Point Shooting Revisited, 2

My previous post, "Point Shooting Revisited," garnered a couple of posted comments which I really appreciated, and which I think deserve the attention of another post.

First, dlr closed his comment with the following statement:

And I am certain what little handgunning skill I possess would go out the window the moment bullets start zinging past my head.

Yes! And that's just the reason to incorporate as many reflexive and instinctive reactions as possible into our methods. That was why I've emphasized the startle response and its practical application in unarmed self defense. When the bullets are zinging, the adrenaline dump may block a lot of your learned responses, but you will still be able to point at the orc who is shooting at you.

Of course, incorporating instinctual responses into your methods does not mean that you don't have to practice. That's why I appreciate so much the comment from Emil Bandy:

I probably need to start practicing a little more in that stance instead of the weaver stance.....

I don't think Emil means that he will forsake the Weaver stance altogether, and neither should you. The Weaver stance provides a relatively stable base for aimed shooting from a standing position. As I've emphasized before, there are circumstances when aimed placement of your shots will be necessary.

If you want to really hone your skills, you might practice point shooting with an eye toward establishing your own practical limits (20 feet? 30 feet? farther?). Once you have established that limit, practice placing aimed rounds at distances beyond that. Actually, you may want to practice aimed fire at a little shorter distance than your point shooting limit. This will give you more options in tight situations.