Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Fairbairn and Sykes: Shooting to Live” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/fairbairn-and-sykes-shooting-to-live/.
Fairbairn and Sykes: Shooting to Live
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
HansGruber
Ronin
These guys have more to teach about gun fighting than 99.9% of the UToob talking head “experts” ever will.
Snake45
Professional
Back in the '80s, when I was trying to teach myself "point shooting," I devoted a certain amount of effort to the Sykes/Fairbairn method. It didn't work for me due to one particular flaw: I found it impossible for a number of reasons to bring the gun up along my body "centerline." My natural tendency, if I could see any part of the gun in my peripheral vision, was to align the gun with my dominant eye. If I'd close my dominant eye, I'd naturally align it with the other eye.
Thus I learned a valuable lesson that I was able to use in developing my own "point shooting" system.
Other parts of the S-F doctrine aren't bad at all--pretty good stuff, actually. But that "body centerline" thing was a no-go for me.
As always, YMMV, of course.
Thus I learned a valuable lesson that I was able to use in developing my own "point shooting" system.
Other parts of the S-F doctrine aren't bad at all--pretty good stuff, actually. But that "body centerline" thing was a no-go for me.
As always, YMMV, of course.
Snake45
Professional
Here ya go. Can't beat the price (free) or delivery time (instant).
Bassbob
Emissary
That's awesome. Thanks Snake.
Snake45
Professional
Snake45
Professional
Well, whaddaya think? I've been waiting. I mainly posted that link so you could tell me why I'm wrong about everything.
Hey, I meet so few worthy adversaries on the net. Almost everybody cool agrees with me on almost everything, and those who don't aren't usually worth my time, so, Respect, Old Friend!
Bassbob
Emissary
Well my friend, I haven’t read it yet and I doubt I know as much about it as those dudes did.Well, whaddaya think? I've been waiting. I mainly posted that link so you could tell me why I'm wrong about everything.
Hey, I meet so few worthy adversaries on the net. Almost everybody cool agrees with me on almost everything, and those who don't aren't usually worth my time, so, Respect, Old Friend!
I’m almost always right too. Almost.
Had a neighbor that met Mr. Fairbairn at the beginning of WWII. Mr. Fairbairn was sent to the U.S. to set up a training program for the OSS. Mr. Fairbairn was also very handy with a knife and I remember my neighbor saying that Fairbairn reportedly had killed more folks with a knife than a gun. My neighbor had to take Mr. Fairbairn out on a clandestine search of local hardware stores in the area of Camp Richie in western Maryland for suitable knives to use in his hand-to-hand combat classes. In testing for suitable knives that met Mr. Fairbairn's standards my neighbor said that Fairbairn actually broke more than a few blades which made the store folks pretty upset. So my neighbor had to pay for the broken ones as well as the keepers to keep from getting arrested.
Snake45
Professional
Cool story, thanks for sharing it!
I guess Jim Moran of Middletown, Marxland wasn't making knives yet at that time. I doubt Fairbairn would have been able to break one of his.
Snake45
Professional
Moran was born in 1925, so it's unlikely he was making pro-grade knives by WWII.
Still, it's fun to think he witnessed Fairbairn breaking knives in a local joint and was inspired to make hella strong blades. For a while he was one of only a very few bladesmiths--if not the ONLY one--in American doing Damascus.
www.williammoranmuseum.com
Still, it's fun to think he witnessed Fairbairn breaking knives in a local joint and was inspired to make hella strong blades. For a while he was one of only a very few bladesmiths--if not the ONLY one--in American doing Damascus.
Moran Museum Home | moranmuseum
The home of the William F. Moran, Jr. Museum & Foundation, Inc. knife making classes, bladesmithing classes, forging classes, damascus classes, blacksmithing classes
www.williammoranmuseum.com
You think he actually got to see Fairbairn?Moran was born in 1925, so it's unlikely he was making pro-grade knives by WWII.
Still, it's fun to think he witnessed Fairbairn breaking knives in a local joint and was inspired to make hella strong blades. For a while he was one of only a very few bladesmiths--if not the ONLY one--in American doing Damascus.
Moran Museum Home | moranmuseum
The home of the William F. Moran, Jr. Museum & Foundation, Inc. knife making classes, bladesmithing classes, forging classes, damascus classes, blacksmithing classes
Snake45
Professional
I have no reason to believe he did. However, it's entirely possible--Camp Richie (later Fort Richie) isn't really all THAT far from Middletown. I'm very familiar with both places--spent considerable time at both as a teenager in the '60s. I've never traveled from one to the other, but I doubt it would be more than an hour's drive.