Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got… the birth of a new Recurring Feature, since I haven’t had a chance to really put anything through testing for new Gear Reviews in a while.

WARNING: There is a certain amount of inherent danger in any firearms activity. Neither RedState nor the author assume any liability for any consequences of attempting these exercises. Always follow the Four Rules of Firearms Safety, and always wear eye and ear protection.

Introducing the “Drill Of The Month”

I figured it might be interesting for the RedState Gun Club to discuss, and compare scores on, various useful drills, with particular attention to the Qualifiers for those who keep our streets safe–some surprisingly difficult, others laughably easy, all helpful in their own way. Suggestion to CCW holders with LEO connections from trainer Greg Ellifritz:

I regularly advise students to shoot their local police qualification course, have it signed and witnessed by a shooting partner (or even better a police instructor), and save the target.  It’s an idea I got from Massad Ayoob.  If you have to shoot someone in self defense and your abilities are questioned by the court, it makes a pretty powerful statement to say:

“As a responsible gun owner, I didn’t feel comfortable carrying my gun in public until my skill level was at least as good as the police officers who patrol my community.  I took several training classes and I successfully completed the state’s police pistol qualification course.  Here’s the target to prove it.”

That might shut down any line of questioning that disparages your skill set or paints you as someone who is “reckless” or “wants to shoot someone.”

–from Ellifritz’s preface introducing the New FBI Qualifier at http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/shooting-drill-fbi-qualification-test (a drill we will examine at a later date)

We’re kicking this series off with the “old” Federal Air Marshal qualifier, one of the hardest of all Quals–it’s said that in the early days, before taking a flight or group of flights on duty, you had to fly to Headquarters in DC, shoot the Qual and get a PERFECT score–and you had to do it every time you reported for duty to Fly the Unfriendly Skies. Thanks to Jim Barrett at The Truth About Guns for reporting on this one.

WARNING: This is an EXTREMELY challenging drill. Do not expect to pass it on your first attempt, especially if you choose the smaller-“critical zone” QIT-99 target–you have to be very fast, and the QIT-99’s two smaller “critical boxes” take the drill from “very difficult” to “near impossible.”

TARGET/EQUIPMENT: FBI QIT-97 or QIT-99 “Milk Jug”. QIT-97 is a “bottle inside the bottle” representing the entire Central Nervous System region, QIT-99’s two smaller sub-targets representing only brain and heart. Drill Five uses two targets and Drill Six three, all others only one each. You will also need a shot timer and a concealment holster for your weapon of choice; if you really want authenticity, rent or borrow a Sig P229 with the DAK trigger-pack.

RANGE: Seven yards.

SCORING: Clean hits to the inner bottle not touching the outline, five points each. Touching either outline or between them, two points each. Outside the outer outline, zero points. Possible score 150 points, minimum passing 135. If you want to keep a running score-sheet as you go, the folks at Pistol-Training.com have thoughtfully assembled one at http://pistol-training.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/PTC-FAM-TPC.pdf.

STAGES: All seven stages must be Passed to Qualify.

1. (Two Rounds) Start with concealment-holstered weapon and hands at sides. On timer’s beep, draw and fire. Note time, then holster and repeat when ready. Your combined beep-to-fire times must be 3.3 seconds or less to pass.
2. (Four Rounds) Start with weapon at Low Ready. On the beep, raise to firing stance and double-tap target. Note time, then return to Low Ready and repeat when ready. Your combined beep-to-second-shot times must be 2.7 seconds or less to pass.
3. (Six Rounds) Start with weapon at Low Ready. On the beep, raise to firing stance and fire six rounds. Your time limit is three seconds.
4. (Four Rounds) Start with weapon at Low Ready. On the beep, raise to firing stance, fire one shot, reload and fire a second. Note time, then return to Low Ready and repeat when ready. Your combined beep-to-second-shot times must be 6.5 seconds or less to pass.
5. (Four Rounds; two targets, three yards apart) Start with weapon at Low Ready. On the beep, raise to firing stance, fire one shot into each target. Note time, then return to Low Ready and repeat when ready. Your combined beep-to-second-shot times must be 3.3 seconds or less to pass.
6. (Six Rounds; three targets, spacing unknown but probably about three yards) This stage is basically what’s called  an “El Presidente Drill,” but with a minor difference of not requiring a raised-hands start. Begin with concealment-holstered weapon, back to targets. On the beep, turn, draw and fire one round into each target. Note time, then reset and repeat, but turn in OPPOSITE direction (i.e., if your first string starts with a right turn, your second must be a left). Your combined beep-to-second-shot times must be 7 seconds or less to pass. (Par score in Cooper’s original hands-up version was ten seconds with perfect hits every shot.)
7. (Four Rounds; setup with one round chambered and empty magazine) Start with weapon at Low Ready. On the beep, raise to firing stance, fire one shot,  then drop to one knee while reloading and fire second. Note time, then repeat. Your combined beep-to-second-shot times must be 8 seconds or less to pass. (Par score in Cooper’s original hands-up version was ten seconds with perfect hits every shot.)

