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We’ll start with what I liked.  The trigger was surprisingly good for a compact .380, and the gun was sized right for its purpose.  In lieu of sights the Curve has indexing marks on the rear of the slide.  To properly use the gun, you center the back of the slide on your target and press the trigger.  In defensive shooting we call this “meat and metal” and at close range, the technique works pretty well.

On the other hand, the Curve had some things I could do without.  First on this list would be the curved handle.  Completely useless and did not appear to make the gun any easier to carry (I’d argue that any gun that small should go into a pocket rather than a waistband anyway).  Taurus did make an accessory holster which covered the Curve’s trigger guard, making it safer for pocket carry.   Attached to the Curve is a removable belt clip so it can be carried without a holster (not recommended!)

Other anti-features of the Curve were the LED light (too small to be useful) and laser which were difficult to operate, and a superfluous magazine disconnect safety.

The magazines had a cumbersome two-sided clip-in design that would make carrying spare magazines bulky to carry.  If the gun has a malfunction, you can forget about being able to clear it because of the lack of operational slide release.

I did my best to give the Curve a chance.  The lack of sights, poor magazine design, and lack of slide release, coupled with superfluous accessories made me want to hate it, but some of the innovations made me simply not like it.  I wouldn’t recommend it for serious use without some revisions.  To me, it’s another example of a gun that’s meant to be carried but never actually used.

The QSI Crew is all packed up and heading out to the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas!

We’ll be arriving tonight and staying for the entire show. Watch this blog for updates from Erik, Mark, Josh and Gabe. We’ll be also be partnering up with Short Barrel Shepherd to review and report on the newest guns, gear, and other products for 2015!

What do YOU want to see us check out? Let us know in the comments.

Saturday September 30, 2017 – Saturday September 30, 2017

9525 West 230th Street

Description:

This course provides begins with a review of core handgun skills and moves on to advanced techniques.  This is an advanced course for experience shooters and requires the QSI Defensive Handgun or equivalent as a prerequisite.

Topics covered include:
Use of Cover and Concealment – One Handed Shooting – Shooting, Reloading, and Clearing Stoppages while Wounded – Alternate Draw and Carry Methods – Precision Handgun Shooting – Unusual Shooting Positions

Required Equipment:

• Suitable Defensive Handgun (no .22 or target pistols).
• Good quality holster
• At least 400 rounds of ammunition
• At least 2 spare magazines with a magazine pouches
• Ear Protection, Eye Protection and a Baseball Cap (keeps hot brass out of your hair)

Register

Saturday July 22, 2017 – Saturday July 22, 2017

9525 West 230th Street

Description:

We spend a lot of time in our vehicles, so it only makes sense to learn to fight in and around them.  This course will focus on the handgun and other EDC (Every Day Carry) weapons.  Students will conduct dry practice and live fire using vehicles on the range.

Topics Covered Include:

• Self-defense inside the vehicle
• Bailing out under fire
• Shooting from inside the vehicle and behind the wheel
• Using a vehicle as cover
• Shooting through glass
• Vehicle firearm storage options

The is an advanced skill level course.  QSI Advanced Handgun or equivalent is a required prerequisite.   If you have questions about prerequisites, please feel free to contact us.

Register

Saturday August 12, 2017 – Saturday August 12, 2017

9525 West 230th Street

Description:

This course is designed to provide an introduction and build basic skills for the defensive shotgun. Many US households have a shotgun sitting in a closet with the intent of using it for self-defense. Learn to use the shotgun effectively to defend your home and family.

Topics covered include:
Shotgun Features and Ballistics – Loading, Unloading, and Carrying the Shotgun – Shotgun Marksmanship – Precision Shotgun Shooting – Shooting from Cover and Concealment

Required Equipment:

• Ear Protection, Eye Protection and a Baseball Cap (keeps hot brass out of your hair)
• Suitable defensive Shotgun: 12-gauge pump or auto recommended, but not required. Rental guns available for additional charge.
• 100 rounds birdshot
• 50 rounds 00 Buckshot
• 25 rounds Slugs

Register

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Saturday July 8, 2017 – Saturday July 8, 2017

Description:

A self-defense scenario can be expected to happen quickly at close range – and you may not even have time to draw your gun.  This class is designed to teach techniques for drawing and shooting at close range distances.

Topics include:

• Close-Quarter Combative Techniques
• Weapon Retention and Disarms
• Shooting Through Clothing
• Contact Shooting
• Alternative Sighting Methods
• Defending Against Close-Quarter Attacks
• Integrating the Empty Hand, Knife, and Gun
• Using Backup Guns

This class teaches advanced techniques and is intended for experienced shooters.  QSI Advanced Handgun or equivalent is a required prerequisite.  If you have questions about prerequisites, please feel free to contact us.

Register

Saturday March 21, 2015 – Saturday March 21, 2015

17706 Valley View Drive

Description:

This class will be a combination of our Permit to Carry Combatives and Force on Force training.  Emphasis here will be on fighting at extremely close range and in tight spaces.

Participants will learn close-quarter defensive tactics, empty hand self-defense techniques, deploying intermediate weapons (such as mace or batons) and weapon retention and disarms.

