We've all seen youtube vids of it and read news stories, etc.

Im looking for real world experiences. Im curious about how people around you acted. Bystanders, etc.

I know people are sheep and dont notice whats goin on around them, curious if people noticed you drawn down on someone, and if so, how they reacted.

ETA:
After searching the archives, i found a cpl older threads, reading those, i should clarify that i mean draw against PEOPLE and in an off duty/ccw situation, not on duty LEO or active military.

Yes. When I worked at a gas station in KC, couple guys sat around outside for a little bit. I noticed them, and assumed they were waiting for someone for a drug deal. It happened a lot there.

When they came in through separate doors to the station, and started to come corner me behind the counter, I pulled my gun and told them to get the fuck out. They beat it, and I called the cops. Cops said that it sounded like I acted on my gut correctly, and less than a week later, same guys got busted for armed robbery at a gas station down the street.

Scariest moment of my life, and I hope I'm never in a situation like that again.

Wow...good for you acting quickly. I probably would have been hesitant to act until they were OBVIOUSLY up to no good and probably too late.

Good move.

Only when I was LEO. If it ever happens to me now while concealed carrying I plan to be extremely vocal so anyone nearby knows that I was telling them to get away and attempting to de-escalate the situation. I don't want someone to hear something and just see me pointing a gun at someone. I'm more afraid of another person carrying that jumps to conclusions than I am of responding police.

Dog raised holy hell at 2:00am.  She never barked unless she needed to.

My roommate and I meet in the kitchen and go outside.  We see a guy in the yard, about 60 feet away, walking towards us.  We tell him to stop.  He doesn't stop.  We tell him again.  He says, I'm leaving, but keeps walking towards us.


We both draw when he's about 30 feet away.  He turns and runs, and only then do we notice another intruder running down the fence about 75 feet away.


Team SA could have been better.

What else have you drawn on folks?

At work I do it all the damn time.

Of duty almost did it one time only.  Luckily just the sight of the holster with my hand on it changed this thugs mind on trying to stomp my face in with a bat.

Yes.



Pistol once, knife three times.  Fortunately everyone disengaged me , except once with a knife where I had to use it to keep a group off of me.  They did respect the blade.



All four times, I was, without a doubt, ready to go the full distance.  The key is knowing when it is justified and knowing when to stand down.  

Yes..... Guy totally road raged out because I had to swerve to miss some jackass who rode his bike into traffic he thought I was trying to hit him.  Got to a red light and proceeded to threaten me and get out of his truck.  He saw the pistol and I told him he was on camera he got back in his truck and burned off through a red light.

Second time was years back in north Houston/Tomball area.  Very high adrenaline situation I could barely breathe my heart was pounding so hard thinking I was in a situation where rule #4 prevented me from doing anything and only could wait for the popo to show up and the guy fear I would do something.  Terrible situation and never been so high on adrenaline than that.

Tag for stories

We were out fishing late one evening and had just walked up the hill to the ATVs (3 wheelers, remember those, Kawasaki KLT 200's) to tie our poles to the rear racks and ride home.  The road we were on was gated on both ends and we hadn't been seeing people out there so it was surprising to see the headlights of an old Jeep coming around the road.  We were standing there looking towards it when it stopped and a spot light began to shine all around the fields/edges of the woods on both sides of the road by the guys in the Jeep.  The light "got out" of the Jeep and began to move across the field towards the woods and then turned back to the Jeep.  

We could see one guy carrying a small battery and holding the spot light and another guy carrying a rifle.  It was mid-August so they were breaking the law carrying a gun around in the field/woods let alone trying to spot light deer.  They kept moving towards us so we hunkered down behind the ATVs hoping they wouldn't see the ATVs in the tall weeds/grass and take a shot towards us.

I got my Ruger Speed Six out and removed the snake shot shells (rattle snakes around there) and put six 125 grain hollow points in it and made sure the second speed loader was quick at hand.  My brother-in-law wanted to stand up, holler and wave and told him if he was dead set on it give me a few seconds to get some distance between me and the ATVs in case they decided to take a shot his way.  He looked at me funny and asked me why I thought they'd shoot at him.  I told him to think about what they were doing.  Drinking, trespassing, spot lighting, hunting out of season, etc. and he wanted to stand up and holler at them/startle them.  He decided to stay hunkered down behind his ATV and see what happened.  

