In today’s article on Skip Shooting a shotgun we are going to talk about a technique taught at a particular state correction academty for dealing with riots.
While most of us will never have to worry about dealing with inmate riots, the ability for one man with a shotgun to be able to hit multiple assailants with one shot may be useful. Gabe Suarez, also has a article on Skipping Buckshot, and besides TCA, is probably the only guy still teaching this viable technique.
We have covered in other videos the concept that while the column of shot fired from a shotgun does spread, it is not as extreme as Hollywood shows in the movies. Basically the shot spreads an inch every 10 feet or so. The low mass of the individual shot also cause it to loose potential energy very rapidly. Taken together, by the time the shot spreads enough to hit 3 or 4 bad guys, it won’t have enough energy to actually stop them.
How Skip Shooting Works
However, as the video demonstrates, if you shoot your shotgun at a low angle, and hit solid ground a foot or two in front of your target, the rounds will “skip” up and spread. Additionally, if your firing at asphalt, gravel, or other like substance, some ground debris will also be added to the ricocheting shot.
Now, before we get illusions of ninjas and super secret squirrel stuff (S4) take into consideration the basic laws of physics, and realize that action has a reaction. By spreading the shot in such an extreme manner there is an additional loss of velocity. Also, depending on the distance from the target, the angle, and how far you hit the ground in front of the target the maximum height you will get impact on the target will vary. It will be somewhere from the shins to the hips.
Less shot will impact the target, with less velocity, in the bad guy’s legs instead of vital organs. That is a very significant trade off for hitting more than one guy at a time.
While I think this is a good technique to keep in the brain housing group, if I was in a situation where I was in fear for my life by multiple attackers in close proximity I think I would be better off shooting the biggest threat center mass than peppering multiple guys.
When I am on the range with new shooters and they have a malfunction they tend to blame the gun. I understand totally, you pay a lot for a firearm, and want to depend on it to function 100% of the time. Especially if you plan on using to defend your life.
If it keeps malfunctioning, you start to wonder if you bought a lemon.
However, it is been my experience that mechanical problems are not the leading reason most semi-automatic handguns malfunction.
There is an acronym that goes over the reasons for handgun malfunction, and it just happens to be in order or likely hood – so when you are on the range and “gun don’t work” try this first That acronym is SAMM.
The list below will show you how to begin firearm stoppage troubleshooting using SAMM.
Shooter
Semi-automatic handguns are amazing things; they are designed to contain and channel explosions, push projectiles at hundreds of feet per second, extract and eject spent casings, push fresh rounds from magazines and then chamber them in the handgun. All this has to be done with a single input of energy and timed and balanced so that everything is done.
The shooter is a variable in the design. If the shooter does not provide a steady platform for the gun to recoil against, then the laws of physics make the whole gun want to recoil equally instead of just the slide. If the slide is not able to move farther and faster than the frame of the handgun you will get failures to extract, failures to eject, double feeds, and failures to load.
In my experience with new shooters, the greatest single cause of handgun malfunctions is the shooter not holding the handgun properly.
Ammo
Ammunition malfunctions are another cause of firearms failing to function as designed. I have no issue with reloads, and done properly by a skilled individual hand loaded ammunition can function much better than factory ammunition. However, there are a lot of variables in ammunition manufacture, and reloads tend to have a greater than normal incidence of misfires, hang fires, and squib loads. Some guns (like my Walther P22) are very finicky about the ammunition it will digest, and ammunition that does not have a lot of pressure will cause the gun to double feed or fail to extract.
Remember, that with a semi-automatic, the round is part of the firearm operation, and it moves inside the firearm. If the nose of the bullet does not smoothly engage the feeding ramp then the firearm will not load smoothly. There is a reason for the recommendation that you practice with the same type of ammunition you choose to carry for defensive use.
If you have malfunction after malfunction, especially with chambering, you may want to switch ammunition brands or styles.
Maintenance
Most, if not all, ranges offer rental guns, and most of those ranges do not spend a lot of effort in ensuring that their rental guns are cleaned properly.
One range I use rents an old red label Sturm, Ruger & Co .22 pistol. I doubt that gun has been cleaned since Mr. Sturm passed in 1951. These guns are popular handguns, and known for their great design, but that particular firearm will not shoot more than 2 rounds before it has a jam. It is simply too dirty. I have thought about cleaning it myself, but I have a side bet to see if it will ever get so dirty it won’t except a magazine….
Glock’s torture test is legendary, but as their armorer course instructor said, it’s a test – not a daily routine.