Participants will then participate in a series of Force on Force scenarios designed to challenge the student’s situational awareness, reaction to danger, and overall fighting skill.

Scenario-based exercises will allow you to practice your defensive pistol skills against live opponents in a dynamic Force-on-Force environment. Blue Guns, Airsoft and other training weapons will be used. This law-enforcement training facility features an indoor training space with several different scenario rooms.

Some physical contact will take place during this training.

The following equipment is recommended. If you do not have this equipment, please contact us, we have a limited amount of “loaner” gear.
– Paintball/Airsoft mask with full face protection
– Protective gloves
– Airsoft Gun, BBs and Gas
– Blue Gun/Red Gun training gun
– Rubber training knife
– Groin protector
– Long-sleeve shirt (hoodies or sweatshirts work great) and pants
– Knee/elbow pads

We have loaner equipment if you don’t have your own – just let us know in advance.

We hope you can join us for this unique training opportunity!

Register

There’s a new slur in town, courtesy of Bill Mahr.  “Ammosexual.”  It seems to be catching on in social media and elsewhere.

When you need to use a slur or insult to describe your political opponents, it’s clear that the logic is draining out of your argument.  Of course, gun control advocates prefer emotional arguments to logical ones, which is all the more reason why using slurs suits them.

The feeling behind using a slur to describe a person (or group of people) is to marginalize and dehumanize them.  In extreme cases, it’s used to reinforce the belief that they are less than human.   In wartime, soldiers (right or wrong) will often apply slurs to our enemies so we don’t see them as people, making them easier to kill.

I find it very ironic that “ammosexual” is a portmanteau of “homosexual”.  Mahr and his supporters are using the same tactics against us that they claim to believe should not be used against GLBT folks.

Using slurs to describe people is wrong, no matter who it is.  Trying to turn a person into a second-class citizen is wrong, no matter who it is.  Mahr’s camp is taking a page from the playbook of racists and homophobes.

Owning a gun, for me, and people like me, is a “lifestyle.”  I’m proud to be a member of the American Gun Culture, a unique group of people with a long and storied history.

I have trouble understanding how anti-gun people can be so vehemently opposed to my lifestyle choices that they feel I deserve the same level of insult and marginalization that racists and homophobes give their perceived enemies.  To them, it’s okay to slur us, lie about our motives and beliefs, lie about our actions, and even claim we are a threat to civil society (sound familiar?)

An important part of being free is honoring your neighbor’s choices, even if you disagree with them.  Intolerance is wrong, and they are wrong too.

One of the questions we get most often asked in classes is “What do I do with my gun when I am in the bathroom?”

The other day I found myself using a fairly secluded restroom and, remembering this, took some quick pictures to illustrate what you should (and shouldn’t) do. So, if we can get through this without giggling, let’s talk about what to do with our guns when nature calls.

DO use the stall instead of a urinal (yes ladies, I know you don’t have a choice).

Using a urinal puts you with your back to the door, facing the wall, with your gun hand occupied. It’s very easy for someone to come up behind you and slam you into the wall. On the other hand, the stall door, while not exactly Fort Knox, slows down an attacker long enough for you to react.

DO keep the gun under control. There are some different options available, depending on how you are dressed.

If you keep your knees apart, tension on the belt will keep your gun and holster from falling to the ground. The heavier your gun, the less likely this is to work.

Sometimes the stall will have a handy shelf or other spot, such as this toilet paper dispenser, you can set your gun on. Before doing so, make sure it’s a flat surface. Many of these items have curved tops and the last thing you want is your gun clattering to the floor. If you have to “balance” your gun on the object, it’s not going to work.

I prefer taking the gun out of the holster and setting it in the crotch of my pants. It’s still immediately accessible and I’m not going to forget it’s there.

DON’T put your gun anywhere it can be grabbed, forgotten, or worse.

Stashing your gun behind you on the toilet might seem like a good idea, but once it’s there and you start to take care of business, it’s out of sight and difficult to reach. Being out of sight increases your chances of forgetting it.

Here in Minnesota, forgetting a gun in a bathroom isn’t just embarrassing, it’s potentially a crime. Minn. Stat. 609.378 makes it a Gross Misdemeanor to “leave a loaded firearm in a location where the person knows that a child under 18 is likely to gain access.” There have been cases of permit-holders being charged under this statute after leaving guns in bathrooms.

Placing your gun on the floor is also a bad move. Don’t forget you may not be alone in the bathroom and the guy in the next stall will be able to see your gun. He might either grab it and take off or whip out his trusty cell phone and call 911, creating an unplanned police encounter.

Please, please, please never do this: hang your gun on the hook on the stall door. I did it here with a triple-checked unloaded gun for demonstration purposes, and it still made me very uncomfortable.

Aside from having your gun out of reach while you are doing your thing, it’s not a stretch to see how this could result in an accidental discharge when the hook hits the trigger as you try to retrieve your gun. Worse, the recoil from that accidental discharge could result in another discharge. A local gun show promoter was seriously injured in just this fashion.

Use the hook for its intended purpose: hanging up your concealment garment.

Going armed means your gun is with you and accessible all the time. Public restrooms have been the scenes of violent crime. It makes sense, if you are carrying a pistol, to keep it handy, even in the bathroom.