[albanian]

If you can't control your carry gun in rapid fire, one hand, weak side shooting, you may need to think about your carry gun. I am not telling anyone what to do, I am just trying to open people's eyes to something I learned later in life than I should have.

I am not a expert at anything but about five years ago, I was taking a course and I realized that I was barely able to hold onto my SIG 220 .45acp during rapid fire with my weak hand. I was fine with my right hand but when I switched to my left hand, I didn't have the control I should have.

It was part to do with the recoil of the .45acp flipping around in my hand rather than the quick shock of a 9mm. Another part was the grip was slightly to large for my medium sized hands. Still another part was the fact that I didn't practice weak hand shooting enough to gain the strength and dexterity I needed.

Just a tip for all you guys that are carrying guns that may be too large or powerful for you. I know there is a macho factor in carrying a .45acp over a 9mm or in carrying a 1911 over say a Walther PPK but you got to carry what works for you.

I have settled on two guns for CCW, my Kahr K-9 and my S&W 642. I can easily handle the recoil of both these guns during rapid fire in either hand with no loss of control. I feel better knowing that if I had to, I could empty either gun fast into a target and not lose my grip on my pistol.

[Manedwolf]

:scrutiny:

[GregGry]

I don't agree.

[Hanzo581]

I try my best to shoot a few mags each time I shoot with my left (weak) hand with my XD45

I can handle the recoil fine with either hand, but of course my accuacy is lower with my left during rapid fire

[Mayo]

So my friend--who happens to have been born with only 1 arm, shouldn't be carrying or shooting a gun?:confused:

[Geronimo45]

That's why I like the lasergrips - you can fire from the hip with decent accuracy. I've always thought that you ought to be able to shoot your carry gun one-handed with either hand - put the shots into an 8.5x11 sheet of paper at 21 feet. Use two hands for more control, accuracy - but be able to do it either way.

[plexreticle]

I suppose it depends on your definition of controlled rapid fire.

[Majic]

Rapid fire does nothing but rapidly deplete the amount of ammo you have on hand.

[david_the_greek]

for me, little guns seem much harder to control. I see the point you're trying to make with this, but I must point out the best part of your advice is "you got to carry what works for you." personally, when I shoot larger framed guns like a BHP or a 1911 vs a small gun like a sig 230, I have more trouble with the little ones. Those short barrels loaded with potentially hot ammo usually get too snappy for me. I guess a 32 ppk would be different than a .380 though.

[10-Ring]

A few years ago, I had injured my strong arm enough to put me on the DL for an extended period. After 3 weeks of not shooting at all, I decided to teach myself how to shoot w/ my weak arm/ hand. I got to be okay using my weak side, but what I got mostly out of it was a confidence that if I had to, I can shoot one handed righty or lefty fairly well.
It's about preparedness and confidence ;)

[MachIVshooter]

I was fine with my right hand but when I switched to my left hand, I didn't have the control I should have.

Define control. I can't punch the center out of a silhouette at 50 feet shooting southpaw, but I can dump the mag into the silhouette at 15 feet just as fast as I can right handed. Accuracy is going to suffer shooting weak hand, but so long as the gun doesn't jam from limp wristing I don't see a problem.

I see getting the thing unholstered with the weak hand as a much bigger problem, since most of us carry in a fashion that allows our dominant hand to access the weapon. If they BG has control of my right hand, he very close and is going to get shanked, not shot.

There is value in being able to shoot weak handed, but I wouldn't discourage someone from carrying becasue they can't do it well.

Being able to control your CCW one handed with your strong hand is a different story, and all together necessary.

[two tone]

i think you should also carry two weapons therfore you could operate one handed with your left AND right hand simotaniously.

[RNB65]

I'll risk it. :scrutiny:

[Euclidean]

Not to mention there's countless people who may only have one "good" hand due to any number of factors. Say I am nursing a broken wrist on my off hand, should I stop carrying anything bigger than a .22?

Yes it would be ideal if we could all do this, but it's just not going to happen. It's not physically possible. Not everyone has two healthy hands.