Well, there were four dirt roads that came together in that big field and wouldn't you know it, they chose the one that went right past us.  They kept working closer and finally we had to say something, so he hollered from his spot down in the grass behind the Kawasaki.  The stopped, pointed the light and rifle our way and then the guy with the rifle lowered the rifle and they walked right up to us and asked us what we were doing.  We were fishing of course   They said they were deer hunting and of course, my brother-in-law had to tell them they were doing it wrong.  The guy with the light laughed and said they were doing it the easy way.  

I had the Ruger down along my leg as we talked and I don't think either of them saw it as it was pretty dark by then.  There were still two guys in the Jeep over on the road, too.  Eventually they figured they'd better keep going if they were going to get a deer for their trouble so they left and went on down the road.  We got on our 3 wheelers and went home.

The brother-in-law asked me about my revolver and I told him that yes, I would have shot at them if they'd have shot at us, or tried to take the 3 wheelers.

Now my wife has walked up behind me twice with a gun in her hand while I was in a verbal conflict with a stranger.  Gave me a funny feeling to turn around and see her standing there with my Colt 1911 in her hand.  She wasn't bringing it to me, she was bringing it up close in case she needed to protect me.  Never mind I was 6 ft. 3" tall and 230 lbs. of mid twenties just out of the US Army Infantry physical condition.  She wasn't about to let some strangers hurt me.  We are still married.  Thirty-nine years tomorrow.

Just saw I got a free double post.....

Only once. It had snowed a bit. I had let the dog out to his thing. Didn't have any lights on but it was quiet. The dog went crazy and ran to the fence line. I had my tacops 1911 with x300u on it. Figured it was another animal or something. Then I could hear something walking in the snow the way snow crunches. I then heard my dog whimper. So I turned the light on and pointed in his direction. It was a person and they just took off running. Called the cops and person was never saw again.

Dog was unhurt. Turns out a few days later, my dog is a sissy and starts whimpering when his feet are too cold LOL as he did it on two other walks in snow.

Never did find out who it was though. We do live in a neighborhood and there is a walking trail roughly 25yds from my fence line. But walking in the snow at midnight is pretty sketchy.

Almost drew a few weeks ago.



I was meeting a new tenant at one of my rentals, and when I got there the front door handle was broken and the lock box was gone. I assumed (foolishly) that someone just wanted to steal the box. As I was getting my drill from my tool box someone came from in between my house and the neighbors house. I got a funny feeling, but ignored it for a second and did my business.



Once I had the door open and was changing the locks (something I do anyway when a new tenant moves in) the same man came up to the door and said that it was his friends house and he wanted to get his stuff. I told him I own the house and to not lie to me, and that he should leave. He kept insisting I let him get his stuff, and after a couple minutes of asking he started walking into the doorway. I closed the door and backed away, and when he opened it I had my hand on my Shield and yelled very loudly to not come in, and fortunately for both of us he understood the situation and left. I was pretty shaken up the next hour or so, I guess knowing that that I could have been less than a second away from shooting someone was uncomfortable for me.



I reported the squatting to police and told them what he looked like. Also fortunate was the fact that the guys ID was in his backpack (which was inside) and there was a case of needles and some type of drug. The responding officer saw that I was still nervous and I was wearing one of my M&P shirts that day, and chatted about guns with me for a few minutes (he was carrying his personal 1911, the dept issues glocks or gives them the option to carry their own). I think he was trying to take my mind off of it.

   I used to live in Tampa and in not the best area of town so I had many occasions where I drew down on someone.  The one that shook me was when a probably high individual thought he would come into my apartment at 3am.  He was turning the knob and pushing on the door trying to get it open but not knocking.  I answered the door with my shotgun loaded with buckshot aimed at his crotch and he was not fazed at all.  He started spouting some bullshit and I told him to leave before he got shot.  Meanwhile his accomplice was backed into a parking space very close to the door of my ground floor apartment.  This all happened years ago when Tampa was having a flurry of home invasions.  Well, anyways once he saw the shotgun he calmly walked away but his driver was freaking out and it left me unsettled as his calmness and near visit to the morgue made me uneasy.

