We had a discussion a couple weeks back about range type practice vs an apparent tendency for many SD incidents to actually happen as point-and-shoot, and whether range practice would help with point-and-shoot.
I have played around every so often with point-and-shoot, but it's not something I do on a regular basis. So, I thought I'd try a side by side comparison today while I was at the range.
We recently moved to Missouri, and I took the Missouri CCW class last week. Qualification used a B-27 target at 7 yards; Missouri requires 20 shots fired from a revolver, and a semi-auto, each. 15 of the 20 shots must be in the white portion of the silhouette.
It's not a hard standard, and everybody passed. I brought along my 3" 13-3, and my PX4 .40 full-size. Kept all shots in the X and 10 without difficulty, using aimed fire and a Chapman.
So I thought today I'd test a couple things.
First, I wanted to see how my point fire would look, at the same target, at 7 yards.
After shooting at the target at the back wall, and then doing some drills at the 10 yard line, I had one box left. So I put up a new target at 7 yards, and shot 42 rounds at the target using point and shoot. Since I don't own the facility, I didn't hip shoot, but instead punched the pistol out in front of me and fired without referencing the sights. Figured I was guaranteed not to hit floor or ceiling that way, and unlikely to hit the target carrier.
Weapon was my Les Baer UTC, so for each shot, I thumbed the safety off as I punched the weapon forward, and fired when I reached about 85% extention (about the same position as extension when I shadow-box). To make it more interesting, I wore driving gloves, and only used my shooting hand, unsupported.
After firing 42 shots in that method, one at a time, from weapon on the shelf, I then fired the last full magazine (8 rds) at the head of the target, using a Chapman hold, about one round per second.
Conclusions:
1) If I had to point shoot at 7 yards, I could probably do so pretty effectively.
2) All 42 snap-shots were in the white of the target. Aside from the high left flyer above the collarbone, the rest were actually decent hits. Point fire would work, for putting rounds on target fast and trying to preempt return fire, at least at short ranges.
3) The 8 aimed shots formed one ragged hole; the first 3 went into virtually one .45 hole. Aimed is definitely better for a tight shot.
4) I could have passed the Missouri course with 20/20 without aiming... Makes one wonder why some of the state training requirements even exist, and whether there is any value added in required, as opposed to available but voluntary, training.
I have played around every so often with point-and-shoot, but it's not something I do on a regular basis. So, I thought I'd try a side by side comparison today while I was at the range.
We recently moved to Missouri, and I took the Missouri CCW class last week. Qualification used a B-27 target at 7 yards; Missouri requires 20 shots fired from a revolver, and a semi-auto, each. 15 of the 20 shots must be in the white portion of the silhouette.
It's not a hard standard, and everybody passed. I brought along my 3" 13-3, and my PX4 .40 full-size. Kept all shots in the X and 10 without difficulty, using aimed fire and a Chapman.
So I thought today I'd test a couple things.
First, I wanted to see how my point fire would look, at the same target, at 7 yards.
After shooting at the target at the back wall, and then doing some drills at the 10 yard line, I had one box left. So I put up a new target at 7 yards, and shot 42 rounds at the target using point and shoot. Since I don't own the facility, I didn't hip shoot, but instead punched the pistol out in front of me and fired without referencing the sights. Figured I was guaranteed not to hit floor or ceiling that way, and unlikely to hit the target carrier.
Weapon was my Les Baer UTC, so for each shot, I thumbed the safety off as I punched the weapon forward, and fired when I reached about 85% extention (about the same position as extension when I shadow-box). To make it more interesting, I wore driving gloves, and only used my shooting hand, unsupported.
After firing 42 shots in that method, one at a time, from weapon on the shelf, I then fired the last full magazine (8 rds) at the head of the target, using a Chapman hold, about one round per second.
Conclusions:
1) If I had to point shoot at 7 yards, I could probably do so pretty effectively.
2) All 42 snap-shots were in the white of the target. Aside from the high left flyer above the collarbone, the rest were actually decent hits. Point fire would work, for putting rounds on target fast and trying to preempt return fire, at least at short ranges.
3) The 8 aimed shots formed one ragged hole; the first 3 went into virtually one .45 hole. Aimed is definitely better for a tight shot.
4) I could have passed the Missouri course with 20/20 without aiming... Makes one wonder why some of the state training requirements even exist, and whether there is any value added in required, as opposed to available but voluntary, training.