Shooting from Cover

I was at the range the other day and watched a fellow shooter practicing.  He was pretty good and, like all friendly shooters, we started to talk.  We first talked about gear of course.  He then watched me place a wooden gun rack halfway between me and the target.  He stopped shooting to watch what I was doing.  I would load two magazines, one in my carbine, one at my side.  I would start the timer, run the 15 yards or so to the rack and proceed to shoot from behind the rack.  After a few runs I got a little self conscious and stopped.  He asked if I shot like that all the time and I said most of the time.  It came out that he is a federal officer and he said he hadn't shot like that since FLETC (Fedreal law enforcement training center in Artesia, New Mexico).  I said "Really" which I think may have embarrassed him a little.  I hadn't meant to embarrass him. I was just surprised.  He and I then talked a little about shooting from cover.

Many people go to the range and then stand there and blow away that paper.  There's nothing really wrong with that, I've done it many times.  When you want to work on grip, aim, presentation, or stance, this will work fine.  Problem is, when you get passed that and well established in those areas it's time to shoot as realistic as you can.  That would be shooting from cover.  If I were to get in a gunfight I would find real cover ( not a car door or dry walled wall) to operate from.  Make sure it it's actual cover, something that will stop a bullet.  What may stop a handgun round may not stop a rifle round. As we talked about shooting from cover I went back to several classes I taught while in the military.

After you determine what cover is over concealment then you learn the importance of not crowding your cover.  TV and movies have the hero smashed up against that wall shooting around the corner.  As usual, this is dead wrong.  Like clearing a hallway or a room, give yourself some space.  Back off from your cover about an arms length. This will give you a minimum exposure when you roll out to shoot.  Also being too close to cover limits your field of view.  That limits your tactical options.  When you roll out to shoot, the bad guy should only see a gun barrel and your eye. When shooting from cover here are a few tactics I would share with students:

• Minimize the time of exposure.

• Let the subject see only a gun barrel and eyeball nothing more.

• Do not shoot from the same location continuously use different positions

each time you roll out as not to give the advisary any advantage.  Do not extend you firearm beyond cover.

• Shoot around cover nor over top of cover.

• Reload from behind cover.

• Do not let the slide come in contact with cover causing malfunctions

• When shooting from the left make sure room is given to allow spent brass

to fall free.

• Use a knuckle to support the firearm not the back of the hand. (Using the

back of the hand causes exposure to more of the head from cover. This also causes the weapon to recoil more aggressively.

Always remember in any gunfight to shoot to stop the threat. Always check your six and be aware of your surroundings. Before you emerge from cover make sure your gun is fully loaded. What I teach is A way to do this, not THE way.

Practice these things. All you need is a chair, a bench, a pole.  These things aren't cover but they simulate shooting from cover.

Semper Paratus

Burn