I know what you're getting at, brickeyee, and I just want to make sure I'm not being misunderstood. I should make clear that the reason I put 'sight picture' in quotes above is because I'm talking about aimed fire v. unaimed fire, and you don't need a true-blue sight picture to make an aimed shot. But the way I understand it, a double-tap, or hammer, is one aimed shot and one unaimed follow-up shot - by definition the second shot is unaimed. So, while a shot does not always require a textbook sight picture and subsequent refinement to be an aimed shot, you do need from the gun what you need to know to make your shot. If that's a well-refined index that allows you to verify the guns alignment without a classic sight picture, then that's all you need. But it's still an aimed shot, so not, technically, a hammer/dbl-tap.
That's the way I define it, and I think it's the correct definition: a double tap/hammer is to align the gun with the target and just hit the trigger twice.
My point with all this is that there is no reason for the second shot to be unaimed. Yes, with enough practice you can time your gun to keep that second shot on target through pure timing, without verifying your alignment in any way whatsoever. But it's a parlor trick. Change the gun, change the load, start the target in motion, start yourself in motion, change your grip pressure, shoot at a target that's not directly in front of you, change pretty much anything and what you have is one aimed shot and one shot that you don't know where it went because you didn't aim the gun. Maybe you'll have a hit, maybe you won't. And it's a common misconception that if the target is close enough you can't miss. Go to any practical shooting match and see how many people miss the arms-length targets just by thinking they couldn't miss.
I can consistently put (most of the time ) 6 shots into the A-zone of an IPSC target in 2.2 or 2.3 seconds from the holster (unconcealed) at 7yds. Give it 2.5 and I can do it every time and I can do it in 2 flat warmed up about half the time, and I'm nothing special in the fast shot department- I'm a B-class IPSC shooter and an Expert-class IDPA shooter. But even from me, a very middle-of-the-road shooter, that's from about 1 to 1.2 for the draw and anywhere from to .16 to .2 for the splits. The point being: that's 6 aimed shots. If, with a little practice, you can put 6 aimed shots into a target in a hair over 2 seconds after wasting half that time on the draw, what good is an unaimed shot? For most shooters without alot of practice, they'd be hard pressed to put two shots into the dirt with a better than .16 split.
That's my whole point: there's no reason for it. Make two aimed shots, quickly. With practice it's not appreciably slower than just hitting the trigger twice and you know where the shot went, you know you're going to get your hit and you can adapt to changing circumstances because you're confirming your alignment on both shots...and with proper technique, that can be more than two shots. It can be as many as you want it to be.
- Gabe
That's the way I define it, and I think it's the correct definition: a double tap/hammer is to align the gun with the target and just hit the trigger twice.
My point with all this is that there is no reason for the second shot to be unaimed. Yes, with enough practice you can time your gun to keep that second shot on target through pure timing, without verifying your alignment in any way whatsoever. But it's a parlor trick. Change the gun, change the load, start the target in motion, start yourself in motion, change your grip pressure, shoot at a target that's not directly in front of you, change pretty much anything and what you have is one aimed shot and one shot that you don't know where it went because you didn't aim the gun. Maybe you'll have a hit, maybe you won't. And it's a common misconception that if the target is close enough you can't miss. Go to any practical shooting match and see how many people miss the arms-length targets just by thinking they couldn't miss.
I can consistently put (most of the time ) 6 shots into the A-zone of an IPSC target in 2.2 or 2.3 seconds from the holster (unconcealed) at 7yds. Give it 2.5 and I can do it every time and I can do it in 2 flat warmed up about half the time, and I'm nothing special in the fast shot department- I'm a B-class IPSC shooter and an Expert-class IDPA shooter. But even from me, a very middle-of-the-road shooter, that's from about 1 to 1.2 for the draw and anywhere from to .16 to .2 for the splits. The point being: that's 6 aimed shots. If, with a little practice, you can put 6 aimed shots into a target in a hair over 2 seconds after wasting half that time on the draw, what good is an unaimed shot? For most shooters without alot of practice, they'd be hard pressed to put two shots into the dirt with a better than .16 split.
That's my whole point: there's no reason for it. Make two aimed shots, quickly. With practice it's not appreciably slower than just hitting the trigger twice and you know where the shot went, you know you're going to get your hit and you can adapt to changing circumstances because you're confirming your alignment on both shots...and with proper technique, that can be more than two shots. It can be as many as you want it to be.
- Gabe