Since its introduction, the pistol has become the most accessible individual firearm that can be used for both self-defense and offensive purposes. The ability to wield a weapon determines the subsequent effectiveness of using a pistol for various purposes. In parallel with the improvement of weapon design, pistol handling skills were improved. Over time, to improve the skill and skill of using weapons, various training methods appeared, which formed the basis for the study of technology and tactics. One of the main elements of shooter training is practical training, during which pistol shooting training is conducted.
Shooting training can be conducted in different conditions, both for applied purposes and for the purpose of improving combat skills. Interest in firearms has become the main argument, due to which the ability to shoot correctly and accurately becomes not only a professional necessity.
Many people love to shoot. For some, this may just become a hobby, but for others, practical pistol shooting becomes a path to the big sport. Bullet shooting competitions can easily be called the most spectacular and exciting. Athletes compete in their ability to quickly and accurately hit targets at different distances. Exercises during competitions must be verified and polished. Success can only be achieved if the athlete accurately and correctly completed all approaches, managed to accurately hit all the intended targets, while avoiding gross tactical and technical miscalculations.
Pistol shooting
Despite the fact that sports shooting is based on the same rules and requirements for handling personal firearms, combat shooting from a pistol has fundamental differences. Here it is important not only the shooter’s ability to hit the target accurately, but also combat tactics and the shooter’s actions depending on the current situation. The ability to correctly take a shooting position, the ability to fire to kill from any position, while maintaining a high rate of fire, are key safety factors for the shooter.
Pistol shooting technique. Key Features
In order to learn how to shoot a pistol well, one desire is not enough. Several aspects are important here, each of which collectively determines the accuracy of fire and the effectiveness of personal weapons. The psychological factor is perhaps the main one on which the shooter’s accuracy depends. Correctly coping with the anxiety that an uninitiated person experiences in any case when holding a pistol is the key to successful and accurate shooting. The technical techniques that you need to know when handling weapons help you achieve perfection in your actions. Compliance with the rules and requirements during shooting training sessions will ensure not only the safety of the shooter and others, but also subsequent confident use of weapons.
Despite the fact that any shooting with a pistol at first glance seems quite easy and understandable, mastering the art of shooting will require some time, training manuals and instructions from a professional.
Shooting training
If sports shooting requires high levels of skill, moral and psychological stability from the athlete, then practical shooting classes can be great entertainment. Having mastered the art of shooting with handguns, you will not only get a lot of pleasure and adrenaline, but you will also be able to fully experience your own physical capabilities and conditioning. However, picking up a gun is just the beginning. In order to successfully master the technique of using weapons, even for shooting from a Makarov pistol, you must have theoretical training. The first thing you need to learn is the commands that are given during shooting. This is a mandatory condition during any training sessions, conducted at the shooting range or in the fresh air, under the guidance of an instructor or independently.
The commands you give determine your course of action at the shooting range, the execution of which determines not only the shooting result, but also the shooter’s technical training and safety. Teams during training or sports shooting must meet the following requirements:
- maintaining consistency in given commands;
- commands must be clear and understandable, without double interpretation;
- It is always necessary to follow the order in giving commands;
- strict execution of the command is required, without arbitrary actions;
- any command is given taking into account the main requirement - compliance with safety regulations during shooting classes.
Shooting commands
These requirements apply equally to all shooting exercises, both for applied purposes and as training in the combat use of weapons. Combat pistol shooting differs not only in training methods, but also in weapon handling techniques. Tactical techniques are a key element of training sessions, during which shooting from personal weapons is practiced in a variety of situations, aiming and firing skills are improved from any position.
OTs-23 "Dart"
The OTs-23 was created to replace the nine-millimeter Stechkin pistol. A design feature of the new weapon is the ability to fire in bursts of 3 bullets, or single shots. Accuracy of hits is ensured by a constant open sight.
There are guides under the barrel. You can mount a laser sight on them. Automation operates on the recoil of the free shutter. Its force is compensated by adding additional mass to the bolt.
With a firing rate of 1,700 rpm, the Dart was not widely used. Bullets that were too light did not have a sufficient stopping effect. Firing efficiency dropped rapidly with increasing range. Therefore, “Dart” did not receive mass distribution. Some special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were armed with small batches of this weapon.
Tactical shooting as the main element of combat training
Along with sports shooting, where a clear sequence of actions by the athlete is an important aspect, the combat use of a pistol differs in the behavior of the shooter. When performing live shooting, it is imperative to take into account the shooter’s level of training, his skills in handling weapons and knowledge of his combat capabilities.
Combat shooting is all about accuracy, speed and close combat tactics. It is rare that in combat conditions a shooter has enough time to prepare for accurate shooting. The current situation requires instantaneous adoption of the right decision. This applies to a greater extent to those persons whose profession is constantly associated with the risk of using personal weapons for combat purposes.
Two pistols
Only in movies and detective novels can you see how masterly rangers, gangsters and policemen shoot pistols. In reality, it is far from easy to master a weapon perfectly. In order to use a pistol as a fire weapon with maximum efficiency, you need to learn the simplest techniques to the point of automaticity. Only by knowing the basics, techniques and rules of pistol shooting can you further work on improving the art of owning a personal weapon.
