Handgun Shooting Positions: Shooting from the Hip

In this post, we will discuss a technique that is often seen in cowboy western type movies (i.e.) shooting from the hip.

We have a representative image of this technique, as demonstrated by movie actor Yul Brenner. Notice how the revolver is fired at about the hip level, which means the shooter is not using the sights to aim it.

This technique is only used in short range situations, as one cannot be sure of hitting a target at longer distances without using the sights. It is employed in quick-draw situations where the shooter may not have the time to draw the firearm to eye-level. The shooter draws the firearm from the holster and shoots it as soon as possible.

This technique was also taught by Fairbarn, Sykes and Applegate, who were instrumental in training some of the first modern commando forces during World War II. The team of Fairbarn and Sykes also developed the Fairbarn-Sykes fighting knife, which was issued to British commando forces, SAS, as well as US Marine Raiders during World War II.

As can be imagined, this technique is only useful at short ranges, because the sights of the weapon are not used at all. It is used when great speed (but not necessarily great accuracy) is needed. Therefore it is possible to miss the target completely as well. There is also a risk of accidentally discharging the firearm during the process of drawing it from the holster and shooting oneself in the leg.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Isosceles Stance

In our last post, we looked at the Chapman stance. In this post, we will look at a stance that was around for a while, but only gained popularity in the 1980s, the Isosceles stance.

Before we go into studying this stance, let us discuss the term "isosceles". Readers with experience in mathematics, engineering or drafting would have encountered this word before: an "isosceles triangle" is a triangle where two of the sides are of equal length, similar to the image below:

So what does an isosceles triangle have to do with shooting stances? All you have to do is observe a person using an isosceles stance and you'll see the resemblance:

Notice how the shooter's arms are both held out extended fully, so that they resemble the two sides of an isosceles triangle.

There are two main forms of the isosceles stance. The first is the traditional isosceles stance, as shown in the image below:

In the traditional isosceles stance, the shooter stands with the body in an upright position, with both feet placed parallel to each other and pointing at the target. The knees are kept mostly straight.

The other stance is the modern isoceles stance or modified isosceles stance, which is shown below:

In the modern stance, the shooter keeps the feet apart about a shoulder width, but positions one foot ahead of the other. The knees are slightly bent and the upper body leans forwards toward the target.

With either stance, the upper body is rotated left or right as needed, to aim at targets that are not directly ahead of the shooter. This stance provides good support to the shooter and either eye can be used to aim at the target, as the gun is held at the center between both eyes. Unlike the Weaver or Chapman stance, the shooter absorbs recoil using their entire body. Also, if the shooter is wearing body armor, then this exposes the full body armor to the enemy (unlike the weaver or chapman stances, which expose the weaker armpit area to the enemy).

The only problem with the isosceles stance is that it isn't as suitable to use when the shooter is moving around, because locking the joints tends to make the gun bounce around. If the elbows are slightly relaxed, then it reduces the skeletal support that this stance provides. Another disadvantage is that while this stance is suitable for smaller ammunition loads, but when using full powered ammunition, the resulting recoil feels severe and makes shooting multiple shots difficult.

This stance was around for quite a while, but didn't really gain popularity until the 1980s, when two shooters named Brian Enos and Rob Leatham used it successfully to win IPSC shooting matches. It is often the first two-handed stance taught in most firearms training courses. The Modern Isosceles stance is now preferred by many shooters over the Weaver stance.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Chapman Stance

In our last post, we studied an influential stance called the Weaver Stance. In this post, we will study a stance that is very similar, which is called the Modified Weaver a.k.a the Chapman Stance.

This particular stance is named after Ray Chapman, another influential shooter. Like Jack Weaver, he had a California police background as well and was the rangemaster at the Los Alamitos police department. He adopted Jack Weaver's stance and modified it slightly. It uses the same push-pull tension of the Weaver stance, but instead of bending both arms at the elbows, the Chapman stance holds the dominant arm in a straight position and locks the elbow. The support hand elbow is bent and provides the tension.

The following two images easily illustrate the difference between the two stances:

In the above picture, we have a person demonstrating the Weaver stance. Note how the elbows of both arms are bent.

