draw techniques input/explanation of Dracula draw

[HungWeiLo]

I'm curious as to how most of you draw from a concealed holster, and wanted to share my methods.

I use two different techniques, depending on clothing.  Heavy clothing, like a leather vest or heavy jacket, I just sweep back with my gun hand and then draw.  The material will fling back far enough to not get tangled up.  When wearing an open shirt over the holster, this doesn't always work though, because its too light to go back very far.  A few months back I read about a technique called the "Dracula draw."  The name comes from the fact it sort of looks like Dracula pulling his cape up to turn into a bat, although not nearly as pronounced.

I'm right handed, so I'll use "left" and "right" instead of "weak" and "strong" but you get the idea.

With my left hand I grab my shirt on the left side.  Just as a natural movement I grab it just below belly button hieght.  Then jerk the shirt left while going for the gun with the right hand.  As soon as your right hand closes on the grip, let go of the shirt with the left hand and start bringing it up to meet the gun for a two handed grip.

The benefit is is always gets the shirt out of the way and their is no danger of it falling back in the way before you clear the holster.  A second benefit is that the movement to your left draws an assailants attention to that direction briefly, making the appearance of a gun a bit more surprising and moving your apparent (intuitive) center of mass a bit left as well.  Moving right while drawing will help get you out of the line of threat.

This sounds more complex than it is.  I've got it into "muscle memory" now, and I started with the simplest part and then added to it until I had it all down.  The hardest part was remembering to let go of the shirt to go to the two handed grip, so I ended up walking sideways with a one handed grip and my shirt still held out to the side.  Yes, I looked like a dork.   So, I practiced just the grab and clear, then added the draw and grip, then added the movement.  Now its second nature.  

It works fine with the vest or jacket as well, so if I get confused and use this, it will work unless I'm in a sweatshirt.   I've found that to be the slowest, though, with the left hand jerking up the sweatshirt on the right side while pulling the gun.

[Walt-Sherrill]

Sounds like a workable method -- but there is a possible downside.

If you practice a two-handed technique, you're going to be SOL if you have only one hand available.   I'd focus on a one-handed method, and try to get as fast as possible with that.

(One of the things we do with our IDPA scenarios, from time to time, if make people carry something in their off hand -- not only does it screw up their shooting, it screws up their draw dramatically.)

[Glockguy-23]

Walt has a very good point.  One should never depend on having both hands available to complete the draw.  Weak hand may be occupied or disabled.  For that matter, the strong hand may be disabled.  You have to take all possibilities into consideration, when training.  With an open cover garment like a jacket or vest, it is quite easy to cup the fingers, and at sturnam level, hook the garment and sweep it rearward, then simply move the hand straight down to the grip.  Sweatshirts and the like present a bit more of a problem, but can be pulled straight up with the same cuping of the fingers.  Bring them up your strong side, as if you were drawing, clear the gun, push your thumb into your side to pin shirt and start back down to the grip.  You should be able to complete the draw by coming straight up to the armpit, rotate the muzzle up and you're in shooting position.  If there is enough distance between you and the perp, you can bring the weak hand over to a support position, and then thrust the gun forward.  The advantage here is that you can shoot as soon as you rotate the pistol.  Body indexing will insure that the shot goes where it is suppose to...

[cztops]

Glockguy 23 describe my presentation. Though using two hands is quicker, I clear and present with one hand. My off hand is laid against my stomach so it doesn't get out in front of the muzzle. I also believe a one hand draw can be more furtive for presenting in advance of the need because it looks similar to reaching for one's wallet.

I carry two 75s, one just behind each hip, for a several reasons: 1) In case my strong hand is immobilized, buzy, etc.; 2) in case Mr. Murphy decides to touch the 75 which is in use; 3) another 16 rounds available; 4) can give to another for backup or protection.

With open carry, the balance and symetry of matching firearms off each hip is aestetically pleasing.

[RobZeilinga]

Hi Walt,
Please move this to another topic if too off the beaten track,

Your Idea of holding something in your weak hand sounds real cool!

Here in Johannesburg South Africa, we have an IDPA club that's just starting out, with most of out Exco having less than 1 years IDPA exp.  

Do you have any other (funnies) or COF's to screw up the shooter and take him/her out his comfort zone?

We have a couple of EXPERT shooters that are always criticizing the COF's as being too easy! (so naturally I have since started designing COF's to nail CDP shooters  i.e. strings that match 10 round mags rather than 8  

There must be a advantage to carrying a CZ after all!

how heavy/cumbersome is the object (something like a 10KG bag of sand emulating a baby?) or a briefcase type object?

Many thanks
 

[Walt-Sherrill]

Other funny COF's?

One of my favorites is a two stage COF...  You come through an opening (sheets hanging) and engage two middle distance targes (25').  The clock stops.

You are told you are now wounded on your strong side.  You are told to put your weapon down (safely) on a drum (old oil drum) and shown a revolver laying on the ground near a barricade (and a simulated body).

In real life you'd probably check the new weapon for ammo, etc., but for our drill we focus on just shooting.

At the beep, you advance to the barricade, pick up the revolver and engage several more targets using you weak hand.  

This one is a humbling experience -- and forces you to do all of the basics right.

---

The other drill we do is hang a cable across the back of our indoor range, mount two IDPA targets on a small wheeled bar hanging from the wire.  We cut out the middle of the targets, and insert balloons in the -0 ring.  The target "dolly" starts from behind a curtain and ends behind a curtain.  Our indoor range is about 50' wide and about 12-14' of that is curtained at either end.

At the beep, the target moves across the back of the range at moderate speed.  There are curtains at either end (cheap poly tarps), with no shoots at the start and end, so that you can't shoot until the targets are clear of the curtains.  We have several other no-shoots set up in the middle.

You shoot from about 30'.

We use monofilament and one of the automated target pullers to move the target across the back.

You have about 3 seconds to draw and pop both balloons.  Seems like a lot of time, but a surprising number of folks get only one of the two balloons, and a few get NONE!

_____

I try not to make a course of fire harder for CDP shooters.  It shouldn't really matter, since technically, they are only shooting against other CDP shooters.   We make an effort to make most courses of fire 12 or 18 rounds, or 6 -- to keep it revolver friendly.  And believe me, I've shot with revolver shooters who are faster than semi-auto shooters.

We use a lot of required head shots and a lot of hostages placed in front of the targets, and hard cover simulations.  

None of our shooters complain about them being too easy.

If you have EXCEL on your computer, send me your email address and I'll send you a collection of courses of fire ready to be printed out.  You can use or ignore them as you choose.