Not to mention if you can't handle the recoil of a .45, you probably can't handle many centerfire calibers to begin with, strong or weak hand... you've got bigger problems than not being able to shoot with the off hand. .45 out of a full sized pistol is a pussy cat, recoil wise.

How about, and here's a crazy idea, we work with what capabilities we already have to the best of our ability, and then try to improve from there?

[Reyn]

I can shoot rapid fire with my big toe. ;)

[Jeff Timm]

Question:

Has anyone actually used weak hand firing in a combat situation?

Has anyone seen a legitimate After Action Report where this happened?

Geoff
Who notes that more and more trainers have decreased emphasis on the weak hand, except as a support.
Who once did quite well on a weak hand target by leaning into the barracade on the trigger guard, using my weight to lock the gun in position. :D

[Steve in PA]

Anyone that doesn't teach weak hand shooting is doing a dis-service to anyone they are training. If they are getting away from it, it is probably done more as a time saving maneuver than anything else.

I currently only instruct LEO's, but if I were ever to teach civi.....:neener: , er non-LEO's I would instruct them the same way; be able to do everything with the weak hand that you can do with the strong hand.

Not training for the worse case scenario will ultimately get you killed.

[Double Naught Spy]

If you can't shoot your CCW rapid fire weak hand, you can't shoot.


If you can't control your carry gun in rapid fire, one hand, weak side shooting, you may need to think about your carry gun. I am not telling anyone what to do, I am just trying to open people's eyes to something I learned later in life than I should have.


Hell Albanian, why did you wuss out and stop there? Why not claim that if your strong hand only skills are not as good as your two-handed skills, including marksmanship, speed, reloads, and malfunction clearing, then you can't shoot.

Then, if your off-hand skills are not as good as your two hand skills, using the same criteria as for the strong hand, you can't shoot. You are practically incompetent if you can't perform at this level! :banghead:

Sarcasm off.

I find it interesting that instead of practicing more in order to bring your offhand capabilities better up to speed, you compromised your ability to defend yourself in the manners most likely (two handed or strong handed) and did so with mechanical compensation by going with a smaller caliber and then gave partial emotional justification to the compromise by suggesting carrying a .45 is a macho thing.

If you are truly equally talented with either hand, then you are one of the few people in the world who are and as such, there is no reason you should not be able to handle a larger gun with your off hand just as well with your strong hand...either that or your strong hand capabilities are well below where they need to be.

[dragongoddess]

Never even thought about using the off hand at the range. Guess next trip I should do a little off hand shooting.

[Mad Magyar]

Being trained in the school of "point shooting", this really doesn't present that much of a problem as one might think. You'll be surprised how strong your "off-hand" really is for controlling a .45.:) Never will equal the dominant hand, but sufficient never-the-less.

[JDGray]

Everyone should do a fair amount of weak hand practice, just yesterday I did a bunch of jam clearing drills, with my Kel-Tec P11. Shoot, turn gun sideways, pull slide, shoot, turn gun sideways, ect....... Thought I had some junk ammo, till I noticed the broken ejector:D Practice, Practice, Practice!!

[wuchak]

Find the gun that works for each hand and carry both.:) Besides, the best way to carry extra ammo for sd is in another gun.

[Marshall]

Tell my strong hand that, he doesn't believe you.

Probably should work on that some.

[Lucky 7]

I agree that weak-handed shooting is an important skill, but not the MOST important skill. My buddy taught me a lil' drill that will improve your shooting and only requires 30 rounds per go. It's called a pastie drill and one fires it at 3 yds (then, as imporvement is visable, move it back to 5 then 7 and finally 10 and fire more rapidily). The drill goes something like this:

Place three one inch by one inch pasties (or duct tape) on a white sheet of paper.
String 1: 5 rnds, weak hand only, SA only. Slow fire on left target.
String 2: 5 rnds, two-hand grip, SA only. Slow fire on center target.
String 3: 5 rnds, strong hand only, SA only. Slow fire on right target.
--Replace target--
String 4: Same as String 1 but DA only.
String 5: Same as String 2 but DA only.
String 6: Same as String 3 but DA only.

