Precision Accuracy in 0.2-0.3 Seconds
by John Veit
THE ACTION-REACTION DILEMA
Research studies have shown that an attacker can raise a gun and shoot in 1/2 a second or less, and that trigger pulls take about 1/4 of a second. It can take 1 second or more for a first response, with a hit rate near 30%. As such, an assailant can fire 3 shots in the time it takes to make a response.
Further, if precision accuracy is required (with a 80 to 90% hit rate), then the response time will increase by another second or more. That’s reality, and it’s bad news for police and civilians alike.
MOVING IS AN OPTION
Standing still leaves the advantage in the hand of the attacker. However, the time needed to perceive-process-and-respond to a visual stimulus is about 1/3 of a second.
So, you can move out of the line of fire, and force the attacker to perceive-process-and-respond to your action. Logic says – move left. Most shooters are right handed, and as such, they likely will shoot down and to their left, which will be where you were.
Here’s a link to more info on moving and perception-response times: http://www.pointshooting.com/1amove.htm
P&S = PRECISION ACCURACY IN .2 to .3 SECONDS
If AIMED Point Shooting or P&S is employed, precision accuracy when shooting at small fast moving aerials can be achieved in .2 to .3 seconds. Below is a link to a video showing me shooting at and hitting small fast moving aerial targets at distances of 6 to 10 feet, in .2 to .3 seconds. 7 aerials in a row are hit in 15 seconds.
Pop cans measuring about 2.25 x 2.25 x 5 inches were used as targets. I tossed them up and into a temporary shooting bay in our garage with a 10 foot high ceiling. As a can can fall 10 feet in about 3/4 of a second, to shoot those small and fast falling targets before they hit the ground, required precision accuracy, and literally in the blink of an eye.
The use of Sight Shooting was out of the question due to the shooting window of less than a second for locating, tracking, precise aiming, and shooting.
Also, in a real close quarters life threat situation, near vision, which is needed to focus on the sights, will be lost to use due to the automatic activation of our instinctive Fight or Flight response.
Learning to shoot at aerials using P&S, is not hard or trick shooting. Prior to making the video, I practiced about 1 hour per day for a week. And most anyone can do that if they have an airsoft pistol and using one is legal in their location.
INFO ON AIMED POINT SHOOTING OR P&S
AIMED Point Shooting or P&S is the simplest of aimed shooting methods, and it also can be used to enhance other shooting methods, and improve performance with guns that allow its safe use.
With P&S, correct sight alignment is mechanical and automatic; and achieving a correct sight picture or a correct flash sight picture, is natural and automatic as well.
Basically, you just grab your gun, point finger, pull trigger.
Aerials
Move and Shoot
Firearm User Network 
John M. Buol Jr.
Nov 05, 2013 @ 11:52:35
Practical competition has been concerned with timing shooting performance to a tenth of second since the 1950s. Modern electronic timing brought this to a hundredth of a second thanks to Ronin Colman and the PACT timer in 1982.
We’re ever so glad you finally caught up with us.
Funny thing is, most point shooting advocates don’t even bother to time shooting performance, preferring to just slowly shoot large targets up close with no prescribed time limit:
https://firearmusernetwork.com/2012/11/29/aimed-point-and-shoot-training-methods/
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John M. Buol Jr.
Nov 05, 2013 @ 11:59:46
It’s worth looking up Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting by Ed McGivern for his opinions on this, which differ greatly from Mr. Veit. Difference is, McGivern was hitting marbles in the air, not pop cans. For aerial can shooting, McGivern was getting six hits, not just one.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Nov 05, 2013 @ 12:00:38
Notes on Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting
by Ed McGivern
Page 28 admonished reader to find a club and attend shooting events.
“When the average person wishes to learn to play any games or enter any line of sport is is generally the custom to look up someone prominent in that game, or in some manner leading in or promoting the particular line of sport in which he may be interested, and arrange for a course of instruction…
“With the person becoming interested in … shooting this course is not always followed, If is was it would be a much easier matter for the student to learn the proper method oh handling his gun, … thus avoiding the genera tendency to form bad habits at the start that usually prove quite difficult to correct later on.”
Page 33,
Section 4
Shooting Standard Regulation Stationary Targets
“When beginning your training the most effective plan is to try careful and very deliberate slow fire, at fairly large targets and at fairly short ranges, gradually working along and slightly increasing the range, until reaching the standard distances at which certain sized bull’s-eyes and targets are regularly used. It is best to stick to the standard targets and the standard distances that are very plainly stated in the regular target shooting rules…”
“[M]y education regarding aerial target shooting with revolvers was broadened and intensified in relation to group shooting and trigger squeezing, and the why, looming large and prominent, was made very clear to me…” (emphasis in original)
Section 5
Training for Aerial Targets
Shooting marbles out of the air
“[P]rogress was really started towards becoming an aerial target shot with revolvers. How? Well, it can be quite easily explained in a very simple way: I had learned to “squeeze and control the trigger,” and also had learned to align the sights about even with the bottom of the marble, or any other target, letting it sort of rife on the top of the sights somewhat as military shooting (6 O’Clock hold) is done.
I had learned to use the sights quickly and accurately on moving targets and had learned to squeeze and control the trigger properly while also keeping the movements of the revolver under perfect control…” (emphasis in original)
“The real secret of the whole matter was that I had developed enough skill to shoot close groups in relation to the point of aim, and in direct relation to the center of the small targets…”
McGivern advised the Power Plinker to first develop enough group shooting ability on paper targets so that the aimed group is small enough such that an aerial target cannot slip though a “hole” in that group.
