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FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF GUNS & AMMO

SC OT T RE ITZ AND THE WAY OF THE 1911 .

BY RICHARD NANCE PHOTOS BY ALFREDO RICO

iyamoto Musashi (1584–1645) is widely considered the greatest swordsman in the history of Japan. In Book of Five Rings, his

classic treatise on strategy, Musashi stated matter-of-factly that he had “killed over 60 men in fights and duels.” When Musashi turned 60, he removed himself from society in order to ponder what he seemed to know instinctively: how to prevail in lethal combat.

course, one of the hallmarks of the 1911 design is the clean-breaking single-stage trigger, which reduces the odds of the pistol’s orientation changing during firing. But Reitz cautioned that the 1911 is an unforgiving gun that requires an absolute commitment to safe handling.

Reitz declared that there had never been an unintended discharge during an ITTS course, and he was not about to break that impeccable safety record. He said he is the most dangerous person on the range because he is the most com-fortable handling firearms and must therefore always be cognizant of becoming complacent. Reitz’s usual jovial demeanor was replaced by one of deadly seriousness when he conducted the safety brief, which was the most thorough and intense I had been a part of during my 15-year career as a law enforcement officer. The bottom line: You will handle your firearm safely at all times when attending any course taught by Reitz. At ITTS, safe gun handling is not taught as a separate skill but rather an integral component of proper tactics. “If you’re not 100 percent sure of what you’re doing on the firing line, wait until all doubt is gone before proceeding,” Reitz said.

ON THE RANGEThanks in large part to my extensive experi-ence shooting a Glock, I initially felt a bit like a fish out of water performing exacting range drills with my borrowed 1911, which had so much chrome that it looked like something I confiscated from a pimp. However, thanks to Reitz’s clear and logical instruction and the at-tentiveness of ITTS assistant instructors, all of whom were current LAPD SWAT operators, I was able to catch on right away.

Unlike some of the condensed writers’ cours-es I’ve attended, training time at this course was maximized. We literally ran from point “A” to point “B”—in most cases to mitigate downtime. If you were lagging, Reitz was not bashful about letting you (and the rest of the class) know that you needed to pick up the pace.

The drills started out simply enough. After some basic loading and unloading of the 1911, we shot two shots center of mass from about the 10-yard line. Reitz encouraged students to be aggressive, even when simply moving to a low-ready position. As students demonstrated proficiency, we moved back to 30 yards. Reitz instructed students to remind themselves “Front sight, trigger press, follow through” before each shot.

After several strings of two-handed fire aimed at the center mass of our targets, we moved closer and focused on headshots. Next came one-handed shooting, first with the dominant hand, then with the offhand. Reitz’s technique for one-handed shooting involved bringing the nonshooting hand to the chest while rotating the upper body to create iso-metric tension, which provided a more stable shooting platform.

After replacing paper targets with steel silhouettes, we moved to the 50-yard line to engage in what I considered long-distance shooting. (I would later learn that 50-yard shots with a 1911 were more like “midrange.”) Reitz compared 50-yard body shots to headshots at closer distances. Despite the widely varying experience levels of students, everyone, to my surprise, was soon consistently ringing the steel targets at 50 yards.

LOW-LIGHT DRILLSPrior to engaging in low-light shooting drills, Reitz talked about the pros and cons of common-ly taught shooting techniques using a flashlight. The preferred ITTS shooting stance is a Modified Weaver position, so it’s no surprise that Reitz

Although International Tactical Training Seminars’ (ITTS) lead instructor, Scott Reitz, has an extensive martial arts background, it was a gun and not a sword that he strapped on every day during his 30-year career with the LAPD, including the five shifts that involved Reitz’s participation in gunfights. Reitz, like Musashi, is undefeated in lethal combat, having prevailed five times. In three of the instances, Reitz was armed with a 1911, his preferred handgun.

Toward the end of 2011, I attended a two-day ITTS 1911 Model Anniversary Class held at the Angeles Shooting Range in Lake View Terrace, California. The course unveiled the first signa-ture Limited Edition Custom ITTS 1911 pistol, built to Reitz’s specifications. I expected the course to be on par with the others I’ve attended as a police firearms instructor. To my surprise, I not only gained a greater appreciation for the combat-proven 1911, but also picked up many valuable tips that can make anyone a better war-rior, regardless of the weapon he is holding. Here’s a taste of what Reitz (or “Uncle Scotty,” as he encourages his students to call him) taught me about the way of the 1911.

INTRODUCTIONFrom the beginning, it was apparent to all in attendance that Reitz possesses what’s referred to in the law enforcement arena as “command presence.” In other words, when he spoke, you listened. Not out of fear but out of respect for his experience, which included 10 years as an operator on LAPD SWAT and as the lead fire-arms instructor for the Metro division, where he taught approximately 7,000 officers per year. (At least 400 Reitz-trained officers have been involved in shootings.)

Reitz explained why he is partial to the 1911 platform, stating that it is user-friendly and built for guys of average size. The 1911’s rela-tively heavy weight helps mitigate recoil, and its controls are located where they need to be, which is why the 1911 has withstood the test of time. The beavertail grip safety and single-action trigger on the ITTS 1911 allow the shooter to get high on the backstrap and deep into the pistol for optimal control.

According to Reitz, the 1911’s square sights are easier and faster to acquire than the sights of most other pistols because the human eye is programmed to home in on right angles. Of

Reitz is the modern-day Miyamoto Musashi. His book, The Art of Modern Gunfighting, is required reading for any serious shooter.

