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.”
Shove the barrel into their belly.
I have always made a point of shooting at least one mag in each strong and support hand, left and right, each time I go to the range. As a result, I find it easy and am accurate from either.
One of my range trainers shoots one handed with each hand. Said he had a associate who based on positioning had to shoot with the opposite hand once and based on that experience he trains that way.
Yep, been practicing consistently for decades using both hands, as well as clearing malfunctions reloads etc with one hand/off hand
Good article. Thanks for posting. I got such a KICK yesterday mid-morning (Easter Sunday!) when I could hear lots of gunfire from the local gun range, not too far from my farm.
East Sunday Plans? Church. Range Time. Ham Dinner. I LOVE where I live! :)
“You must dig deep in to your psyche and ask yourself why you’re carrying a gun. Is it because you’re supposed to, or do you really understand the dark ether that is the underside of human society? Once you embrace that, your mindset will be different.”
I used to have qualms about having to shoot someone that was attacking me or mine - and I have Army training!
But, watching the Socialist Democrats doing everything in their power to harm America as a whole has set my mind right. Thanks, Socialists!
Jerks.
Practice weak hand as well......
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"SHOOTING TO LIVE With The One-Hand Gun" is an older book but it's valuable and it's a quick read.
I’ve been recommending Masaad Ayoob’s In The Gravest Extreme for more than 25 years precisely because it addresses those mindset issues you bring up.
Shawn Ryan former Navy SEAL has a great video on YouTube where he shows a couple of women how to draw and shoot at bad breath distance. Its a great exercise I have watched numerous times and practiced dry firing at home.
I’m a big fan of that guy. Vigilance Elite is a great YouTube channel.
L
Yes Shawn Ryan is the bomb. I have watched that video where he shows Keanu Reaves how to go through a door with an AR about 20 times. I saw him showing the same technique to some MMA or boxing champ the other day. Connor McGregor or somebody like that. I would love to be able to afford some hand gun training with him.
I will check that out. Thanks! :)
Oooo! I like that idea!
Some of Gravest is a little out of date, but the most worthwhile parts are timeless. His book Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense is also worthwhile. Along with others, but those two at the top of the list.
.Thank You for Posting this.
(((PING)))
I saw a show on one of the Outdoor Channels and the whole show was about 1 handed shooting, controlling Your Weapon and it included clearing a Misfire, Dropping an Empty Magazine*and replacing it including if the Slide Lock fails to leave the Slide locked open to strip the 1st Round from the fresh Magazine with the Slide Lock Release not functioning for whatever reason. Chambering a Round 1 Handed.
* IIRC Glock Magazines have to be removed from the Pistol, they don’t “Drop” out freely. Done so MT Magazines don’t get lost in Combat.
I’ll be Bach!
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