One handed shooting

wired

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I go to ranges sometimes and I mow the center out of the target from 20 yards away shooting one handed. Been shooing that way since Ive been shooting 45 years or so. People look at me like I'm some sort of heathen when I do it. I may or may not be but that's not the point . I look around and I am the only one shooting one handed. Its not like they are shooting any better or faster than I am. Is it just a dying art? I see cop shows and what not and theyre all doing the two handed thing and it looks like theyre uncomfortable as hell doing it. What is the point?
 
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If you throw movement into the equation,
Can you still cut the center out.
Just curious
 
In real life LE, one handed shooting is a required demostrable skill. Both strong AND weak hand. Its part of the NC LE firearms qualification. Or at least it still was the last time I qualified in 2014.

Good on you OP for practicing it. Now practice it weak hand only too. ;) Regards 18DAI
 
FWIW, I always shoot a mag right and left hand at the end of a session. Make Chicken Lady do it also. Never know when one of your paws will be put out of commission, like with carpel tunnel surgery, etc. I can hold my own on the pistol range but I don't shoot pistols near as much as I should and will doing now that I'm sucking retirement off the government tit.
 
Try what? Lost the desire to shoot matches since I quit shooting at Butner.
 
You'll have to come out and shoot some idpa matches.. you make master division no problem

I remember my old man who was a trick shooter in the circus in his early years saying "Why do you need two hands to aim with? Is the gun too heavy for you"?
 
I go to ranges sometimes and I mow the center out of the target from 20 yards away shooting one handed. Been shooing that way since Ive been shooting 45 years or so. People look at me like I'm some sort of heathen when I do it. I may or may not be but that's not the point . I look around and I am the only one shooting one handed. Its not like they are shooting any better or faster than I am. Is it just a dying art?

My personal opinion...

A lot of folks take it for granted that, should their skills with a pistol/revolver be required of them, the planets will align, all will be perfect with grip/stance and both hands will be available...until it's not. What happens when your strong hand has a big ol' gaping hole in it and your tendons ain't working like they oughta? Or your strong arm has took a hit and you can't feel anything from the shoulder to your fingertips? Weak hand's all you got left.

If you have a place where you can do it, I believe it's valuable to practice with one hand, both strong and weak. Additionally, if you can, it'd be good to practice shooting from positions other than standing...kneeling, sitting, on your back, lying on either side...why?

Because sh*t is seldom perfect and Murphy is an omnipresent being.
 
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Either strong or weak hand shooting I think is something everyone needs to practice. If you don't do it a lot, its a humbling experience. I do it rarely , I just seem to forget to practice it during my once a week range day. But regret it, match day when the RO announces that on this stage, you are going to be shooting strong and weak hand " Hope you have been practicing"? I hear groans from everyone around me which tells me Ive got a lot of company.. Thanks OP, good reminder.
 
I like the thought here.



I was just practicing clearing double feeds one handed today and doing all one handed or "injured shooter" dry fire. It was a good session.
 
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Ive spent a LOT of time as in thousands of hours practicing one hand shooting with SAA's and semi auto's. Tens of thousands of rounds out in the desert shooting at balloons blowing away in the wind. . To me two hand shooting is uncomfortable and unnecessary. Not everyone feels the same way I get it.
 
I don’t find either a one handed or two handed grip uncomfortable, but followup shots are slower with one for me. I’m sure that it’s a torque thing, the pistol wants to turn in recoil, a force that is easily managed in a two handed grip. It’s a training thing.

The other guys probably don’t have your 45 years experience shooting, much less doing it single handed.

We need a place near here to shoot loose balloons.
 
Can’t tell if this guy is serious or trolling.......

Ha Ha. I'm serious. I shoot one handed . Ive been doing it a long time and I'll admit I'm good at at. I understand a LOT of people have it drilled into them that you have to shoot two handed to hit things effectively. Thats cool I suppose.

And we do need a place to shoot balloons. Thats the one thing I miss about living in the desert. Blow them up and let them fly in the wind. My son and I would see who could shoot them first as they blew down "range" . I'd wait until I knew he couldnt hit it and then finish it off 50-75 yards down range. I havent found ANY place to shoot in mid upstate SC that isnt a official range. Kinda sucks in that regard. When I was a kid we used to go to a rock quarry down around Paris Mountain but I think those days are gone.
 
Shooting with one hand doesn't make you wrong, and other people shooting with two doesn't make them wrong either,
Just come out to an idpa or a uspsa match
And if you're that good you won't have to brag on your skills, other people will do it for you.
 
Ive spent a LOT of time as in thousands of hours practicing one hand shooting with SAA's and semi auto's. Tens of thousands of rounds out in the desert shooting at balloons blowing away in the wind. . To me two hand shooting is uncomfortable and unnecessary. Not everyone feels the same way I get it.

It is possible you are an odd ball? You should go to a competition or have some timer scores on multiple targets with one hand. Compare your speed and accuracy to someone with comparable skill levels using two hands. You will see the truth. You can control the gun better and have faster follow up shots with two hands.
 
We have people come here from the Charlotte area all the time. I want to give you a personal invite to come also. You will have a grand time one or two handed and maybe we can All learn something.
 
