|
Forum Rules | Firearms Safety | Firearms Photos | Links | Library | Lost Password | Email Changes |
Register | FAQ | Calendar | Today's Posts | Search |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
March 18, 2019, 09:58 AM | #101 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
Leaf, your logic isn't anywhere near effective.
Any shot to the upper torso under the conditions that you are setting is faster and more certain than a shot to the head. Heart and lungs are about five times larger than the brain, and about twice as large as the head in general. Multi taps to the head aren't anywhere near as simple and automatic as a straight line dump into the chest. Your assertion is that trying to find the heart is a bad idea, and time consuming, but the truth is that finding the heart isn't the idea. The idea is to just put holes in the CP group and let the immediate damage shock the attacker and possibly halt the attack, and it's much easier in many ways than trying to put a shot into the head that is, in fact, not a guaranteed stop. Bleeding out over five or ten minutes is not the only way that you can disable an attacker, just taking a shot anywhere will stop many people. There you have it. As you yourself said, you can risk missing his head or you can take a far easier try for a target five times bigger than the brain. If we want to take it into another direction, which isn't much of an argument either, we have to look at professionals and ask them their preferences. So far as I know, no police departments have a policy to choose head shots over body shots unless the head is the only possible target. Take note of this. Arkansas state police, among many others, use the standard B27 target. (below. midway usa.) Passing score is 42 out of 50 hits to the seven ring. Note that there is no provision for taking head shots, there is not even an outline to show where the brain itself is. A shot that strikes the head is counted as a zero. One of the most important things that hasn't been accounted for is that the spinal column is the one absolute in a shooting. A shot to the spinal column that hits will buckle the attackers knees at a fraction of the speed of nerve conduction. You implied that the purpose of your post was to put correct advise out for the public, and countering my implied bad advice. Boy, howdy. I'd like to remind you that in your own words you say that this shot depends on the skill needed to put a good shot into a section of the brain. NOT AN EASY TASK. There are numerous statements of how many 'misses', whatever that actually means during a gun battle. It's usually quoted as more than half of the shots are clear misses. The shooter failed to hit the entire body. Quote:
There isn't a whole lot that really supports the case of shooting for the brain during a stressful firefight. there is much to support body shots.
__________________
None. |
|
March 18, 2019, 10:05 AM | #102 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
Quote:
__________________
None. |
|
March 18, 2019, 10:31 AM | #103 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 11, 2004
Location: Redwood City, Ca.
Posts: 4,114
|
Briandg's points are very good ones. I'll just add that the most folks in a fight, fist fight, gun fight, snow balls, don't stand still. They move around and so does their head. It turns away, it bobs and weaves, it ducks. So the idea that it's easier and better to take a head shot is a mistake.
I forget what Jeff Cooper called that drill, The Rhodesian? Two to the chest one to the head. The idea was that the first two were to the body and slowed the fella down for the third. The COM is the easiest and clearest target when folks are moving. Of course if a person's sitting down smoking a cigar and enjoying a brandy... The point though is to stop the immediate threat. tipoc
__________________
1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it. |
March 18, 2019, 11:10 AM | #104 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 11, 2004
Location: Redwood City, Ca.
Posts: 4,114
|
Quote:
Where some might say noggin, head, coconut, "that bowling ball sitting on the pencil you call a neck", etc. Trained operators know the correct terms. Don't be ashamed you don't know that we are all ignorant of some things! tipoc
__________________
1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it. |
|
March 18, 2019, 11:10 AM | #105 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
Quote:
Your point about motion is one that I missed, and it is maybe the grandest point of all. A brain the size of a bocce ball that's bumping around as some guy does his thug song and dance is a shot that no more than a fraction of carriers could hit at even five yards. I believe that most people could hit a 'mostly' stationary target within the upper chest at 5 yards or less. I believe that 'most' attackers will stop attacking if hit in the chest. I believe that only a fraction of thugs will continue the attack after a chest hit. I've literally never known anyone who would take a bullet to the chest and press on.
__________________
None. |
|
March 18, 2019, 11:17 AM | #106 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
None. |
||
March 18, 2019, 02:36 PM | #107 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 22, 2011
Posts: 12,214
|
A lot of good thoughts.