If anybody out there in Reader Land manages to shoot a “PASS” score, especially a “Possible” (perfect 150/150), please drop a shout in the Comments next week. I’m toying with the idea of suggesting an informal “RS Shooting League” to Management, keeping record of participants’ scores on the DOTM series for the year. Whatever your score, just for trying this one, go have a cold one afterward, you’ll have surely earned it.

This Week In History

• Sunday, 5/27: Golden Gate Bridge opens, 1937; Olympian Louie Zamperini’s B-24 shot down over PTO, 1943
• Monday, 5/28: Washington begins Seven Years’ War, 1754; The Virginian published, 1902; Hamburger Hill abandoned, 1969
• Tuesday, 5/29: “Tarleton’s Quarter,” 1780; Wisconsin statehood, 1848; Reagan arrives for Moscow Summit, 1988
• Wednesday, 5/30: Kansas-Nebraska Act takes effect, 1854; first Indianapolis 500, 1911; WWII and Korea representatives interred at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1958
• Thursday, 5/31: Congress enacts Copyright Act, 1790; Battle of Cold Harbor, 1864; Ford builds last Model T to end a run of over fifteen million, 1927
• Friday, 6/1: Madison asks Congress to declare war on U.K., 1812; Pershing engages Germans at Belleau Wood, 1918; Heimlich maneuver first published, 1974
• Saturday, 6/2: Bridget Bishop first defendant of Salem Witch trials, 1692; Barnum’s circus begins first tour, 1835; Coolidge signs Indian Citizenship Act, 1924

Today’s Birthdays: Goldsmith-jeweler Peter Carl Faberge (of Faberge Egg fame), 1846; filmmaker Howard Hawks, 1896; voice-acting legend Mel Blanc, 1908.

Holidays Around the World: It’s Mother’s Day in Nicaragua and Parliament Day in Croatia. Trinidad & Tobago commemorates Indian Arrival Day, and Spain celebrates Canary Islands Day.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways – These end tomorrow, except as noted!

• *American Handgunner magazine, for an Olympic Arms KRP Retro AR15 pistol (ends 7/31), S&W Hi-Viz .500 Magnum revolver (ends 8/1) or Springfield SAINT AR15 pistol package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a Mossberg 590M Heat Shield shotgun (ends 7/31), Aero Precision M4E1 rifle (ends 6/30), or Midland Arms 4-shotgun family-pack: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Diamondback Firearms DB9 AM2 Sub-Compact 9mm pistol or DB1065CB 6.5 Creedmoor rifle: https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/marswso
• GrabAGun, for an Anderson AM-15 7.62x39mm AR-pattern rifle: http://grabagun.com/giveawaySpringfield Armory, for a package of an M1A SOCOM 7.62 rifle plus 9mm and .45 XD pistols: http://www.springfield-armory.com/resources/giveaways/

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

Public Service Announcement for “Sanctuary State” Residents
If you would like to report illegal aliens, please call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (347-2423). They will need to know names, locations (either work place or residence) and any other specific information you can provide. Visit http://www.ice.gov for more information.

Quote of the Day

If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.–Michael Crichton

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. And as so eloquently coined by ntrepid, “Thanks for the click! Your effort helps fund future posts of this nature.”

Copyright Diamondback, 2018; publication license granted exclusively to RedState. If you’re reading this anywhere BUT RedState, you are seeing STOLEN PROPERTY.

Tip Jar – If you like what you read here, please consider hitting one of these and further funding my modest little effort. Thanks! 🙂

• 1-800-Guns And Ammo: http://i.refs.cc/ov8iWvDx?u=1522834489762 – You get 5% off your first order, I get 75 Rewards Points. (~$7.50 store credit)
• Dvor: https://www.dvor.com/s/8l190b – I get $10 in store credit after your first order ships.
• Star Citizen computer game: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-JRY4-Z754 – You get 5000 credits for the in-game store, and if you buy a $40 game package I get a Recruitment Point toward some cool stuff. (Next goal: 5 more RP’s to a free ship.)