“The person who starts out to acquire sufficient skill to ‘put his bullets right on top of each other,’ has a false idea.”
At the distance from the muzzle the thrown target will be hit the shooter MUST have enough skill to group shots tight enough so there is no gap in the group large enough for the target to slip through.
“If a revolver shot, using the .38 Special cartridges, can shoot a group the size of a quarter, that is, keeping the bullets within the outline of the quarter, he can regularly hit three-eights inch marbles. When the revolver shooter can shoot a circular group where the width of the bullet on each side of the center will make the space between them slightly smaller than the object being shot at, then he will score all hits just so long as he doses not permit the group to open up enough to make this opening in the center of group large enough for the object that is used as the target to pass through without touching.”
Contrary to popular myth, McGivern did all of his aerial shooting as aimed fire and with smooth trigger control, as learned on paper Bullseye targets. He advised aiming at the base of the target while airborne and to move your position (and the sights) in relation to the target as it moved. Don’t wait for the target to “pause” at the top of the movement, instead, keep the sights moving.
“[T]his “watchful waiting” attitude-while the target hesitates-is a very practical illustration of the familiar saying, “He who hesitates is lost.” Instead of waiting and trying to make still (or stopped) targets out of rapidly moving ones, just follow the outline of the methods described a short time ago in the account of the marble shooting. Bend the body forward for downward movement. Bend the body back for upward movement. Swing or twist body sideways for side movement, and hold arms and hands and revolver in direct relative position to the eye and in line with, and as near as possible at, the correct elevation of target…”
“That triggers are not squeezed and controlled in much the same way as for other shooting, is also quite the wrong idea. THEY ARE! The apparent difference lying in the fact that it is done much more quickly and with a longer sweep when using double-action methods, yet very evenly, very carefully, and quite smoothly, as a result of practice and practically experience which must be developed, of course, by persistent effort and sensible study of the subject and the principles involved.
McGivern is probably best known for his rapid fire feats, such as placing six shots into a thrown gallon can before it hit the ground, and firing five shots in 0.40 seconds into a playing card group at 15 feet.
Once again, when learning rapid fire on stationary and aerial targets McGivern returned to group shooting on Bullseye targets.
“The training methods for preparing to fire six bullets into a tin can were entirely changed at this particular time, and practice for many weeks was confined to shooting six shots at certain sized portions of paper targets just as rapidly as it was possible to operate the revolvers by double-action method.”
McGivern got on target by using a “Slight Lifting Motion of Entire Gun.” He pointed in from just below the target and fired just as the gun (and the sights) paused.
“It consists of leveling the gun just slightly below the point where you want the bullet to strike, then while maintaining the proper sight alignment, raise the entire gun up to the correct elevation for the bullet to connect with the desire spot or object which constitutes the target. It will be found that gravity will greatly assist in arresting the motion of the gun momentarily while the shot is being fired.”
For quick follow up shots McGivern used what he termed “The Forward Poke.” Today, shooters call it “Timing the Gun” “Reset Drill” and “Post Ignition Push.” At some point in speed the shooter has to haul the gun back on target in order to obtain split times quickly enough.
“[T]he gun is pushed slightly forward the target, which brings the front sight down and in proper relation to the rear sight.”
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John Veit
Nov 06, 2013 @ 02:26:35
Thanks for you comments John,
Readers may be interested in US Army publication: TT 23-71-1.
It is a training text on the fast and accurate method of fire called Rifle Quick Kill, and Basic Rifle Marksmanship.
Rifle Quick Kill, was taught BEFORE recruits were introduced to aimed fire which utilizes the sights.
In just minutes, soldiers were taught to use Quiick Kill to hit small aerial targets with BB guns.
3 1/2 inch disks were used to start with, then 2 1/2 inch disks. Then, “The soldier may desire to fire at smaller targets; such as candy Life Savers or salt tablets, and he should be encouraged to do so, but on his own time.”
Here’s a link: http://www.pointshooting.com/1aqkrif.htm
The recruits were taught to shoot at the top edge of the target “(Because the soldier’s line of vision is above the barrel, he will need to concentrate his focus at the TOP EDGE of the aerial target. Then his line of fire will be toward the center of the target, not below it.)”
McGivern says to “align the sights about even with the bottom of the marble”.
As to McGivern hitting a can several times while it fell, I doubt that that could be done if it was a pop can and it was only ten feet off the ground to start with. A hit would knock it off its initial track, so it is doubtful that more than one other hit could be made before the can would hit the ground.
That takes nothing away from McGivern’s skill or the skill of highly trained professionals who obviously have superior natural abilities than run-of-the-mill folks do, and who also may shoot thousands of rounds per year.
Run of the mill folks, by definition, are not blessed with superior natural abilities, and they most likely don’t have the time, energy, or funds to train as superior shooters do.
If you have run some marathons or lots of shorter races, and you are a run of the mill type, you know that you are different from the front runners, and they are different than you. That’s just they way it is. And I imagine that is also the case with world class shooters.
As to Sight Shooting and Point Shooting, I know that Sight Shooting works as I qualified as an expert with an M-1.
The rub comes with its attempted use with a pistol in real close quarters life threat situations where one’s chance of being shot and/or killed is the greatest. Studies have established that it can’t be used or is not used in those situations. That’s also just the way it is.
So, unless a person knows an alternate method of shooting to Sight Shooting, they will have no effective means to use in their defense when their life is on the line.
If you have a gun for self defense use, and you don’t know how to use Point Shooting effectively, you may want to add that to your to do list.
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