Single hand vs. double hand

Status
Not open for further replies.
Strong hand only, I group about the same, sometimes better than two handed. But I have to shoot much lower to reach an equivalent level of accuracy strong hand only vs. two handed.

Weak hand only, I suck, but I'm getting better. At best, my group sizes about double the size when shooting weak hand only.
 
When younger (and steadier!) I did a lot of bullseye shooting ... and certainly then could group better and tighter single handed strong.

Biggest plus single handed is full arm extension and thus better sight picture. Now I guess I am better two handed, tho am aware that sights really closer than wanted for old eyes!
 
...a lot of bullseye shooting ... and certainly then could group better and tighter single handed strong.
Click to expand...
Yeah, same here. Because of the bullseye work I can group better with one hand.
 
Slow fire, off the clock, no difference between strong, weak, or both. Lots of dry fire and 30 years on the trigger is all it took.
 
I haven't practiced weak hand shooting nearly as much as I should. :uhoh:

Strong-hand only I'm probably 75% as good as two-handed. Weak-handed I'm consistantly on the paper at 25 yards but that's about all I can say. :(
 
I'm more comfortable shooting with both hands, but the reality is, I shoot better groups one handed, in the correct situation. Left over from Bullseye competition, I guess...

Joe
 
I only shoot one handed at practical distances and then only action style. So i don't know how much less accurate I am. I hold the gun with both hands most of the time. I'm pretty good at weak hand shooting because I am a lefty who has adapted to a righty world.
 
I recently bought a .22LR conversion for my beretta for just this reason.

My groups single-handed really suck. I can barely keep center of mass at 10 yd with my strong hand... and this is with a wimpy 9mm.

Weak hand....:barf: I can keep 'em on paper.... and that's all I'm gonna say.

The glock... two handed or forget about it.

I'm going to shoot one handed through that kit until I can get my usual 2-3" at 15yd... with my weak hand. How is that for ambition? :)
 
I virtually never hold a gun in two hands. I started out shooting bullseye, still shoot it, and don't see any need to change just because styles have changed. Times I've tried to hold guns in both hands, I can't see the front sights at all clearly, and can't assume a sufficiently steady posture.

Not for me, thanks all the same.
 
This will probably "flame up" some folks, but when the excretion collides with the osillating airflow (WTSHTF) most average folks are scared beyond belief and hopefully their previous training and practice kicks in. I don't know the fancy name of the style, but when I entered the military back in 1954, we were taught to make the smallest, least vulnerable target possible. Therefore we were taught to shoot our 1911 .45acp standard Navy watch weapon single handed with strong arm extended standing sideways to the target, which is basically what my LEO dad taught me as a kid. Standing face on to the target with a two hand stance (A) takes too long to set up and (B) with your full frontal chest exposed in the two handed position, you are offering a much more vulnerable target to the bad guys.
Ever watch any of the TV news shows that run footage taken from security cameras during a robbery when the good guy chooses to fight back? Ever see anyone take the two handed point and aim stance? Almost 100% go into the strong arm extended spray shoot mode with their eyes closed hoping for the best.
Just my opinion and for what it's worth, I have practiced for about 40 years what my LEO Dad taught me many years ago. For self defense, if you can put 95% of your rounds in a paper plate at ten to fifteen feet shooting rapid fire, strong arm extended you are doing just fine. He also believed in point and shoot using the front sight instictively. You will be amazed how quickly you can teach yourself this method. Save the two handed method for looking good while target shooting at the range with the good old boys, learn how to shoot to save your butt first.
 
masterchief ....... you make a very valid distinction ... certainly that method minimizes the target ''offering'' to an opponent.

However .. may I add that there is a two handed method that gets close. I used to shoot IPC a lot .... which included shooting around barricades .. left and right handed. That tought me the potential for pretty much being able to use both hands and still be quite ''sideways on'' .. maybe not as good minimization as the off-hand method you mention but .... it does have the advantage (for me) of greater gun control in fast D/A use.
 
masterchief:

Yeppers, film footage from actual shootings shows when the stuff hits the fan most folks will automatically go to what is often referred to as a "natural action stance". The stance is similar to what you would do when catching a ball. That's why most top dawg trainers of this era teach some form of a modern iso stance.

As for
Standing face on to the target with a two hand stance (A) takes too long to set up...
Click to expand...
...well that's just plain nonsense.
 
