Where do I start?

[Roger Phillips]

This is a question that I get asked all of the time.

Point shooting is not so much about "point shooting" per se, it is much more about what you can do with point shooting. There simply are things that we may need to do in a life threatening encounter that may not be possible or pratical for the average, trained, tactically aware, individule.

These things include,

Fighting from a position that has us behind the reactionary curve.

Fighting in low light of no light situations.

Fighting with the use of dynamic movement.

Fighting that requires the integration of H2H and the gun.

Fighting while dealing with physical limitations.

As we see this list covers an awful lot of "typical" armed encounters that concealed carry citizens and average street cops may have to deal with. Since the statistics verify the likelihood of the situations listed above, it is probably a very good idea to get yourself the point shooting fundamentals.

Acquiring the fundamentals would just be the start, you would then need to take those fundamentals into the situations above and have them ingrained at a subconsciously competent level.

But for now let's us talk about the fundamentals. The "Bible' of point shooting is the book "Shooting to Live" by Fairbairn and Sykes from the 1930's. To not start with the "Bible" would be a form of blasphemy.

This is where you start!

As you read this book you will be amazed about how much these guys knew about gun fighting. Not only is this book very good at getting you to point shooting very quickly, it is a very sound book in regards to gunfighting in general. I guess studying 666 gunfights over twelve years leads to a certain "expertice!"

You can pick up "Shooting to Live" through Paladin for a very reasonable price. It is just a little 96 page paper back, but the information is a gold mine.

Start there and more information will follow on this thread.

Feel free to ask any questions as you follow along.

Gabe, could you please sticky this one for me.

[Matthew Temkin]

STL is a funny kind of book.
Once you begin to understand the concepts of combat shooting the more sense the book makes.
As someone once pointed out to me it is sort of like the bible.
Meaning that the more one learns about religion the more one can read into the bible.
For example I have probably skimmed/read STL hundreds of times, yet even years after first picking it up I still learn something new from it.
KOGK is better illustrated and shows more technique, but the core concepts are there to be found in STL.
One just has to look a bit harder to find them.

[peregrine]

Great sticky.

[Roger Phillips]

About As Concise As I Can Get

I had someone ask me how you point shoot with a rifle recently. So instead of running down a bunch of techniques, I just explained the concept of point shooting. As Matt recently pointed out, point shooting is not so much a bunch of techniques as it is a simple fluid concept.

This is about as concise as I get, while still explaining exactly what is done. The more that I think about it, the more that I like it. Here is what I wrote.


************************************************** *****

Point shooting with a long arm is the exact same concept of point shooting with a handgun. The basics, all comes down to basic geometry. The advanced application, all comes down to hand/eye coordination that is the bi-product of the basic geometry.

Basic Geometry

Squaring up to the threat

Shooting from your centerline

Gun parallel to the ground

These three things are virtually fool proof. It is almost impossible to miss when these three basic geometry points come together. This is why people are able to point shoot the very first time that they do it.....when taught correctly.

But this is stance and grip dependent and does not bring out the real benefits of point shooting

Advanced Application

Is simply the hand/eye coordination that is a bi-product of the basic geometry.

The centerline is replaced by the visual centerline. Meaning that where ever you look, if the gun is on your visual centerline, you have taken care of the "squaring up" and the "centerline" portion of the basic geometry. The vertical alignment is now taken care of.

This leaves the horizontal alignment. The "parallel to the ground" is your "default." Hand/eye coordination is now a bi-product off of this known "default."

Just focus on the desired point of impact and your mind, eyes, and body will make the adjustments to get the hits.

It really is that simple!

This covers from line of sight all the way to "from the hip".....and everything in between.

[Steve Collins]

Point shooting with a long arm is the exact same concept of point shooting with a handgun. The basics, all comes down to basic geometry. The advanced application, all comes down to hand/eye coordination that is the bi-product of the basic geometry.

Basic Geometry

Squaring up to the threat

Shooting from your centerline

Gun parallel to the ground

These three things are virtually fool proof. It is almost impossible to miss when these three basic geometry points come together. This is why people are able to point shoot the very first time that they do it.....when taught correctly.

But this is stance and grip dependent and does not bring out the real benefits of point shooting


Roger,

This is almost exactly what I am teaching to the LTs during part of my Advanced Rifle Marksmanship courses. I have a limited amount of time to teach a large group, but most seem to pick it up very quickly, as you said.

Once they get inside the shoot house, they will try and use the Aimpoint dot sights, but it seems they are finding out that if they use the body index method, especially at close quarter, it is much quicker and just as effective. Of course, I also teach them to be generous with their ammo, so they WILL get the hits!

[Matthew Temkin]

Several years ago a young court officer contacted me via GT and asked for some point shooting training. (Today he is on the Nassau County PD)
I brough him to my friends range and we went through my (then) standard 3-4 hour program. After the class he told me that he was in the Army reserves and was being sent overseas for about one year.
About 6 months later he sent me an e mail from Kosovo and told me that before being deployed the army had sent him to some intensive gun training because his assignment was to body guard a general.
To make a long story short just before deployment he was put in the shoot house where he was subjected to gas and Sims ammo being used against him while he had to hunt/kill targets with a live handgun. He informed me that the ONLY techniques that worked for him that day was the FAS method that I had shared with him several months before.
I am sure that the same would have been true with the FAS rifle/subgun point shooting methods.
I saw a great T shirt at a recent police seminar that said,
"TACTICS--NOT TOYS!!!!"
Ain't that the truth.