I need to say that anyone firing any gun anywhere without carefully controlling & ensuring the point of impact is guilty of negligent discharge of a firearm. FULL STOP.
However the technique of point shooting has been and is taught by Government Armed Forces for use in warfare and by other organisations for defensive use against violent criminal civilians.
The use of handguns by police - who notoriously are recorded as MISSING some 85% of all shots fired in anger - can only be described as wildly and uncontrollably pointing and shooting when under stress and fear of injury .. thereby endangering members of the public.
Again - This Mostly Un-Aimed Use of Deadly Weapons Is Taught By GOVERNMENTS.
As expected - Wikipedia has a useful page on the topic:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_shooting
- and there is no question but that some talented individuals who train and practice frequently may develop a high level of hand-eye co-ordination sufficient to make hits on target without use of the firearm's sights.
My guess is that the term "Spray & Pray" was used long before high-capacity Glock pistols came out of Deutsch-Wagram.
I also have personally known for many years an individual who is completely unable to point a finger AT any object - being always at least 20 degrees off to the right of their aim-point despite wearing corrective lenses.
- It seems that astigmatism affects between 30% to 60% of adults in both Asia & Europe.
Nobody concerned with the need to safely hit the intended target can recommend 'point shooting' .. but many Government organisations continue to do so.
Some entertainment shows include "Quick Draw" specialists who demonstrate strange techniques involving short range "point shooting" acts - but you would need to be gullible to believe these showmen are for real. They use every cheat in the book such as blank cartridges that burst balloons with hot gas and pistol rounds loaded with "bird shot" to put on a show .. magicians still draw good crowds.
"Hollywood" too has long promoted the fiction of gunslingers firing from the hip to mow-down the 'bad guys' .. sometimes even "fanning" the hammers of their modified single-action 'Peacemaker 44'
This screen shot was used to report an Evansville (USA) man who shot himself in the leg - falsely reporting a home invasion and shooting in July 2012.
It might be that too many Government and Service leaders watch too much television and movies for their policy and law making.
Marty K.
Mark I says: Marty I was taught point shooting at the S&W Academy in Springfield Mass. it involved looking at a target then closing your eyes, raising your gun and shooting it. It went well. As the instructor explained it only use if you absolutely cannot get your gun into a normal shooting position!
- That's amazing - but I guess S&W Holdings have their own profit based interest - but they surely were aware of the likelihood of being sued for teaching such techniques.
Isn't it fascinating that a training section of S&W involved in the development of Law Enforcement Patrol Officers techniques - quiet recently was demonstrating how to fire their handguns with closed eyes?
- Standard defensive shooting practice at the time (2008). There was a standard that included it.
M.K.
A fascinating topic. Point shooting is so different to the common "Weaver" triangular shooting stance commonly seen on shooting ranges nowadays. Viewed with derision as an anachronism from a bygone era where law enforcement officers and SOE agents used .32ACP pistols, point shooting is nevertheless based on real life pistol combat experience by military and law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteThere are two versions of point shooting, one you often see in 1930s and 40s gangster films, where a hero or villain holds up others in a room with a revolver held down at his hip, wrist bent upwards. Advantage is that he is difficult to disarm or for someone to knock the gun to one side. Disadvantage is that shooting is literally unaimed as he cannot line up the gun visually but relies on instinctive pointing.
A related, actual "point shooting" technique, is literally pointing your index finger at the target while using your middle finger to operate the trigger. This has the advantage of a better pinch grip of the gun between index finger and thumb and also a more straight pull on the trigger. Your middle finger has straighter-running flexor tendons. If you seek a real-life example of this, check a photo of Jack Ruby taking out Lee Harvey Oswald, shooting from the hip and using his middle finger on his snubnose revolver's trigger. Could mean Ruby was well-trained, certainly his aim was good, but the reason he used his middle finger as trigger finger was that he had lost his index finger!
The more practical point shooting technique, gun raised, which actually IS a method of eye aiming (albeit not with the sights) is described by Colonel Rex Applegate of the Office of Strategic Services in his book "Kill Or Be Killed", (1943) p119. This by the way is the stance adopted by the G-men in the photo in the article above. Many situations preclude use of the sights, both for reasons of ambient light but also because using the sights carries a time penalty.
p119
"Shooting By Instinctive Pointing
----------------------------------------------------
This method of firing is done and practiced with the body in a crouching position. The arm is fully extended, although the elbow may be slightly flexed. The grip of the hand on the weapon is tight - almost convulsive. The crouch is used because it has been found that when subject to enemy fire, men will instinctively assume this position. With the arm extended, control of elevation and windage is more easily affected and the necessity for the extreme amount of practice in learning to shoot accurately with the run resting on the hip is eliminated. The grip on the pistol or revolver is extremely tight. This is also a combat condition, because in the midst of battle excitement, a man instinctively grips his weapon in this manner and certainly does not take time to hold his breath, line up the sights, and squeeze the trigger."
Thank you Pete for a well researched and considered comment.
DeleteCertainly I have read Applegate & company's booklets and also have studied Ed McGivern's marvellous shooting achievements There is clear evidence that talented individuals who practice frequently can do wondrous feats of skill-at-arms.
I'm trying to focus on the potentially LETHAL effects of each & every shot fired ..
Without doubt when an armed individual is facing and trying to stop a deadly force attack -they understandably may release shots hurriedly .. but they ought to be trying to present their firearm accurately 'on-target' as best able.
Certainly ON RANGE in a safe manner practised shooters may develop extraordinary skills with firearms. - We live in a time when the use of arms by law enforcement officers is rightly being questioned .. Indeed the use of deadly force at any time surely must always be questioned.
I think that the only justification for anyone to carry and potentially USE a firearm / weapon against another is 'SELF DEFENCE' .. to protect their own life or the lives of others. This is a most serious responsibility and there surely is a 100% duty to train and practice regularly in order that risk of accidental injury to others is minimised-eliminated.
With your consent I might include your comments into an expanded Part 2 on POINT SHOOTING ?
Cheers Marty. Point shooting is the way to aim only when it's too dangerous to use extra time use the sights. It would be a fun SOE re-enactment using CO2 repeating pistols ... and eye protection. )-;
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, yes you may.
ReplyDelete