proper? defensive shoot.

[FishInTx]

Out at the range today. I'm a bout 5 yards form the BG, b-27, he comes at me with a gun, I draw my weapon backing up..aim and fire, fire ,fire. The first round might wing his left or right shoulder, usually his right, second round hits solid chest area, third bullseye. Is this acceptable? Should I slow down on the first shot to get better placement? Can't seem to get that speed and accuracy combo on the first shot. I wanna get that shot off quick and it's before a perfect sight picture appears. I always follow up with atleast one, usualy two shots. A mozambique drill of a different country, if you will. Is a quick missed shot too risky to take. Or shoot quick and keep shooting till threat is gone?

[apostate]

Peripheral hits with handgun rounds can take minutes for useful physiological effects to present. They may help the goblin change his mind but that's not something I want to rely upon.

I like 6" paper plates (dessert size) as practice targets, although Jim Higginbotham has me thinking a vertical 3x5 index card might be more realistic.

[Jumping Frog]

When you are getting down to fist-sized groups, it is time to push harder on your speed. Groups will open back up but you'll be faster and then you can start practicing with getting the groups smaller at the new speed.

I'd rather have a really fast first hit anywhere than taking longer to shoot. It won't physically incapacitate the guy, but getting hit also does a lot to interrupt his aim and get him concerned with finding cover or running. Interrupting his OODA loop has a lot of value independent of whether or not it is an incapacitating hit. Of course, there is a fine line here between that and the old saying, "You can't miss fast enough to win a gunfight".

Also, in an overwhelming majority of cases, the predator will flee at the first sign of gun much less the first hit. In other cases, the stop is more psychological than physical -- but that person is still out of the fight. It is a much more rare occurrence that a BG will continue fighting until they have complete physical incapacity to fight any more (but of course, we have to be prepared for that too).

When your first shot is off target, I'd suggest also focusing on getting a good consistent grip every time you draw. If your grip is off so your natural point of aim is off, then you will be unconsciously correcting your aim using your sights for followup shots. Or, you may be adjusting your grip while shooting. This is a good exercise for dry fire practice at home: try practicing drawing with your eyes closed, mentally focusing on a good grip, held the same way every time. Once you are presented on target, open them and see where you are naturally pointing.

People who are drawing from an IWB holster with a sweat shield will often find that they are not getting a proper grip right from the holster and are having to adjust their grip. I know of guys who cut off the sweat shield for that very reason.

[Scott in Houston]

Find out where your local IDPA Or USPSA is and go shoot with them.

You will improve your draw and target acquisition rapidly. Also, the targets are much more realistic than a B27.
The bullseye on a B27 is a gut shot.

In addition, you'll shoot from sitting, kneeling, while walking, from behind cover, etc. All of this is much more valuable as practice than a square range and a B27. I'm surprised your range lets you draw. Most do not.

I've shot with this group many times. There's a video on this site which may give you a better idea for what it will be like.

http://www.whidpa.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lastly, these kinds of competitions really give you a good idea of whether your gun is the right gun for you. I've seen several people "learn" that their gun isn't quite what they hoped it would be or found that they would be better off with a new caliber.

It's a competition, but don't be intimidated. You won't even be close to "winning" but you'll have fun and learn a lot.

[FishInTx]

Find out where your local IDPA Or USPSA is and go shoot with them.

You will improve your draw and target acquisition rapidly. Also, the targets are much more realistic than a B27.
The bullseye on a B27 is a gut shot.

In addition, you'll shoot from sitting, kneeling, while walking, from behind cover, etc. All of this is much more valuable as practice than a square range and a B27. I'm surprised your range lets you draw. Most do not.

I've shot with this group many times. There's a video on this site which may give you a better idea for what it will be like.

http://www.whidpa.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lastly, these kinds of competitions really give you a good idea of whether your gun is the right gun for you. I've seen several people "learn" that their gun isn't quite what they hoped it would be or found that they would be better off with a new caliber.

It's a competition, but don't be intimidated. You won't even be close to "winning" but you'll have fun and learn a lot.

Dry firing, working on my grip and draw is something I haven't done much of but defintely need to do.

I've talked to Longtooth about some defensive shooting lessons and about joining our local range for some competitions.

I live outside the city limits and built my own shooting range. I get to draw, bumpfire the ak, whatever. Not near the setup on that video by any means.

I wasn't sure if I should pause a half second on my first shot to get a good sight picture. When I draw and aim it seems like I need to "shoot right away" even though things are a little blurry. Probably need a lot more practice. No probably to it, I do. Gonna need some reloading equipment!!

[74novaman]

I live outside the city limits and built my own shooting range. I get to draw, bumpfire the ak, whatever. Not near the setup on that video by any means.

I am INSANELY jealous. Growing up, I could just go shoot on the farm. Now the farms 7 hours away, and I live in town.

I miss being able to go shoot whenever I want for free.

[MoJo]

Slow down, get good hits first, speed will come with training. The only thing worse than a fast miss is a slow miss. 6" paper plates, 4x6 or 3x5 index cards 81/2x11 paper folded length wise all make good targets. Start out shooting at an 81/2x11 sheet of paper or a regular paper plate once you get to the point you can keep all your shots in the center of the plate/paper then go to something smaller.

