Training Without Training Scars

I improved my training game by using one of the best sub-caliber training tools I have discovered in the industry, the Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5" C02 Blowback .177 BB Air Pistol. The Springfield Armory XD-M 4.5" C02 Blowback .177 BB Air Pistol is a licensed replica made for Springfield Armory provided by Air Venturi. Air Venturi is an importer and distributor of precision air and CO2 products, well known for their curation of high-end products.

This article appeared in the September/October issue of OFFICER Magazine. Click Here to subscribe to OFFICER Magazine.

I picked the XD-M BB Gun for several reasons. Foremost is the fact that it is designed for training without training scars.

What are training scars? These are unintended consequences of doing artificial practice that develop habits or responses that are detrimental to the training goal. Some training scars actually become dangerous habits. For example, in magazine changes, some instructors allow the trainees to catch the magazines that fall from the gun, rather than allowing them to hit the ground. Imagine if this practice was so ingrained that an Officer did this on the street in the middle of a gunfight.

I use plenty of training tools, but consider their limitations when I use them. I believe that sub caliber tools are as important as dry firing the duty gun. For example, I have several replica .177 caliber CO2 pistols that are very accurate, and they fit into the holsters of the guns they imitate. The magazines resemble the real ones, but they don’t operate the gun in that manner. To avoid training scars, I use them for some training, but not magazine changes.

Training scars are almost inevitable, but there are somethings we can do to avoid them. One thing, of which I am guilty, is to quit simulating cover. In training, sometimes we simulate that we are behind cover when we aren’t, and other times we mentally extend the cover, or the capabilities of the cover, in order to ensure continuity in training. Use this “training poetic license” sparingly.

XD-M BB Gun’s magazines can hold 20 rounds, and the CO2 cartridge. This is good, because the gun will not operate without a loaded magazine. The magazines are made of machined metal, and match the dimensions of the real thing. Although there are products with similar designs, this is one of the few subcaliber training tools where the magazines and the gun are almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

The detail is amazing. The slide cycles while firing, the trigger safety works, and the striker indicator protrudes appropriately. It field strips in a similar manner. The details make it the perfect low recoil trainer.

The BBs are loaded by pulling down on the follower and placing BBs into a trough that runs along the bullet side of the magazine. The back side of the magazine looks like the back side of the actual firearm’s magazine, including witness holes.

I thought it would take forever to load the magazine. It is a little hard to pull the tension follower back and hold it with the tip of my fingernail. I thought I had to load the BBs one at a time. It was then I realized that the bottom end of the loading trough is beveled. One simply pulls the spring back far enough and dumps BBs into the beveled area. It takes about 5 seconds to load the magazine completely.

I started running the three magazines I had into the gun. I didn’t count, but it seemed like I got between 2-3 reloads (60 rounds or so), before I refueled with another CO2 cylinder.

In my experience as a firearms trainer, I have not come across a more realistic subcaliber trainer, except “real guns” that have been converted into 22 caliber tools. Still, the XD-M BB Gun makes a better trainer because there is no need for ear protection. This adds to better shooter/coach work.

I’m sure everyone will be asking if it can be used to coach accuracy. It certainly can, as it groups rather well, but at reduced ranges. Accuracy falls off past about 7 yards. At 3-5 yards, it is perfect.

The XD-M BB Gun has a consistent sear reset and trigger pull, which can be used to train the shooter in sear reset habits. Because it is inexpensive and operationally accurate, it can be considered a dry fire trainer that actually sends a projectile downrange. I know, this sounds like an oxymoron for those outside of the firearms training community.

How to Use this Training Tool

Before we get going, I want you to know that I have talked to dozens of Officers who have been involved in OISs (Officer Involved Shooting incidents). I can count on one hand the number of times I have been told that the Officer discharged enough cartridges for a magazine change. Much of the information we have about OIS incidents is largely anecdotal. However, what we do know is enough to suggest that magazine change practice is lower priority, provided standard capacity magazines are used. Stoppages are another story. Officers need to train for all kinds of equipment failure, including stoppages.

