Is double tap practice must with 9mm?

[el Godfather]

Dear THR,
I know that know/learning/practicing double tap with any caliber is a great benefit. However, when people generally talk about 9mm's short commings, it seems like a well coordinated double tap would take care of those concerns for the most.

Do you think a double with 9mm is essential when compared to the other caliber such as 40, 45 and 10mm? Or double tap is essential regardless of the caliber, and it has nothing to do with the alleged short falls of the 9mm?

I personally think a well placed shot by any of the aforementioned calibers would take care of the hostile moving towards you. Double tap is just an assurance of stopping the threat before it becomes a problem. For this I try pick a pistol that has minimal reset and take up, like Sig Sauer Elite, Mk23, Glock, and some fine tuned 1911s (such as good ole dan). To me 9mm is a no joke. I have no idea why people put down this caliber when not just +p bullets are available, but HST and other such rounds as well. Personally, I use FMJs for practice and HST in my carry weapon.

Kindly know that this is now 9mm versus another caliber debate. This is about 9mm and importance of double tap, AND double tap in general.

Regards

 

[Nushif]

I practice controlled pairs with every gun I intend to carry.

[edit]
Even an SKS.

 

[Fishbed77]

Shoot until the threat to your life stops, regardless of caliber.

 

[allaroundhunter]

I practice double taps and Mozambique drills with every handgun that I use. If anyone tells you to carry a .45 over a 9mm because you will only have to shoot once, you should really consider taking advice from someone else.


With whatever gun or caliber I am using be it a handgun, shotgun, or AR, I will shoot until the threat is ended.

 

[el Godfather]

I agree with the above post.

 

[ATLDave]

I don't think there's much/any magic to a "double tap." Circumstances may dictate a single shot, a controlled pair, three shots, five shots, or an entire magazine (whatever that may be). I try to practice strings of fire of varying length. That's pretty much true for any combat-type firearms I'm shooting, including carbines.

 

[Zerodefect]

It's only one of the most basic skill drills of this art...

Better know how to double tap no matter what your caliber is. It's beginner stuff.

 

[Chuck R.]

This is a pretty good video that addresses some aspects of what you’re asking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2dA36NYLqns

Between this and other studies, I’d say that “controlled pairs” and "multiple shots" to stop an attacker are something that should be practiced regardless of caliber.

Chuck

 

[1SOW]

Controlled pairs, triples and emptying the mag are need-to-know skills for any pistol caliber.

AND, as you said, all shots need to be well-placed. Wasted bullet Noise may not stop a threat.

 

[Swing]

Two is better than one, so, yes.

 

[mljdeckard]

Regardless of caliber.

 

[jrdolall]

I have two opinions and neither is original.
1. A woman was asked during a trial in which she was accused of using unnecessary force, "When did you feel that your life was no longer in danger"? Her answer, "When I had finished reloading".
2. "If my attacker gets through the hail of bullets he can bludgeon me to death with my empty gun".
I do carry a 9mm for my ccw and it is as close to a mousegun as I can get in my budget.

Double tap is just as critical with any gun regardless of caliber. Is it "necessary"? Probably not on a headshot but I have no desire to wait and see if my first shot/shots were successful. If I am being attacked and feel that my life or someone else's life is in danger then I am going to put as many rounds into the attacker as I reasonably can regardless of caliber.

 

[Damon555]

I shoot for pleasure....I don't do "drills". That being said, if I were to need to use one of my pistols to neutralize someone I'd shoot it until it was empty.

 

[Loosedhorse]

What's a double-tap?

Some folks use the term "hammer" to mean two shots that are fired without a pause to establish a flash sight-picture before the second shot. If you think you might use that in a fight with any caliber, it would make sense for you to know where that second round hits compared to the first, sighted shot. So, you'd practice it, to know.

If by double-tap you mean two sighted shots (controlled pair--a term I don't like, since hammers are not "uncontrolled" pairs), well, as has been said, that's the first 2/3rds of the standard "failure to stop" drill. Everyone should practice that.

Personally, I alway thought the 3-round burst on 9mm submachineguns was a fabulous idea!

 

[ResidentFarmer]

Two in the chest, one in the head. Shoot until the threat is stopped. Double tap and finish. Shot placement is the number one consideration. Caliber is not as important as shot placement. Caliber wars are foolish. Practice with what you have. Be comfortable with your weapon and make it an extension of your arm and hand and it won't matter if it's a .45 or a .22.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Is double tap practice must with 9mm?