In my experience when someone says something is the "most important" aspect of anything that person often specializes in that thing. Which to a point makes sense if it is that important, but to a point it also becomes a little bit about self promotion. I do think a fast draw is important, or at least a practiced draw. I remember watching one of the Active Self Defense videos where a man was attempting to draw during an attack and between the clothes he was wearing and the stress he couldn't get the firearm out. He was shot still struggling with the pistol. If your draw is taking you multiple seconds you're in trouble. The attacker could even close on you and kill you with a contact weapon. That said, the days of quick draw competitions in the streets are mostly over. A lot now seems like ambush tactics when it comes to crime. Do you really want to draw on someone that already has you at a disadvantage (gun out, knife out, etc.)? I don't know. Maybe all that person wants is your wallet or your car, both of which are replaceable. But maybe the attacker is willing to injure or kill you regardless of your level of compliance. I wish I had some magical answer personally. I think a practiced draw is important, and it's something that can be done with blue guns or with a dry firearm. Is it the most important thing? I don't know.
__________________
Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness |
March 18, 2019, 03:07 PM | #108 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 4, 1999
Location: Rebel South USA
Posts: 2,074
|
Quote:
__________________
Life is a web woven by necessity and chance... |
|
March 25, 2019, 10:22 PM | #109 | ||||||||
Junior member
Join Date: August 11, 2018
Posts: 198
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Last edited by Leaf; March 25, 2019 at 10:33 PM. |
||||||||
March 25, 2019, 10:42 PM | #110 |
Junior member
Join Date: August 11, 2018
Posts: 198
|
By the way, Briandg. If you were to someday die by sacrificing your own life to take out a predatory assailant, I would nonetheless thank you for your service however unnecessary the loss of your life may have been due to having selected the "easy way" option.
And yes, "main brain housing group" is generally Marine-speak. Guilty as charged. |
March 26, 2019, 12:40 AM | #111 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 11, 2005
Posts: 3,840
|
@tipoc,
Two shots to the chest followed by a shot to the head is called the Mozambique Drill or a failure to stop drill. There have been multiple accounts where simply dumping lead into the chest did not stop the attacker. The attacker was mortally wounded, but able to fight on. Failure to stop may also be due to drugs or body armor. Some say to shoot for the pelvic girdle which can stop the attacker's advance. Others swear by two to the chest and one to the head. I don't know everyone else's background, but head shots are possible at close distance. I did the Tueller drill on a rolling dummy, where I was able to draw, fire two rounds to the center of mass, and then side step for a head shot. While the double tap was a bit high and left (basically took out the shoulder), the head shot was taken from only five or six feet away. It went pretty much straight through the temple. The two center of mass shots may indeed stop the attack, but if not, go for the head.
__________________
The ATF should be a convenience store instead of a government agency! |
March 26, 2019, 02:26 PM | #112 | |
Junior member
Join Date: August 11, 2018
Posts: 198
|
Quote:
|
|
March 26, 2019, 02:34 PM | #113 |
Junior member
Join Date: August 11, 2018
Posts: 198
|
Maybe there has been a misunderstanding here, folks. I haven't been talking about upward of five yards. I've been talking about close up and personal. You better be prepared for that because in a civilian scenario that is in all probability what you are going to be dealing with in your fight for your life. It will be very fast and you'll probably be point shooting. For those further distances you need to be taking cover and/or otherwise getting the hell out of the area.
|
March 26, 2019, 03:33 PM | #114 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 8,283
|
I'm not a professional,I've never been in a gunfight or shot anyone.
But I'm OK with that. If you choose a gun/cartridge with sufficient penetration (IMO<Overpenetration in 9mm and 45 is over rated)...if you have sufficient penetration, while you have a frontal shot,the spine/cns is midline. Sternum,navel,etc,all have spine about a foot behind them. On big game,I've dropped an animal flat just nicking the dorsal rib like projection at the whithers.Maybe hi vel rifle played a part,but IMO the blow of a 9mm/45 hitting a rib near where it joins the spine certainly might drop ME, The vena cava and abdominal aorta lie on each side of midline,near the spine. I know a punch to my floating rib impedes my progress. Disturbing my diaphram is really distracting. I have a kidney on each side of my spine. Pain from a kidney can be immediately disabling.So can the femoral sinus area and where the trochanter of the femur joins the pelvis. I'm thinking keep whacking the 8 in wide stripe from crotch to chin till you have a better idea. It seems a target rich environment for trauma. |
March 26, 2019, 03:58 PM | #115 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 11, 2004
Location: Redwood City, Ca.
Posts: 4,114
|
One of the issues with these sort of discussions is that folks generally have opinions based on either limited experience, some degree of training, reading and discussion or scenarios either from training or invented in their minds. It's also the case that opinions are often based on favored scenarios. Often these are abstract. So debates like this get sterile quick. Sometimes juvenile.