Dave Spaulding has a drill he calls the 2x2x2 drill if you can master this you are a member of a very exclusive club.

[Jumping Frog]

I live outside the city limits and built my own shooting range.

Then you could make good use of a shot timer.

[FishInTx]

Slow down, get good hits first, speed will come with training. The only thing worse than a fast miss is a slow miss. 6" paper plates, 4x6 or 3x5 index cards 81/2x11 paper folded length wise all make good targets. Start out shooting at an 81/2x11 sheet of paper or a regular paper plate once you get to the point you can keep all your shots in the center of the plate/paper then go to something smaller.

Dave Spaulding has a drill he calls the 2x2x2 drill if you can master this you are a member of a very exclusive club.

The B-27's were a dollar each. I'm betting the paper/paper plates are much cheaper. Thanks.

Never heard of 2x2x2. I'll have to look that up. I'm a very good slower shooter. Guess I'm being impatient trying to add speed.

[MoJo]

Slow down, get good hits first, speed will come with training. The only thing worse than a fast miss is a slow miss. 6" paper plates, 4x6 or 3x5 index cards 81/2x11 paper folded length wise all make good targets. Start out shooting at an 81/2x11 sheet of paper or a regular paper plate once you get to the point you can keep all your shots in the center of the plate/paper then go to something smaller.

Dave Spaulding has a drill he calls the 2x2x2 drill if you can master this you are a member of a very exclusive club.

The B-27's were a dollar each. I'm betting the paper/paper plates are much cheaper. Thanks.

Never heard of 2x2x2. I'll have to look that up. I'm a very good slower shooter. Guess I'm being impatient trying to add speed.

Click the 2x2x2 in my post it's linked to Dave Spaulding's site.

[Excaliber]

Observers of some folks who have decisively won multiple armed encounters sometimes comment that they can't understand how they did what they did because they appear to be so slow. The answer is that they shoot fast enough while making sure they don't miss.

It's worthwhile to keep in mind that performance under the stress of a life threatening encounter is significantly degraded from non stressed performance for most people, including most LEO's. For a number of physical and psychological reasons, a 40% or greater negative difference is fairly typical and should be planned for.

That's a long way of saying that a peripheral hit in practice means an almost certain miss during a deadly encounter. Wherever that bullet goes, you own the results, and it still won't do anything at all to slow down a determined attacker.

The advice others have given here is solid - practice the basics of the grip, draw, sight alignment, trigger press, etc. until you can consistently place small groups in the center of a target like a sheet of paper folded in half, and then work on doing it faster. You can even get a lot of benefit by practicing the draw and fire sequence with an unloaded gun and a small target set against a solid backstop that would stop a bullet if you make a mistake without irreparable harm. If you practice slowly and precisely to build good technique and fluidity, speed will automatically follow.

Defensively useful speed comes from consistent good technique and fluidity, not from rushed trigger pulls.

[MoJo]

Slow down, get good hits first, speed will come with training. The only thing worse than a fast miss is a slow miss. 6" paper plates, 4x6 or 3x5 index cards 81/2x11 paper folded length wise all make good targets. Start out shooting at an 81/2x11 sheet of paper or a regular paper plate once you get to the point you can keep all your shots in the center of the plate/paper then go to something smaller.

Dave Spaulding has a drill he calls the 2x2x2 drill if you can master this you are a member of a very exclusive club.

The B-27's were a dollar each. I'm betting the paper/paper plates are much cheaper. Thanks.

Never heard of 2x2x2. I'll have to look that up. I'm a very good slower shooter. Guess I'm being impatient trying to add speed.

Click the 2x2x2 in my post it's linked to Dave Spaulding's site.

[FishInTx]

Click the 2x2x2 in my post it's linked to Dave Spaulding's site.

I did! Went to his facebook page and watched several videos. Good stuff. Thanks. Think I'm trying to go too fast. "Dry drawing on the light switch across the room". He seems a lot more "hunched over" than I. Getting the body to absorb the recoil. I'm more used to, standing up straight, slow trigger squeeze. Something else to work on.

[The Annoyed Man]

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

[FishInTx]

Dave Spaulding has a drill he calls the 2x2x2 drill if you can master this you are a member of a very exclusive club.

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How about 2x3x2? On a 6 inch pie plate. After multiple tries, a 2.68 was my best. Also had a 2.72. Average was about 3?. My nylon iwb holster doesn't help. Got a super tuck on the way!! Anyways, All attempts to get under 2 seconds were complete misses. Not having a good grip on the gun, excessive movement, throwing the gun at the target, jerking trigger. Best times were, slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Loved the 2x2x2 drill tried it about 20 times. 4-5 count? Arc? I tend to throw the gun out, meet with other hand, and start shooting before the sight is on the card. The times I slowed down and saw the sight before the shot were the best times. Trying to bring the gun up to the chest, level to the ground, and finding the sights as the gun gets pushed towards target, but at this point that has been really slow and awkward.
Thanks for the input.

Love the forum