Point Shooting

Point shooting (firing a long or short arm without use of sights) is controversial. One-handed point shooting of a handgun is even more so. Some people think that their way is the only way.

A few years ago, after a church service, I mentioned one-handed point shooting to a couple that was thinking of getting their concealed weapons permits (CWP). A college student jumped into the conversation, immediately established himself as THE expert on the scene, and proceeded to lecture me about how a two-handed grip is the ONLY right way to fire a handgun. After a couple of attempts to broaden his tunnel vision, I just gave up on the principle that often ignorance is its own punishment, and let him go on.

Sure, a two-handed grip can give you a steadier base, especially if you have your weapon raised for an extended period of time. And, with practice, using sights will give you much tighter groups at the range. But are there ANY scenarios where one-handed point shooting might be advisable or even superior?

How about this one: An armed courier is carrying something vital to national security when he is ambushed. Does he just drop his attache case in order to assume an isosceles firing position? Or, do you think a young mother facing an intruder in her home will just immediately fling down her baby to get into a Weaver stance? Is there anything you might be carrying that you would hesitate to just throw on the ground, in spite of the fact that you were being attacked? Or, what would happen if you were injured or wounded in one arm and couldn't use two hands to fire the weapon?

W.E. Fairbairn developed a one-handed point shooting method as a captain of the Hong Kong police in the 1920's. He taught it to British commandoes, the OSS and elite US troops during WWII. Fairbairn's book, Shooting to Live is still considered an authoritative classic on the subject.

Rex Applegate brought Fairbairn's methods back home to the US, and the army produced a WWII era training film on the subject. That film has been declassified and forms the core of the VHS video, Point Shooting: Battle-Proven Methods of Combat Handgunning.

I recommend that the Christian Martialist acquaint himself with the basics of point shooting by reading the Wiki-Pedia article I linked to above. Then, if he wishes to pursue proficiency, the two resources I mentioned would prove to be excellent self-training tools.

Disclaimer: Firearms are dangerous and deadly weapons. This article is for information purposes only. If anyone decides to pursue firearms training, he should learn and observe all safety rules and seek out a qualified instructor.