It's the same problem with saying that fast draws are "the most important skill for deadly force encounters." The only answer is: sometimes, probably most often not. But it's an important skill to work on, smooth steady draws. Is a shot to the head better? Sometimes but most often not. Leaf has said, if I understand correctly, that shots in the head are better in very close encounters because they are more likely to guarantee an immediate stop. Well OK. It may be true. But in many cases, shots to the head do not produce a one shot stop. A good hit that penetrates the skull depends on a number of factors that the shooter has little to no control over. A solid hit for example. But there are other exceptions as well. In many cases it may not be possible, for a number of reasons, to get the gun up high enough, or at the right angle, for a shot to the head. This may often be the case when the distance is inches and not yards. In these situations you may have to shoot what is available to hit that can do the most to stop the attack, not in the abstract, but in the heat of that precise moment. The best shot to take is the one that you can take. One that is most likely to produce an immediate stop or a rapid end of the attack, disable the attacker, or buy you time for another shot that can end the fight. Whether 5 inches, 5 yards, or 20 yards. In a specific situation. Not in a sterile abstraction. It may not be the one you think, abstractly, will be best but the one that can be made at that moment, that produces results at that moment, that change the relationship of forces in your favor. If blowing a fellas great toe off helps you live a bit more, and that's what you got, do that. If a head shot, do that. The old timers stressed body shots, not because they guaranteed a stop. But because they were the most likely to be able to make a hit with and they knew the importance of that. tipoc
__________________
1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it. |
March 26, 2019, 10:22 PM | #116 | ||||
Junior member
Join Date: August 11, 2018
Posts: 198
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Last edited by Leaf; March 26, 2019 at 10:30 PM. |
||||
March 27, 2019, 07:56 AM | #117 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 4, 1999
Location: Rebel South USA
Posts: 2,074
|
Quote:
In this circumstance that you describe ( close enough to practically slap) and considering that a drawn weapon typically moves upward , I could be mistaken but you are seemingly suggesting that a person forego the near universal target zone and continue upward to what seems to be considered a "better" target zone. [if] that is the suggestion, here's the problem with that: 1. It takes longer and you have already stressed that delay can be critical 2. Unless you are going to half-hip shoot at a smaller target zone, you will have to raise or extend your arms in a manner which is much easier(in CQB) to grapple, slap, away, deflect or otherwise grab a hold of. This also "takes more time". 3. How large is the target zone you are talking about and how much SMALLER is that zone vs a traditional zone? Would you care to offer some math which demonstrate which is easier to shoot and how stress and the exigencies of the moment might compound the difficulty of landing shots on a much smaller target? 4. How does commonly accepted hit to miss ratio's figure into your opinion regarding where to shoot? Do you accept that missing a smaller target is an issue? The bottom line is that what some might consider the most overall effective zone is not always the most prudent ( all things considered). Absolute speed can be a factor, likelihood of landing a hit can be a factor, The stray bullet risk to others in the area can be a factor, confidence in marksmanship can be a factor, The fact that head, arms, legs, hands, feet all articulate and move much quicker and with greater ease, agility and suddenness when compared to a much larger mass- can be a factor, closeness of the enemy can be a factor, risk of being disarmed can be a factor. Its not always about absolute science ( in a bubble). There are reasons why a "traditional" target zone exists.
__________________
Life is a web woven by necessity and chance... Last edited by FireForged; March 27, 2019 at 08:13 AM. |
|
March 27, 2019, 09:38 AM | #118 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: May 22, 2011
Posts: 12,214
|
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
Know the status of your weapon Keep your muzzle oriented so that no one will be hurt if the firearm discharges Keep your finger off the trigger until you have an adequate sight picture Maintain situational awareness |
||
March 27, 2019, 10:12 AM | #119 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 22, 2016
Posts: 2,192
|
You aim for center of mass.
A) Your "entire" central nervous system is about protecting your head. Ever watch anyone in any type of physical "fight". Watch how much their head moves. A lot. Watch someone flinch when startled - their head moves and their arms often come up to protect the head (and yes they do protect the body to some degree). An opponent facing you as a gun comes up or even as they have the slightest notice of the impending shot is going to put any natural reactionary movement into protecting their head. B) The idea of the "headshot" being this instant kill is probably overblown. Absent a pretty central hit to the head an individual can function reasonably well if not survive some pretty gruesome shots to the head with a handgun (think of most failed suicide attempts) C) If you are in need of a pulling the trigger and the assailant who is capable of doing you grave bodily harm has not already done so you have already got tremendously lucky. The training for COM shots is because those are the most likely to be successful (actually hit) and effective for most people. |
March 27, 2019, 11:30 AM | #120 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 4, 1999
Location: Rebel South USA
Posts: 2,074
|
come on Lohman.. don't start throwing common sense into this.
