One handed shooting for self defense.

[Hawg]

Most of my shooting is done one handed with either hand. I am a little better and quicker right handed but not by much.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I have been a strong advocate of point shooting for years now. It is nothing new. Extremely effective because pistol defence is most always up close and too damn personal.
Point with your finger= pointing with your pistol. Its that simple. Its that quick.
"No need to bead" Pistols are not a shotgun.

[Shorts]

B.N.Real, I shoot one-handed all the time. Unfortunately, that is not by choice.

As with any motor skill it takes proper mechanics and practice to become proficient. Give yourself the best fighting chance, learn to shoot as many ways as you can.

Isn't being prepared what it's all about?

[mordis]

Could someone comment on my particular issue with one handed shooting? Im having real problems controling the muzzle rize when shooting one handed. As of right now i dont feel comfortable with my chances if i were forced to defend my self with one hand due to the majorloy increased muzzle rize.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Depends on what you are shooting. If you use a Ruger 44 mag it will rise. I really haven't noticed any 1911s rising that much. Muzzle flips bt I don't consider that rise.
The heavier the caliber you have will determine recoil. Ruger wheelguns like to roll upwards, Smith and wessons tend to push backwards into the palm.
IMHO for a self defence gun you need to look for controllability, repeatability and accuracy much more than absolute power.
The .45 ACP does a good job of that provided you find one that fits you. 9mm is enough and especially if you are comfortable with the large number of rounds in the magazine.
Snubbies are very accurate. High quality snub nosed from Smith and Wesson particularly the steel ones are a safe bet. I prefer to stay away from the lighter weight versions because the rounds tend to back out when firing.

[mordis]

as said, Us sfc, i have a .45. Maybe i need to adjust my grip, and send more lead down range. I would love to have a 9mm 1911 but i cant afford to buy another, is it possible to convert mine, i have a springfield milspec a1??

[bobby45512]

I went to the range yesterday with my rossi .357 shot one handed with my strong and weak hand in DA and SA went through about 100 rounds of .357 magnum. I hit the target probably 98% percent of the time at 15 yards just quick aim shots. My groupings with one hand at 15 yards were nothing to write home about but I did hit the target nonetheless. I decided to try my luck at 25 yards out of about 20ish shots 4 hit with one hand and two hand and quit after that. I feel safe to say that I will be spending more time at 15yards mastering it before I move on to 25.

[David Armstrong]

Could someone comment on my particular issue with one handed shooting?

Lock the wrist, don't lock the elbow, maintain a firm grip, and practice a lot. Go to the range and don't even aim at anything in particular, just at the backstop in general, and as you shoot concentrate on keeping the gun down.

[Shorts]

mordis, get your hand as high up on the grip as you can. Moving the bore axis down helps drive the recoil into your hand/arm instead of flipping over the top. Think about the point where your hand touches the grip as a hinge and that will give you a mental picture of the intensity of the muzzle flip. As said above, lock your wrist not your elbow. It also helps to lean/step forward into the shot. What will matter for accuracy is the trigger squeeze. You'll need to focus more on the trigger finger and trigger finger only when you squeeze so that you don't squeeze the entire grip and pull the gun down when you shoot. I think that's the toughest part of shooting one handed, balancing the strength of the grip for recoil yet separating and fine tuning trigger squeeze.

I've found with my smaller hands (girl!) that an arched MSH and a high grip beaver ail grip safety lets me slide my hand way up. I also shoot thumb high.

Work up the speed on shots by shooting slower and learn the rhythm and thump of the gun (recoil). The last thing you want to do is fight the gun. Control it, yes, but don't fight it. Work together with it.