Try this drill and it'll show you where you're lacking. Get faster and more accuracte as you practice it. It'll show who pays attention to the little details and fundimentials.

Regards and Semper Fi!
-L7

[FIREARMZ]

Weak hand shooting is downthe list of things that you need to do. Absolutely needed? NO. Nice to have in the tool box? YES

[High_Cap]

You only need one round.

[DogBonz]

Rapid fire does nothing but rapidly deplete the amount of ammo you have on hand.

well said!

[MCgunner]

If .45ACP is "too large and powerful" for you, you must have a medical condition, carpel tunnel or something.:rolleyes: Heck, I shot full power .44 mag weak hand no problem. I was placing my shots, though, not spraying and praying. I'm no strong man, either. .45 has a little more muzzle flip than the 9, one of the reasons I went to the 9 for IDPA shooting some time ago. But, it ain't exactly a wrist breaker.

[progunner1957]

I must disagree.

Being able to shoot well with your weak hand is a very good thing, but it is not the go/no go criteria regarding whether or not you should be carrying a gun.

I am a right handed shooter. My left hand is disabled due to an injury - the second knuckles of my middle and index finger had to be surgically fused. There's no way I can shoot a handgun left handed - but I can shoot right handed.

People in my situation need to be able to defend themselves even more than able bodied persons. You learn to do the best you can with what you have.

Regarding rapid fire, I'll quote Larry Vickers: "Speed is fine - accuracy is final."

[MCgunner]

Wasn't it old Wyatt that said, "Shoot slow in a hurry", or something like that? If you do much shooting and practice at all, you know there's a point in speed at which you start to miss everything. I like to try to err on the slow side of that point and be conservative and make the shots count. Practice is what it takes to get faster. We have a myriad of falling plates, pepper poppers, and such at the range, great for this practice.

[dcloudy777@aol.com]

Weak-hand only shooting is an important skill to which training time should certainly be given, but not a factor on which to base equipment choices. Train for the exception, but equip for the rule. A sidearm should be chosen first upon reliablity, and second upon the user's ability to make hits using the method most likely to be employed (example for myself, two-handed modified Isoceles). JMHO, free advice worth almost what you paid for it.

DanO

[EddieCoyle]

I only shoot with my "weak" hand.

I lost the ends of both the index and middle fingers of my right hand in an accident. Without the means to pull the trigger with my right hand, I had to switch to shooting pistols lefty.

I've tried shooting with my right hand, using my ring finger to pull the trigger. Recoil is a problem because I'm not holding onto the gun with a whole lot.

I'll stick to practicing with my new "strong" hand and I disagree with the statement in the post title.

[Phil DeGraves]

What Wyatt said was "Shoot as fast as you can without feeling the urge to hurry." I think it was Bill Jordan who paraphrased that into "take your time as fast as you can." I've also heard that "Speed is fine, accuracy is final," attributed to both of them.

[Pistol Toter]

This is the exact reason I go around bare footed all year! If I can't shoot with my hands and use my toes. :what: You ought to see me fan a SA Colt
.45LC with my foot. :uhoh: I'm awsome with a GLOCK.:neener: Pay me no mind fellows, I sitting around bored. P.T.

[possum]

try this on for size, why don't you mix proper shot placement and speed together, and find the happy medium!:confused: that's what i do, with a little practice you can do about anything, you can get more accurate over time to a point and speed up as well. just a thought!

[Ankeny]

Rapid fire does nothing but rapidly deplete the amount of ammo you have on hand.

Gosh, and I always thought getting as many hits as it takes to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible was the goal. Color me stupid.

[SoCalShooter]

I would agree that practice with either hand is an excellent recomendation but you dont have to be an expert marksman off hand. So for the rest of your statement I disagree.

[Katigroszek]

I think rapid fire might be good as a (not perfect) simulation of shooting skills decrease during high stress situation. Otherwise You would have to take Your auntie You can' stand to the range!

But if You're planning to be prepared to use Your PD gun both hands the gun has to be suitable for that! What gun than? There is not that many that are totally ambidextrious, You know! Walther P88 full size? HK P7? HK P2000? Other?