The Art of One-Handed Shooting
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
shanneba
Custom
If you want to improve your two-handed shooting shoot one handed.
The trigger control you will gain one handed will improve your two-handed shooting.
Trigger movement that effects accuracy is more apparent one handed.
NRA Precision pistol / Bullseye and CMP EIC / Distinguished competitions are all fired one handed.
The top NRA Precision pistol shooters fire one handed and regularly get 6 inch or less groups at 50 YARDS slow fire.
The group size is about the same at 25 Yards in timed and rapid fire.
Slow fire is 10 shots in 10 minutes at 50 yards.
Timed fire is 5 shots in 20 seconds at 25 yards.
Rapid fire is 5 shots in 10 seconds at 25 yards.
(reduced size targets can be used for distances down to 50 feet)
The NRA also has a Marksman qualification program For Pistol Qualification, Defensive Pistol I Qualification, and Defensive Pistol II Qualification.
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program
You can work your way up to "Expert" on multiple range visits working through the various courses of fire.
The courses of fire include both strong and weak side firing.
Defensive Pistol I Qualification is designed to complement Personal Protection in the Home Courses,
while Defensive Pistol II is designed to complement Personal Protection Outside the Home.
The Bullseye qualification can be fired at various distances (other than 25 and 50 yards) with the correct targets for the distance.
The conventional “bullseye” pistol qualification is
fired from the standing position using one hand,
except for the first two ratings (Pro-Marksman and
Marksman) where the benchrest or two-handed
standing positions may be used.
Even Rifle and Shotgunners can find NRA qualifications
The trigger control you will gain one handed will improve your two-handed shooting.
Trigger movement that effects accuracy is more apparent one handed.
NRA Precision pistol / Bullseye and CMP EIC / Distinguished competitions are all fired one handed.
The top NRA Precision pistol shooters fire one handed and regularly get 6 inch or less groups at 50 YARDS slow fire.
The group size is about the same at 25 Yards in timed and rapid fire.
Slow fire is 10 shots in 10 minutes at 50 yards.
Timed fire is 5 shots in 20 seconds at 25 yards.
Rapid fire is 5 shots in 10 seconds at 25 yards.
(reduced size targets can be used for distances down to 50 feet)
The NRA also has a Marksman qualification program For Pistol Qualification, Defensive Pistol I Qualification, and Defensive Pistol II Qualification.
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program
You can work your way up to "Expert" on multiple range visits working through the various courses of fire.
The courses of fire include both strong and weak side firing.
Defensive Pistol I Qualification is designed to complement Personal Protection in the Home Courses,
while Defensive Pistol II is designed to complement Personal Protection Outside the Home.
The Bullseye qualification can be fired at various distances (other than 25 and 50 yards) with the correct targets for the distance.
The conventional “bullseye” pistol qualification is
fired from the standing position using one hand,
except for the first two ratings (Pro-Marksman and
Marksman) where the benchrest or two-handed
standing positions may be used.
Even Rifle and Shotgunners can find NRA qualifications
BreakingWind
Master Class
I normally do most of my shooting with both eyes open except when shooting at 10'+. I had noticed about 5 years ago, all of sudden my aim was way off. I am a lefty and that is when I noticed that I had changed from left eye dominant to right eye dominant, this took some adjustment to come back to center. This was not intentional and was somewhat puzzling, and one eyed it is now easier to shoot from my weak side as you can imagine. Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I was diagnosed with ARMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) in my left eye and am slowing losing sight in that eye. There is bad and the good. The bad, is there is no cure nor restorative solutions for the sight already lost and they can only hope to slow it down with OTC supplements like REDDS 2 and some prescription eye drops that I take on the orders of my Ophthalmologist. The good is that for whatever reason, my right eye is completed unaffected and is at 100%. When I querried my Ophthalmologist as to when this started, his best esstimate is about 5-6 years ago. My body changed me to from left eye to right eye dominant as I started losing my eyesight on the left side. So yes, the art of one hand shooting is important; from both sides. The other good is that I usually dress up as a Pirate nearly every Halloween so I already have a collection of eye patches at hand. Arrrrr Mateys...
Pro Digy II
Professional
Couldn't agree more. I'm fully ambidextrous. Trust me, it's not quite a quality or a superpower, there is a ton of value for having a definite strong side reflex-wise that ambidextrous people are lacking, sometimes it borderlines dyslexia in confused motor skills (or maybe I'm just slow in the head, entirely possible). Somehow I can shoot two handed either way pretty much the same. Without a strong side per se, equally weak on either side I guess
I do it because I can and sometimes forget as it makes no difference, but there is absolutely no advantage to train for both side. Apart maybe for the eye dominance, but with RDS this also goes away.