   I had many others but that was the one that I remember the best as his attitude of seeming indifference was very unexpected.  And by the way, I didn't rack the shotgun as I kept one in the chamber.

^ that's why he wasn't freaked out, he thought it was empty

About twice a week.

about 13 years ago...Had a guy banging on our front door and yelling some woman's name at 3 am. I told my then pregnant wife to call 911 and take our 18 month old to the back bedroom. The only gun I had was a .41 Rem Ruger SA revolver. So it was me and the Ruger creeping down the stairs as the asshat breaks the front window with a rock, unlocks the window, and begins climbing in as I round the corner. I hip shoot a round at him, hit the wall about 2 feet to the left. He screams like a girl and drops back out the window. Cops catch him running away straight down the middle of the street. After that, I traded in the Ruger for a Beretta 92.

To prevent an ass whipping i pulled it from under my mc seat and put in my front pocket. He saw that and didnt get off his bike

4 times total - none in the US. All in S. Africa. Had too many occasions to count where attitude and stance changed their minds or SA prevented me from getting to the point of confrontation. Had one situation where 3 of my buddies drew down on 5 guys that were hell bent on getting into a fight - I was already bleeding at the mouth when I heard safeties click off. Funny how little things stand out. Stupid people, stupid places, stupid shit and all that.

Only fired once and the distance was a bit far - at night with no night sites. Found blood, but nothing ever came of it.

Nope, and I never hope I have too.

Not actually pointed.. Hand on gun while still holstered but visible to scumbag with a clear head shake for him not to advance any further.
My situational awareness was on that day and I spied the little scumbag watching us and sizing us up and then making some purposefully deceptive moves as he closed the gap walking down the street towards us. I told the guy I was talking to, to move to safety and I stepped out on the sidewalk in the shitheads path about 100' away. Hand on gun, blade @ 45, shake head. Shithead stopped dead, gave me a nod, turned around 180 and walked away.
It was strange. When he gave me the nod that he understood I was armed. It almost seemed as though he said thank you at the same time?

TL;DR version:

Out of state beach vacation.
Rental house with driveway fenced in on 3 sides.
Loading vehicle and get cased by 2 meth-heads walking by.
They walk by a second time.
They walk by a third time.
They suddenly and decisively turn at me and move down the narrow boxed-in driveway, cornering me and closing quickly.
At this time they see my pistol coming up to low-ready.

They immediately remember there is someplace else they need to be.

They understand. Had the same happen to me. Was taking an American friend of mine to see a waterfall outside Waterval boven - to get to the waterfall, you had to go through an old abandoned train tunnel. Once on the other side, there's a small picnic area where you can see the waterfall in all it's glory. It's really a beautiful spot.
Once on the other side, we note some "youths" sitting around and smoking. Buddy starts snapping pics with his high dollar camera and one of the "youths" puts out his cig he just lit with a lighter and walks over with a fresh cig in his mouth and asks me for a light. Pretty standard prep for a mugging...his buddies had also gotten up at this point and started flanking. I bladed and put my hand on my Griffon under my shirt, which was about 3:30. Youth nods, lights smoke and walks away. At that point I saw the revolver butt sticking out of his belt line.
We pretended to be calm, backed away slowly and as soon as they were out of view, ran like the devil hisself was chasing us! Buddy was ready to puke when we got back in the car and on the road. I was shaken, but glad I saw it coming. Welcome to the New South Africa...haha

(not my own pics)
The tunnel:


The waterfall:

Lemmi tell you!   Firstly, if you are focusing on ANY thing other than the person you've pulled down on you are doing it wrong.............I was a cop for right at 34 years, pulled my gun many times and I thank the good lord I never had to cap anyone............still, in EVERY instance I was totally and utterly focused on the person that caused me to have to do that.    

Closest I ever came to killing someone was a bank robber I T-boned to stop him from getting into a school zone that was letting out..........damn fool kept reaching down as if for a weapon while I was standing mere feet away from him.......he finally gave it up but had I seen anything come up in hand he'd have eaten a buncha 9's.........poor bastard wasn'e even armed & it turned out to be domestic issue that prompted the act.   A suicide by cop event that I thank god had me in place of the rookie that was chasing him when I wrecked him!

