Double taps - got tips?

From my days in the military, Double Taps are two aimed shots in quick succession. Usually talking about .25 seconds in between. Shoot, regain sight picture, shoot.

More importantly I was trained to use what we called "hammer pairs".
Not sure if this is the right terminology but what our instructors called it.
If this isn't quit right I apologize...been 10 years now since those fond by-gone days.

I still practice it though, and this is a very good helpful SD technique. As such I've never understood the need for the "faster shot recovery time of smaller calibers". I could never pull the trigger any faster on a M9 or Sig then I could a 1911 (actually slower due to trigger style). This works very very well to about 15yds for putting rounds on target in extremely quick succession .1sea?

I've always enjoyed single action pistols and given them a leg up in this style of shooting and 1911's are a pure joy for fast hammer pairs due to their trigger style.

The best way to actually describe a great hammer pair is to think of when you accidentally squeeze off two rounds on the range after a nice light trigger pull, that second round is usually within a few inches of the first. If you've never done this, you need to practice your trigger pull more and you'll know when you can do it on purpose.

Hammer pairs is the kind of shooting we do in SD. Line up Center of exposed mass (COEM) and shoot two shots as fast as you can pull the trigger. I've practiced for twenty years so mine typically land about 1" apart at COEM at 7yds, then move to the head on the third as you muzzle typically rises to that position anyways.

With enough practice you can extend to a hammer triple and usually keep them all in the size of a watermelon, rising straight up to the head. With even more practice you learn to control the pistol as an extension of you and usually from 15yds and under you should be able to pull the trigger as fast as possible and put the entire magazine through one ragged hole the size of a softball.


Always remember though, fire two shots but don't get mauled because you forget to reassess and apply more shots if required. This got most of our trainees as they would assume anything would stop after two shots. HENCE why the military went with training the Mozambique...not shooting to kill, shooting to stop the threat and this will usually stop the threat.

Guaranteed to stop any living animal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuQKr2AkKDU&NR=1


USN 93-99
SBU Coxswain
Gitmo, Roosie Roads, Sabana Seca
 
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Not necessarily. I've been practicing fast aimed fire the last few months and I'm shooting .17 second splits USING the sights. It can be done. You have to train your eyes, mind, and you hands to work together. The dynamic is all about you and good techniques and practice, not forgoing techniques or sound shooting to go faster.
 
Pull the trigger faster. Don't try to aim in between the two shots.
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I really do not agree with this statement. Dumping the magazine at the range is a lot different than trying to stop a threat out in town. A shooter needs to know where there rounds are going when they pull the trigger. Double taps/controlled pairs or what ever you want to call them take time and ammo to develop the skills to do them accurately. I am just telling you now it is going to take a lot of ammo and range time develop these skills and you have to keep doing it to stay proficient.

Take a few basic handgun courses to get a really good understanding of the basic fundamentals of shooting, then take a more advanced course that covers defensive/tactical shooting specifically. My buddy hooked me up with his copy of Magpul's pistol DVD and it was very good because they really break down the fundamentals and how important it is to have those down before moving on to more advanced techniques.
 
Part of it is keeping a good grip with your left hand on the foregrip, part of it is keeping a snug weld to your shoulder.

The 930 SPX is really easy to do double taps with.

BLAM BLAM

All done...
 
Pull the trigger faster. Don't try to aim in between the two shots.
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I think some of this depends on distance too. There can be a pretty fine line between a double tap and a hammer, and the difference isnt really all that much with hits on target, especially closer up.

I know for me, up close, I get usually one sight picture for most double and triple taps. As the distance increases, my shooting tends to slow some, and I start looking for the sights with each shot. But that usually starts beyond 10 yards or so though.

At closer distances, you really dont even need the sights or even bring the gun to eye level. At 3-5-7 yards or so, while focusing on the target, you should easily be able to just rock the gun out of a SUL position and while held at your solar plexus, and pushed slightly out, with elbows tucked in tight, be able to dump the mag into the target, all with good hits.

Are you shooting at human shaped targets? Real BG don't have a "shoot here" x on them so the standard circular targets are out.
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I tend to agree. Your practice should be geared for what your intended use. The photo type targets are a much better choice than a bullseye for this type shooting, as you have to consider angles and vital zones with no specific/marked aiming point. COM on one target, may well be a miss on another, even if both are COM. Another advantage is, your programming your brain to shoot "people" without hesitation.

