Double action first shot presentation

[Lior]

Dear folks,

After shooting for a while, I still have questions on basic things that different people do differently.

My questions are as follows:

1. When attempting first shot in double action, do you start staging the trigger before acquiring a perfect sight picture (i.e. front sight acquired, is in line with target, but notch has not yet been brought up), or do you get your sight picture and then deliver a smooth trigger pull in a single uninterrupted effort?

2. This is a general question about shooting with iron sights. When you bring up your gun to acquire the sight picture, is it better to first acquire the front sight over the target and then bring up the notch, or to "muzzle" the gun onto target (i.e. push forward without angling the front sight up first) relying on proprioception from previous drills, before acquiring a sight picture, with the intent of getting a "blade-notch complex" without purposefully acquiring the front sight first?

To put it differently: do you acquire the front sight before it is in the notch?

3. At what height relative to the torso should the shooter's hands meet to complete a two handed gun grip? Should the weak hand be participating in any lifting movement of the gun close to the body?

Hope this doesn't sound too complicated and that people can share their experiences. Thanks, Lior.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Lior

[sroe3]

1. Staging the trigger for a double action first shot is common.

2. I don't acquire the sights until they appear in my line of sight on plane to make the shot.

3. My weak hand goes on the gun as soon as the gun begins to rise.

[Kool Aid]

1) I was trained to "roll the hammer" through the press out, keeping the trigger and hammer moving while the sights settle. On close shots where I may drop below a 1.0 second draw, the pull is fast and linear. On long shots, I tend to slow my roll toward the end of the trigger pull. Roughly 3/4 of the pull is complete when the sights settle, and I try to keep the trigger moving rather than stopping at stages along the way. Starting and stopping the roll tends to disrupt the sight picture.

2) I try to bring the pistol up level while looking for the front sight when it enters my peripheral vision. I start acquiring the front sight before the gun is all the way up. It was brought to my attention in Steel Challenge that I sometimes have a bad habit of "porpoising" in my initial press out, which means my front sight is higher than the rear as I start my presentation. I've worked hard to eliminate this habit because its slower.

3) My weak hand indexes against my lower chest the moment I start my draw. It meets with the grip as the pistol moves toward the high ready position. My focus with the support hand is more on establishing my grip than lifting the gun.

[ChuckS]

Dear folks,

After shooting for a while, I still have questions on basic things that different people do differently.

My questions are as follows:

1. When attempting first shot in double action, do you start staging the trigger before acquiring a perfect sight picture (i.e. front sight acquired, is in line with target, but notch has not yet been brought up), or do you get your sight picture and then deliver a smooth trigger pull in a single uninterrupted effort?

Read this: Fear Not, The Double Action Shot

Later,

Chuck

[Xander]

You beat me there Chuck

[Lior]

Thank you for the heads up folks. Much appreciated.

[Ben Stoeger]

1. When attempting first shot in double action, do you start staging the trigger before acquiring a perfect sight picture (i.e. front sight acquired, is in line with target, but notch has not yet been brought up), or do you get your sight picture and then deliver a smooth trigger pull in a single uninterrupted effort?

I do the second one. It is easy and simple.

[Lior]

Ben, you've just gotten yourself a new Kindle customer.

[Lior]

Another question, if I may, on the same issue. What part of your support hand touches your torso during the draw: is it a palm slap (on the upper abdomen / thorax), or more like the heel of the hand (proximal hyopthenar eminence)?

[Joe4d]

no part, why waste time with extra motions, paractice the draw and presentation. Your weak hand grasps the gun on its way to indexing on the target.

[Andreas]

No part of my weak hand touches my body on the draw. I was taught to move my weak hand in a mirror image of my strong hand during the draw stroke. My hands come together in front of my sternum as I'm driving the pistol up and out toward the target.

[EngineerEli]

I figure I'll chime in on what I have been thought, I'm sure peoples techniques very.

What ever the start position, after the buzzer your strong hand moves towards the grip of the gun, at the same time I index my weak hand, generally with my wrist and hand glancing against my stomach right above my belly button. That way it is very close to the position it needs to be to grip the gun. By that time the gun is out of the holster and pointing down range and as the gun comes up and out,(be careful not to sweep your weak hand) my weak hand is nearly in position and ready to mate with the gun and my strong hand, then I continue to raise the gun with full grip to chest level and begin to push out on target, all in one fluid motion. Again you want your movements to all be as efficient as possible.