In the above image, we have the same person demonstrating the Chapman stance. Notice how the dominant hand is extended so that it is straight and the elbow is locked.

Ray Chapman successfully used this stance to win the SWCPL championship in 1964, 1967 and 1970 and also won the first IPSC World Shoot in 1975.

The advantage of this stance over the Weaver stance is that it gets its stability from both muscle and skeletal support and is more suitable for people who lack upper-body muscle strength.

Handgun Shooting Positions: The Weaver Stance

In our last post, we looked at the one-handed handgun shooting stance. In this post, we will look at a commonly used handgun-stance called the Weaver Stance.

The Weaver stance is often seen in movies and videos that involve handguns and even people not familiar with firearms will recognize the stance, although they may not know its name. The pictures below show the stance, as demonstrated by the inventor himself:

This position was originally pioneered by Jack Weaver, a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff, in the late 1950s. His stance consists of the following:

1. The shooter's dominant hand is extended out until the arm is almost fully extended and the handgun is at shoulder level.
2. The support hand then grips and wraps around the dominant hand. The elbow of the support arm is bent straight down and held closer to the body.
3. The foot corresponding to the support hand is held forward of the dominant foot. So if a person is right-handed, the right foot is held out to the back and angled sideways and the left foot is placed forward. The person also leans towards the left foot and puts more of their weight on it. Knees are slightly bent.
4. Head is slightly bent to align the gun sights to the target.

Jack Weaver successfully used this stance when competing in the "Leatherslap" matches organized by the legendary Jeff Cooper. The object of such competitions was to pop twelve 18" wide balloons set up at 21 foot distance in the fastest time. Even though this stance looked a bit ungainly when it was first used, this technique allowed Weaver to quickly aim the handgun at eye level and beat opponents who were using other stances. As Weaver admitted later, "it looked kind of stupid, and everyone was laughing at me, but it worked!".

Since other competitors were using some form of single-handed shooting technique, they would often shoot a bit faster, but not necessarily hit their target. As Jack Weaver observed about his two-handed technique, "a pretty quick hit was better than a lightning-fast miss!". He won quite a few of the early competitions using this stance and this influenced the adoption of this stance by others, as well as the abandonment of one-hand shooting techniques.

Due to Jeff Cooper's influence, this stance became popular in the military and police. It is a very stable stance. There are several advantages of this stance:

1. This is an excellent position during routine searches and interviews because
1. Weapon's side is away from the person being searched.
2. Groin area is protected by the support leg.
3. Person is better balanced during an attack.
4. Person can periodically glance backwards to check traffic and other people in the area.
2. Most police encounters are short distance (less than 7 yards away)
3. When firing magnum loads, this provides better balance because the strong foot stabilizes the shooter.

Disadvantages of this position include:

1. If the shooter is wearing a ballistic vest, it exposes the side of the ballistic vest which is vulnerable.
2. It is difficult to shoot on the move when using the weaver stance.
3. More complicated to learn compared to some other stances.

Handgun Shooting Positions: One Handed Stance

In the last few posts, we have studied several rifle shooting positions. In the next series of posts, we will look at several handgun (i.e. pistols and revolvers) shooting positions. The first one we will study is the one handed stance.

The origin of this stance dates back to the first pistols and back when dueling was common. The idea was to present the least amount of body surface area to the opponent and this could be achieved by facing the opponent sideways. Another reason was that it allowed the shooter to use the other hand for something else, for example, holding the reins of his horse, or manipulating a door knob.

The one handed stance was taught in the US military for a long time, as illustrated by the image above. However, many soldiers could not manage the recoil of the Colt M1911 pistol and accuracy suffered as a result. Hence, two handed stances have been taught in recent years (which we will cover in following posts).

Many competitive pistol shooting events (such as air pistol events at the Olympic games) also mandate that the shooter should use only one hand, particularly because it is more challenging than shooting two-handed.

Notice how the shooter shoots with one hand holding the pistol and the other hand placed on the hip.