Again, you concentrate on the threat, you exclude nearly all else, audible and visual............kinda like shootin' a deer........killed a bunch and NEVER heard the gun go off or felt recoil!

Years ago some idiot had a case of road rage with me after he cut me off in a grocery store parking lot, then got stuck behind some person who wasn't  turning left or right and had car issues. So I backed up and took another way out and this retard backs up and starts racing to pass me but didn't have enough time to make it past me and starts honking the horn as if he had more right of way than me. I turn ignoring the idiot and he blows past the stop sign cutting off oncoming traffic and starts tailgating me while I'm doing 25 in a 25. He followed all the way to my destination so I kept on driving past my home and parked near a gas station and parked. Was about to call 911 and before I could anything he blocks my car and comes out with a crowbar and advances. I got out just in time to back away and had my gun drawn but not pointed at him. People were already calling the cops and long story short it turns out "Mr. I'm more important than you and own the roads" had a few warrants for this kind of behavior already. Color me shocked.

No, but I had a game warden draw down on me for shooting my AR on private property. That was unpleasant.

Sort of...

I was at the outdoor shooting range at my club.  It was earlier in the morning and I was the only one at the club.  The club is very secluded and there's not much around it.

I forgot exactly what I was shooting at the time, but I had brought a couple of rifles and pistols with me.  As I was shooting, I noticed a car pull into the lot with two sketchy looking guys in it.  They sat in the car for about 10 minutes smoking and watching me.  

As I'm walking up-range after hanging some targets, they get out of the car and quickly begin walking to the shooting benches where my stuff is sitting.  They weren't carrying range bags or rifle cases, so I figured they were not there to practice their marksmanship.  I guess they assumed that I was an easy, unarmed target as my guns were sitting on the bench and I was a good 75 yards away from them.  

What they didn't realize was that I had pulled my CZ75B out of it's IWB holster and had it pointing low at the ground.    Once they finally realized that I had a pistol at the ready, they ran back to their car and hauled-ass out of the club.

Once! Long story my fiancé and her girlfriend went out for dinner and drinks one night and the girlfriend went home with another man and left her purse in my fiancé's car.   Next morning we take the girlfriends purse back to and unbeknown to us the boyfriend was not too happy with his girlfriend going home with another man and decided to slap her around a little bit before she calls the cops and he takes off.  Guy was a real coward and POS.  We show up just as the cop is leaving and as soon as the cop is gone the boyfriend comes back for round two.  This time he wants to try taking his anger out on my fiancé.  

I wasn't about to let that happen and stepped in front of him to see if he wanted to try fighting a man instead of beating on a woman.  Well he declined my offer and said that if I wanted to "fire it up"  He would "fire me up" and with that he went back to his truck and I went to mine and was trying to leave when he comes back around the corner, hand behind his back with what looked like a gun.  I draw my gun and step behind my open door of my truck.  Turns out he wanted no part of that, being that he had one of those Skil twist screw guns and not a real gun.  looked like a gun from where I was at.  

He takes off, I and several others call the police, he gets arrested, charged with DV, battery, intimidation, assault deadly weapon as well as a few other charges.  End result is I had to testify in court he went to jail and I went home.

If you're addressing me (even if you're not) and my "Team SA could have been better..." comment then I would ask whether both of us focusing solely on the threat in front of us was the right thing to do, considering that another intruder was in a position that he could have easily ambushed us.

Looks like a good place to get yourself raped.

Yup, we were young, dumb and reckless. Needless to say, I've never been back there! haha.

I have yet to see a man that would beat a woman be willing to fight another man.

Agreed - Focusing on your target is one thing, but canceling out everything around you is a bit reckless. Great if you have a stack of 4 guys behind you, but sucky if it's just you or you and a friend.
I've been in one or two situations where focusing on the target alone, would have gotten me killed.

Not today, but it is still early.

There are some belligerent assholes out there. You never know...

