A New Holster or a New Gun
Dry-Fire · At Home
Verified clear. If you received new gear, today you test it dry before you trust it. Check that the holster covers the trigger completely, holds the gun when you turn it upside down, and stays on your belt when you draw. Then run twenty draws. If you have no new gear, run the same checks on what you already carry.
Live-Fire · At the Range
Fifteen rounds at 7 yards from the rig you tested, three per string, if your range allows holster work. If the gun is new, fire fifty rounds of your carry ammunition through it before you carry it.
Service Pistol
New duty gear has to be approved, and it has to be practiced in before it goes on shift.
Concealed Carry
A new gun does not go on your belt until you have confirmed that it runs and you have practiced with it.
Carbine
A new optic or sling on the rifle means checking the zero and adjusting the sling again.
AUX (when ready): twenty draws from the new rig with no adjustments needed.
New equipment has not been tested. Test it before your safety depends on it.
Your Daily Callout — By Archetype
You will want to carry it tomorrow. Carry it after it has earned that.
Look closely at the trigger coverage and the retention.
A holster that fails is a danger to whoever is standing next to you.
Set a break-in standard, such as two hundred draws and two hundred rounds, and keep to it.
Layer: run the draws wearing your winter coat.
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded — always, no matter what you think you know.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.
- Be sure of your target — and everything beyond it.
Dry-fire: no ammunition in the room. Verify the firearm is clear — twice. Use a safe backstop. When you finish, say it out loud: “Dry fire is over.”
The Four Universal Safety Rules
Non-negotiable. Every drill, every rep, every time. This applies to live fire and dry fire.
- Treat every firearm as if it is loaded — always, no matter what you think you know.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.
- Be sure of your target — and everything beyond it.