Gun movement in large transitions.

[CAB33]

On transition that take quite a bit of motion to get to the next target...

Example: Transitioning from a target directly in front of you to one that is hard right(90 degrees).

What is your method for getting the sights on "The Spot" of the next targets?

Do you bring the gun in? How much?

Do you leave it out(Your normal shooting position)?

Do you slow the transition down right before you get there to keep from getting a sloppy stop?

[BritinUSA]

I tend to bring the gun in as much as I would for a reload. I tried just swinging across with the same stance and arm extension but I had un-predictable results and tended to over-swing.

This may be a result of a lack of shooting time, perhaps with lots of practice it is possible to do this without altering stance/extension. I guess it all depends on how much range time/dry-fire practice that you are able to do.

[EZ Bagger]

If you move your eyes first and fast, your body will pull the gun in naturally to the right amount to allow it to get to that vision point the fastest. If you're at all following the dot/front sight your arms will likely remain too extended.

The gun should remain up and in your vision, even if it's now closer to your body.

[R.Elliott]

It's easier to push a gun out to a target than it is to swing to a target and try to stop it on the sweet spot. You can pick the sights up faster and track them longer, and it doesn't over shoot. So move your eyes to the spot you want to hit, index from the knees to get the torso moving, and draw the gun in a bit towards your body as you swing, then just push it out just as you begin the settle. It'll track straight out to the target just as easy as you please. A good drill to practice this is two, 8" paper plates at 12-ish yards from the shooter and on a 150 degree arc to make sure the swing will be as wide as possible. You don't want the targets to be inside your peripheral vision for this one. Just index back and forth, one round at a time until empty and repeat as necessary.

Edit to mention:

Pulling it in slightly straightens the arc the gun must traverse through space as well, so it's actually faster mathematically than swinging.

Edited July 10, 2008 by R.Elliott

[kevin c]

There are a lot of variations on the theme to be tried, and only by trying them yourself will you find what works for you now, and under what circumstances.

Some rotate the "upper triangle" of the shoulders and arms (gun muzzle at the front apex) from the waist, like a tank turret. They may or may not pull the gun in, depending on the width of the transition, distance to the target, and their individual anatomy. I tend to pull in and push out the gun and rotate like this when making a wide transition to a small/distant target.

Some rotate from the legs going from side to side. This works for me on closer in targets with moderately wide transitions, using the foot nearest the target to rotate my hips and push my weight onto the other leg as I turn. I keep the arms a bit flexed to stabilize the gun in lateral movement, but don't need to pull it in.

Some will actually tilt the upper body/upper triangle (lift one shoulder and/or drop the other) on transitioning laterally. I am trying to learn this because it works well shooting around barricades, especially IDPA style.

Always, the eyes lead.

FWIW,

Kevin C

[Crusher]

In additin to "closing up the gun" ankles, knees, hips and corkscrew in it allows you to preload an exit if you have to move out to another position too.

[Jake Di Vita]

Depends on the difficulty of the target I'm transitioning to.

[JimmyZip]

Jake,

Could you clarify that? I was reading this and I'm about to go out but I'm curious to hear how bringing the gun in on wide transitions relates to target difficulty.

Thanks, JZ

[Jake Di Vita]

If I'm transitioning to an easy target, I'll tend to dismount the gun and turn it towards the targets with my body. This will allow me to be able to index to the target anywhere from .1 to .25 faster than I normally could. It's something that needs to be practiced extensively before you try that at match time though.