The Reality of Extreme Close Contact Shooting

From the Archives, 2016

 

When you are talking about Close Quarters Shooting, there are always varying degrees of “close.”

We have all heard the terms “Reach out and touch someone close”, “Bad Breath Distance close” (Listerine Close) but this video shows a whole different kind of close: EXTREME CLOSE CONTACT CLOSE, which is basically around a foot (12 inches) or less.

This video comes from the place where we get 95% of all Real-world shooting videos these days: BRAZIL.

The background of this is pretty much the same setup as 99.9% of all shooting videos we see from Brazil: A Bandit comes into a place of business (most likely a check cashing shop) only to run into an armed off-duty cop. Good guy shoots bad guy, Good Guys Go Home, Bad Guy goes to the Graveyard.

Here we see a customer talking to a clerk behind what is most likely bulletproof glass. The off-duty cop enters around :18, and stands to the left of the customer as you are watching it. I know it is hard to tell, but the COP IS FACING THE CAMERA WITH HIS BACK TO THE DOOR THE WHOLE TIME (this is important).

The bandit enters at around :33.

Now pay attention because things happen really fast from this point.

As soon as the bandit enters the customer on the right turns halfway to face him while the cop just TURNS HIS HEAD. This is important to remember, so make a note, we will come back to it.

You can also tell from the cop’s body language, with his left hand slightly raised at about waist level,(:35) that he is FEIGNING SUBMISSION.

The bandit then makes the last mistake of his life; he turns his attention away from the cop and toward the other customer at :36, this is pivotal because we see the cop drop the backpack he had slung with his RIGHT hand (His GUN Hand) and the cop begins to make his drawstroke at :37.  You can also notice the clerk behind the glass is seeing all of this go down and as soon as she sees the cops gun clear leather at :38 she immediately gets low and begins egressing the hell out of there because she knows what is going to happen next!

As the bandit focuses his full attention on the other customer at :38  the cop see his chance and commits to draw his weapon. As the bandit is quartered away from to the cop, the cop pivots to his left to face the bandit, and in one smooth motion (:39) extends his arms to the target and makes a shot to the bandit’s head at around maybe 12 inches while the other customer is no more than a couple of feet away.

After the bandit goes down at :41 we see the cop immediately go over and kick the weapon away from the downed perp and also he appears to go outside the store to quickly check for other bad guys, because as we all know, turds usually come in pairs (or threes).

What Did We Learn?

In reality, when you break this video down, it is really one of the best examples of a EXTREME CLOSE QUARTERS shooting I have seen in a while. Now of course this is Brazil, the friggin’ Wild West, so most likely there is already another video hitting Live Leak as we speak better than this one, who knows.

The reason I say this is one of the best examples is because the off-duty cop really exhibits tremendous patience, poise, control and awareness during this whole ass-puckering ordeal. But if truth be known, no telling how many times this cop has been in situations IDENTICAL to this one and no telling how many POS, just like this one, he has planted in the ground.

Right off the bat, as the threat enters, the cop does not turn his ENTIRE BODY to face the threat, he just turns his HEAD…why? The video’s definition is poor, but the cop was definitely carrying strong side, and I believe concealed, since off-duty cops in Brazil rarely carry openly and advertise they are armed, as that is a sure fire way to get killed just for your gun. In either case the cop did not want to turn around and take the chance of having his gun spotted or worse yet, getting patted down by the perp and disarmed.

Second, the cop stays poised and FEIGNS SUBMISSION, raising his left hand to about waist level while keeping his right hand around the backpack strap. This is really important guys. We never want to move our hands too far away from our centerline if we can. We want to be able to get to that gun in  a quick, smooth  motion and the best way to ensure that is not to move your hand too far from your waist, so that when you do go to draw, the motion is not telegraphed and the gun is out before he knows what hit him. This is why LEO’s are taught to always get suspects to get those hands UP and VISIBLE because the HANDS ARE WHAT CAN KILL YOU.

As soon as the cop feigns submission, the perp immediately moves his attention over to the other guy and that is when the window of opportunity opens for the cop and the perp fate get’s sealed. I think it is important to note here that since these situations are so fast and dynamic when they happen, you have to realize NOW in your training that you are going to have maybe a split-second to both recognize your opportunity and at the same time, MAKE A DECISION TO ACT. This is why FORCE ON FORCE is so good for drilling on these kinds of encounters, as you can experiment to see just how fast that proverbial Window can OPEN and SHUT on you.

