Combat Firing with Hand Guns (1944)

[Gary Carter]

Interesting view of how techniques have changed. http://archive.org/details/Combatfiringwithhandguns Notice how every view they have their fingers on the trigger and how many times they sweep each other!

[Gary Carter]

I don't recall seeing the practice of straight trigger finger alongside the trigger guard until around 1980. The silhouette of the bad guy helmets on the targets, look like ours now. That was a neat film. Thanks.

That would explain it, never really messed with handguns until I turned 21 in 1986.

[KCSO]

Unfortunately now days instructors are more concerned with SAFETY than results. When I was first taught to draw a gun I was told that the trigger finger went into the guard an onto the trigger as the weapon came up. It was then thought that a person with proper training wouldn't cap one off till they were ready. But back then if you were pointing a gun at a bad guy and he got capped it was HIS tough luck he souldn't have been there in the first place. All this changed with Garner Vrs Tennessee and similar lethal force decisions. By 1980 all instructors were drilled that LIABILITY was more important than Officer survival. If Elmer wrote Sixguns today he wouldn't get the first three pages published and would be hung out to dry in the gun rags. Same with Nonte and his 45 modifications.

[MtGun44]

Safety is critical, if you think it slows you down, I suggest you watch a few IPSC matches.
Absolutely safe and blinding speed.

Safety does not slow you down if you have decent training. I have watched people do one
shot from the holster WAY under one second with perfect safety methods.

Now if you mean that you cannot have the finger in the trigger guard when holding a
gun on a suspect, then I am surprised at this training, have not heard of it, but I am not a
cop, used to be a competitor in IPSC and IDPA. Still, finger straight in even that situation
is a small issue, primarily the issue will be the .23 sec or so reaction time, not the
.05 or less it may take to move the finger to the trigger.

Bill

[c1skout]

Cool, tracers!

[Gary Carter]

Safety is critical, if you think it slows you down, I suggest you watch a few IPSC matches.
Absolutely safe and blinding speed.

Safety does not slow you down if you have decent training. I have watched people do one
shot from the holster WAY under one second with perfect safety methods.

Now if you mean that you cannot have the finger in the trigger guard when holding a
gun on a suspect, then I am surprised at this training, have not heard of it, but I am not a
cop, used to be a competitor in IPSC and IDPA. Still, finger straight in even that situation
is a small issue, primarily the issue will be the .23 sec or so reaction time, not the
.05 or less it may take to move the finger to the trigger.

Bill

Figure the timed events, and the fact that fewer pistols have an external safety than before probably had more to do with going to the straight finger than anything else. probably same reason the some training sights are not allowing people to use the Serpa holsters. People are trying to get that last fraction of a second on their draw and use the tip of their finger to activate the release. Instead of a straight finger as the retention system is meant for. by using the finger tip when drawn the finger falls into the trigger guard and they have been having accidental discharges.

[MtGun44]

Straight finger was the norm when the only gun (nearly) in IPSC was the 1911.

Bill