Bald Fat Guy
Active Member
- Oct 7, 2014
- 418
Sorry , I said I'd do a thread, then got cought up with life afterwards.
To this day , most "handgun qualification" for whatever are heavily based upon the Police Qualification. For better or worse it give a percieved benchmark for politicians and the general public that relates to the most visable profession that regularily goes about armed in public.
In the Beginning ( as generally accepted) , there wasn't any formalized training or qualification for Police until Teddy Rosevelt established it as NYC Police Commisioner in the 1890's. ( And the first standard issue police handgun, but a different story.) At this point in time all "Target Shooting" was of a format that today would be called Bullseye.
Flash forewards to the 1930's . The FBI introduces PPC . This is revolutionary, and a quantum leap. Now revolvers are actually fired Double Action, drawn from holsters, and fired at human shaped targets, using different stances , purported to be "practical" and suitable for actual gunfights. This last part leads us to our discussion of arcane terms and positions.
* As origionally defined *
All the one handed shooting was done from HIP position. Waist level, forearm parallel to ground, extended in front of body. Obviously not sighted.
POINT SHOULDER was two hands , extended no higher than shoulders, NOT at eye level , and NOT sighted. attempting to do so was contrary to rules, and would be called by Instructor/ range Master.
Fast Foreward some more 40 or 50 years.
Lots of ofc, Instructors , and Instructional course designers actually know better as to alternative and/ or better methods, but by tradition and various regulations PPC derived cof's were still the 800lb gorilla , and the only broadly accepted standard.
Early 1980's - The FBI adopts their "Kinda sorta almost Weaver" based training. They promote this thru their NA to state and local agencies. NRA and FLETC still teach somewhat evolved, but still recognizable PPC roots. There are now two recognized aproaches , and various agencies and POST type Boards start having small variations in training and Q standards.
In various places the words "Point Shoulder" or "Hip Shooting" still out of inertia, but they no longer (or very rarely) follow the old stances. point shoulder is currently more or less regular two handed aimed. The one handed portion is either some flavor of retention position, eye level aimed, or both in seperate stages.
Given the typical 20 to 25yr retirement cycles, and that Ofc usually have several years on the job before getting asigned as instructors , pretty much any Instructor who predates the mid 1980's of instructing has retired.
To this day , most "handgun qualification" for whatever are heavily based upon the Police Qualification. For better or worse it give a percieved benchmark for politicians and the general public that relates to the most visable profession that regularily goes about armed in public.
In the Beginning ( as generally accepted) , there wasn't any formalized training or qualification for Police until Teddy Rosevelt established it as NYC Police Commisioner in the 1890's. ( And the first standard issue police handgun, but a different story.) At this point in time all "Target Shooting" was of a format that today would be called Bullseye.
Flash forewards to the 1930's . The FBI introduces PPC . This is revolutionary, and a quantum leap. Now revolvers are actually fired Double Action, drawn from holsters, and fired at human shaped targets, using different stances , purported to be "practical" and suitable for actual gunfights. This last part leads us to our discussion of arcane terms and positions.
* As origionally defined *
All the one handed shooting was done from HIP position. Waist level, forearm parallel to ground, extended in front of body. Obviously not sighted.
POINT SHOULDER was two hands , extended no higher than shoulders, NOT at eye level , and NOT sighted. attempting to do so was contrary to rules, and would be called by Instructor/ range Master.
Fast Foreward some more 40 or 50 years.
Lots of ofc, Instructors , and Instructional course designers actually know better as to alternative and/ or better methods, but by tradition and various regulations PPC derived cof's were still the 800lb gorilla , and the only broadly accepted standard.
Early 1980's - The FBI adopts their "Kinda sorta almost Weaver" based training. They promote this thru their NA to state and local agencies. NRA and FLETC still teach somewhat evolved, but still recognizable PPC roots. There are now two recognized aproaches , and various agencies and POST type Boards start having small variations in training and Q standards.
In various places the words "Point Shoulder" or "Hip Shooting" still out of inertia, but they no longer (or very rarely) follow the old stances. point shoulder is currently more or less regular two handed aimed. The one handed portion is either some flavor of retention position, eye level aimed, or both in seperate stages.
Given the typical 20 to 25yr retirement cycles, and that Ofc usually have several years on the job before getting asigned as instructors , pretty much any Instructor who predates the mid 1980's of instructing has retired.
