Mouseguns, point shooting or sight shooting?
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Since 10-06-06

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=2221
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Here's a question. To train for self defense, is it better to train with point shooting? I've come to wonder this a lot, since I read somewhere that most encouters happen at a very short distance, is it reasonable to practice point shooting? Also, are laser grips useful for point shooting?

One reply:

Coltdriver
Senior Member

Join Date: 12-26-02
Location: Colorado

Posts: 1,038 If you read up on the old OSS studies of how humans react in a life threatening encounter you will find that three instinctive things occur.

One of the instinctive things that occurs is an inability to remove your eyes from your threat.

You will also find that one of the other instinctive things that occurs is that you will automatically square to your threat.

Finally you will crouch slightly in preparation for running. Its almost an automatic prepare to duck reaction.

These are automatic, instinctive reactions.

These things make point shooting a very practical thing to learn and to learn well.

Unless you are a well trained LEO who is in a threat environment daily (and carrying a heightened sense of awareness) your ability to remain cool and calm is greatly diminished in a true life threatening situation. A police officer may absolutely be in a position to have to think and "work" over a sighted perp. Sights make for precise work in these instances.

For most of us civilians, to think that you will actually take aim and draw a bead may not be an accurate notion. Most encounters fall into the three feet/three shots/three seconds category.

I would never say any kind of practice is bad, but if a true life threatening person were 50 feet from me I would run like hell.

I practice only point shooting and no sight shooting and have done so for about seven years now. I know that I can reliably hit COM, head, shoulder or hip if that is what I want to hit. I have learned to do it with a j frame or a .45

What ultimately matters is the first actual hit. It should be where you want it to be and it should be quick. If you find you can not get a sight bead because you are scared witless then the best sights available are useless. If you can't get a bead because it is too dark you may have trained for the wrong thing.

Just my two cents worth, your mileage may vary. I have always thought sights to be over rated.