Sld1959
Hellcat
Nothing wrong with learning to shoot weak side two hand around barriers. Might be useful especially stabilizing for a distance shot if you needed to take one. Like the old saying, bastardizing it slightly, better to practice and never need, than need and never practice. I have practiced it both one and two handed
He'll I shoot recurve bow laying flat on the ground and arching up. Never used it except when Don and I used to play horse shooting bow. Well that's not true I once low crawled thru a field and shot a squirrel which was driving me crazy chattering at me but would not let me get close enough to shoot him.
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BassCliff
Professional
Hi,
I tell ya, it kinda sucks getting old. The first thing to go is your memory. I forget what the second thing is.
But seriously, having my eyes get worse with age is frustrating. I've always been right handed, right eye dominant. A year and a half ago my right eye started seeing double. It scared the crap outta me. Cataract surgery fixed it, sort of. I see clearly now but have lost the ability to focus for different distances in that eye. My sight picture is a fuzzy mess so at first I tried switching to left eye dominance. It was quite difficult and I never really made the full transition. Now I use shooting glasses with a diopter on top of the right lens. Normal glasses will have the bi-focal part (for reading) on the bottom of the lens. These "Top Focal" glasses work well on the range but I still train occasionally without them, just in case. It wouldn't be fair to the bad guy to ask him, "Hold on, let me put on my shooting glasses first."
I just got new glasses from my optometrist, ones that are configured both for my aging eyes and the new lens in my right eye. I may just buy a stick-on diopter for my new glasses and see how that works, if I decide to wear them all the time. Since my cataract surgery I've been using only readers. My distance vision is OK but I'm hoping my new glasses allow me to see the street signs more clearly at night.
@BreakingWind, I hope and pray your eyesight remains clear and bright as long as possible.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
I tell ya, it kinda sucks getting old. The first thing to go is your memory. I forget what the second thing is.
But seriously, having my eyes get worse with age is frustrating. I've always been right handed, right eye dominant. A year and a half ago my right eye started seeing double. It scared the crap outta me. Cataract surgery fixed it, sort of. I see clearly now but have lost the ability to focus for different distances in that eye. My sight picture is a fuzzy mess so at first I tried switching to left eye dominance. It was quite difficult and I never really made the full transition. Now I use shooting glasses with a diopter on top of the right lens. Normal glasses will have the bi-focal part (for reading) on the bottom of the lens. These "Top Focal" glasses work well on the range but I still train occasionally without them, just in case. It wouldn't be fair to the bad guy to ask him, "Hold on, let me put on my shooting glasses first."
I just got new glasses from my optometrist, ones that are configured both for my aging eyes and the new lens in my right eye. I may just buy a stick-on diopter for my new glasses and see how that works, if I decide to wear them all the time. Since my cataract surgery I've been using only readers. My distance vision is OK but I'm hoping my new glasses allow me to see the street signs more clearly at night.
@BreakingWind, I hope and pray your eyesight remains clear and bright as long as possible.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
BassCliff
Professional
Hi,
Agreed. Several of my training classes have taught this technique. If you must use your left hand to defend yourself from behind solid cover, you'll want to present as small of a target as possible. Shooting with your left hand (single or both) and using your left eye to aim will allow the smallest possible target for the aggressor.
I hope I never have to get down on the ground to defend myself. I'll be dialing 911 to say, "Help! I've fallen and I can't shoot up!"
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Agreed. Several of my training classes have taught this technique. If you must use your left hand to defend yourself from behind solid cover, you'll want to present as small of a target as possible. Shooting with your left hand (single or both) and using your left eye to aim will allow the smallest possible target for the aggressor.
I hope I never have to get down on the ground to defend myself. I'll be dialing 911 to say, "Help! I've fallen and I can't shoot up!"
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Bassbob
Emissary
Kinda my point. If you are going to put yourself far enough out there to shoot two handed from the weak side you might as well just shoot from the strong side. The same amount of your body will be exposed.Hi,
Agreed. Several of my training classes have taught this technique. If you must use your left hand to defend yourself from behind solid cover, you'll want to present as small of a target as possible. Shooting with your left hand (single or both) and using your left eye to aim will allow the smallest possible target for the aggressor.