Rifle Shooting Positions: Ready Positions

In the last few posts, we've studied various rifle shooting positions. However, we have not yet studied ready positions (i.e.) positions that the rifle may be carried in, when a soldier is on patrol, or a hunter is in the woods etc. These will be covered in this post.

The first position we will cover is the patrol carry (i.e. sling ready) position.

Public domain image, courtesy the Department of Defence. Click on image to enlarge.

In the above image, we see US Army soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and ANA soldiers on patrol in a village in Afghanistan. Note the position of the men using their slings to support the weight of their rifles. This is the most comfortable carrying position when carrying a rifle for long periods of time, such as on patrol duty. Notice how each soldier ensures that his rifle is pointing in a safe direction away from his fellow soldiers.

The next position we will look at is the low ready position.

In this position, the soldier holds his rifle already at the shoulder, but with the barrel pointed safely downwards, with the finger close to, but not on the trigger. This position is used especially when approaching an area with known threats, as it allows the soldier to quickly transition from this to a shooting position. However, since the weight of the rifle is supported by the arms, it isn't suitable for carrying a rifle like this for long periods of time.

The final position we will look at is the high ready position.

In this position, the soldier holds the rifle to his shoulder, but aims the rifle barrel upwards. This is more useful when the soldier is in a close group with other friendly soldiers and it is not possible to point the rifle barrel downwards safely. It is also handy if the soldier needs to reload or use the support hand for other purposes, such as opening doors. Like the low ready position, this position also allows the user to quickly transition to a shooting position.

Rifle Shooting Positions: The Back Position

In our last post, we looked at the squatting position. In this post, we will look at a shooting position that was more popular in the 19th century, but is not seen much these days -- the back position.

Like the name indicates, the back position consists of the shooter lying with his back on the ground, as the following two images show:

Click on images to enlarge. Images are in the public domain.

When we studied the prone position earlier, one of the disadvantages of that position that we'd noted was that it isn't suitable in places where the ground in front of the shooter slopes steeply up or down. The back position can be used in such conditions. This makes the position useful for long range shooting, where the rifle needs to be elevated to a high angle; and also where the rifle needs to be shot down a steep slope. It is also useful for long-bearded men who do not wish to get mud and dust in their carefully groomed facial hair.

To assume this position, the shooter first sits on the ground facing the target and holding the rifle across the body. The shooter then lies down on the ground on his back and turns slightly to the right, to allow his right thigh to rest squarely on the ground. The shooter then bends his left knee (as in the first picture) or places his left leg on top of the right leg (as in the second picture). The barrel of the rifle is then placed on the side of the right knee (first picture) or left knee (second picture). The right elbow rests on the ground and the right hand is placed on the trigger. The butt of the rifle is in the hollow of the right shoulder and the left hand serves to hold the butt in place. The head is raised off the ground, to view the sights properly. Notice that in the first image, the shooter grabs a bit of his left sleeve with his teeth, in order to keep his head steady.

Like the prone position that we studied earlier, this position requires open land in front of the shooter, as it cannot be used where there are bushes or tall grass obscuring the target.

There are some other variations of the back position, such as the Fulton position, invented by a Henry Fulton, who was a civil engineer and later served in the Civil War as a lieutenant of the 12th Regiment New York National Guard, rising up in the ranks to become a Major.

The Fulton Position.

Click on image to enlarge. Public domain image.

In the Fulton position, the shooter lies on his back and draws his knees in a V-shape and crosses his legs. This allows him to position his rifle barrel between the crossed legs. The left arm is then positioned behind the shooter's neck, thus allowing him to support his head; and the left hand grabs the butt of the rifle. While this looks a bit unusual, bear in mind that this gentleman won the first Wimbledon Cup in 1875 and was part of the US team that won the first international rifle shooting match ever (the original Palma match) in 1876. The National Rifle Association also awards the Henry Fulton trophy, named after the man, annually since 1987 to the highest scorer of the team match in the World Long Range Shooting Championship.

While the back position is not seen much these days, it was more popular in the 19th century. In fact, in the first Palma match of 1876, five out of the twelve shooters in the competition shot lying on their backs and seven shot from the prone position. Those lying on their backs averaged 157 points against 154 points for those using the prone position.