A few weeks ago, we looked at whether red dot sights are a good idea for a concealed carry pistol. Lots of our followers expressed skepticism -- not just for red dot sights, but for any kind of sights being useful in a real world defensive encounter. Is there a specific distance where we should plan to shoot "instinctively" rather than rely on the sights? Is sighted fire even possible considering the close range and quick reaction times required in most scenarios? Should we be practicing a combination of sighted fire and point shooting? We can't give you any definitive answers, but we can offer some strong opinions!
VIDEO HERE (12:28 minutes)
It irritates me to see all this 2-handed handgun shooting!
ReplyDeleteMy Daddy would’ve slapped me down if I’d been using 2 hands. He’d let my sister use both hands, but not my brother or me! Just more indication of the feminizing of the American male. It’s everywhere!
Learn to draw from the holster and make the shot with one hand. It’s the way it’s always been done, for men!
Remember, it’s called a “hand-gun,”.... not a “hands-gun!”
Oh, horseshit. The object is to hit what you're aiming at EVERY TIME, not to look manly.
DeleteWhen i was learning to shoot as a teen i was taught start with a 2 handed stance until you know the gun and are good enough to be safe one handed.
DeleteExile1981
Hey Joe, pistol shooting has evolved since WWI.
DeleteDaddy didn’t know sick about pistol shooting.
big front sight. single barrel. 10 gauge. No. one shot. every shot a hit.
DeleteInside 60 feet, you oughta be able to draw and make an effective one-shot stop from the hip, with one hand.
DeleteBill Wilson could do it. My Daddy could do it. And I can do it.
Outside 60 feet, you ought to be using a rifle.
Rifles are meant to be aimed through sights, not pistols.
If you can’t do that, maybe you need more practice?
Or, maybe you ought not be using a pistol?
Who is Joe, and where’s his trophy from beating Jerry Miculek?
DeleteT. Rose
Or maybe you can send in a video showing us a few of those 20 yard shots (at full speed, of course), Joe? Then for a doze of realism, do it again after sprinting 50 yards to simulate the shortness of breath and pounding heart that comes with a stressful situation.
DeleteI wonder what Jeff Cooper would think about your opinion since he helped develop the two handed grip. Try telling him he wasn't manly. Jes sayin' and yes, at belly button distance there is a place for the one hand draw and shoot.... with practice you can get damn good too: Wait for Grandma at the end: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv7IjJRwduU
DeleteHow a Colorado Grandma got good at quick draw one handed shooting:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKTFLkkLO3w
I can do everything Joe can do...but at twenty ONE yards.
Delete"I can do everything Joe can do...but at twenty ONE yards."
DeleteHa! You know how they know that a .22 lr cartridge can be lethal up to a mile away? Kim Jong Il used to headshot ROK border guards at that range. Firing from the hip, no less. Well, at least according to Nork press releases, and they're at least as honest as our press.
Without watching the video, My tack is sights are not neccesary in a shootout situation. From my experience shooting IPSC style competition, I never really recall engaging the sights. It was always the target I was focused on. Muscle memory takes over when one is practiced. That's why they call it a target.
ReplyDeleteI practice point shooting:
ReplyDeletehttps://rumble.com/vj85fp-beretta-m9-22-lr-and-s-and-w-compact-22-lr-outdoors.html
I have just started using red dots on a couple of my pistols. As my eyes have aged I have found the red dot easier to get on target.
ReplyDeleteIt's a real game-changer isn't it?
DeleteAmong the things to practice in self-defense training are your States' laws of self-defence.
ReplyDeleteAre you required to perceive a lethal threat before you can shoot? What are the differences between self-defense and defense of another?
In some states, defense of another requires you to be actually correct in your perception of the circumstances, while self-defense allows action based on your reasonable belief.
Read what you can, get good info, and plan for sudden, close-range encounters.
John in Indy
Anecdotal story follows. I spent 25 years in the Army, most of it in the Infantry. I practiced with pistols frequently and shot very well at the range every time. I also had several of my own and shot very well. I practiced to use the sight every time. Every time. Then I was put in a plastic bullet shoot out with a real person. At the end, the video showed I didn't use the sights a single time. The fact is, at hand gun distances, you are probably just fine with point and click. Your mileage may vary.
ReplyDelete--Generic
I would suspect that if you filmed everyone practicing a quick self defense shot, it would be the same result as yours.
DeleteThe practice is from a max of 7 yards to 0 you punch straight to the chest and fire. I know for a fact that worked for me. From 5 yards out sights are usable depending on the actual situation. It is never a one fits all practice.
ReplyDeleteI fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
ReplyDelete*Bruce Lee.
Get your favorite gun and try to wear it out.
I put a set of XS Big Dot sights on a 1911 that lives next to my bed. I sort of figured that they were a gimmick at first but I spent some time thinking about what they were trying to do, and for the application that I bought them foŕ, I've decided that I like them.
ReplyDeleteThey get me where I want to go a lot faster than my naked eye can.
When somebody comes in the front door at 3am I'll be pointing and shooting.
ReplyDeleteBut that's just me.
Clear front sight post.
ReplyDeleteEvery time.
I used to have shooters spit at the 3 yard silhouette target, then engage it with one round without aiming.
Most could hit it with spittle. He could impact it with a bullet
I have a 1911 at bedside and a 12 gauge pump beside that. If I needed either I'd grab the pump. Point an pull.
ReplyDeleteHe probably makes some valid points but ill never know, i cant take more than 30 seconds of his annoying speech cadence and talking as if his audience is a kidergaden class. Not to mention Lucky Gunner is one of the worst ammo gouging online retailers.
ReplyDeleteDespite my anecdote above, I am a fan of red dots on pistols. They help train the reflex of knowing where the pistol is pointing when it is in your hand.
ReplyDelete--Generic
Your target determines the means of engagement. Up close the overriding demand is for speed. When your attacker is so close that you have to push them back with your support hand to make enough space to get your gun out, once it's out of the holster get the pistol into your peripheral vision, tuck the butt of the grip into the side of your ribs, and start shooting into the attacker's torso as you open the distance. Every hit counts for something. Once you can bring your handgun up between the two of you then you can start looking across the top of your sights to get a degree of precision, but do it fast because the attacker can still reach you. By the time you can take a step back, if they are still coming, use those sights to deliver projectiles into places that will shut the attacker down. Body armor is a thing these days so if center mass hits aren't getting it done it is time to shoot for the pelvis to anchor them, then once they are on the ground if they still present a threat, hit that headshot.
ReplyDeleteSpoken like a true baddy. Ohio Guy
DeleteI would say that it depends, how far away is your attacker, can you realistically draw, aim and fire before you are in bad breath range, and how well you perform under extreme stress.
ReplyDeleteJD