ANKENY: That is your opinion to which you are entitled, just as I am entitled to mine.
Ever been in an actual shootin' war? I have while serving in Nam as a Search and Rescue helicopter aircrewman. Must say I don't ever recall seeing anyone using the two hand method. Ever try to run like that? Darn hard!
 
In my opinion, for myself, I am more accurate in a two handed isosceles stance with my knees slightly bent. This stance is a more controlling stance that facilitates the follow up shot.

I sometimes shoot the two handed weaver stance, however it places my shots differently, possibly because of my alignment to the target.

I seldom shoot the one handed dueling stance which seems to be chosen in large part by the older generation shooters. My problem with this stance is the slower follow up shot.
 
Argh, I can't believe I'm wading into this mess. First, those folks on the bank films are rank amateurs good or bad guys irrelevant. Where do you think we get all those "29 shots fired, Nobody hurt" headlines from. They have no training or have given no thought to gun handling beyond what they picked up in a Clint Eastwood movie.

Why two hands in a modern isosceles is good.
-Base of movement. Centered in a fighting stance you can go any direction easily, including running forward. Now if you are flat out running away, suggest you not shoot and save your ammo until you can figure out an effective way to use it.
-Recoil control. There is no one that can properly fire accurately as fast from single hand as they could properly trained with two. No grab the wrist, no teacup, no push-pull BS, properly.
-Orientation to the threat. With peripheral vision you have about 280-300 deg of view. why not put the threat in the center of that instead of blading your body then turning your head.
-Armoring the boiler room. With body armor you want to put the plate towards the threat, not the armpit. Without body armor two arms and a gun in front have absorbed a lot of otherwise fatal hits.

Now with one hand you:
-Can't shoot fast.
-Open your body up to a nice easy shot in through the ribs.
-Can't move as easily in any direction while keeping the gun on target.
-Will square off on threat recogntion then remember to turn, turn head and aim? Not likely.


"Too long to set up" :uhoh: Damn, I'm doing it wrong. Game or not, if it took too long to set up nobody would be using it in practical shooting. Learn all hands, practice them, just don't handicap yourself by default with an inferior method and BS yourself into thinking it's all roses. Yes, that was the way it was done when your dad learned to shoot as a cop. Between then and now we've had this Applegate fella, some guy named Cooper and years to perfect it all.
 
Ever been in an actual shootin' war?
Click to expand...

Had you been to one recently, you'd know that our folks are wearing body armor. Your technique would expose the most poorly armored part to the enemy. ;)

Tactics and techniques evolve over time. Those who don't evolve get killed faster than those that do.
 
*splashes water around the area*

whoa...that was heading down the nasty trail...


Anyways, to bring this back on topic, I shoot much worse with one hand than with two. I've been working on it though, doing some bullseye style shooting. My groups are improving dramatically. My weak hand shooting is also improving. Amazing how adding 1 to nothing helps a bunch! My eventual goal is to have primary strong hand shooting as good as two-handed, and my weak hand shooting to within double-the-group size of my primary hand. I plan on doing this by years end. Kinda like a Resolution, I guess! :)

Where my shooting is weakest though, is beyond 'combat range'. You put a pistol target out at 25 yards, and you'd think I'd never shot before!! I'm lucky to get half my shots on paper then....

So, I have lots of work to do... :uhoh:
...bit embarassed now...
 
To answer the question and breeze over the rest -

My two handed shooting and my strong hand shooting yield exactly the same groups. Two handed shooting just allows me to hold the gun up longer without fatigue. I haven't done any serious 50' bullseye shooting for about 3 years, and boy does my strong arm get tired fast.

My weak hand shooting...lets just say that it should be able to bale me out in a pinch...up close...slow aimed fire...in good light...and guided ammunition. - JM.
 
singlehand..i dont know why but i do much better by just pointing and shooting.I can shoot in either hand or both at the same time.
 
I can shoot better with two hands than with either one. I shot bullseye in years gone by. I have shot USPSA for many years and have gotten used to two handed shooting.

Shooting with one hand probably is generally slower to draw and aquire the target. This was settled for me in the 70's when both styles were put against each other in the SWPL matches. Alot of guys were convinced that point shooting with one hand was the way to go. When that turned out to be slower and far far less accurate at speed then two hands became the norm.

Being an old 11B from 67-68 I never shot a handgun in anger. But then I never saw anyone shoot a AK or a M16 with one hand either.

Ed
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top