The late “Lucky” McDaniel taught what he described as “instinct shooting.” A century and a half ago, when “bored through” revolver cylinders were still a novelty, Lucius Johnson taught “snap shooting.” Both of these emphasized hitting what you aim at – at “shotgun range” – with either a handgun or a shotgun.
As far as I can tell from 20th Century books and the odd 19th Century reference, there is essentially no difference between the two techniques. Here is the Threatfocused forum thread on McDaniel’s “instinct shooting.”
You will notice the forum puts heavy emphasis on McDaniel’s hands on teaching technique. J.H. FitzGerald, “Fitz” to Elmer Keith and a host of gunnies during the first half of the 20th Century, described a gunfighters snap shooting in these terms:
“The practiced draw, the elbow pulled tightly into the side to steady the forearm as it quickly takes certain aim, and the practiced squeeze of the trigger timed to drop the hammer just as the forearm lines up on the target….”
And that is essentially the way it is done with a handgun. With a long gun, you look at the top of the flying target, and let your instincts take over. Your “sights” are your “off hand,” the left hand for right handed shooters. But for the short gun, your “sight” is your forearm. And, knowing that – and that hitting a flying target with that series of movements is not only practical but easy – you too can be a snap shooter. Or an “Instinct Shooter,” if you prefer.
At normal distances, five to seven yards, if you can point at it with your finger, you can hit it snap shooting. And you can get your first hit while the conventionally trained pistol shooter is trying to get his feet set.
Learning to hit what you are shooting at is somewhat slower if you do it by yourself, but the recommended ammo is cheap.
Now – all that said, should you practice snap shooting to improve your competition scores? Well – that depends. Almost anyone can knock doves out of the air – or put attackers on the ground snap shooting. But only a few among us have the ability to make consistent 10′s or X’s on paper targets without using the sights.
If you are one of the extremely well coordinated few – you might clean a few plows that way. But for most competition shooters, conventional shooting styles have been tested over many years. And folks just like you have done the testing. Use the most popular style for the games you play – if you want to win.
But do learn to snap shoot as well, to win at the game of living.
Stranger