Downside to a lot of this though, is where you shoot. Many ranges these days dont allow most of whats being discussed here. Dry fire is a big help, but you still need to get used to the real thing. Gas airsoft guns can be a big help here too. Other than blast, and heavier recoil, you wont see much difference between them and the real thing, and your "real" shooing will improve. They cycle just like the real guns, and you have to track the sights just the same if youre doing that.
 
It's been said before: Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.

I would suggest a good isosceles stance, and a high, thumbs forward grip. Weight slightly forward, elbows slightly bent to help absorb recoil.

Fire one aimed shot, let the gun settle back until you have a sight picture, and send the second shot. You're not looking for a perfect sight picture, you're looking for what I've heard called "flash sight picture." Your grip and stance should put your sights in alignment, your eyes are confirming what your body has already told you about the gun's position. Do this at whatever speed feels smooth and scores good combat accurate hits. You don't want to feel out of control. The more you do practice, the faster your split times should get.

Once you are comfortable with controlling recoil for followup shots, you can also follow the double tap sometimes called a "hammer." For fast close quarters shots, your gun comes on target with a flash sight picture, and you trigger two, or even three rounds. The followup shots come without a sight picture, the shooter relying on the initial sight picture and his control of the recoil to keep the shots in a combat accurate grouping.
 
At short distances, say less than 10 yards, it's as much about proper grip as it is sight picture. If your grip is solid, you should be pretty much on target without staring down your sights. Use the front sight as a tool to call your shots, know where your gun will recoil to and keep practicing.

I'm comfortable with drawing from concealment and firing 2 shots center mass out to 10 yards in less than 2 seconds. Like everyone though, the more I practice the better I get and I have to find ways to push myself. I try to get out of my comfort zone.
 
EEL92SF,

Just took a close look at the picture you posted and it just may be the angle but it appears that if that gun was fired, the strong hand would be in perfect position to lose some skin.

It is important for the hand to high up as practical on the grip but not at the expense of stripping skin off of your hand...ouch.

Like I said, it just may be the picture angle.
 
Its the angle/view of the pic. My normal grip is basically identical to that of EEL92SF's, and Ive never had a problem. From the rear, you'd see theres no "skin" near the slide.
 
I agree grip is important. I recently changed from the weaver stance I grew up on to a solid isosceles stance with a much better grip and my speed and accuracy have improved greatly.
 
It would be the angle...you can't see it in the picture but with this hold the strong thumb is not really touching the slide. No matter how high I have never had slide bite with a glock.

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Dino,

I could not find what sort of grip or stance you use. If you have not tried the Weaver, give it a try.
Weavertwohanded.jpg

The push/pull grip and rolling in your dominant shoulder can greatly reduce muzzle flip and get you back on target quickly. This is the major advantage the Weaver has over the isosceles.
It can be tiring until you build up your muscles.

When I'm in practice, my time for an aimed pair (double tap) is about 0.21 to 0.25 seconds between shots at 5 yards. I use a timer.

mete

The whole point of a double tap is to pull the trigger for the second shot before the recoil momentum of the first moves the gun.
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This is impossible.

The trigger can not reset to fire another round until the slide has completely cycled. The gun will have recoiled before the trigger resets.
 
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Thanks Eel92fs
I think I understand the thumbs forward grip better with the second photo. I'll try it tomorrow.
So this grip shoot aid controllability when double tapping and rapid firing?
BTW - very cute girl in the photo.
 
Hey, my MAC will usually fire 5 rounds, before most people can even release the trigger to get it to stop (thats 5 rounds in about 0.05 seconds).

And thats when they are "trying" to. :)
 
What distance is the OP shooting at? For sub 20 FT PD I've been able to grab and 2x shoot my snub 38 and pretty reliably hit a 1/2 man size target between the nipples. Shooting a man size target for PD is way different than shooting for target score as you are aiming for a area on a blob rather than a defined spot. Besides, the man target may be moving around or at some angle.

My first shots of range time consist of grab and shoot, _not_ assume a stance, get a proper grip, carefully aim , squeeze. In real life PD there will not be a warm up session. These first shots tell me that the 100 + rounds from my last range trip have paid off.

My aiming for the first shots are more of me pointing the gun and less of using the sights to aim. Some of this happens fast enough that the visual portion of aiming doesn't register with me. Sure, I do see the target prior to picking the gun up and after I've shot but the stuff in the middle is just a blur.

This probably comes from racing cars over the years where a good driver anticipates what the car is going to do rather than reacting to it. There just isn't time consciously process and be aware of information, if has to go from eyes to hands _right now_.
 
Thanks for all the good tips guys.

I had a chance to do some shooting this past weekend and found that changing both my grip and my stance helped tremendously.

Now, I just need to practice. :D
 
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