Twenty-four people attended the “AR-15 Rifle Building Workshop” we held last weekend. One day 1, we hand-built a custom rifle and on day 2 we trained with the new rifle at my shooting range.
Of the many rifle drills we did on day 2, one of them was the Handgun Transition Drill. I personally believe that every time you carry a rifle you should also be carrying a handgun. My handgun is “plan B” so that if my rifle ever becomes inoperable I can quickly transition to my pistol, which at this time happens to be a Springfield 1911.
The things is, if you do this handgun transition incorrectly you’ll end up hitting yourself in the private parts with the rifle or smashing yourself in the knee… neither of which feels very good.
Also, the way you do this Handgun Transition Drill depends on if your rifle has a sling on it or not. If you have a sling on your rifle and need to go to your pistol, you simply guide the rifle down to your side with your left hand (if you’re a righty like me) while your right hand draws the pistol.
As soon as the rifle has been guided down with the left hand, the left hand goes up to meet the right hand at the pistol and you’ll end up with your regular two-handed firing grip on the gun.
Do not forget to guide the rifle down with your left hand. As I just mentioned, if you just drop the rifle it will end up smashing into your knee or worse.
Now, if you don’t have a sling on your rifle you’ll have to do things a little differently. If you’ve gotten in a gunfight and your rifle jams, you’ll need to go to your handgun and you obviously can’t just guide it down with your left hand since you have no sling.
Instead, you grab the rifle with your left hand and tuck it underneath your left arm while you’re holding onto the handguard of the rifle. (The rifle is horizontal to the ground and the muzzle is still pointing at the threat.)
Because you have to hold the rifle with your left hand you will have to draw and fire your pistol one-handed. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly a better shot with two hands, which is why I highly recommend you have slings on every rifle you own and that you sling the rifle when you’re walking around and carrying it.
If by chance you don’t own a rifle yet, consider changing that soon. America owes its freedom to some brave colonists who were excellent shots with a rifle…
And, as Colonel Jeff Cooper noted, the rifle “is the only means of resisting tyranny, because a citizenry armed with rifles cannot be tyrannized.”
