March 17th, 2024
4minute read
Ive only had to draw down on a living armed assailant once.
Thank the Good Lord the tactical situation evolved and I didnt have to kill anybody.
I was a soldier at the time and a compulsive, high-volume shooter.
Paper targets can be a great means of judging accuracy on the range, but can be a poor substitute for representing a three-dimensional threat.
There were actually two armed bad guys, so I had to split my attention between them both.
Everything kept moving, and the angles were forever changing.
Cover became critically important on a subconscious level.
Rubber Dummies are heavy longsuffering fellows made from recycled tires that can withstand thousands of rounds. My bride says he’s creepy.
Ultimate Shooting Buddies
Yep, theyre called Rubber Dummies.
The website claims they are made from recycled rubber.
As near as I can tell theres a little Adamantium or Kryptonite sprinkled in for flavor.
When viewed from an angle the Rubber Dummy still looks like a dude. This means more realistic three-dimensional training.
These guys are seriously tough.
The target bit is a three-dimensional molding of a human torso, sans arms.
A little spray paint restores the surface if desired.
As there is no possibility of ricochets, you can engage the Rubber Dummy with a rifle or handgun at all but contact range.
But understand, they do not stop the bullet.
You still need a solid, safe backstop.
The Rubber Dummy comes with a welded steel stand that weighs about 20 pounds.
The stand will last forever.
The whole rig is about 50 pounds and is quite substantial.
The manufacturer recommends avoiding wadcutter or hollowpoint bullets, as they tend to core a hole through the material.
Anything else from .22 to 12-gauge to .50 BMG is fair game.
Practical Tactical
Once you manhandle this guy in place he stays put.
My Rubber Dummy performs exactly as advertised.
All that is just gravy, however.
The real meat for me was managing angles.
A two-dimensional piece of paper disappears when approached from the side.
By contrast, my Rubber Dummy still looks like a guy when I move at him from an angle.
The effect really is quite thought-provoking.
Good luck doing that with paper.
Its also just great fun.
Ruminations
As a physician I have seen a lot of people shot.
Many of them had gunshot wounds received from the front delivered center of mass.
However, more than a few were hit from odd angles.
The inevitable urge to take cover or squirm away when somebody is shooting at you makes the geometry convoluted.
Bullets can also follow some of the most labyrinthine paths once they encounter something pliable.
All this is admittedly pretty dark.
Nobody ever actually wants to use his or her defensive guns for real.
You dont have time to consciously think or reason.
How you respond depends upon muscle memory, repetition and training.
The more realistic and challenging your training the more efficiently you respond.
With Rubber Dummies your training just got way more high speed.
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