Just because you CAN drop you loaded gun in the mud, let it sit for a month then fire it without cleaning doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Clean your firearm, lube it according to the manufacturer specifications, hold it properly, and feed it what it likes to eat and your gun will work 99.9% of the time
Mechanical
There is a reason Mechanical is last. Stock guns maintained properly very rarely break on the range. It does happen, and I have had front sights work themselves loose after thousands of practice draws, but it is not routine enough that it is front of my mind when diagnosing why a new shooter is having malfunctions on the range.
Typically, even most mechanical malfunctions I have seen come from shooters using aftermarket parts on their guns. If the designer wanted a titanium firing pin for a lighter quicker primer strike, why did they not put a titanium pin in the gun? It seems to me, that in today’s litigious world, especially with the competition between gun manufacturers, if a part made the gun better, faster, or stronger, the manufacturer would sell it – either in the gun or as an option.
This is just my two cents, it doesn’t butter my biscuit either way – if your gun is stock, or you hung everything but Christmas Lights on it. I am just trying to pass on what I have seen, and what I have learned through the years.
There are three basic causes of a negligent discharge (ND):
Finger on trigger, Finger on trigger, and Finger on trigger
But for those that want to know the three mechanisms that cause that errant finger to pull the trigger they are:
Startle, Stumble, Sympathetic Grip
Startle Response
The first reason your finger may tighten on the trigger when you did not consciously will it to is due to the fight or flight response. If you have ever been startled, or (guys) snuck up and “goosed” your partner, you will recognize that when startled the natural reflex is to make a fist and bring your hands up to protect your head. If your finger is on the trigger when startled it is highly likely you will have a ND.
Stumble (Imbalance Discharge)
This is very similar to the startle response in that it is your body reacting in a protective mode. Whenever you suddenly falls, your arms automatically flay out to catch try to catch something to arrest your fall. The hands grasp at whatever they can to stop the movement. If one hand grabs then the hand holding the gun will also tend to tighten. Basically this is both the startle and the sympathetic responses caused by falling.
Sympathetic Muscle Response (inter-limb reaction)
The next reason is also part of you autonomic nervous system. We have a sympathetic reflex built into our body. It is very hard to squeeze with your whole hand without also squeezing your trigger finger. Not only that, but it is also nearly impossible to apply pressure with one hand without unconsciously tightening your grip in your other hand. This is the reason good law enforcement training teaches to always holster your firearm before going “hands on” with a suspect. If you have your dominant hand gripping your firearm, and begin to fight with your non-dominant hand you may end up squeezing both hands and causing a ND.
No matter the cause of the negligent discharge, the mitigation activity is the same.
Never point your weapon at something you don’t intend to shoot
Keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to shoot
Never go hands on with someone in an attempt to gain compliance while gripping your pistol, obviously this is for situations where lethal force is not justified, but force is needed. This really is more of a LE/Security issue, but it something an armed citizen needs to be aware of.
This is a cool Glock video that features a thug who just has a hard time picking victims. It is always better for a criminal to pick the wrong house and being dealt with appropriately than finding a house with defenseless homeowners who become victims.
Now since somebody picked the wrong girl in this video, the characters in the commercial will help him find a new job – probably one making license plates or pulling lead out of himself.
Now realize I don’t think crime is funny, and I sure don’t think violence is funny, and I sure don’t like violence against women. but I do enjoy it when the good guy wins. I can’t help but smile with the Glock equalizer lets a small lady win against a big thug.
Enjoy this Glock commercial. I added it because I thought it was a pretty cool and creative commercial. I liked it so much that I put other commercials in the same series to share them with you.
As I went back to edit this 2 years later I found that Glock made much more commercials in this series, so I guess that more people enjoy seeing the wrong house, wrong taxi, wrong guy, wrong convenience store than just me. I hope you enjoy these videos and continue to visit my website.
This is a cool Glock video that features a thug who just has a hard time picking victims. It is always better for a criminal to pick the wrong house and being dealt with appropriately than finding a house with defenseless homeowners who become victims.
Now since somebody picked the wrong house in this video, the characters in the commercial will help him find a new job – probably one making license plates or pulling lead out of himself.
Now realize I don’t think crime is funny, and I sure don’t think violence is funny, but I do enjoy it when the good guy wins.
Enjoy this Glock commercial. I added it because I thought it was a pretty cool and creative commercial. I liked it so much that I put other commercials in the same series to share them with you.
As I went back to edit this 2 years later I found that Glock made much more commercials in this series, so I guess that more people enjoy seeing the wrong house, wrong taxi, wrong guy, wrong convenience store than just me. I hope you enjoy these videos and continue to visit my website.
