Weak Hand shootin

[JonB]

Something I read today, got me to thinking about the weak hand, most of my range visits with handguns includes weak hand shootin.
Does anybody else practice weak hand shooting?

Years ago, I setup a simple IPSC style competition for a bunch of newbies (new to IPSC) where you stand behind a barrier and you have to engage a set of three targets, three shots each, twice (once from each side of the barrier), all shots fired with single hand hold of pistol. To make it Revolver friendly, I limited semi-auto's to 6 rounds per mag, making it mandatory for clip changes. Foot placement and barrier size made it mandatory that one side was right hand shooting and the other side was left hand shooting.

Everyone who participated, who hadn't every practiced weak hand hold shooting, had an eye opening experience.

 

[Ian]

It is eye opening, especially with a long gun. IDPA had at least one weak-side-only challenge, in fact I remember one stage where (surprise!) you start out on your back under a table "wounded" through the strong side arm and have to shoot the whole stage, reload, everything with one hand, weak side no less. It was the only time I remember being allowed by range rules to put the pistol on the ground without a DQ, but there were specific places to do it for reloads with clean boards and muzzle always pointed downrange. That was one of the biggest wake-up calls I ever got, it really made all of us THINK afterward, and come to find out it wasn't even a sanctioned scoring stage, just the rangemaster making one hell of a point.

 

[fiver]

what is eye opening is how some guns are so much easier to shoot left [he-he] handed.
try opening the swing out gate on a 620 or K-whatever left handed, then try a dan Wesson.
shooting them with their grip size differences, and your hand strength/dexterity is like upsizing the cartridge size.

 

[CZ93X62]

20% to 50% of my range time with the sidearms has ALWAYS included weak-side work. I do a lesser amount of this with the rifles and shotguns, and almost never with scoped rifles.

 

[Pistolero]

I learned to shoot weak hand in IPSC shooting. It is a different skill, but once you do a bit of it,
it will get easier.
I try to include a bit of weak hand shooting in each practice session.

IME, tilting the gun slightly to the right helps it line up with my right master eye from the
left side, and the recoil is up and right, too, seems easier to handle. Tensing the whole
chest muscle area seems to stabilize the arm a bit, too.

I have not practiced weak hand with long guns. Perhaps a bit should be on the next plan.

Bill

 

[Brad]

My only weak hand shooting is showing off. I have been told by many that it is a “dick move” to outshoot others with the weak hand.

 

[KHornet]

Do what works for you!

Paul

 

[Bruce Drake]

Was taught to shoot from both sides of the sight as they say in the Marines when I was issued an M60 machine as a young Marine. As a lefty, it only took one belt of hot 7.62x51 brass popping back onto my right cheek to convince me that the M60 was definitely a right-handed machinegun...I still wear the sickle-moon scar on my cheek from that 1st piece piece of brass that cauterized the cut as fast as I was hit by the brass.

That said, in the infantry, we were taught to use our rifles and sidearms from both sides depending on the situation. I'm a true lefty but I can hit a target from the right side almost as well as my left eye, but my son is right handed with a dominant left eye so he's had to learn to shoot as a lefty after shooting as a pure righty for many years until his Army Drill Sergeant saw him shooting. Now he outshoots me...

 

[Rally]

Like Bruce Drake, I was required to shoot both as an MP with the 1911. Long gun was always strong hand with little emphasis on weak hand. Our cc course here also requires both. Most trouble I've witnessed were people having to shoot off hand with grips built for their strong hand. Saw a guy get a cut from trying that with a High Standard Sport King with custom grips.

 

[popper]

Got one of those web cuts from my hig standard 22. They take a long time to heal.
Left hand, right hand, strong side support is the only way to practice. Yrs ago, RO asked if I wanted right or left rifle bench. 30/30 so who cares.
Today's practice, yea, pulled a few. I see so many pistol shooters trying to 'hold' steady for a long aim process. Nope, let it wander and pull when on target.

