A BRIEF ON AIMED POINT SHOOTING OR P&S

WHAT IS AIMED POINT SHOOTING OR P&S?

AIMED Point Shooting or P&S is a very simple, fast, and accurate method of shooting. It can be learned with little or no training, and maintained with minimal practice.

P&S is for use in Close Quarters situations where one's chance of being shot and/or killed is the greatest. If that's going to happen, there is an 80% chance that it will happen at less than 21 feet.

P&S can be used in good light or bad, when there isn't time to use the sights or you can't see them clearly, when moving, and against moving targets, even aerials.

HOW TO P&S OR POINT AND SHOOT

You just grab your gun, place your index finger along its side, point at a target, and pull the trigger with your middle finger.


That's all there is to it. Point-n-pull. Point-n-pull.

Here's a link to a video clip of me shooting one handed.

WITH P&S YOU GET AUTOMATIC AND CORRECT SIGHT ALIGNMENT, AND AN AUTOMATIC AND CORRECT SIGHT PICTURE

When the index finger is placed along the side of a gun, it, the bore, and the sights will be in parallel. So, when you place your index finger along the side of your gun and point at a target, which we all can do naturally and accurately, you have both automatic and correct sight alignment and automatic and correct sight placement. As such, P&S is much more than just Point Shooting, it is AIMED Point Shooting.

Here's a link to more info on getting automatic and correct sight alignment, plus an automatic and correct sight picture.

OUR INHERENT ABILITY TO POINT RAPIDLY AND ACCURATELY

Here's what the US Army says about pointing. It's found in the US Army 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."

SIMPLICITY

The photo below is from the US Marine Corps Pistol Manual of 2003.


It shows both correct sight alignment and sight placement. They are critical to hitting a target, and are dependent on a shooter meeting the traditional marksmanship requirements of Sight Shooting, which include: a specific stance, specific grip, specific placement and use of the thumb and index finger, controlled breathing, trigger squeeze and manipulation, and being able to see and coordinate the correct alignment of the sights and their correct placement on the target for EACH shot taken.

P&S IS: VERY - VERY - SIMPLE

With P&S there is no need to go through the process of meeting those complex and must-be-met marksmanship requirements just detailed above, as correct sight alignment and sight placement is automatic.

And the same is true regarding the "marksmanship requirements" of other POINT SHOOTING methods such as: placing the gun muzzle on an aim point, body indexing, gun canting, using a stiff arm and sighting along it, etc..

VISION

WHY YOU CAN'T USE THE SIGHTS WHEN SHOOTING IN SELF DEFENSE IN A CLOSE QUARTERS LIFE THREAT SITUATION

Our ability to focus on objects depends on the lens of the eye which is adjustable from thick to thin. Thick for focusing on objects that are up close, and thin for objects that are not up close. The thickness of the lens is controlled by the Ciliary muscle.

In a real Close Quarters life threat situation, our instinctive Fight or Flight response is triggered automatically, and several things happen immediately that are meant to insure survival.

One is a dump of adrenaline into the blood stream, which relaxes the Ciliary muscle to enhance focusing on the threat. And with that, near vision focus on the gun sights will be lost.

This is a quote from the SureSight web site on vision and use of the sights.

"...generally speaking, when a person is in the grips of SNS activation, that person is facing the threat squarely, intently focused on it and with a reduced ability to detect small movements and near objects, regardless of how he or she has been trained. Under these circumstances, traditional sights become difficult, if not impossible, to see." (Here's a link to the reference.)

So, unless you know and use an effective alternative to Sight Shooting, you will have no effective shooting method to use in a Close Quarters life threat situation where the chance of your being shot and/or killed, will be the greatest.

Here's a link to more info on vision in CQB situations.

This picture, which is from the US Marine Corps Pistol Manual and which also appears above, shows the gun sights in focus.


However; in a real life threat situation with SNS activation, the sights would be out of focus (blurry), due to the relaxing of the Ciliary muscle and the thinning of the eye lens, and the target would be in focus.

