must remember, though, to reinforce them with live fire from your defensive firearm to gain the most advantage possible.
Jarrod is a defensive pistol instructor and owner of Trigger Time LLC in Mansfield, OH. He can be reached by email at info@triggertimeohio.com.”
Good article. I actually do these drills in my yard using a Beretta PPK replica BB gun. It powered by CO2 and has a blow back slide design that feels similar to the recoil (albeit not as strong) of a real handgun. Gives me inexpensive trigger time and practice.
Nice article! I think airsoft guns are a valuable tool in the gunfighter training tool box. They have the big advantage of being safely usable everywhere, including inside a building.
I’ve been training with my gas blowback H&K USP for more than a year. My draw stroke has settled down and my sight picture is muscle memory. I’d recommend it to anyone! He’ll without the orange tip it’s hard to tell the real pistol from the Airsoft!
I have to agree. Born in 1950, I grew up in an era when the currently all too prevalent “all guns are evil” attitude didn’t yet exist, not even in NY state. I had a BB gun (rifle) by the time I was 7, a BB/pellet pistol at 10 and a.410 over/under shotgun when I was 12. The .410 actually belonged to my grandfather, and I wasn’t allowed to have any shells for it except when with my dad or grandpa, until I got my first hunting license at 14.
While I was first allowed to fire a .22 rifle at 7, until I was 14 the only thing I actually owned and could practice target shooting with was a BB gun, I mostly learned to shoot with that, and it’s how I learned .”intuitive sighted fire”.
A couple years back, when Nevada had stopped recognizing my state’s CCW permits, and I had to go through the Nevada CCW training to get a nonresident permit, I discovered just how useful that kind of shooting can be. There’s a live fire requirement, 30 rounds (if I’m remembering correctly), fired at 3 different distances from the target. For some reason I don’t really know, when I’d change mags, I’d fire the first shot from that mag without using the sights, as I first brought the weapon on target. And I discovered that I seemed to be a little more accurate with those shots than I was with the rest, all of which had been were conventionally aimed, using the sights.
Realizing that a couple of rounds didn’t prove anything and it may just have been accidental or something, I went to a range a couple weeks later. Using the same pistol (a Glock 27) I went through 40 rounds at 30 feet. 20 of them were fired in the “normal” way, proper grip and using the sights to aim each shot. The other 20 I fired by taking the gun off target, then bringing it back on target and firing the round without using the sights when it “felt” right. And yes, it turned out that the 20 “unaimed” shots were more accurate than the aimed ones. Not a lot more accurate, but enough to see it on the targets, with the size of the group on the 20 unaimed rounds target smaller than the group on the 20 aimed rounds target.
The only time in my life I’d intentionally fired a gun without using the sights (combat excepted) had been as a kid with a BB gun, usually playing cowboy with that BB pistol, and while I’m sure this is pretty “unscientific”, I’m convinced I learned that “instinctive” shooting back in my BB gun days.
In fact, I recall that during Basic Training in ’67 the Army taught night fire, where you aren’t actually using sights to aim, using BB rifles.
One caveat. Not all BB guns are created equal. Many of them, usually ones that are specifically designed as “toys” aren’t terribly accurate, and nobody will develop much in the way of skill using one of those to practice with. Conversely, many BB guns are accurate, but even with those the distance at which they’re are accurate is limited, and even that distance varies based on which BB gun you’re talking about. If you’re going to use a BB gun for shooting practice, make sure it’s one that is accurate at whatever distance you’ll be practicing at..
I also agree that the lack of recoil with a BB gun, an Airsoft, or whatever, is a handicap. But I don’t think it’s a really big one. To begin with, I’m of the school that believes that the most important shot you can fire in an actual gunfight is the first one. If you can get a hit with that one, you will have at the very least handicapped your adversary and you’ll have a better chance, and more rime, to get off the second round of a double tap. And while the problem with the follow up shots is that you have to get back on target, that first shot was probably fired by bringing the weapon on target and immediately firing, so it just seems logical that if you’re good at that the subsequent shot(s) aren’t going to be a big problem