Sports training only from afar resembles combat techniques during shooting from a combat pistol. During tactical shooting, the main thing is not only to hit the target, but also to protect yourself from enemy fire. A regular sports stance will not help here. The position from which it is necessary to fire to kill is often associated with a person’s natural and instinctive desire to take cover from return fire. During a real collision, literally everything that can affect the effectiveness of the combat use of firearms is taken into account. In addition to the psychological effect, when shooting from a pistol, you need to take into account the distance to the visible target, the presence of interference for a direct shot, atmospheric conditions and time. Shooting at different times of the day, day or night, in the morning or evening leaves an imprint on the shooter’s behavior. In modern conditions, combat with the use of firearms is fleeting.
For example: The standards during which fire fighting techniques are practiced using PM pistols give the time for a duel no more than 2.8 seconds. To achieve a result, no more than three shots are allotted to defeat the enemy. The distance for effective fire from a pistol during combat clashes rarely exceeds 10-15 m. Up to 75% of fights with firearms, according to the Russian Police Department, take place at distances of no more than 10 m. In such a situation, it is not so much the shooter’s stance that is important, how much is his reaction? You have to shoot from any position, from your knees, while lying down. Shooting with two hands is quite a rare phenomenon today and is mainly practiced during clay pigeon shooting.
Combat shooting
The tactical shooting training technique is based on the fact that the shooter can fire from any weapon, with a change of position, at a moving or stationary target. During training sessions, a pistol shooting stance is practiced, as well as other body positions from which one has to fire. The following factors are taken into account:
- the shooter must fire effectively from both the right and left hands;
- use both eyes to aim;
- be able to fire two pistols simultaneously;
- control the required rate of fire depending on the current situation.
If in sports shooting the most important aspect of achieving a result is aiming, then during training for the combat use of firearms the main focus is on training muscle memory. The ability to carry out a double shot with the same accuracy sometimes becomes a decisive factor for survival during a fight with the enemy.
High-speed pistol shooting technique
Contrary to the established opinion that only shooting from a real weapon gives a tangible effect for subsequent skillful handling of a pistol, experts and instructors agree on a different opinion. Only many hours, many days of training with an unloaded weapon, firing blank cartridges, will give you the necessary skills in handling a pistol. High-speed pistol shooting is not only about the presence of muscle memory, which ensures that the trigger is pulled in a timely manner, but also about the refined movements of drawing the weapon and quickly reloading it.
Reload
During training, the execution of commands is practiced to the point of automaticity, and practiced options for transferring weapons from one hand to the other are practiced. Unlike clay pigeon shooting, where the shooter reloads the weapon in a calm environment, in combat conditions these manipulations are carried out in combination with other actions of the shooter. When drawing a weapon or at the moment of stopping firing for subsequent reloading, the shooter must leave the firing sector, creating difficulty for the enemy with aiming.
Before starting fire training classes, a competent instructor must show how to hold a pistol in your hands and what position your fingers should occupy. The grip, as well as the shooter's stance, are fundamental elements of training in marksmanship. Every novice shooter must determine for himself which hand will be strong and which will be weak. Accordingly, the correct body position and stance are developed.
Correct grip
It is important for high-speed shooting to maintain a high rate of fire. In modern conditions, the rate of fire for beginners is defined as one shot per second. For a double shot at a distance of up to 7 m, 1.5 s is allotted. Very little time is allotted for taking the pistol out of the holster and firing a double shot, no more than 2 seconds. During training sessions, you should learn an important aspect - you need to fire a pistol at a constant speed. One second - one shot.
At the same time, how to hold the weapon, instructors pay attention during classes to the stance in which the shooter should be during preparation for shooting. The correct position of the shooter’s body determines the even distribution of the load on all parts of the body and allows for correct aimed shooting. For the first lessons, when it is necessary to achieve a certain accuracy of firing, a double grip is usually used. In this way, a novice shooter can fully feel the weapon, feel its real weight and recoil force when fired. In practical shooting, this exercise is the main one for beginners, after which classes are held to hone shooting skills from other positions.
Two-handed shooting
During high-speed shooting, the shooter’s stance is also different, whose body should be tilted slightly forward. In this position, the weapon is better controlled, which in any case will give recoil when firing. A competent instructor will show you how best to hold the weapon and where you should place your fingers. Incorrect position of the pistol in the hand can negatively affect the accuracy of shooting from difficult positions when firing while moving. Delays in firing a pistol caused by poor stance or grip can cost the shooter his life. The exercises are aimed at practicing all the shooter’s actions in strict accordance with each other. During training, the entire range of actions that a shooter is forced to perform during shooting is practiced. Simulation of various situations allows you to find the most convenient shooting positions and reduce aiming time.
MAC-11
AP MAC-11 is produced by the American corporation Military Armament. This is a compact version of the MAC-10 software. Its operating principle is based on a blowback mechanism. Its technical rate of fire is 1,200 rounds per minute.
The magazine is placed in the handle. During shooting, the bolt runs against the barrel. The movement of the latter can be blocked by the cocking handle. The barrels of some modifications are equipped with threads designed for installation of a muffler.
AP MAC-11 fires only in continuous bursts - until the magazine is empty. Civilian versions of the weapon are also produced, capable of firing only single shots. Variations with a fire translator were exported to Syria, Iraq, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Romania.
Its simple design and low production cost made the MAC-11 an extremely popular weapon among criminals. It is illegally made by hand at minimal cost and resold for good money.