I hope I never have to get down on the ground to defend myself. I'll be dialing 911 to say, "Help! I've fallen and I can't shoot up!"
View attachment 44282
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Pro Digy II
Professional
I rarely use iron sights anymore, except with an M18 and a P320 once a month at best. When I shoot these, I usually forget and keep both eyes open and it's not terribly bad! Admittedly, I also spent a fair amount of time doing dominant-eye only when I started with RDS, force of habit, and that wasn't quite successful (and besides th epoint)
HayesGreener
Hellcat
Every LEO course and LEO instructor course I have ever attended, rifle, pistol, revolver, and shotgun, has included non gun hand shooting. Add to that learning how to reload, clear, or deal with a malfunction with one hand is a whole new all thumbs exercise when you first try it.
Knowing your dominant eye is a key piece as well. If you are right handed and right eye dominant and you switch to your left hand, for example, you will see the sights differently and need to know how to adapt.
Another important and often overlooked skill is how to safely and securely transfer the gun from one hand to the other. Because it is embarrassing to drop your gun in the middle of a gunfight.
My students started groaning when we went to one hand and non gunhand work. Primarily because nobody practices it. The techniques are not difficult with a little practice.
Knowing your dominant eye is a key piece as well. If you are right handed and right eye dominant and you switch to your left hand, for example, you will see the sights differently and need to know how to adapt.
Another important and often overlooked skill is how to safely and securely transfer the gun from one hand to the other. Because it is embarrassing to drop your gun in the middle of a gunfight.
My students started groaning when we went to one hand and non gunhand work. Primarily because nobody practices it. The techniques are not difficult with a little practice.
Bassbob
Emissary
I practice with both hands all the time. And honestly I have no trouble shooting 2 handed from the weak side. I am ambi in a lot of things, but I have been shooting pistols from the right side for a very long time and I'm just more comfortable from the right, even though I am left eye dominant. Strangely I tend to favor the left side when shooting big revolvers. I shoot long guns with equal comfort from either side. I box lefty, which made it a little strange adjusting to the now heavily utilized fighting stance when shooting ( right handed). My left leg is definitely dominant. I can't play guitar or write with my left hand worth a
though.I will say the revelation several years ago that I was cross eye dominant changed the way I shoot handguns. The fix for that is far less daunting or confusing as people make it out to be though. In fact it's dead simple. Shoot with both eyes open, bring the gun up in front of your dominant eye. It's like 2" difference.
shanneba
Custom
This seems like a good article for this thread:
by BRYCE M. TOWSLEY posted on September 7, 2020
"Shooting is a perishable skill—that’s a simple and often painful fact."
"I have been shooting handguns for nearly 5 decades, and a lot of that shooting has been competitive. I have also attended training courses at many of the big-name tactical shooting schools, so it’s not like I was new to this game. This wasn’t just about tuning my skills for competition, though. I carry a handgun nearly every day, so my life and the lives of my loved ones can depend on my skill level. I love shooting competitively, but I also use it as a way to keep my skill level sharp so if the worst-case scenario ever happens, I’ll be ready. "
I remember asking my friend Bruce Piatt, who is a master of just about every kind of shooting, why he still shot bullseye competitions (often called NRA Precision Pistol). “Because it forces me to focus on the fundamentals and they are always important to any handgun shooting,” he replied. “It keeps me sharp.”
www.shootingillustrated.com
by BRYCE M. TOWSLEY posted on September 7, 2020
"Shooting is a perishable skill—that’s a simple and often painful fact."
"I have been shooting handguns for nearly 5 decades, and a lot of that shooting has been competitive. I have also attended training courses at many of the big-name tactical shooting schools, so it’s not like I was new to this game. This wasn’t just about tuning my skills for competition, though. I carry a handgun nearly every day, so my life and the lives of my loved ones can depend on my skill level. I love shooting competitively, but I also use it as a way to keep my skill level sharp so if the worst-case scenario ever happens, I’ll be ready. "
I remember asking my friend Bruce Piatt, who is a master of just about every kind of shooting, why he still shot bullseye competitions (often called NRA Precision Pistol). “Because it forces me to focus on the fundamentals and they are always important to any handgun shooting,” he replied. “It keeps me sharp.”
An Official Journal Of The NRA | Back to Basics With Bullseye Shooting
Going back to the fundamentals can always be beneficial, and bullseye shooting may just be the key to maintaining your skills, including your defensive ones.