Every range trip I make it a point to shoot at least a magazine one handed, both my strong and weak side. Ya never know when you might need that skill.
 
It's easy to shoot with one hand but apparently you need to turn the gun sideways. I know because I saw it on TV so it must be true.
 
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My Dad used to shoot bullseye one handed. He was never club champ or anything, but he usually shot better one handed than two handed in bullseye. He was a middle of the pack shooter probably. Better than some guys with 2 hands. I am no pro other and sometimes shoot better one handed. Heck, sometimes better offhand with one hand. Guess that means my two handed grip sucks and so do I huh? :(

There was a guy at this club that could pick up about anyone’s gun and hit the black at 100’ every time one handed. He was crazy good. Dude was a roofer with huge, strong hands. Some guys are just better than others. It happens.
 
Not an expert by any means and this is just my opinion.
It’s not that anybody here “doesn’t believe” anything. It’s that NC is a shooting Mecca. We have several world and national champions around here. Many shooters in this forum are hardcore enthusiasts who watch and compete against these champions. And not a single one shoots one handed unless they have to.
Because they would get utterly slaughtered. The very idea is laughable to anybody who knows what decent shooters are capable of.
If this isn’t clear, it’s because you do not know what you do not know.

Just do a few Bill Drills and come back with your results. You have to draw and put 6 rounds into an A zone at 7 yards. If it’s under 3 seconds we’ll all be impressed. But you won’t win any contest around here even with that time. Heck, you can even do it with two guns of you like!

Lining up sights and squeezing the trigger is the easy part, ufortunately. Well, holding up these super duper heavy guns is actually the easiest part. Lolz.

At any rate, if it works for you, great. I think a lot of us would sure like to see it. And every phone has a video camera, so that should be easy enough.
 
I’m calling it now, this has to be GM level trolling. No way this is a serious argument.

OP (if you are serious) I will pay your match entry fee and—if you can finish in the top half of a Sir Walter USPSA match *one handed*— I’ll buy you lunch for a year. Let me know. I’ll make sure to squad with you so we can video your runs and post them up in the match video section.
 
Didn't read through the whole thread so sorry if I'm being redundant but...

Two handed shooting is not for better accuracy but better recoil management for rapid fire, which translates to better accuracy but only during rapid fire. Try a timed competiton with one hand and you'll go back to two hands.

When I assume a one handed bladed "bullseye" target shooting stance I'm more accurate with slow fire, but if I've got to dump a mag in the shortest possible time I'm more accurate with two hands, so defensive shooting is best with two hands.
 
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Didn't read through the whole thread so sorry if I'm being redundant but...

Two handed shooting is not for better accuracy but better recoil management for rapid fire, which translates to better accuracy but only during rapid fire. Try a timed competiton with one hand and you'll go back to two hands.

When I assume a one handed bladed "bullseye" target shooting stance I'm more accurate with slow fire, but if I've got to dump a mag in the shortest possible time I'm more accurate with two hands, so defensive shooting is best with two hands.
Flashpoint is dead on. I came up USMC in the 80s shooting matches. We shot bullseye one-handed. Same with NRA bullseye matches. I am still more accurate with one handed shooting, and I test new sights or a new pistol one handed for accuracy. I find it tends to “isolate” the weapon from my grip or excess/uneven pressure; the same reason you use a shooting jacket and gloves for precision rifle. Bullseye is fun and guaranteed to make you slightly neurotic, like benchrest. But, it is not an effective “combat” technique as we currently train, on it’s own. I view bullseye like hip-shooting, a useful technique with a limited application.
That being said, I shoot a lot one-handed while moving at extremely short ranges (5 yards and under) to simulate exigent circumstances or shooting in a crowd. You should expect to have one hand/arm injured or occupied, and you need to run it as fast as you’re capable of getting hits. The Wizard drill starts one-handed and is great to cut out the BS, either you hit quickly in a small target area or you fail. Additionally, at close ranges, you may need the extra hand to protect/retain the weapon. Beyond 5 yards, get that second hand on there and get to work. I find most shooters shoot too slowly in their practice, and this leads to unrealistic assessments of proficiency. Gunfights are fluid and moving, your practice should be too. Most officers don’t run out of ammo, they run out of time or distance.
 
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I go to ranges sometimes and I mow the center out of the target from 20 yards away shooting one handed. Been shooing that way since Ive been shooting 45 years or so. People look at me like I'm some sort of heathen when I do it. I may or may not be but that's not the point . I look around and I am the only one shooting one handed. Its not like they are shooting any better or faster than I am. Is it just a dying art? I see cop shows and what not and theyre all doing the two handed thing and it looks like theyre uncomfortable as hell doing it. What is the point?


Yes, it's a dying art.

There seems to be little to no respect for, or even knowledge of, the past decades of accuracy based handgun shooting competitions and skills developed as a result thereof.

I see this a lot from folks who were new to shooting as adults and especially from those whose first introduction to shooting was "modern shooting competitions".

Most folks don't mean ill by it, it's just incomprehensible to them that a shooting sport worth consideration would not be "combat" based.

