Slicing the Pie

[mmckee1952]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

[eagleeyes]

i'll have to admit i was one of these persons ''Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it.''

until recently when i decided to seriously reconsider my protection, and i've seen some great you tubes about clearing houses and tactical training on home protection and all so i'm actively seeking all the tips and training i can get being some day soon i will be another concealed weapons carrier
i wish you all safe and able to protect yourselves if and when a situation rises.....

[Kalamity023]

Great instruction but I must disagree. The guy to bunker down and wait. Im going to make it clear that I am armed and not hesitant to use it. Although knowing how to clear a house is useful and something that is fun to do in drill or training, in real life it's dangerous and dumb.
3 things to keep by the bed. Flashlight, Gun, cellphone. The thing goes bump in the night 1st thing you pick up is the cell phone then the gun. call the police, then take cover or concealment with you and your family. Somewhere where you have an advantage over any attacker. Tell the police that you have a gun and where you are. Let them know to ID themselves when entering, leave the phone on with dispatch who can communicate between you and officers.
The police get paid to clear a house. You don't. Your duty is to protect your life and the life of your family, no possession is that important to go looking for a perp in your house.
I don't come from a state with a castle doctrine so this is my choice. I never want to put myself in an unknown situation that will further to endanger my life or the life of my family. There are enough prosecutors in the state of CT looking to label the guy who clears his house as John Wayne. Thats not needed when you have to defend yourself.

[Treo]

It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I stopped reading right there. Clearing your house alone is one of the easiest ways I can think of to get yourself killed.

Your home defense plan is of course dependant on the lay out of your home and your specific situation but ultimately I am not going to go sneaking through my dark house in the middle of the night looking for a bad guy.

All of the things in my home are insured for their replacement value so I’m going to do as Uncle Sugar taught me and set up an ambush and wait for the bad guy to walk into it. And if he never does I’ll let the cops fill out a report and put in for a new T.V. / Stereo/ DVD player / Tool set with the insurance company.

After all that’s what I pay those premiums for

In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I'd like to see a cite for that please. That I am aware of only one state (Texas) allows you to use deadly force to protect property.

[eagleeyes]

i've gone into my own house many times making sure nobody walked in whilst visiting a neighbor or mowing the yard as ya don't know if someone wandered in whilst you weren't watching........i've also gone to job sites and even my own empty rentals with caution as far as entering and making sure no one was hiding in the apartments buildings and even restaurants i've had to check up on when the alarm has gone off... i also check my vehicles back seat area and around before reentering it so it's not a bad idea to know how to clear your home or any other building or apt you may need to enter and yes if i heard something go bump in the night i'm not afraid to cautiously check to see what it is
but that's just me

[Treo]

i've gone into my own house many times making sure nobody walked in whilst visiting a neighbor or mowing the yard as ya don't know if someone wandered in whilst you weren't watching........i've also gone to job sites and even my own empty rentals with caution as far as entering and making sure no one was hiding in the apartments buildings and even restaurants i've had to check up on when the alarm has gone off... i also check my vehicles back seat area and around before reentering it so it's not a bad idea to know how to clear your home or any other building or apt you may need to enter and yes if i heard something go bump in the night i'm not afraid to cautiously check to see what it is
but that's just me

This is a post that is firmly rooted in ignorance. There is a huge difference between doing a walk through of a house to make sure it’s unoccupied and actually clearing a house that you know is occupied, especially when the occupant is hostile.

Why don’t you do that a time or two then you can tell us how it’s done

[Bttbbob]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

This is a bad tactic...........You need to be as close to the opposite wall when slicing the pie. Not the pivot wall. Otherwise someone could just reach over and disarm.

Besides clearing a house is not for those that are faint of heart or those that are untrained.............Call the police and stay in your safe room. Then you only have to defend 3 feet.......The doorway to your saferoom.

[SGB]

Originally Posted by mmckee1952
In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I'd like to see a cite for that please. That I am aware of only one state (Texas) allows you to use deadly force to protect property.

Don't see a mention of the use of lethal force in his post.

[GLADad]

That is a good tactic to find the BG. However, I have renters insurance, and document all of my valuable stuff. I don't think a TV or computer is worth dying or killing over. I will take a defensive position to keep my gun between the BG and my family, but I am not going to look for him. I'll just take advantage of the $20 a month I pay to protect my stuff, rather than thousands to hire a lawyer over a stupid TV.

[fudo]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

Captain cut and paste, umm....No. Your safest play is to hole up. armed, and call 911. You should be in a place where there is a controlled choke point at the entrance so you can easily protect from entrance of bad guys.