The Gun Counter

Skill Set: Moving Targets
by Tiger McKee


Fights are dynamic and fluid, and most of the participants, at least in the opening moves of the conflict, are mobile. Both good and bad guys know that if you're not moving then you're a stationary target standing out in the open. This is a bad place to be in a fight. Armed with this knowledge, it makes sense to learn how to shoot moving targets.

For engaging moving targets there are two techniques - tracking and ambush. When tracking you obtain a sight picture on the target and follow it, pressing smoothly on the trigger to fire your shot(s). Make sure to follow through after the shot breaks, continuing to track the target. This is important for making multiple and accurate hits. If you stop tracking as the shot fires you'll shoot behind the target, and if you come off target, but have to re-engage, you've lost valuable time. So I track, press the trigger, recover from the recoil while continuing to track, obtain another sight picture and reset the trigger in preparation of firing again. This is the method I prefer, especially at the distance where most fights take place.

With the ambush technique you pick a spot you think the target will be moving into, and as the target moves into position press off your shot. The problem with using the ambush method, especially at close range where most confrontations take place, is that it consumes more time and the target may not arrive at the point you think they will. People are funny, and sometimes they don't do what you expect them to, especially during a fight. For shooting moving targets at extended distances the ambush method works really well because you can pretty much predict the target's path of travel, and it can be difficult to track at longer distances.

One common tendency when tracking or ambushing is applying too much lead on the target. At the range most fights take place the speed of the bullet and the target won't require any lead. For tracking hold center and press. For ambushing I tend to press off the shot as the edge of the target bumps the sight. By the time I press the trigger and the bullet exits the barrel the target is in position to take a hit. As the distances increase, or the target moves quicker, you'll have to figure out what lead you'll need to use. And everyone's lead distance will be different because of the time it takes the brain to say shoot, you press the trigger, and the bullet exits the barrel.

The practice for fighting you need to be shooting on moving targets, while you are moving, and using cover whenever possible. After that's working well then it's time to throw a few no-shoot targets into the mix. Now you'll start to get an idea of what a fight looks like. Standing stationary and shooting tight groups ain't gonna cut it, so get creative, even with airsoft, and learn how to hit the threat.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org