__________________
Life is a web woven by necessity and chance... |
March 27, 2019, 11:45 AM | #121 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 1, 2009
Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma
Posts: 8,638
|
Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein
Excerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long Get a shot off fast. This upsets him long enough to let you make your second shot perfect. 'nuff said? Aarond .
__________________
Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time) |
March 27, 2019, 12:10 PM | #122 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 4, 1999
Location: Rebel South USA
Posts: 2,074
|
Quote:
__________________
Life is a web woven by necessity and chance... |
|
March 27, 2019, 12:42 PM | #123 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
SOME POINTS.
First, a defender may be able to sucker punch the guy when he doesn't see it coming, but this guy has already assaulted you or you wouldn't be drawing a gun and preparing to kill him. A good draw time is two seconds. a draw time from a completely unaware status is going to take a lot more time. Anyone can instinctively duck a defender's poking muzzle in his face with that time. An armed attacker can absolutely hit you in the gut with a bullet before you can put a bullet in his head unless you are a champion gunslinger. Here is a very simple fact. Unless the defender is highly skilled several rapid instinctive hits to the chest can be made before a single aimed round can hit a disabling part of the brain. A single aimed round fired at the brain is going to be far slower than the guy who already has a gun in his hand aimed at your belly. A defender can literally unzip a guy from sternum to throat in less time than it will take to get an absolutely certain shot to the brain or spinal section of the head. If a defender gets the first rounds in on an armed attacker, there is a chance that an armed attacker can still fight back and kill the defender. Sure, a defender may be so incompetent that he can get the first round into the target at arm's length and still fail to disable the attacker. If the defender fails, he was either outclassed completely or he failed to follow up on his instantaneous advantage. Even body armor can't fully prevent a disabling hit. There are plenty of rounds that will penetrate standard vests. There are plenty of places that can be hit other than the vest. Even a shot in a vest that is actually blocked will put a physical and mental shock that has been known to temporarily disable people. The claim has been made and rabidly defended that when facing an armed and prepared attacker at arm's length, shooting into center torso is tantamount to suicide, while shooting at the head is the logical and most likely to be successful attack, since since (in your words) numerous hits to center torso WILL NOT DISABLE AN ATTACKER and leave him with as much as fifteen second window of opportunity during which he can still get the advantage over a defender who has already put a number of rounds through the attacker's cp area. You stated this as a solid fact. Quote:
I really don't care at all about your beliefs as I know that they are only your opinions, but you are declaring your beliefs as facts in a public forum where people may believe that your statements are indeed absolute fact. Numerous times now you have declared that you are experienced and well trained, and said that other trained individuals disagree. You talked about old timers (clint smith, massad Ayoob I guess are old timers) who mumble nonsense into their beards. Before anyone should even consider giving your statements anything but disbelief and disregard, show us all who you are and what your qualifications are. You're stating widely discounted tactics as facts and dismissing the tactics that have been in use for centuries. Show us anything that proves that you are qualified to be teaching these people to ignore training and advice given by literally thousands of professionals and semi-professionals.
__________________
None. Last edited by briandg; March 27, 2019 at 01:37 PM. |
|
March 27, 2019, 12:51 PM | #124 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 11, 2004
Location: Redwood City, Ca.
Posts: 4,114
|
Quote:
But any one can pick up Jeff Cooper, Bill Jordan, Massad Ayoob, Andy Stanford, Charles Askins, Ken Hackathorn, Farnham, Applegate and Sykes and many others, and read what they emphasize and what they did/ and do, and taught. These are the old timers I was thinking of. A person can also take training. Leaf, thank you for your concern and the three references to me being dead for not taking your advice in your last post. Good to know someone cares. tipoc
__________________
1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. 4. Identify your target and know what is beyond it. |
|
March 27, 2019, 01:27 PM | #125 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
|
Quote:
Despite promises of crocodile tears, I'd not hire an extra limo just to take the expected metric fartload of flowers home from your funeral. Ehhh, who am I kidding. I love you all and will seriously feel terrible if one of you went to meet elmer or jack. If anyone dies because a bad guy murdered him it's not going to make a bit of difference why you lost, I'm going to grieve for the fact that a (probably) good man was removed from this earth at the hand of a bad guy, and I will also grieve for the fact that some bad guy will, at best, probably just be removed from gentle society for a few years.
__________________
None. |
|
|
|