[T. O'Heir]

A one handed shot that hits what you're aiming at is far better than a two handed shot that misses.
Both eyes open can be instinctive speed shooting at the body mass. Concentrate on the target and shoot. Mind you, fighting with a handgun isn't the same as bullseye shooting or IPSC/IDPA game play shooting.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Whatever the case don't worry about muzzle flip. That .45 auto is designed to do what it is designed to do. The most copied handgun in the world. Get used to firing it. Fire it like this. Lay the hand gun down on the table and point your finger right at the target. The target should be approximately no further than three yards away.
When pointing your finger at the target Your body has an ability to do it exceptionally and naturally well accurately.
Now pick up the gun and shoot the target just in the same fashion Pointing.
Repeat the process by pointing with your finger. Pick up the gun and shoot again. You will see that you are hitting the target where you are pointing at.
Switch hands and do it all over again.
The idea is to do it without thinking about it. The goal is to do it to the point where it becomes second nature.
The surest and most accurate way I know to point shoot is two use two hands and keep the pistol touching the chest. Now extend both arms out fully and fire the gun. You will see very accurate shooting. This method is not as quick but sure.
Drawing from a holster is another matter. You should learn to draw from a holster and dryfire if a range will not let you fire from a holster. this is where CTC lasers come into good use. No quick draw mcdraw just sure.
I teach point shooting all the time to women all the time.

[mordis]

David, I think there might be something wrong with my arms becuase tonight when i was practicing, when locked the wrist, it cuased my forearm to tense up and tighten up as well. Since i was dry firing only i didnt get to see how it worked. Kinda short on cash and only have 1 mag of SD ammo left.

Shorts, high on my list of future mods is to install a beaver tail grip and a ed brown hammer on my springfeild. Maybe that will alow a much higher grip and more comfort then what i am dealing with now.

[4V50 Gary]

When you practice one handed shooting, do it with either hand. There may come a time when one hand is injured (say an accident) and you have use of only one hand. You've got to be able to engage with that one good hand and disable your opponent. Practice reloading and malfunction drills (use dummy rounds) such that you're able to manipulate the firearm despite various handicaps.

Same goes for either eye. If you've got one eye out, you can still fight.

[David Armstrong]

Kinda short on cash and only have 1 mag of SD ammo left.

Get thee to the holy shrine of Wal-Mart (or similar) and buy some cheapo practice ammo. Recoil control is in no small part a factor of learning to control recoil. Got to do some shooting for that.
As for the forearm tightening up, that shouldn't be a problem. You want those muscles to be firm and working to control the energy of the gun.

[James K]

The whole thing is somewhat comparable to learning to drive. If you learn on a manual shift, you can easily switch to an automatic. But if you learn only on an automatic and then have to use the "stick" shift, you are in trouble.

Call one-hand shooting the manual shift, two-handed the automatic and you get the point.

Jim

[cchardwick]

Hey Mordis, one thing to keep in mind about muzzle flip is that the shorter the barrel and lighter the gun, the more flip you'll get. I have a Taurus Millenium Pro in 45 ACP and that thing almost flips right out of my hands LOL. But my 44 mag Desert Eagle with twice the power hardly flips at all, mainly because it weighs almost six pounds and has a longer muzzle. My alloy framed 1911 with a five inch barrel is somewhere in between. You may think about getting a gun with a longer barrel or a heavier one if you want to avoid the muzzle flip. I carry a full size 1911 with 14+1 rounds of 45 ACP. The extra rounds tend to add weight and keep down the muzzle flip for the first few shots anyway.

[ragwd]

Target shooting, I use two hands. In self defense practice I use one hand most of the time, sometimes two hands like crouching behind cover and if I can get both hands on I will. I am right handed and if I am moving to the right , rather than shooting across my body I switch to left hand. Moving left I stay with the right hand. Moving forward or backwards I use both hands. Doorways I use one hand dependinging on which side of the door I am on. I enjoy trying all the different scenerios, like sitting on the ground, lying on the ground, doorways , windows, moving with the funny looking heel toe walk to stop the up and down motion of walking. I do enjoy target practice but I enjoy the self defense stuff much more.

[scorpion_tyr]

I practice with a two handed grip because if I have the time and the distance then that's the best way for me to confront the situation. I also fire a few loads with each single hand to get some practice in case I don't have the time or distance to use both hands. I also shoot both eyes open and every now and then I shoot with my dominant hand, weak eye. It never hurts to be prepared. I fail to see how a two handed grip is a bad idea unless the attacker is within arms reach of you. In that case, depending on the situation, I am likely to not draw and keep both hands free to disarm my attacker, same as in a knife fight. A firearm is a distance weapon and if you are disarmed it does a lot more harm to you than good.