Posted on 04/05/2021 6:02:29 AM PDT by COBOL2Java
While some women master one-handed shooting for competition purposes, the most common scenario that would require one-handed shooting is a self-defense situation. Check out these one-handed shooting tips from self-defense expert Fred Mastison, president of Force Options, a professional instructor in the fields of defensive tactics training and firearms.
Packages and children aside, it’s a good idea for women to practice one-handed shooting because most defensive shooting situations occur within close proximity of the victim, leaving no time for a practiced two-handed defensive draw. “Of all the things that could happen,” says Mastison, “in my opinion, having to shoot someone up close happens most often.” And of those, he says, most of them are within arm’s reach. “The criminal is so close, you can reach out and touch them. They are inside your safe space, inside arm’s distance, and you don’t have the opportunity to step back and escape. You may need to present your firearm, and you’re not going to have time to get two hands on that gun.”
In other self-defense situations, where the criminal is farther away, you have the time to do a complete defensive presentation, says Mastison. “You draw the gun, bring the gun up, the hands meld together, you push your gun out, and slowly press the trigger.”
But what if you don’t have time for that? What if a bad guy is literally in your face or has his hands physically on you, then you don’t have the time or room to draw as you normally would? “If that’s the case, you can use your support hand to push them away and draw your gun with your strong hand alone,” says Mastison. “You clear the holster, drop your elbow, and now you’re shooting close quarters. That is one-handed shooting right there.”
Another common situation is when you are walking alongside a loved one. If someone is threatening your life, you need that support arm to sweep that loved one behind you while drawing your firearm. “You want to make sure the innocent person you’re protecting gets out of the way and you get between them and the bad guy or girl,” says Mastison. “I encourage people to grab the innocent person and hold on to them because if gun fire erupts and they don’t know what’s going on, they may run or bolt and endanger themselves even more. It’s important to try to keep your hand on your loved one and hold them there.”
You must also ensure the web of the hand is all the way up on the beavertail, says Mastison. “We don’t want any space in between there because we don’t want a low grip on the gun.” The grip should be nice and high, enabling a smooth, clean, consistent draw. "Draw as high as you can, up near your armpit," he recommends. "Then drop your elbow, which will make the muzzle raise on the pistol. The muzzle will then be on the target.”
If the aggressor is really close, like “bad-breath distance,” Mastison says the technique should be point shooting. “As long as I’m 'putting metal on meat', and I’m aiming at center mass as the target, I’m going to hit my target at that distance. Just focus on hitting center mass, and don’t worry about hitting center mass then moving the gun up to the head.”
If you are hitting your target, keep shooting center mass, and take a step back to better stabilize yourself. But if you’re a few rounds in, and they’re still coming at you, Mastison advises to immediately transition to a head shot if they’re that close. “For all you know, they are full of hate and anger, or maybe they’re on drugs,” he says.
If they are a few yards out, step forward with your strong-sided foot so you will be more stable. Then push your arm out without locking the elbow. Rotate the pistol just a touch to about 11 o’clock, says Mastison, as it will take all the tension out of your shoulder. The gun is more supple and it’s much easier for you to press the trigger smoothly. “If the shoulders are tight and your arm locked out, that gun is going to weave all over the place and it won’t be stable,” he says. "After that, smooth press on the trigger, which should be in the center of the first pad at the tip of your finger.”
It’s also a good idea to practice grip and stance, because with one-handed shooting, you won’t have your support hand helping you. “That gun is going to jump around if you don’t have a good grip,” Mastison says, noting that if there is an active shooter situation and someone is shooting at you or attacking you, there’s not going to be time for proper stance. “I do try to get people to relax their hips,” he says, explaining that if they can do this, the rest of their entire body tends to relax a bit more, allowing them to more easily manage recoil.
