I was taught, as a young Southern gentleman in training, that “Everybody gets first’s before seconds are served”. 
That’s just me though.
6 Likes
I’ve learned it as “failure to stop” drill. Mozambique gets people thinking they will need to fire three shots. That’s not actually the case. You’re simply trying to stop the threat. Continuing to shoot after stopping the threat gets you into legal trouble. But there’s been cases where the assailant is wearing a vest or just high on drugs and putting 2 or 3 shots in his chest doesn’t stop him. It’s a “failure to stop” the threat. In that case, you don’t really have any choice but to try and make a more precision shot to the head. I’ve heard some who will move to the pelvic region if the chest didn’t stop him. A pelvic hit will apparently result in a lot of blood loss and likely drop the guy to the ground which could give you opportunity to more easily flee the scene & call 911. I don’t know. I’ve always trained 1-3 shots to upper chest, depending on what you see, then if needed, a headshot.
3 Likes
Three guys just kidnapped your wife and they told you to scram before you get shot. Knowing you could do that would make you feel pretty good.
2 Likes
Mozambique or failure to stop sounds great but I just believe that there would be too much movement of the head to consistently hit it especially if the BG had been hit twice already. The pelvic region would be good to me except that will probably not stop them either. With average shooting distances being so short, I just can’t imagine anyone that can get off 2 shots to center mass and then have to aim for a head shot before he got to you. I think it would be great for it to work out, I’m just saying that I think hitting the head on the first shot is a lot easier than hitting it on the last shot.
3 Likes
Did that friends name start with FJB.
2 Likes
Brother, He’s NOT my Fiend (well he IS a fiend) and he’s NOT MY PRESIDENT.
3 Likes
One thing that stands out to me from this conversation is that it is important to do a variety of drills with various targeting and a various number of shots.
I don’t want to program myself through my training to always fire 1, 2, 3, 4 or however many shots when the situation I may end up facing some day requires more or less. There may also be situations where center mass and/or head shots are not optimal or even optional targets.
9 Likes
Add in ‘jams’ that need to be cleared or magazine changes that could possibly happen
6 Likes
THAT MY BROTHER IS WHY WE TRAIN!
M-U-S-C-L-E M-E-M-O-R-Y!
Because when that adrenaline kicks in you need to have
MANY Tools in your toolbox!. Preventing Freezer Burn!
Training keeps me from losing my sh!t! When the Enemy was @ the gate!
6 Likes
A pelvic hit is mainly a mobility stop. The pelvic girdle is just chock-a-block with lots of big bore arteries and skeletal structures that are needed for mobility. Not really a good place in the pelvis to take a round.
4 Likes
Ok. I’ve got 2 cents to spend here and here goes.
Our indoctrination through USCCA is always to shoot to stop the threat. Yet also through the USCCA teachings a quandary arises that a head shot is frowned upon as being a kill shot. We are not out to kill a threat but to stop a threat. Yet the most effective way to stop a threat is a head shot.
So we do a failure drill if needed when the threat in all likllihood would be stopped with one well placed shot.
We are taught to aim small and miss small. I argue that ANY shot to the head stops the threat or dramatically impairs said threat giving time for a second head shot when you realistically think about it.
We are taught to aim small and miss small. A head shot is not a unicorn, unrealistic to a defender. I have a real problem with this assessment. It is THE most effective way to stop an attacker period. Yet we are told it would be frowned upon in court if used? Are we out to save innocent lives or make a lawyer’s job easier in court, I beg the question?
I for one will take my chances! If the opportunity were necessary, and if ever it is ME OR MINE vs them? Head shot. Stop the threat before the alternative.
5 Likes
Kinda reminds me of my fed leo training: practice disabling your opponents using these strikes. You can’t use these other strikes we’re showing you because they are lethal and therefore illegal. Roger that.
As they say, better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
2 Likes
'NUFF SAID.
IF I didn’t take the HEAD SHOT I wouldn’t be here today.
I may have said this before here pardon me for repeating myself.
IF I didn’t take headshots on a dirty, filthy Air Field , Outnumbers @ least 4-to-1
My Family would have received 'the Letter; Maybe they’d get my body back (prolly not)
This is a free country, you do what you have to do
and I will the same. I don’t give a rat if it’s a Mall, Tarmac, Home Deport or Village Inn.
LEAD KNOWS NO Location.
It doesn’t THINK!
It goes where pointed, THAT’S IT!
You STOP THE THREAT ANYWAY possible as fast as possible
Exchanging shots will get you killed.
I’d rather be in Court than in the ground.
We can talk till the Cows die of old age but you’ll never convince me to
Bang away Center Mass if a head shot is available.
A Crim takes me because I’m following the rules (Scared what folks will think of me if I Saved my life and Innocents?) Might as well start digging.
‘If you get in a Gunfight you’re Tactic’s SUCK!’ --Mr. Ayoob.
‘If you are in a Gunfight, you can’t evade, take the bloody shot!’ (HEAD).—ME
WWG1WGA
9 Likes
Yessir!
2 Likes
Why did I turn my back on them?
1 Like
Where did you get that idea from??
Element of surprise. You would know that better than me. Your the one who turned your back on them.
My indoctrination papers must have gotten lost in the mail. I haven’t seen these mandates. Though I am a low tier member with very limited access to the USCCA training materials.
To me the strongest argument against head shots is that in many dynamic self defense situations that I am likely to be in, where I am moving and the threat is moving, head shots can be very hard to make. I am not the expertly trained and drilled combat hardened professional that some of you here are. On the few occasions that I have gotten to practice against moving targets I found it a challenge to keep the shots close to the center of center mass. More than a few of those shots would have missed the head completely had I tried for that target. I have also seen a few stories of people hit in the head or face and still being able to act. So the target for a guaranteed threat stop to the head is even smaller.
If someone has some drills that an average citizen like myself can afford to set up that makes hitting the head a high percentage shot then please do share! And I’m not talking about this drill where I get to calmly stand and fire at a static target. I would like to train to be able to do that on a moving target while moving myself with the adrenaline pumping off the charts. I think the circumstances where someone can pause long enough to take a well aimed head shot on a target that also pauses long enough are a very rare event for the average citizen. I do train for that just in case it does happen but from the self defense videos I have seen most confrontations seem to involve a lot of chaotic movement.
4 Likes
I can think of two Concealed Carry Magazine articles in particular. One, in Nov/Dec 2021 “rethinking your training”, talks about a headshot, mozambique, and pelvis shots.
Another one I can’t locate right away talked about possibly shooting someone in the head even after they are down but not out, on the ground but with a gun in hand still posing a threat.
3 Likes