Posted: 2/9/2008 5:18:59 PM EDT
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What are your thoughts on this? ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=9&f=1&t=225903 |
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Steve, We have an outstanding drill which covers shooting from 0 - 30 yards with both pistol and carbine / patrol rifles. It is a great drill teaching students / officers all 3 concepts - Point shooting, front sight picture and front and rear sight alignment all in one drill. It teaches the student when he / she can go fast (0 - 10 yards) and when he / she will need to slow down to engage shots from 15 - 30 yards. Ken J. Good said it best "Sights are a verification of the skeletal alignment, sometimes we need them, sometimes we don't" We explain this theory in detail at our schools. |
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First, contact distance to me is when I can extend my arm and contact my intended target. At contact distances the initial shots will be fired as soon as the weapon clears the holster. This would be similar to point shooting were as your body alignment positions the weapon on the target without the use of the sights. If I'm able to make distance from the target I would do so, while the distance increases the use of the sights will increase progressively. The specific distance at which the full transition from unsighted to sighted shooting takes place can vary greatly between shooters, the situation and their training philosophy. One well known instructor once told me that as distance to target decrease the need for accuracy increases. Yes you read that right. His therory is that the closer you are to your target the more accurate you will need to be. Just any shot into the COM may not be sufficent to stop the threat soon enough and if the threat is at contact distance you're wanting to stop the threat instantly. My preferred technique for close contact engagements involves a minimum of three to four rounds rapidly fired into the target. I begin firing as soon as the weapon clears the holster and is oreinted at an upward angle towards COM the following shots move progressively towards the head of the target as I am explosively moving off of the centerline of the attack. This technique involves a very quick transision from unsighted to sighted fire as distance is made. Keep in mind that there is far more to take into affect when you are not shooting at a paper target on a square range. If you really want to put your skills to the test sign up for some Force on Force training with a good instructor. I would bet that most people find it to be a very humbling experience. No only are you moving, but so is your target and guess what? It can shoot back. |
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"The specific distance at which the full transition from unsighted to sighted shooting takes place can vary greatly between shooters, the situation and their training philosophy." I agree with that statement totally. Well said. From my experience teaching for the Surefire Institute and Strategos Intl, and now for my own company, I often ask officers after our Force on Force engagements "how many of you saw your front sight" and I would have to say 90% of students say they did not see any sights at all. Shooting paper is one thing and is definitely needed but then fighting an opponent in a Force on Force situation in another training entity in itself. One is shooting and the other is gun fighting incorporating marksmanship. |