Also, in a real CQB situation, the lighting can be expected to be poor, and the target likely will be dressed in dark or mottled clothing, and moving.

As such, accurate shooting via focusing on, and using the sights, would be highly unlikely if not impossible in a real situation.

SHOT GROUPS AND THE NRA

Don't expect quarter sized groups with P&S as it is not a precision shooting method.

Here's what the NRA says about shot groups in its NRA Guide To The Basics Of Personal Protection In The Home (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."

Below is a close depiction of one of the targets in the guide. It shows a random grouping all over the target, with hits close to the top, bottom, and the sides. The text states that: "If your shots are spreading....beyond the maximum allowable group size (an 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper) at 7 yards, you should slow down."


Here is a pic of a target I used at the range. A year had gone by since my last visit to the range. The target shows the result of my FIRST TEN SHOTS of the day using P&S. The black is 4 1/2 inches.


Per its Guide, the NRA recognizes that Sight Shooting is not the best shooting option for use in real life threat situations.

The NRA also recognizes that our Fight or Flight response, with its involuntary physiological changes, kicks in automatically in life threat situations. And the commonly know findings of Police Close Quarters combat studies, are stated as facts in the Guide.

Here 's a link to more info on the NRA Guide.

THE P&S AIMING AID

The pics below show guns with my P&S aiming aid attached to them.

The aiming aid is not required to use P&S.

It makes correct index finger placement mechanical and automatic. And it helps to keep the index finger away from the slide when shooting rapidly and the gun is bucking and jumping in your hand. It also helps in supporting 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.

The ones shown in the pictures were made from lengths of plastic corner molding, and attached with double sided tape. Here is a link to info on how-to-do-that.

THE CONCERN ABOUT USING THE MIDDLE FINGER ON THE TRIGGER

Many think that the index finger MUST BE USED on the trigger. However; this is a link to a chronology of P&S that has links to several books that mention using the middle finger to pull the trigger.

Both the middle and index finger can be extended and flexed independently.

And the middle finger pulls back straighter in the hand than does the index finger, so using it makes for better accuracy.

It also receives nerve inputs from both sides of the hand, while the index finger does not.

It's longer than the index finger, which can make for easier placement of the finger on the trigger of larger guns by those with "smaller" hands.

And the middle finger is stronger than the index finger, which makes firing of double action guns easier than is the case when the index finger is used to pull the trigger.

The following is a quote from the digest of Walter J. Dorfner's paper on using what I call P&S. (Walter was the long time lead firearms instructor for the VSP, and is deceased.)

"When using the index finger to shoot, one can induce error by having too much or too little of the finger on the trigger.

"As the trigger is pulled, the curling action of the finger tip can cause the weapon to be pushed or pulled off target center.

"The amount of error is relative to the trigger weight. More error is introduced with double action firing when 10 or more pounds of force are needed to cock and fire the weapon, than there is with single action firing, when 3 or 4 pounds of force are needed to fire the weapon.

"FIELD SHOOTING WITH THE MIDDLE FINGER

"When the middle pad of the middle finger was placed on the trigger, the force needed with double action to cock and fire the weapon, felt much lighter than the measured 12 pounds.

"With single action, the 4 pound force that was needed to fire the weapon, felt like simple air resistance.

"Also, as the middle pad of the finger was on the trigger, the curling action of the tip of the finger did not affect the fall of the shot.

"Another benefit was that the centerline bore was more closely aligned with the web of the hand. That provided for both a natural pointing of the weapon and better control of recoil forces.

"New shooters with limited hand strength, had a problem pulling the trigger smoothly with double action when the index finger was used to pull the trigger. That was not true when the middle finger was used to pull the trigger.

Here is a link to more info on the use of the middle finger on the trigger.

A CRUSH GRIP IN COMBAT

In combat you will have a crush grip on your gun according to the literature.

And a crush grip will play havoc with the traditional, weak, and three fingered marksmanship/range grip.

With a crush grip, the index finger won't be aloof from the gun for use in squeezing the trigger smoothly back until each shot breaks. And the thumb won't be just placed along the side of the gun but not pressing against it.

