Interesting article about “point” vs. “aimed” (using the sights) handgun shooting.
One of the things Tarani didn’t talk about is that point shooting offers people with totally shit eyesight (like me) the chance to hit the target without taking half an hour to align fuzzy sights with an indistinct target. This is why my recent handgun acquisitions have tended towards guns with rudimentary or no rear sights, e.g. the S&W Mod 65:
…and my backup Mod 637 has never had a rear sight:
Note that both are essentially short-range weapons: the Mod 65 has bedside duty for those little indoor reindeer games, and the Mod 637 is for those occasions where the intended target is in halitosis range.
Neither my 1911 nor High Power have an adjustable rear sight:
…which means that for all intents and purposes, my target shooting days are over.
Which is also why nowadays my practice with the above are all point-shooting drills resulting in targets that look messy, like this:
…which, I would respectfully suggest, should be adequate for the job at hand.
Bob Munden never aimed… then again, you’re no Bob Munden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Munden
Did I ever tell you how much I hated Bob Munden? Not for his skill, but for how easy he made it look.
No, but I can relate.
Close enough for gov’t work. Any good double tap out of a .357 on that target would get the job done. Throw a third bullet in for insurance. Target shooting, schmarget shooting.
In my old age I don’t remember the source of the quote but it went something like this: “When its all done, nobody will remember if you used the sights or not, what style grip you used, or even what kind of gun you carried. They will only remember who won the fight.”
That target may look messy, but it also looks dead. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it.
I am finally old enough and financially secure enough to purchase a precision handgun, a CZ Shadow 2 Orange, and dammed if my eyes won’t let me see the sights clearly!
Took a friend’s daughter shooting and her young eyes had her punching a nice ragged hole in the target with it.
I guess that I should have bought the optics ready version. 🙁
Kim-
Are you:
A. Drawing and shooting; and/or
B. Shooting double-taps?
Yes.
I took a class from Steve Barron who was taught by Rex Applegate and it was well worthwhile.
By the end of the weekend we were doing timed double taps and Mozambiques out to about 25 feet and everyone was drilling it. Focus on the target. With most defensive pistol shootings taking place within 20 feet, It’s a great technique to learn.
This article was a few years before my class but it sums it up pretty well.
https://integratedpersonaldefense.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/applegate-combat-point-shooting-system/
“Note that both are essentially short-range weapons…”
What is your definition of “short-range”?
I figure if they are close enough to recognize they are armed, I am within range of that weapon.
BTW, I discovered that those boot stocks cut my accuracy range by 50% on my S&W snubbie. It doesn’t appear to be the short height, but the lack of thickness of them. I took the stock ones mine came with, and cut them to frame length. These were the rubber Italian finger groove stocks that cover the backstrap. Might just be my hand size that is the problem, but the gun was moving during trigger pull and recoil. The stocks change fixed that. Also, shooting a box for practice is not a problem, and they are still concealable.
What I notice is that the factory sights on my 442 are matched to std power 125gr .38spl out to 40 yds. In fact, I’ve been informed that +P is absolutely verboten in my -0 model, and I don’t like the muzzle pointed at the moon after recoil with the 158gr fodder. Makes the typical multiple targets an iffy situation if needed IRL.
Got a bit off-track.
There is a trainer in AZ that teaches point shooting. Robin “Brownie” Brown. Threat Focused Training LLC, Apache Junction, AZ.
He had a really informative forum some years ago on the subject. I was unclear what happened to it, but it disappeared.
One of his training aids was a class pistol without sights. Impressive class AAR’s by students. One of the drills was accurately shooting multiple targets with that sightless gun while at a full sprint, IIRC. Last I heard, he was traveling to various ranges to hold classes. Wish I could take a class, but health issues are a current problem, sigh…