Yes, just like any other handgun and even rifles when they are used for defensive/offensive use. Always be ready for when those two rounds still don't do the trick.

 

[trickyasafox]

double taps are for derringers. I'm more of a 'keep shooting till it stops shooting back' kinda guy.

In all seriousness though- above posters nailed it. If you need it, fire it till your life and the lives of your family are safe.

 

[gym]

Two shots fired as soon as the trigger resets after the first. So It doessn't have time to alter the position of the gun, It's taptap, no time between shots. If you are good at it,it can almost sound like one round.
I double tap on all calibers, although some guns aren't as good as others. You want a short reset and 4 or 5 lb trigger. It should almost look like both rounds were on top of each other, once you perfect it. There is no delay between shots. You can do a series of double taps, pop/pop, pop/pop. You are more likelly to hit the target twice thus avoiding changing positions to reaquire the target if you didn't stop it with one shot. Or a slow series of shots that force you to reset and relocate for a follow up shot.
You don't want to waste time firing and looking to see what you hit, that's a sure way to get shot in a gunfight. Not so much in a crowded area when you can't see your backstop, unless you ae that good. A 9mm glock is a good gun to practice with, the trigger is decent resets fast enough, and available, a 1911 is better, once you can handle 45 loads in rapid succesion. There is no more recoil as you aren't allowing the gun to raise from the target, you want to stay on point before the gun kicks.It's easier to show than explain.

 

[2ndAmFan]

Yes.

 

[GLOOB]

It doessn't have time to alter the position of the gun... There is no more recoil as you aren't allowing the gun to raise from the target, you want to stay on point before the gun kicks.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't work this way, Gym. The gun kicks before the slide is done cycling. You can't fire it again until the slide is done cycling; hence, you can't fire the second shot until after the gun has recoiled and returned to target...unless you're firing a G11 in burst mode.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It is a good skill to learn with any caliber. No matter what the caliber, are you going to fire just one shot?

 

[Big_John1961]

Practice DT's with any firearm you own. If you can find a range that will let you, that is. :banghead:

 

[9mmepiphany]

Before you start working on a series of two rapid shots...whether you want to call them a Double Tap, Controlled Pairs or some other coined term...I'd highly recommend you perfect your trigger control firing a single accurate shot rapidly...it isn't about slapping the trigger twice as quickly as you can. The need for proper trigger control doesn't go away because you are firing more quickly.

As already mentioned, no matter how quickly you can reset your trigger, it is impossible to fire another round before the action cycles. Using proper technique, there is plenty of time to operate any trigger during that cycling...you're just waiting longer on the shorter resetting triggers. If you accept that, each shot is a separate occurrence. All you decide is how fine a sight picture you need before the 2nd press.

To answer the OP, it is a skill that is beneficial with any caliber pistol

 

[scaatylobo]

SHOOT - until threat is over.

We used to teach the "double tap" and the mozambique drill too.

Then we saw that too many LEO's were doing that and then re - holstering as they were taught to do that in training.

Now we teach that you shoot till you believe the threat is over,then scan 360 degrees and then holster = IF the threat is over.

Otherwise reload and keep shooting till threat IS over.

 

[mgmorden]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't work this way, Gym. The gun kicks before the slide is done cycling. You can't fire it again until the slide is done cycling; hence, you can't fire the second shot until after the gun has recoiled and returned to target

Absolutely correct. No matter what internet superhero powers one may believe they have, you will always be limited to the physics of the real world. Recoil begins immediately upon firing of the first cartridge and the trigger will not reset and become available again until most of the recoil energy has already been dumped into the system. The trick is that with a proper "neutral" grip the gun will tend to rebound back from the recoil and come back down on target again (though it won't necessarily settle there - it's just going to pass that point in your vision).

Basically, you want to cook off the first round, then track the sights as they lift, and then as they come back down fire the second (or third, fourth, and so on) as the sights pass back across the shooting area on the way down.

If you're just pressing the trigger as fast as you can without tracking the lift and fall of the sights then you're essentially just benefiting from the fact that at short distances the muzzle isn't likely to climb off of a silhouette sized target. This won't work for shot strings in excess of two, nor is the second shot usually very close to the first or well placed.