Before we get to the actual kill shot itself, I want to talk about two things I found very interesting.

1. So many times you read and hear about Shooting Instructors talk about the fact in cases of “Bad Breath Distance” shootings you never want to EXTEND THE GUN TOWARD THE PERP for the obvious reason of them A. BEST case fouling your shot or B. WORST  grabbing the gun barrel and/or gun and  “DING, DING” the wrestling match for your life begins. What they generally train you to do is to customize your extension (if you can have an extension at all) based on the situation. But this scenario is unique and brings up an interesting training point; because even though the cop and perp are within very close proximity of one another, their POSITION and ANGLE to one another (the cop QUARTERED to the perp) combined with the perp’s ATTENTION focused away from the Cop produced all the right ingredients for the cop to make a FULL EXTENSION FOR THE SHOT.Something to remind us all that sometimes not even the most dogmatic of instruction is ever full-proof. Every incident is going to be unique, dynamic and Blazing fast and require you to make snap decisions with imperfect information, so be sure and train that way.

2. The fact that an innocent bystander was a mere 2 feet away when the cop made the shot is ass puckering crazy but very representative of a real-world shooting. Bad guys don’t give a flying hoot about anything but THEM. and they could care less if they put innocent people in harm’s way as long as they get the loot. What is again UNIQUE about this shooting is the ANGLE of the Cop and the Perp. The cop knew he had a clean background when he started to draw because the bystander was standing right beside him and the perp was standing off to his left, quartered away at a 45 degree angle. When the cop takes the shot the bystander gets a nice muzzle blast to the face and a good ole’ “Ear Ringing” but where I come from I will take that over being 6 feet under any day of the week! The lesson to take away from this: BE PREPARED TO SHOOT AROUND and NEAR INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, JUST NOT AT THEM.As long as the angle of the shot is good, they can live with the rest, I assure you.

The shot itself is self-explanatory. I mean how much better can I describe a man shooting another man in the head at under a foot when you have seen the video? I think the most important thing to pick up on is what the cop does after the perp is down. Immediately he moves to make SURE the perp is down, then he goes to disarm him and then he goes to check to see if he brought friends to this party, as turds rarely come in singles.

Again, looking at standard defensive firearm training AFTER a shooting, most instructors will have you do the 360 scan drill, but here we are inside a very small building, so it all goes back to that “ADAPT TO THE SITUATION” Thing. Why do I need to 360 scan when I know there is an office to my back (with one very scared and half-deaf secretary in it) a wall to my right (with a half-deaf innocent bystander with shitty drawers), a  wall to my left and a door in front of me. If there is the possibility of any more threats, they are going to be outside that door that perp just walked through 10 seconds ago. And that is exactly what we see the cop do. He opens the door and sweeps outside for any accomplices. If you have watched enough Brazil Shooting Vids, you know that in most situations like this, there is always a “getaway” driver waiting, typically on a small street bike, as that is the modus operandi for most of these bandits as they can quickly rob a store, jump on the bike and disappear into the urban sprawl.

At the end of the say when you break this video down there is a lot to take away. Studying Real-World shootings like this is one of the most relevant tools the Civilian Operator has in staying ready for the mean streets. By taking what you see and integrating the lessons learned into both your firearm drills AND your Force-on-Force training, you can better prepare yourself for that day you hope never comes.

Stay Alert, Armed and Dangerous!

The Combat Realities of Trigger Reset

From the Archives, 2016

Trigger reset is one of those skills, that if you were like me, when you learned it, it pretty much changed your level of accuracy instantly, especially with a pistol. I remember one of my trainers summarizing it for me:

“Unlike a rifle, where the barrel is 16 to 20 inches or greater, most pistol barrels are only 4 to 5 inches..that means the bullet has not got very far to travel before it exits, that means that any movement you make in working the trigger, exponentially effect the bullets path that much more.”

It made perfect sense. Pretty soon I was shooting the lights out.

But where the trouble came into paradise is when I learned the EXTREME differences between Competition Marksmanship and Combat Accuracy.

