Can you say ouch? That gives me the willies just thinking about it. 
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Iām no expert but have had some good training, both in person and video. As others have stated above, in a dynamic self defense situation there is going to be a lot of movement. Where your gun is pointed when you start to pull the trigger is unlikely to be exactly where it is pointing when you finish. So center mass gives you the best chance of making hits. But there are likely scenarios where center mass shots canāt or donāt work. If you donāt have a clear shot or have shot somebody several times in the chest and they are still coming at you, it may be time to try something else.
The vast majority of my practice is for center mass shots but I do occasionally practice head, hip, and even arm and leg shots. I want the first time I have to make any type of shot to be during practice and not when someoneās life is on the line!
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Itās called a āfailure drillā for a reason. 2 hits to the chest failed to stop the threat. Now what?
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The guy I train with frequently uses that drill. I believe it is predicated on the possibility that an attacker may be wearing body armor.
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Actually its not. As a former police officer, our training involved ā2 in the chest and 1 to the headā. It was a drill in which the subject was wearing body armor and after 2 chest shots the officerās assessment would be the subject was wearing body armor, so the head shot would put him down.
We ALWAYS did that drill because the amount of robberies wear the perp(s) were wearing body armor was dramatically increasing.
The LA bank robbery of 1997 comes to mind, were both perps were in body armor and also had the police outgunned with AK47s.
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Thatās interesting. I donāt recall body armor ever coming up in training, it was just based on the idea that some people donāt go down. Some shots to the chest wonāt stop an attacker, depending on the hit, especially if thereās a large amount of adrenaline or drugs involved. If the person is attacking you, then heās probably either already close or getting closer, making the head shot a more viable option after the 2 center mass shots.
But yeah, certainly body armor would be a reason why center mass shots may not work. Iāve never been hit wearing armor, but Iāve been told itās still no fun.
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Pelvisā¦
Once center mass failed, you want another big size, less movement object.
Are you able ti take responsibility for your bullet that will miss attackerās head?
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Iām guessing it might leave a mark.
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Weāre all responsible for every shot we take.
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Itās not pleasant but being able to complain about it is a doggone sight better than the other result. Iāve had to fill out paper on three sets of body armor and subjectively I will take a 5.56 hit 10 times before I take another 7.62X54R round.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Ringo also
The Mozambique Drill might be a bit difficult to explain in courtā¦ if you are to shoot until the threat ends, and if the first shot to the chest ends the threat, you might be held accountable for the follow up shots.
One officer was charged, for shooting the back of a supposedly retreating attackerā¦ until they closlely viewed his body cam, and saw the attacker was still aiming his shotgun behind him. It was a few years ago, so do not remember where, but they tried to say the officer shot him in the back, so he was retreatingā¦ but he was still aiming the shotgunā¦ the body cam saved the officerā¦ or he would have been convicted.
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If the bad guy has a rifle, assume he is wearing body armor, aiming at center of mass useless.
Regarding the statement that civilians are better trained than most LEOsā¦ I take it with a grain of salt. Yes, a civilian may perform better than an average cop on a range, but how often does a civilian confront a real hostile a-hole? It does impact self-defence performance. The closest training to this is MMA, and even then your opponent is friendly and doesnt attempt to mess up your face, let alone cause a more serious injury. An average officer subdues dozens if not hundreds of thugs or psychos, and develops psychological resilience in the face of confrontation. Correct me if I am wrong.
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Yes. I am responsible for every bullet put in the assailant. I donāt want to be responsible for missed shot, so again - I choose the part of the body I wonāt miss.
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Plus, the cost of hollow point ammunition right now would make sure I hit the hip, chest, etc. I would want the bullet back to reload itš¤£
Either way the threat will most likely succumb to COVID.
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Agreed. I would just say that Iām responsible for every shot I take. Hit or miss. If I donāt reasonably believe I can hit my target, Iād better not squeeze the trigger. Thatās reason enough to aim for center mass. If I were to take certain uninformed but popular advice and aim for the leg, Iād likely hit something I wasnāt aiming for. āBe sure of your target and what is behind it.ā
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I think center mass is still the way to go in a defensive shoot.
But for practice, I donāt just put up a silhouette and bang away at the x. I practice all sorts of shots, including head shots and the 2/1 drill you mention. I also have to shoot the OPOTA quals, which include a shot to either the hips or the head .
I think itās important to practice being able to hit where you aim, therefore I like to practice on as many different targets and shot strings as possible.
And remember if youāre ever in a real gunfight and the guy gets to cover, your ācenter massā shot is center of whatever target is available.
I applaud your recognition of āknowing your target and beyondā as rationale for a head shot.
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