For most stoppages on a duty gun, Officers can use the T-R-T method, which stands for Tap-Rack-Target. Since most stoppages are magazine related, we begin by tapping the base of the magazine. After tapping the magazine, we move on to pulling the slide rearward, which is indicated by the “Rack” part of the mnemonic. Finally, we reacquire the target, and engage, as necessary. I’m going to refine this action later, so this is enough for now.

We used to teach “Tap-Rack-Bang”, by the way. However, this left out the critical component of target assessment. That is, if the target is no longer a threat, or what you did before TRT was effective, the “Bang” part is not necessary, or may be delayed.

This is where the XD-M BB Gun really shines.  There is something I emphasize in my classes.  Almost all gun manipulations should be done at chest level. That is, clearing a stoppage, reloading, press checking, and similar operations should be close to the chest. This is where the arms and hands are strongest, and easy to monitor.

For magazine changes and immediate action (clearing stoppages), I teach having the gun somewhere in the vicinity of the chest, often where the barrel is pointing about 45 degrees up, with the flat side of the gun parallel to the flat side of the body. If done in this manner, the gun is not pointing downrange.

This is hard to do and still maintain a strict “muzzle pointing down range” attitude, especially when introducing these perishable skills. Since we often strictly enforce muzzle discipline, the student sometimes gets either a mash up of “sort of close to the body”, or strategies that include moving the strong side foot back so the shooter is doing gun manipulations in an aggressively bladed stance.

Moving the strong side foot back is not a bad idea. Because it presents a bladed stance to the target, it makes sense to do this while training. It can be the initial part of the fluid motion of gun manipulations. I have only one problem with training in this manner. Immediate action drills and magazine changes should begin with getting behind cover. If we are going to train these things realistically, we would drop behind cover while doing them.

TRT Refined

When I started to look at how we normally TRT, I found that it began with arms extended, in a shooting position, and ended with the arms with the arms extending. If we Tap the base of the magazine, the natural position of the hand is a “cup and saucer” position, where the fingers are on the outside of the gun, in relation to the body. I noticed that the closer the palm of the hand stays to the gun, the faster it gets back into the fight. The quickest way to do this is to drag the palm from the base of the gun to the top of the slide, never losing contact. As the gun gets closer to the body, the non-firing hand will naturally rotate while the palm maintains contact with the gun. For the right handed shooter, the left hand rotates counterclockwise.

The other factor that increases efficiency is to understand that the shooter is not pulling the slide back. The trick is to pinch the slide and push the gun forward. This subtle difference will help clear a stubborn cartridge.

Some instructors add other things, like rocking the ejection port downward to help the stuck cartridge eject better. This is ok. I have heard that some argue that letting the non-firing hand travel all the way to the chest when racking the slide is wasted time, so shooters should avoid this. I have not been able to prove this with a shot timer, so I don’t even address it. During a reload, however, it is quicker to use the slide release on a slide locked to the rear than reach for the top of the slide.

Shooters should learn to asses the stoppage by looking and feeling. This does not interrupt the procedure. It just encourages the use of peripheral vision. On most semi autos, if the initial racking of the slide does not clear the gun, the intermediate action is to drop the magazine and rack three times. This will clear the largest percentage of stoppages, especially with Glocks and similar designs.  After that, reload a new magazine.

All of these skills can be practiced using the XD-M BB Gun.

Magazine Changes

Magazine changes are similar to immediate action. The manipulations are done close to the chest. With the XD-M BB Gun, one can practice correct hand positioning, including placing the fingertip of the non-firing hand on the bullet side of the magazine. Since the XD-M BB Gun has ambidextrous magazine releases and magazines that feel like they are full of cartridges, it can be utilized by departments walking Officers through critical manipulations.

At home, I used a strip of carpet to cushion my magazines, rather than letting them fall on concrete. They were unaffected by the sandy floor of my range.  

You Know Me

All of my shooting range buddies know that I like BB guns, CO2 powered tools, and even airsoft tools. I often end a training session with a simple BB gun shoot, and use replicas to instill or correct habits. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have an area in my garage that has a BB trap and some steel targets. When I began testing the XD-M BB Gun, I already was enamored with it. It is a serious training tool, but it also a lot of fun. The cost of this tool is a good investment for Agencies who use the XD-M patterned guns for duty. The real ones make great duty guns. The BB guns are perfect trainers.