Did Santa bring you a new semiautomatic pistol? Or did you have one (or more) already? No matter – you would have benefited as much either way from David Maglio’s class on getting maximum speed with accuracy from such a handgun, as presented at our Massad Ayoob Group Reunion earlier this month.

Now honorably retired, Maglio began his distinguished law enforcement career with an issue .357 Magnum service revolver, went to the double action Beretta 92 and then to the Glock, and learned to appreciate single action autos like the 1911 along the way: he knows all permutations of the auto pistol breed intimately.  He is a former Midwest Regional Champion in IDPA Stock Service Pistol competition, and holds the record for a quad speed qualification with our organization: 299 out of 300.  That’s 6 shots one hand only from the holster in two seconds; draw-fire six-reload-fire six more, all in 6.25 seconds; and so on.  The important thing is, he shows the students how to do it.

David is a senior staff member at my school. He came up with, and runs, the MAG-30 program around the country, three days and three thousand rounds…and getting rave reviews from students.

Maglio emphasizes smoothness in shooting. “Picture a full-to-the-brim glass of the most expensive bourbon on the dashboard of your car. Drive like you don’t want to spill a drop. That’s how you ‘drive’ your pistol’s trigger,” he says. 

On the bell curve between slapping the trigger and riding the trigger forward just to the point of reset, David agrees with me that for most defensive shooting purposes, letting the trigger come all the way forward to guarantee reset is the best bet, especially when shooting at or near maximum speed.  He calls the firm resistance of the trigger after taking up the slack “the speed bump”; no matter how fast you’re going, it tells you it’s a good idea to slow down.

David also conceived and runs our MAG-IC program, Massad Ayoob Group Instructor Class, certified to teach the live-fire handgun methods we’ve developed over the last almost half-century for shooting under extreme stress, at speed, and still hitting what you need to hit.

“We’re looking for cadence,” he says, emphasizing pace. Never shoot faster than you can hit. Know what you have to hit to achieve your goal, and the pace at which you’ll have to shoot with a solidly stabilized pistol to make that center hit.  The shooting involves cover positions, awkward positions, one-hand only (either hand!) and the various two-hand stances, each of which can have a place depending on the job that needs to be done with the pistol and where you find yourself when performing that job becomes imperative. 

Info on David Maglio’s courses can be found on the MAG website.

Of course, there’s more to self-defense than just the gun, and that was part of the theme of the Reunion event.  We finished with that at the gathering, and so will finish with that in the next installment here.

David Maglio teaching a pistol class
David Maglio teaching a pistol class

15 COMMENTS

  1. I did buy myself a new gun for Christmas. I bought one of the discontinued Ruger SR 9C pistols. I ordered it online for $259, plus 15$ shipping, and 20$ to my local FFL dealer for the transfer. He told me that he is raising his price to 25$ after the New Year. I had an old Safariland shoulder holster that I bought in a junk shop in Florida for 15$. I thought it might fit one of my guns. It didn’t, and I kept it in my holster box. I looked the value up online, and new they sold for 160$. The thing is only in about 40% condition now. The leather is great, but it has been worn a lot.
    I brought it to my FFL, and gave it to him, told him to give it or sell it to someone who could use it, or keep it for himself. I have told him in the past, I feel bad for not buying from him, but online, but I just cannot pass on the savings that I find online, often over 100$.
    He is a great guy, he sells to current military members at cost.

    • I’m a current military member, and would be pleased to learn this FFL dealer’s contact information. Thanks for passing on great information.

  2. Indeed, purchased 2 Ruger PC Carbines, red dots to go along with the Rugers and a 2011 in 40 S&W built by Ken Paul. A pricey Christmas but oh so well worth it. Wife is a happy camper with her PCC as well as am.

  3. I had ordered a currently made SIG 210 standard model pistol via Gunbroker and it should be in my hands right now, but it isn’t. The pistol was shipped 2nd day on 12/17 and got to my town on 12/19 but for some reason my tranfering dealer has not received it as of today 12/26. I had asked Santa for this pistol, but since I was bad all year, he refused so I had to buy it for myself. I’m not a fan of the 9X19mm cartridge but had wanted a SIG 210 for a long time and just could not afford one of the Swiss made pistols. They were available for around $800 for a standard model in good condition back in the 1990’s but I was trying to pay off my home mortgage early then, so could not buy one. This gun will not be used for anything more serious than plinking although I believe the 9X19 is capable of dispatching a squirrel or small bird at short range using modern +P hollow point ammo, if I can hit the animal’s head.

    • Now don’t let that go to your head Darlin. Figures you would use a good Bourbon as an example.
      Loved it !!
      You, Mas and all the MAG Family have a wonderful, safe and Prosperous New Year !!

  5. We are blessed to live during a time when so much is known about the art of self-defense. We can get the needed info from classes, books, magazines and the Internet. No excuse for ignorance. Thanks, Mas!

    It’s a great time to be alive, and so many people miss out, because their governments don’t trust them with guns. In the USA, we experience the best of all possible worlds, because we are allowed to practice with our guns, but most of us will never need them to save our lives. Maybe that’s why we are so blessed.

    With anti-Semitism on the rise, Jews should really be more concerned with self-defense than they have been in the past. Fight crime. Shoot back.

  7. Twenty-something years ago you wrote an article (I think for American Handgunner) pondering the popularity of compact double-stack pistols. You mentioned that among _professionals_ it was more common to conceal something like a compact single-stack Smith and Wesson.

    Though today we see many ultra-concealable single-stack pistols, these are single-stack SUBcompacts. Single-stack compact pistols comparable to those old Smith and Wessons (e.g. the Kahr CT-9, which is a teeny bit shorter despite a longer barrel, and flatter), are even less popular today.

    Most people today seem to feel that if you’re going to go for a longer barrel and a grip that fits your whole hand, you might as well get a double-stack pistol.

    Did the pros back then go for the single-stack third and forth generation Smith and Wesson compacts because those were just the smallest you could then get in a service caliber? Would they have preferred today’s single-stack micro pistols — had they been then available?

    My feeling is that the single-stack compact service-size conceals better than the double-stack pistols of similar length and height, but shoot just as well (and maybe even point better).

    • The single stack guns were flatter, thus easier and a little more comfortable to conceal. Remember, 20 years ago we were in the middle of the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban that limited new purchases to 10 round magazines. The thinner grip frame of a single stack generally resulted in a shorter reach to the trigger, which fit a lot of average to small size hands better.

  10. I’m on our religious organization’s security team, and I reviewed the tragic video of the White Settlement incident with particular interest. I’ve been chided for slow draws in the past, and watching the heroic security team member get shot for not drawing prior to standing, or taking too long to draw really hit home with me. Well, that’s going to change, as I’ve learned that cover and a quick, controlled draw may save your life. We have about 25 on our security team and would benefit from additional instruction. Can you ever get enough training?

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