My wife and I were driving to Phoenix from Tucson once and we stopped to get gas. We were getting gas and then there was another guy getting gas the next lane over. All of a sudden, a small SUV comes flying in the parking lot and then screeches to a halt. A grumpy old dude jumps out and just starts fucking screaming at this other guy about how the guy was tailing him. The other guy tells him to fuck off and get out of the left lane. They scream at each other for like 5 minutes. Then, the old guy pulls a fucking revolver (kept it pointing towards the ground) and tells the guy this isn't the state to fuck around in (other guy had Cali plates) and says "that's how you get shot here."

My wife was on the passenger side closer to them so I walked around and got between them and her. I was pocket carrying a G43 and reached in my pocket and had it about half way out of my pocket. Closest I've ever been!

Looking back, I should have stopped fueling and just took off but I was having fun watching the argument. Until the gun came out and then it wasn't so funny anymore.

About 7 years ago, I was working at a tire shop and we put our scrap tires out back because of space, but did attract some unruly types. We were told that after closing we need to drive by just to make sure no one is there.

I had just gotten my Fobus paddle holster, and had my G19 I'm it, put it on my hip to drive home with a few stops along the way. Drive by and there's someone is there. Call the police as I pulled around, and I block his truck with mine and get out. I tell him I am on the phone with the police and they are on the way, and hang up. I start to walk towards him to get his info and he starts to charge at me. I grip and draw, and as I clear Kydex (plastic? Whoever they are made of) and he does a 90 and shoots into the woods and is gone.

Cop shows up, takes info and searches, but tells me I can go. She calls me and says no one there, and what to do next time.

TLDR treapasser charges, sees gun and flees.

My experiences arresting people who've committed domestic violence differ and indicate that plenty will go hands on with a guy.
The whole "if they hit women they won't fight a guy" is nonsense in my opinion.

I'm no self defense expert but that actually sounds like a horrible strategy

I'm not big women getting slapped around but I would have stayed out of that situation.

Drama llamas won't think twice about putting you in a life altering situatio

lol, true story

It may be just that. I'm going off anecdotes and don't have a statistically significant number to go on.

I have also never arrested anyone.

That is absolutely terrible advice.

Right, sounds like Condition Black, not a place you want to be. You are basically advocating taking your SA, and just throw it out the window.

That's all well and good unless you're alone and they possibly aren't...


As to the original question, I've come close a few times, and made a very obvious grip once when a crackhead came busting out of a bush 20ft away asking for change.  4" ported stainless .357 on my hip, headed home from hunting.  He got real polite real quick and disappeared back into the bush.

At least you could enjoy the view.

It will bring tears to your eyes...the view, I mean

Went to a restaurant/bar/hangout, was over ten years ago. Girl I was familiar with was being hit on by a guy. She wanted nothing to do with him so she said I was her boyfriend, so we left. Guy followed us outside saying he needed a ride. Told him wasn't happening had subs in the back(dodge ram reg cab). He got all huffy and went back inside. Put her in truck, walked around and got in and started truck. Look in rearview someone is blocking me in. Bout that time my door gets yanked open and said guy was there with his friends. Next thing he knows he is looking down the barrel of my smith and wesson. Yelling at me to shoot him and how he just got out of prison and wasn't afraid to go back. I told him if he reaches in here he is going to the morgue not prison cause I am going to bust his guts all over this parking lot. About that time a friend of mine came over who is retired local pd and told me to put that away and get the fuck outta here. Grabbed the guy and walked off with him.
Two weeks later I run into same guy at different local hangout. He buys me a drink and thanks me for not shooting him. Apparently my friend the off duty pd explained to him about yanking doors open and getting shot for carjacking was not a good way to go.

Many years ago (40+) I was working miles outside of Buffalo, Wyoming. Our route included about 10 miles of I-25 into town. Late one night, maybe pushing midnight I was coming back from a long shift, once i was on the interstate and a couple miles up I came on a pickup with the hood up. As that part of the world was fairly deserted and friendly in those days I pulled in front of the pickup. Something didn't feel quite right so I got out of my truck with a flashlight and S&W Model 19 in hand. As I started to walk back towards the other truck he was coming towards me quickly. Then I heard gravel crunch in front of my truck. Backed across the interstate and caught a second person in the flashlight beam. Once they saw the revolver they were most polite.  I have no idea what their plan was.....left the two of them flat on their bellies in the middle of the road and drove away. No lights behind me. Awful glad I had the Combat Magnum that night!