Mastison advises his students to do a lot of dry-fire practice to build the muscle memory. It conditions you to be comfortable in a self-defense situation. “In the beginning, it might feel awkward, but the more time you spend on practicing these skills, the better,” he says. “Try for five to 10 minutes of practice a day. Mix it up so you do some draws one day, some one-handed presses one day, and work on support side as well.”
In order to help reset his students’ mindset, Mastison sometimes showed videos of people being assaulted. “So often, the people in the video were the victims of random crimes,” he says. “But watching those videos would change who those students were.”
Mastison suggests, as women, we should embrace the reasons why we carry a gun, and that we take full responsibility to protect not only ourselves but our loved ones. “The world is a dangerous place,” he explains, “and by understanding that, we hopefully know that we need to prepare ourselves for potential danger. Our hope and prayer is that it never happens.”
To close, can’t get a good shot, shoot their nuts off.
I only have 1 strong arm, but hand is weak from 4 long yrs of thumb surgery rehab, need both hands to steady. 72 has lots of issues that don’t allow for a 1 hand shot.
Heh, reminds me of the Clint Eastwood movie, "Sudden Impact".
I’ve got a cowboy gun. Lot of fun!
Two hands is a luxury. Having your strong side hand is a luxury. Having your trigger (index finger) is a luxury. Dominant eye may be a luxury (or even a liability when using cover). Train for the case when you dont have the luxuries.
When I first learned almost 50 years ago with a Ruger Single Six .22, I always shot one handed, and did practice some left handed. I got good enough left handed I could hit a Quaker state oil can every shot at about 25 yards. I used the pistol night lighting rabbits, any time one would run. These days I’d probably be doing good to hit the side of the barn left handed...although it’s a little like falling off a bicycle, you never forget how. 1st time I tried out my Taurus 9mm I put the first 6 shots inside a 3 inch circle, 2 handed. Hadn’t shot anything but a small .22 pistol in 20 years. Later a few single handed shots were about a 5 inch group. Not as good as I once was, and I definitely can’t hit a matchbook cover every time any more. Probably have trouble hitting the old oil can every shot.
Night lighting is legal in Texas, on foot with rim fire or shotgun. Since .22 is quieter, that’s what we used, .22 rifle. Usually rabbits will freeze if you hit them with a spot light, it blinds them. When one would run, we’d grab the pistol and fire. 8 shots that winter, 7 kills. 8th one grazed the back of its neck. Got it later when it stopped running. My uncle same thing, 7 out of 8, his 8th missed entirely.
Our rule was you can’t go in the woods with it until you can hit a matchbook cover 10 shots out of 10. We both could do it. Ihunted squirrels with the .22 pistol too, usually single handed shots. My father had a similar rule when he taught me to shoot as a 5 year old kid with a Remintgton 512 .22 single shot rifle, you can’t go in the woods and hunt till you can hit a .22 cartridge box 10 shots in a row. He’d hand me 10 bullets and that was all I got, after that it was just target practice. I went in the woods with a .410 a few weeks before I turned 9. And when we got home it was my job to clean and oil everything we took. Guns and fishing reels, whichever.
I didn’t get into 2 handed shooting until I saw it used in movies and decided to do some checking. Been working with both ever since. I still usually shoot the .22 single handed.
Yep I do too. It has a bird’s head style grip. Took a little getting used to because it doesn’t feel like a traditional grip. But you are right, they are a lot of fun. :)
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/96/24/aa/9624aad437870686f249bf5305361815.jpg
Absolutely agree.
In addition to strong hand and weak hand practice, I practice shooting with my third hand as well. ;)
One-handed pistol firing. Back to the future. ;)
Yep. Just rip the blouse off, pull the big, honkin’ pistol (as seen in photos) from that bra holster with one hand and let him have it. ;)
Trust me....it works great!
Just looked them up. People MUST be liking them because a lot of them are sold out!
I found one that will work with my Browning .22, $164.99.
I’ll ask, ‘The Chairman’ for an early birthday gift. Thanks! ;)
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