AIMED POINT SHOOTING OR P&S IN BRIEF
WHAT IS P&S?
AIMED Point Shooting or P&S is a natural method of aiming and shooting that is fast and accurate.
It is for use at Close Quarters, in good light or bad, when you can't see the sights or there isn't time to use them, when moving, and against moving targets. It also can ENHANCE most all other shooting methods.
HOW P&S WORKS?
You just place your index finger along the side of the gun, point at COM (Center of Mass), and pull the trigger with your middle or opposite hand index finger.
That's all there is to it. Point-n-pull. Point-n-pull. No more, no less.
With P&S you automatically get correct sight alignment and sight placement, and without going through the process of meeting the traditional and must-be-met requirements of Sight Shooting.
The photo below is from the US Marine Corps Pistol Manual of 2003.
It shows both correct sight alignment and placement. They are critical to hitting a target, and are said to be dependent on meeting the traditional marksmanship requirements of Sight Shooting.
They include: a specific grip, the specific placement and use of the thumb and index finger, a specific stance, controlled breathing, trigger squeeze and manipulation, and being able to both see and mentally coordinate the physical alignment of the sights and their correct placement for EACH shot taken.
But that is not the case with P&S. With P&S, you get automatic and correct sight alignment and sight placement.
And, P&S also is not dependent on meeting the marksmanship requirements of other POINT SHOOTING methods such as: body or gun indexing, gun cant, placing the gun muzzle on an aim point, using a stiff arm and sighting along it, placing the muzzle on an aim point, and etc..
AUTOMATIC AND CORRECT SIGHT ALIGNMENT AND SIGHT PLACEMENT
Because the sights are usually in correct alignment and in parallel with the barrel, when the index finger is extended along the side of a gun, it, the barrel, and the sights will be in parallel. Then, as we can point automatically and accurately at things, the gun barrel will be AIMED at anything pointed at.
To prove this to yourself, grab your gun with the index finger along the frame and in line with the slide. Point at a doorknob or a light switch and as soon as you are pointing at it - STOP! If you are like me, your gun and hand will not be up at eye level. Then keeping your arm steady, move your head so that you can see the alignment of the sights.
P&S is AIMED shooting and the simplest of shooting methods. And P&S can be used to enhance most all other methods.
Here is what the US Army says about our ability to point at things. It is found in the US Army's Field Manual 3-23.35: Combat Training With Pistols M9 AND M11 (June,2003).
"Everyone has the ability to point at an object.
"When a soldier points, he instinctively points at the feature on the object on which his eyes are focused. An impulse from the brain causes the arm and hand to stop when the finger reaches the proper position.
"When the eyes are shifted to a new object or feature, the finger, hand, and arm also shift to this point.
"It is this inherent trait that can be used by a soldier to rapidly and accurately engage targets."
When shooting, the pointing and shooting are done as one action. That is, as soon as your senses say that you are where you are pointing, pull the trigger. Point-n-pull point-n-pull point-n-pull.
As the Army says, you will know when you are on the target.
According to the stats, if you are going to be shot and killed, there is a 80% chance that that will happen at less than 21 feet. So using a method to aim and shoot that is natural, fast, and accurate makes life over death sense.
And P&S can be learned with little or no training. But, you have to know about it, and learn how to do it. That is very easy, and once learned, it can be maintained with minimal practice.
P&S is not precision shooting, so do not expect dime or quarter sized groups. It is for use at Close Quarters where the chance of your being shot and/or killed is the greatest.
Here is what the NRA says about shot groups in its: NRA Guide To The Basics Of Personal Protection In The Home that was published in 2000. "...the ability to keep all shots on a standard 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper at seven yards, hitting in the center of exposed mass, is sufficient for most defensive purposes."
Here's a pic of the result of me using P&S. Note the time lapse since I was last at the range.
The pics below show guns with my P&S aiming aid attached to them.
The aiming aid makes index finger placement mechanical, automatic, and straight along the side of the gun. It keeps the index finger away from the slide when shooting rapidly and the gun is bucking and jumping in your hand. And it also helps to support the gun, as it rests on top of the index finger.
You are welcome to add one to your personal firearm/s and airsoft/paintball/etc... type guns if done at your own risk and expense, and if you accept full responsibility for any and all results.
Ditto for Police agencies that may wish to add the aiming aid to agency weapons. I hold the patent on the aiming aid, USP # 6023874 - 2/15/2000, so I can make this offer.
If you wish to produce/import/sell them, please contact me about licensing.
Click here for info on how to add a P&S aiming aid to a gun.
With P&S, your gun will be held in the natural, strong, and level shooting platform made up of your thumb, the web of your hand, and your index finger. Your ring and little fingers also help with the grip and add tenacity to it.
The middle finger, which can be flexed or extended independently, is used to pull the trigger. Its base adds to the grip.
Also, when the index finger is extended along the side of the gun, it helps to "lock" the wrist and strengthen the grip, which in turn improves recoil control.
Very importantly and practically, your thumb and index finger DO NOT have to be held aloof from the gun as with traditional Sight Shooting.
You can squeeze the bejeebers out of the gun if you wish, using the natural pincer made up of your index finger and opposing thumb. And all the increased pressure will do, is strengthen your grip on the gun. Recoil will be dampened as well.
If a two handed grip is used, elbow smashes to the left or right can be made, as well as forward punches.
"It's not a sissy target shooting grip."
P&S is cognitively simple (that is it requires little thinking and decision making), and it utilizes large muscle groups and gross motor skills which produce optimal performance during high levels of stress.
C A U T I O N:
Common sense is required when using P&S. For example, if your index finger rests over the ejection port, or if it will be hit by the slide, then DON'T use it with that gun!
Also, P&S may not be able to be used with some guns because of their size or design or a design fault.
One such gun is the beloved and ubiquitous M1911. The slide stop pin projects from the right side of the frame of the 1911, and the index finger can rest over it when using P&S. If the pin is depressed when the 1911 is fired, it can jam.
Click here for more on this design flaw and its possible fatal consequence.
I prefer a gun that I can aim naturally, fast, and accurately, and also obtain an automatic and correct sight alignment and correct sight picture by just grabbing it and placing my index finger along its side; and then pointing at a target in good light or bad, when standing still or moving, or whatever... Just point-n-pull, point-n-pull...
No need to worry about the slide stop causing a possibly fatal jam, or obtaining a proper grip and stance, or proper breathing, or being able to see the sights, or having the time to use them, etc..., and for each and every shot.
P&S is deadly effective. Jack Ruby used it when he shot Oswald at a press conference at the Dallas Police Headquarters on 11/23/63. Images of "Ruby shoots Oswald", can be found on several web sites.
One image shows Ruby more than 3 feet away from Oswald the split second before he shoots. Ruby, the two Officer who were escorting Oswald, and Oswald, were all moving and the target area was small. So, there was no time to use the sights.
Ruby points where he is going to shoot, and shoots where he points.
Another image shows Oswald a split after he was shot. In it, you can see that Ruby used his middle finger to pull the trigger, as it is seen sticking out from the trigger guard. And his gun is way below eye level, so he clearly did not use the sights.
Oswald died.
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