The thumb, which is the top most finger in the marksmanship/range grip, will press against the gun and push it over to the right. And the index, middle, ring, and little fingers, which are lower down in the hand and the grip, will be pulling the gun down and around to the left.

As such, shots will be low and to the left unless a counter measure of some kind is employed.

A two handed grip may help limit low and left shooting, and you often see pictures of shooters and trainers on the web, using a two handed grip. But, in real CQB situations, one hand is used to shoot, not two.

The NYPD's SOP 9 study of 6,000+ Police combat cases found that Officers with only AN OCCASIONAL EXCEPTION, fired with the strong hand.

So, to train for the reality of close quarters shootings, train to shoot one handed.

THE P&S GRIP PROVIDES A SHOOTER WITH A STRONG AND LEVEL SHOOTING PLATFORM

The P&S grip provides a shooter with a strong and level shooting platform.

The platform is made up of the natural pincer of the thumb, web of the hand, and the index finger, along with the with the ring and little fingers which add strength and tenacity to the grip.

You can squeeze the beegebers out of the gun, and all you will do is improve the stability and strength of this strong and level four fingered grip.

Further, extending the index finger along the side of the gun, helps to lock up the wrist for improved gun and recoil control.

And if needed, the forearm and gun can be used as a crude battle axe.

Here is a link to info on grip mechanics.

Here is a link to more info on the P&S grip.

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, or if it will extend beyond the barrel, then DON'T use P&S with that gun!

Also, P&S may not be able to be used with some guns because of their design.

One such gun is the 1911 which was the standard issue sidearm of US forces for 74 years (1911 - 1985).

THE 1911 AND 29 YEARS OF MANUALIZED CAUTIONS AGAINST USING P&S WITH IT

The 1911's slide stop pin extends out from the right side of the frame, and if the index finger is extended along the side of a 1911, it can rest on the slide stop pin. And if it presses against it when the 1911 is fired, the 1911 can jam.

The first manual on the 1911, which was published in 1912, carried this caution against using P&S with the 1911.

"(3) The trigger should be pulled with the forefinger. If the trigger is pulled with the second finger, the forefinger extending along the side of the receiver is apt to press against the projecting pin of the slide stop and cause a jam when the slide recoils."

That exact or similar language, is found in manuals published in 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, and 1941. And I am sure there are others that I am unaware of.

Now, cautioning against the use of P&S for 29 years in a variety of US Military manuals, plus the continued use of the 1911 as the standard issue sidearm of US forces for 44 more years, makes it crystal clear to me why P&S was not, and is not well known and widely accepted as a CQB shooting method.

The Soviets used a simple two pronged clip to keep the slide stop pin in place on the Tokarev TT-33. It was similar in design to the Browning model 1903, and 1.7 million of them were produced.

Here's a link to more info on the 1911 and it's slide stop.

P&S IS DEADLY EFFECTIVE

Jack Ruby used P&S when he shot and killed Oswald at the Dallas Police Headquarters on 11/23/63. Lots of images of "Ruby shoots Oswald" can be found on the web. In some of Oswald just after he was shot, Ruby's middle finger can be seen extending through the trigger guard of his pistol.

This is from John Minnery's 1973 book: Kill Without Joy, which is not a read for the weak of heart or squeamish.

"One of the best visual representations of an assassination that I've ever seen is the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby.... He's using his middle finger to squeeze the trigger and his index finger, the normal shooter's trigger finger, is pointed right at his target. He shoots where he points. This method is not too well known in the States but the method was SOP with wartime SOE and SIS agents in Britain...."

P&S VIDEOS

Here is a link to a video clip of P&S being used while moving.

Here is a link to a video clip of P&S being used while shooting at aerials (pop cans tossed in the air). Shooting at aerials requires some practice. DO NOT use a firearm - use an airsoft pistol.

More informational articles on P&S, and stats and studies that support its use, as well as information on other Point Shooting methods, can be found on this site.

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