Most of the skills we are taught when we first start learning to shoot revolve around the square range and static targets. There is typically no stressors and no movement involved. Our success (and our ego) depends on the black X Ring and how well we shoot it out, right? Compare this to actual Combat shooting in a life or death struggle; whole new ball of wax. Now, all that really matters is that we stop the person trying to kill us right? Is he really going to grade us on our groupings or on our shot placement? Will he have his handy pair of calipers to measure your spread?

Now, I know most of you have heard this passionate spill before from me, so let me put it another way so I don’t sound redundant and boring.

The “Degree” of accuracy required is different in Competition and Combat shooting. In Competition Shooting, Accuracy is expected 100% of the time, no matter the situation. You are expected to punch a round through a paper target, preferably in the black, every time. In Combat Shooting, accuracy has looser tolerances and is both subjective and situational.

Let me give you an example: Some meth head has a taken a kid hostage, the perp standing still at 12 yards with a knife to the child’s throat, threatening to kill him. The only available and relatively safe shot the perp is giving you is the right side of his face, maybe 3 inches total from his nose to the edge of his cheekbone. Here, the SITUATION and in part, the DISTANCE, has determined that you MUST BE ACCURATE so that you kill the perp and protect the kid.

To contrast, if the same perp was just 12 feet away from you, armed with a handgun, but with no hostage, Now your level of accuracy is lowered, because you have a much bigger target in front of you (his center of mass) at a much closer range. Make sense? (FYI: In the first example, I realize the example is a bit far fetched for any CO. The reality, regardless of the weapon involved, is quite simple: for long distance shots that require a great degree of accuracy, ALWAYS get closer if you can! This is why they train hostage rescue teams to always try and close distance with the perp and get a shot angle on them that reduces the chance of an errant round hitting a hostage or bystander.)

OK, so going back to trigger reset. Since it is a skill that most of us practice on the square range, how applicable is it in an ass puckering, “kill or be killed” situation? I mean are you really going to remember a fine motor skill that involves you letting up the slack just enough to hear or feel the reset, all the while rounds are whizzing around you as you are moving to cover and your adrenaline is jacked thru the roof? Yeah, probably not. But that is OK, because you understand that TRIGGER RESET is a skill you can call upon (with Pistol or Rifle) when you need a greater degree of accuracy above and beyond standard combat shooting. Because, ultimately, when you look at the scenarios involved in most civilian self-defense shootings, in most cases, combat accuracy is going to be sufficient to end the threat.

So in closing, when the CO has Trigger Rest tucked away into his training memory bank, he has a very applicable and legitimate resource to draw upon when he needs it. The trick,  is to train and drill in such a way that will force the CO to draw upon that skill frequently (and randomly), as the situation dictates.

Always remember that the thing that sets amateurs and professionals apart is the ability to seamlessly flow between skill sets.

Stay Focused, Armed and Dangerous!

Transition to Third-Generation Warfare

For further reading on this subject. I highly recommend The Breaking Point, Sedan and the Fall of France 1940.

 

At 4:45 a.m. on September 1, 1939, the German army invaded Poland. By September 19, they forced the surrender of the last Polish army in the field. Eight days later, they completed mopping up the stubborn Polish resistance in Warsaw. The popular view is that Germany overwhelmed Poland with a massive mechanized attack that quickly […]

via Transition to Third-Generation Warfare — Weapons and Warfare

Urban Guerilla Sniping v3.0

From the Archives, 2014.

“History is nothing else than a long succession of useless cruelties.” (Voltaire)

 

When you look at the situation in Syria, you see the logic in Voltaire’s prose. I suppose it is the hopeless romantic in me that wishes for a world that is not filled with asshole tyrants and despots that take advantage of the less fortunate; cowards that give “kill” orders daily, slaughtering civilians in the street like cattle. But since “hoping” for something is akin to pissing in the wind and wondering why you are getting wet, I take comfort in the fact that history is also replete with examples of men and women who stand up to tyrants. People that take action and arms against their aggressors. People who are tired of words and useless diplomacy and choose to fight “fire with fire”. Who are these people? You might recognize them, they are just like you and me; “Average Joe” Civilian Operators. who want a better life for themselves and their families and are willing to fight and die for it if necessary. After all aren’t heroes just ordinary folks put in extraordinary situations?