 

[KHornet]

Hope I never am forced into a situation where I HAVE
to shoot with weak hand. It would be a curstermess.

Paul

 

[popper]

The other practice I do is pick up and shoot single rnd. Either hand. Pistol is on the table (can't do holster draw at this range), bad guy comes in. Can you pick it up with a good grip, either hand and hit a target? Have you an idea of the range so you know if you have to aim or just point & click? Other thing I notice if you shoot semi - does your finger leave the trigger completely AFTER the shot? Try that single handed. Don't have a problem with the guy a couple bays down yesterday, IMHO he was trying to make a smiley face with his 1911 @ 7 yds. Shooting gloves, 30 sec. aim time. Older guy next bay over had man sized target and just a few injuring hits. 9mm and he came over and asked me what cal was the rnd he found on the bench, wouldn't shoot in his pistol. I didn't have readers but felt like a 32!

 

[Pistolero]

I had an opportunity to talk with an officer who was in a shootout and got several shotgun pellets in his strong arm,
perp had a 12 ga and was behind a dumpster, officer had a brick corner. He emptied his revolver, but was wounded
in strong arm. Training cut in, swapped hands, opened/unloaded it, crouched down, gun between knees, and the perp
can count to six, too, and has moved from the dumpster, is coming to get him and the officer can hear him
walking. Damned dump pouch, speed loaders were not allowed by the chief, he put two in, closed it and
came up weak hand and killed the perp at about 10 ft as he popped out low. VERY bad situation. He
told the chief at the bedside visit that if speed loaders weren't authorized ASAP, he was going to go to
the press as a wounded officer and raise holy hell. A friend who was on the force at the time said that
at the next roll call, the sergeant said speedloaders were authorized as of now, you can carry then any
way you want until we get the pouches in. A win for sanity. The chief didn't like the way speed loader
pouches looked on the belt.

I have been a lot more serious about weak hand practice since discussing that real world incident with the
officer. He was benched, the hand apparently had a bit of long term nerve damage, didn't have 100%
strength in his strong hand, useable but not 100% strength, so didn't want to go back on the beat.

Agreed, Paul, if you need weak hand things have truly turned to worms.

 

[Rally]

The cop did well. Shotgun v pistol is poor odds in my opinion. Especially around brick and cement.

 

[Rick H]

We shot week hand, and other drills. Back at the academy with revolvers we did a timed 2-4-6-2 drill. Fired 2, reloaded Fired 4, reloaded Fired 6, reloaded with 2 rounds and fired 2. All with a time limit. It was a good drill teaching how to best top off a revolver and do an emergency 2 shot reload. I don't remember the time limit. We used to carry spare ammo in a belt slide....much faster than a dump box. Load two (some guys 3) at a time. 6 rd. reload in under 4 1/2 seconds. I never carried speed loaders.

All that went by the wayside with autoloaders....replaced by stoppage drills.

 

[Pistolero]

Yeah, I figure he was in a bad situation against a forted up shotgunner (apparently a serious dude, too, not
just looking to break and run, although maybe it was a blind alley, I don't know) behind a bulletproof
dumpster with a six shot revolver and no backup at the time. And the stupid dump pouches!

I think he did fantastically on that fight. Rick H, sounds like you had some really excellent training drills
there. I don't know if the two round reload in an emergency was a trained thing or just what he could
pull off in the time, wounded, weak hand in an alley at night.

Bill

 

[KHornet]

In a lousy situation, if I had a choice it would be a scatter gun!

Paul

 

[Rick H]

I agree. In an urban situation there were few incidents where I felt a shotgun wouldn't be useful. The problem is they don't take to a holster worth a damn. When I knew I was heading into a gunfight I tried to arm myself accordingly. I never figured out how to direct traffic with a shotgun in my hand, although there were a few times I wished I had one to get a driver's "attention".