Monday, December 28, 2015

My new contribution to the 'Point-shooting sucks and will get you killed!' noise:

“Jelly” Bryce, one of the greatest police gunfighters of the first half of the 20th century, was famous for his point-shooting skills. He killed many an armed criminal firing that way. Being able to fire and hit without the sights in a perfect sight picture is, without question, a useful survival skill. As with so many elements of gunfight survival, it’s not a question of this or that—it’s a mandate for this and that.
That's from Ayoob.  Now go tell him he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Also: things to do after the shooting ends.

(Yeah, I think I've posted these before: they're worth pointing to again)

4 comments:

Dan said...

I suspect that Delf Bryce was the 'exception that proves the rule'.

His skills came from growing up shooting...a lot of kids did back then, far fewer do so now. He also was physically gifted, his sight
being better than normal and I'm sure his reflexes were also above average. He also is reported to have spent HOURS at a time in front
of a mirror practicing his gun skills. Again.....not many these days can or will invest that amount of time. And don't forget dumb ass luck. It plays a part in virtually every shootout, you can improve your luck with skill, practice and experience but you can never count on it 100%.

Firehand said...

I've met too many who were pretty good at it- at close ranges, no question- to think it can't be learned and used with less than hours per day. A lot of LE agencies used to teach it for up-close, and it does work.

Same thing Ayoob says, it's not the only thing to practice, but it's a handy thing to have some skill at.

Dan said...

And how many of those you have met have actually used that 'point shooting skill' in
the real world. Range skills are an indicator not a guarantee of performance when
things go south. To become an expert at something requires a LOT of practice. There
are plenty of experts on the range. There aren't any experts at gunfighting, just people who had luck on their side. Luck likes training but it's a fickle thing. There are some experts in .mil at combat but there are damn few if any at home in street level gun fights. The odds of surviving enough gunfights to be considered an expert are on p par with winning the lottery. Not impossible but so unlikely as to be irrelevant.

Firehand said...

Probably a considerable number. Lots of agencies, for a long time, taught point-shooting for up close when time was short, get it up and use the sights whenever there's time and/or distance to do it.
Repeating: Being able to fire and hit without the sights in a perfect sight picture is, without question, a useful survival skill. As with so many elements of gunfight survival, it’s not a question of this or that—it’s a mandate for this and that.