It works both ways. The folks we refer to as "fudds" now had a hard time accepting the "new" go fast sports.

The fast games are just more popular now. Fast is sexy, accurate, not so much. So we just shortened the distances in the new competitions under the guise of "realistic combat distance". Now we can be fast and accurate! LOL



Funny you mentioned cops shows.

Back when one handed accurate shooting was a MUCH larger part of a cops training I knew significantly more LEO that actually hit things when they shot. Now we got a whole lot of fellas that seem to miss a lot and miss fast. Anecdotal for sure, but something I've thought about from time to time.



Don't take it to heart, lots of old timers or the majority of folks who even know what went on at Butner are not gonna frequent the nets.


Neither version of the sports or shooting styles is overall the "right way or the wrong way" to shoot.

But to dismiss either is short sighted.
 
I remember my old man who was a trick shooter in the circus in his early years saying "Why do you need two hands to aim with? Is the gun too heavy for you"?
Yep, I remember guys like that well; not many of them around anymore. I still use a trick from them to teach trigger control and sight alignment. I’ll shoot a pistol one-handed and upside down with my pinky. The weapon doesn’t care. As long as your sights are aligned and the trigger is moved straight, you’ll hit where it’s aimed. Saw this done once and just had to learn it !! I still use it 30-something years later...
 
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It's easy to shot with one hand but apparently you need to turn the gun sideways. I know because I saw it on TV so it must be true.
You jest, but your close to the truth. Ive always struggled shooting single handed until recently when I received some advice from a co worker that is a recent spec ops retiree from the Army. he told me that everyone is different and to find my natural single handed grip. To do so, grab your pistol in your strong, close your eyes and extend your hand to the shooting position. I do so and find the pistol canted to the left at about 30 degrees. My weak or left hand its canted to the right at about 45 degrees. When I quit trying to fire the pistol in the vert position I found that my sights came back on target faster and aligned allowing a faster second or numerous shots after. This was clarified once again just this past weekend where we had to shoot strong and weak hand 5 shots per target.In the past, I would had some missed targets or shot very slowly. Using this technique, I had 10 well aimed quick shots. I might have looked like a TV gansta, but it works..
 
Good words by Thrillhill, just as a point the national bullseye champion from years past was a Detriot police detective by professional and in the line of duty he shot three people on purpose and none otherwise. His shots were all made to disable and did so by his confidence in the proper usage of his weapon while onehandedly firing a .38 revolver. Things change, I'm sure the present day training of run and gun would have been a great aid to the Marines in WWII assigned to cleaning out the caves. Yet today the military still approves and competes in the precision bullseye game so don't knock until you try it. Fifty shooters in a line firing rapid fire stages is as near to combat sounds as one is going to get in this civil world, the stress level is much higher than running a stage singlehandedly, jmho.
 
I can tell you guys what happened to accuracy training....... Steel!!! Shooting steel is akin to shooting thin air with no measurable results. My God, it's 10 to 12 " in diameter, your usually less than 25 feet away and you think any "hit" is a good hit, as long as it makes a noise it makes you an expert.
 
Bullseye is still popular. They have a match at my club every month. Several members here shoot it, or have shot it. Many people started with Bullseye. But some people want to move on and develop other important skills in shooting.

Accuracy is a requirement in practical shooting sports like 3gun or USPSA. Accuracy is critical. And any decent shooter is going to be completely competent at shooting one handed, with BOTH left and right hands. It's a requirement to do well in any practical shooting sports. The only "hoser" sport I can think of where this is not critical is Cowboy Action Shooting.
Last 3gun match I shot we had pistol targets out to 50 yards, rifle targets out to 400 yards, and slug targets out at 100 yards. And, those after getting your heart rate up.
USPSA or 3gun, they have not moved any targets closer I can assure you, lol.
Plenty of respect for accuracy in the shooting sports. Its part of the scoring in all of them. It's a fundamental aspect of it. But, there is respect for the ALL other aspects of shooting as well. Which is absent in Bullseye.
A lot of assumptions about these sports are just incorrect, because people have never been to one.

I encourage everyone to try these shooting sports. There are matches of all levels all around the Carolinas. Some that are self defense based. Some that are more pure gamer based. Some for precision rifles. Some for carbines. Anything you could possibly want, including standing at a line and shooting one handed if that is how you prefer to shoot. It's all good. You can do you.

Often times we practical shooters come off as arrogant. But it's actually the opposite that is true: we've been humbled many times. All our scores are available to the public with our names next to it. No keyboard to hide behind. We've had our asses kicked many times and now know what is possible. When before we did not know. We've seen others come and be humbled. We've heard and seen all this before many times. We have been there ourselves! Not trying to poop on anybody, just trying to keep the record straight.

Anybody that has any desire to try a fun match, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will do whatever I can to help, as I have done for many members here. You'll find that competition shooting is fun as hell. People are helpful and want you to have fun. They want you to get better. You will be humbled by what you see and learn. It will expose your weaknesses, and puts dents in your ego, and you will be a much better shooter for it. Or, even just go watch some and get an idea of whats right for you. Spectators are always welcome and any questions will be happily answered.
 
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