Sheriff's Tips: Firing The Most Important Shot

by
posted on May 2, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
jim-wilson.jpg

Once a person has determined that a violent criminal attack cannot be avoided, the most important shot that will be fired is the first one. Nothing stops fights like putting the first hit into the vital zone of the attacker. No one’s performance improves after they have taken a solid hit to the vital zone and gunfight studies clearly show this. Even if the attacker doesn’t immediately go down, the armed citizen has taken any advantage away from the criminal.

I am not suggesting that armed citizens fire only one shot. They may fire a controlled pair or even multiple shots. But that first solid hit is the most important one that they will fire. Even when multiple criminals are involved, nothing will discourage the gang like seeing one of their number take a solid hit with the first shot fired by what they thought would be an easy victim.

With the ammunition situation being what it is, armed citizens need to examine their practice methods and determine what the most cost-effective method of practice can be. I suggest to you that it would be to develop a smooth, fast draw and effective first hit on the target.

A lot can be accomplished through effective dry practice. Of course, it is critical to make doubly sure that the pistol is unloaded. Working with whatever concealment garments are usually worn, the shooter works for a smooth, quick draw that is devoid of wasted movement. An excellent idea is to practice with a buddy and take turns videoing each other’s pistol presentation from a safe angle. Shooters often don’t realize that they are guilty of wasted movements until they actually see themselves in a video.

During the draw stroke, shooters should not only be focused on the target, but they should be looking at the exact spot where they intend to put a bullet. The gun is drawn, brought up into the line of sight, and the pistol sights acquired. We don’t dip our head and look for the gun; we bring the gun to the line of vision.

What is a good spot to aim at? I would suggest that the third button on a man’s dress shirt, the one that is level with the top of the shirt pockets, would be just about right. Studying human anatomy helps pinpoint this location, regardless of the type of shirt the criminal is actually wearing.

Another thing that the armed citizen should consider is that criminals are not going to stand there, all squared away, facing you like that B-27 target you’ve been practicing on. They are going to be moving and turning. For that reason, it helps to think of the target in three dimensions. Imagine that something the size of a large grapefruit is located in the body and, regardless of how the body is turned, you have to hit that grapefruit to stop the fight. This helps determine the actual aiming spot required.

A smooth, quick draw and a solid hit to the vital zone with the first shot is critical to winning a fight. It is what we should practice most, whether in dry practice or live fire.

Latest

Hearing Healthy
Hearing Healthy

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.