Guerilla Warfare and it’s practical applications should be something the CO studies on a daily basis, and right now, halfway across the world in Aleppo, Syria, there is a virtual “Urban Guerilla” school going on, everyday, 24 hours, around the clock. Now this school has been held in different locales over the years: Northern Ireland, Chechnya, the Philipines; the situation always the same; A vastly under-manned, under-equipped civilian/para-military force, fighting a militarily superior army, hitting them on their own terms using IED’s, hit and run ambushes and (Urban) Guerilla Sniping, attempting to win by attrition, constantly harassing, constantly prodding the enemy, until the war is won.

Before we continue, we need to clarify something. Guerilla Sniping is one of those “tactical misnomers” in my opinion, only because anytime you say the word “Sniper” immediately people think of Marky-Mark Wahlberg in the opening scene of Shooter making these 800 to 1,000 yard shots with his trusty Barrett and his ghille-suit on, with his spotter at his side calling the shots… ..nothing could be further from the truth! (Although that was an entertaining movie taken from the novels of Stephen Hunter).

In John West’ superb book Fry the Brain: The Art of Urban Sniping and it’s role in Modern Guerilla Warfare, West states that “Urban Guerilla sniping is a drastic departure from the traditional concepts of sniping”. He goes on to lay out several reasons for this, the most prominent being the “Long Range Myth”. Where most would think the sniper’s role of taking extremely long shots, the Guerilla Sniper turns that paradigm on it’s head. Citing historical examples from Chechnya and Iraq, where ranges of 50 to 200 meters were the norm, 200 yards even being at the far end of the scale.

Another key element of Guerilla Sniping is the dependence on Guerilla Tactics NOT  Elite Hardware or training to get the job done. West states “To connect the dots of the urban sniper one must first realize it is the guerilla’s unconventional tactics that make them effective, not their exceptional shooting ability.”

Check out this superb little video of Urban-Guerilla Sniping in Aleppo, Syria.

There are several things of note we can take away from this video:

1. Note the spot welded scope rails onto the dust covers of the SKS’ and AK’s to hold zero; yeah not the greatest ideal in the world, but the Guerilla has to work with the materials he has available; the book Guerilla Gunsmithing  is a decent primer on the subject.

2. The weapons are a mixed bag, but all of them make superb guerilla sniper weapons. Remember, we are not talking 1,000 yd yard shots here. Example:  With a steady rest, could you shoot a cantaloupe at 100 yds with your AK with open sights or even a 3x red dot? Guerilla Sniping is “out of the box” that is why the word “Guerilla” is often associated with the terms “Un-Conventional” or “Irregular”.

3. The optics are a mixed bag, note that the higher magnification optics are saved for the larger caliber G3 clones and FAL’s, while the smaller 3x ACOG knockoffs remain on the AK and SKS’s.

4. The snipers employ traditional urban-guerilla tactics to avoid detection and confuse the enemy including:

• “Position Overload”:  Firing from an area with many potential firing positions; a building for instance with 14 open windows or “loopholes”.

• “Splitting the Seams”:  Using the urban terrain to your advantage and firing from a position where the enemy cannot backtrack your firing azimuth; an example would be firing from a building that is adjacent too, or next to another building.

• Loophole or Keyhole Shots: Loophole shooting is firing from a very small hole in the wall, either cut by the sniper or a natural deformity, like a hole from an artillery blast. Keyhole shooting is where you fire through a loophole from deep in the room, hiding your muzzle flash and suppressing/masking your sound signature. Some snipers in Chechnya for example would fire from deep in the structure, down a long hallway and through an open door or window.

•  Multiple Shooters: Self-Explanatory tactic where several snipers are operating in the same area sometimes targeting the same or multiple objectives. If communication can be synchronized, snipers in different locations can fire in unison at different targets, confusing the enemy even more.
  

So, when you lay your head down tonight, thank God for what you have and say a little prayer for the FSA and the Snipers in Aleppo, asking that their AIM be TRUE, and their enemies stay STILL!!!

Study up, Train Hard and Stay Dangerous!

“Aim Small, Miss Small”: A Primer On Building Designated Marksman Skills

One of the maxims of marksmanship that most of us have probably heard is “Aim Small, Miss Small”, meaning, aim at a tiny portion of a target and you’re likely to hit the target. Absent many of the realities of combat, its sound advice that’s endured over centuries for a reason. In a modern context,…

via “Aim Small, Miss Small”: A Primer On Building Designated Marksman Skills — American Partisan