Lets toss some ideas into the tactical trashcan

[Iraq Ninja]

This is where we can throw tactics and drills that are longer useful or valid. Opinions may vary. Remember, this is about tactical applications. I know these may work for you, but they are not the best for you. Some of may have been doing it for years and it works great. So, why change? Well, there might be something a little better. We are talking tactics for big boys who face danger on the “two way range”. If you carry a weapon for self protection, then you are big boy!

The Chicken Wing- If you are shooting small caliber rifles, there is no need to stick your trigger arm’s elbow up and out and 90 degrees. This is more practical with the larger caliber “battle rifles”. Put a fork in this one!

Speed rock. A really dangerous technique, for the user! Most likely you will get knocked on your butt.


Groucho walk- Don’t like it much. Train at walking normally. Most people don’t even have a natural walk to begin with. Shooting on the move has it place, but so does running like a cheetah to cover.

2 in the chest, 1 in the head. Too bad its not this simple to kill people. Shoot them till they stop and drop. Enough said on this one.

Finger on the trigger guard (pistol). Ok girls, get that supporting hand index finger off of the front of the trigger guard! There is not a really good reason to do it.

Port Arms- To me, this is a very unnatural way to carry a rifle because the supporting hand is held high. I prefer pointing the rifle straight down in a SUL position.

SERPA holsters. A good idea gone bad. Sell it to some airsofter and buy a good uncomplicated holster instead.

Forbus Holsters- You just spent $700 on a pistol and you stick it in a cheap holster? Drop down and do pushups till I get tired! Forbus holsters can easily be ripped off your belt, with the pistol inside.

TAP, RACK, ASSESS- More politically correct than TAP, RACK, BANG, but we do not need tree hugger tactics in the real world. The noted trainer James Yeager put it best by stating that if a dirt bag had given you a reason to shoot, why would it change in the 0.5 seconds it takes to tap and rack your pistol? Just do the drill and make the kill.

[M1P90]

I'm liking this section already.

[ShipWreck]

Finger on the trigger guard (pistol). Ok girls, get that supporting hand index finger off of the front of the trigger guard! There is not a really good reason to do it.

I will admit to doing this. I started it a few years ago, and it steadies my gun. I tried to stop doing this last year, and I don't shoot as well. So, I've continued.

Whatever works, right? I know some people state that in can make U pull the gun down. But, except for my HK USPc, I shoot better doing this.

[Iraq Ninja]

Ship,

The finger is best used as part of the support structure of the grip. Remember that the support hand should be about 60% of the total grip strength. Using the finger on the trigger guard takes away a bit of that 60%. For target shooting, it works ok. But for stress shooting where you have to manage recoil and possibly engage multiple targets, it doesn't help.

Also, extended fingers can get broken in close quarter battle. If you break your supporting hand trigger finger, what you going to use if your primary arm gets shot and you have to shoot with your support hand?

Put some more time into it and see what happens. Even if it opens up your group from 1" to 2" at 25 yards, that is plenty good for our work. Try it on a plate rack and you will see the problems.

Lastly, if you shoot better with the finger on the guard, you may have a hidden problem in your technique that is compensated with the finger. Probably in your grip or trigger finger. The support finger on the guard does control the lateral movement that is caused by improper trigger pull, expecially in Glocks. So, the answer is to fix the cause, not patch it up.

Good discussion!

[CHICAGO TYPEWRITER]

What is a "speed rock"?

[ShipWreck]

Possibly. I shot isosceles for a while in the early 1990s, and sucked. When I moved to TX in 1996, I asked a range master for tips. He showed me the weaver stance, and I've done that for years. Somewhere along the way, I picked up this habit - I think it was from a Beretta 92 I had. Since the trigger guard is serrated, I gave it a shot. And, it helped. Since then, it has stuck.

I've never had any formal training - It's just something that has helped me at the range and I kept using it.

[Iraq Ninja]

Have you tried the modified isosceles? If you look at what the pro shooters use, they mostly use a modified iso. I can't think of anyone using the weaver. BTW, there is one guy who uses his finger on trigger guard, but only because he has done it for a long time and doesn't want to change.

I use the modified iso, but my main shooting platform is the Center Axis Relock. Check out the videos at: www.sabretactical.com/CAR/car.html .

To be honest, I always heard bad things about the CAR system from people on the internet. But, while in Iraq I had a guy on my team who is one of Paul Castle's master instructors. Seeing is believing! The techniques work and work well. Great for shooting out of vehicles. It has the best weapon retention techniques out there. So, I trained with this guy for a year and ended up getting an instructor's license. If you have dominant eye problems (right handed, but left eyed) this style is perfect. Also great for ladies. Though it looks a bit like the weaver, it is not the same. Great thing about it is recoil control. Hardest part about learning it is that you use your opposite eye to aim with. The reasoning is due to the fact that if you use the vision from the side of your eye, you don't get the double vision that occurs when you shoot with both eyes open in a modified iso or weaver. The wrists are locked and the elbows are bent at 90 degrees. There is little recoil with this structure. Also works great with carbines, machine guns, and shotguns. Check it out...

[Iraq Ninja]

speed rock was designed for extreme close range shooting. You hold your ground and lean backwards as you draw the pistol, firing from the hip.

[ShipWreck]

U can show me when we meet up later. And, yea, I've been using that finger on the trigger guard since probably 1997 or 98. I'm kinda hesitant to change now, as it is second nature for me at this point. But, we'll see...

[Phelan]

Interesting, the CAR system is pretty well how I naturally shot once I realized I was left eye dominate. I don't have my stance as open and my right arm is extended a bit further. It is definitely a versatile style, I've used it for everything from my Mosin M44 to my XD9 with success; haven't tried any tacticle reloading while maintaining the stance though.