The first signature Limited Edition Cus-tom ITTS 1911. Reitz explained that the gun is built for “guys of average size.” The beavertail grip safety and single-action trigger are ideal for getting high on the backstrap.

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One shooter initiated the drill by drawing and firing two body shots. The point of the drill was for the other shooter to cue on the first shooter’s movement and fire a single head shot. The drill was then repeated in reverse sequence. This helped the shooter get used to drawing and firing based on a visual stimulus (movement) rather than an audio cue, such as a typical range command like “Threat!”

After a little low-light shooting using only night sights, it was time for prone shooting from 50 yards using a flashlight or pistol-mounted light. This was something I hadn’t done, and it proved to be a little more difficult than it sounds.

HISTORY OF THE 1911 AND THE .45 ACP CARTRIDGEReitz’s longtime friend and 1911 aficionado Ray Coffman presented a history of the 1911. He described how the U.S. Cavalry had adopted the .45 caliber after the Thompson LaGarde Cadaver Tests of 1904, futher explaining that the Army had hung cadavers from a ceiling and shot them with various calibers to mea-sure penetration. Similar testing was done on cattle to determine how many rounds to the chest it would take to kill one. Based on this testing process, the Army determined that the .45 caliber was the minimum effective round to be used for combat.

Later, the cavalry was responsible for the 1911 grip and thumb safeties because of the chal-lenges faced by soldiers required to shoot from horseback. The M1911 performed better than other brands when exposed to “rust and dust” tests. While the sights on World War I-era 1911s were minimal, the pistol served its purpose across the trenches.

RANGE DRILLSAfter the history lesson from Coffman, Reitz had us perform various reloads. He pointed out that with the 1911, using the offhand to manipulate the slide release was ideal. This procedure is more difficult on many other types of handguns, including the Glock that I was taught to shoot on. Students were again paired up and raced each other, drawing and firing at a steel silhouette from 50 yards. We then shot and conducted reloads while moving and engaged our targets head-on and from the oblique.

EXTENDED RANGE SHOOTINGFor me, the highlight of the course was long-range 1911 shooting. I was pretty damn proud of myself when I was able to hit a 20x20-inch steel plate from 145 yards after only two shots. Reitz revealed yet another aspect of shooting to which I had never been exposed. He told me that when shooting at extended distances with the 1911, I should not bear down so much to control the gun’s recoil. He mentioned “dwell time,” which is the time it takes for the bullet to leave the barrel. When shooting at long range, allowing the pistol to rise during recoil helped mitigate the effects of drag and gravity.

When I began to understand the concept of dwell time, I hit a 20x20-inch steel target from 185 yards. I was completely baffled because prior to the course I would not have believed that such a shot was possible with a handgun. However, the kicker came when I hit the same-size target from a distance of 250 yards. Of course, I had to position the front sight significantly over the rear sights to compensate for bullet drop, so there was a degree of gamesmanship involved. Still, as you would imagine, such a shot requires near-perfect sight alignment and trigger control. Several other shooters were also able to make the 250-yard shot with stock 1911s. Though I was grinning from ear to ear, I was one-upped by fellow writer and LAPD Officer Jeremy Stafford. Impressively, he registered a hit on a 300-yard target.

OBSTACLE COURSEThe lessons concluded with an obstacle course where shooters engaged a steel target at 50 yards from a prone position, then ran to engage several additional targets from behind cover, shot from a kneeling position, conducted a reload, then shot several poppers while moving parallel to the targets. This was a timed event that proved to be a good tool for self-assesment with your new level of performance.

CONCLUSIONScott Reitz is an excellent instructor who is able to get his students to perform better than they thought they were capable of. His experi-ence and approach to shooting are invaluable.

It is readily apparent that even after all his years of teaching, Reitz still loves to shoot. On more than one occasion, he cut in front of shooters waiting their turn. But even a guy like Reitz misses on occasion. “Front sight, trigger press, follow through.” It was refresh-ing to see an instructor so willing to put it on the line in front of his students.

But to say Reitz is an excellent instructor is an understatement. In fact, you may even say it’s like calling Miyamoto Musashi a “decent” swordsman. Thanks, Uncle Scotty, for doing what you do. Your book, The Art of Modern Gunfighting, now resides on the bookshelf alongside Musashi’s Book of Five Rings.

For information on courses offered by ITTS, check out internationaltactical.com.

favors the Harries Technique, which involves punching out the gun, then, while holding the flashlight with the bezel closest to the little finger, indexing the backs of the hands together so the hand holding the light helps stabilize the shooting hand. For maximum effectiveness, the elbow of the arm holding the flashlight was ori-ented downward, not to the side. Reitz cautioned students that it was the gun, not the light, that should be centered on the target.

When Reitz explained the dynamics of low-light shooting, he mentioned something I hadn’t heard before but found very interest-ing. He said that when using a flashlight, an object might seem closer than it actually is. For example, an adversary who is seven yards away could appear to be only five yards away. When I illuminated a target several feet away, then scrutinized the same target without the flashlight, I found this phenomenon to be true.

With regard to scanning, Reitz offered some commonsense advice that I hadn’t previously considered. If you know, based on the circum-stances, that you’re dealing with only one bad guy, why would you take your eyes off him to scan for additional threats? Instead, he sug-gested staying focused on the threat you know exists before taking your eyes or your muzzle off the target to scan. This advice was contrary to my previous training, but I have to admit it made sense.

The next sequence of fire consisted of partner drills where two shooters stood side by side.

Reitz demonstrates his proper reloading technique.

Reitz offered several tips to improve students’ low-light shooting ability.

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