Double Taps

[johioss]

Ok so quick question for you all you long-time tactical shooters and CCW guys. I've shot guns for sporting purposes for a long time but never trained with them for defensive purposes. I would like any advice you have to give on training to shoot in tactical situations. Specifically double taps and how to keep the second shot quick and still on target. Thoughts?

(Oh and FYI, the range I shoot at is run by the parks dept. and is monitored so I can't simulate alot things with live fire)

[HK4U]

If you train over and over to shoot Dbl taps in a real sitution when your life is on the line you may shoot twice and stop. I train to keep shooting until I am empty and have nothing else to shoot or the threat is no longer.

[PascalFleischman]

Originally Posted by johioss

Ok so quick question for you all you long-time tactical shooters and CCW guys. I've shot guns for sporting purposes for a long time but never trained with them for defensive purposes. I would like any advice you have to give on training to shoot in tactical situations. Specifically double taps and how to keep the second shot quick and still on target. Thoughts?

(Oh and FYI, the range I shoot at is run by the parks dept. and is monitored so I can't simulate alot things with live fire)

I can't draw & fire at my range, either. However, I do simulate a draw by holding the gun by my side as if I am drawing. Then I come up & double-tap. Hit the decocker, and run through about 6 magazines doing that. At the house, MAKE SURE YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED, and practice drawing & dry firing at a mirror.

[Jay]

You're talking about two separate actions that can be mastered independently , and then melded together........

1. Draw and presentation..... obviously unload the firearm, and use the firearm, holster, and belt you will be using all the time. Start slowly..... uncomfortably slow..... speed will come with repetition.

2. The actual double-tap.......

fire one round and slowly return the firearm to the position that replicates the original sight picture........ second shot. No more than one mag or cylinder full at a time. Your arms usually aren't used to being held out there very long. As I said, don't get in a hurry with the second shot. Speed will come with repetition.

and..... when/if you change holsters, or firearms, you get to start all over again....... your muscle memory doesn't like new wrinkles....... :icon_wink:

Video.........

YouTube - How to shoot a "double...

[whiptrackercracker]

Double taps take a while to get controlled enought to have two solid hits close to each other and fast. I started out with two controlled pairs...

With two controlled pairs you grab a sight picture, ie everything lined up with focus on the front sight the target and back sights fuzzy, you then take your shot withy typical trigger control. As the slide has completed is cylce and has come back into battery your finger should, while with contact of the trigger, move enough forward to reset the trigger. You then resight you picture and take the second shot. I would practice this until you get fairly fast with it. There is always some argument over targeting with a double tap.

The two classes of thought deal with either no sight picture on the second shot or a flash sight picture. With the first, you sight up with the first shot then follow through with second shot as soon as the gun comes back to rest. You'll find that after lots of practice with controlled pairs this actually with get you fairly accurate with your shots. However, I found it best to follow the second which is a flash sight picture. As your gun retruns down after the first shot, you start your squeeze towards break focusing only on the front sight overshadowing the target and back sights. With practice the two shots come quickly and fairly accurate. I'm no wizard at it, but this is what got me better at dbl taps. :)

Originally Posted by whiptrackercracker

Double taps take a while to get controlled enought to have two solid hits close to each other and fast. I started out with two controlled pairs...

With two controlled pairs you grab a sight picture, ie everything lined up with focus on the front sight the target and back sights fuzzy, you then take your shot withy typical trigger control. As the slide has completed is cylce and has come back into battery your finger should, while with contact of the trigger, move enough forward to reset the trigger. You then resight you picture and take the second shot. I would practice this until you get fairly fast with it. There is always some argument over targeting with a double tap.

The two classes of thought deal with either no sight picture on the second shot or a flash sight picture. With the first, you sight up with the first shot then follow through with second shot as soon as the gun comes back to rest. You'll find that after lots of practice with controlled pairs this actually with get you fairly accurate with your shots. However, I found it best to follow the second which is a flash sight picture. As your gun retruns down after the first shot, you start your squeeze towards break focusing only on the front sight overshadowing the target and back sights. With practice the two shots come quickly and fairly accurate. I'm no wizard at it, but this is what got me better at dbl taps. :)

+1

there's "controlled pairs"; two sight pictures, two shots
and "double taps" or "hammer pairs"; one sight picture, two shots

the key to accurate "doubles", after you've mastered the basics, is grip strength. The benefit of a properly executed double tap is extraordinary.

Shot placement of the first round is critical. Having the impact of the second shot be five inches from the first is more beneficial than having it next to the first.

Stopping power is the result of hydrostasis in the body; Imagine a cone-shaped shockwave vortexing through the body. A subsequent shot in the same place,in effect, just reams the original damage channel. A second GSW 4-5 inches from the original seals the deal, assuming a JHP in .380 and up.

Start from a low ready. Squeeze the grip as hard as you can while still retaining control. Raise up and let two loose. Search and assess. Return to low ready. Repeat as needed.


keep thumbs down! not like my pic

[johioss]

Thanks guys! Something to work on at the range!

[whiptrackercracker]

Thanks Echo_5 there is always someone out there who explains it better!!! :)

[David E]

With all due respect, the terms seem to be confused.

A "double tap" does not involve only one sight picture. There is the first one and the second "flash" sight picture. This is to confirm the sights are where you think they are, not to adjust them for the second shot. That would be more of a "controlled pair."

A "Hammer" is the only technique where one sight picture is used for two shots.

Gripping the gun "as hard as you can" is contrary to what the top shooters do.

The key to good, accurate double taps isn't how hard you grip the gun, but how well and how fast your technique allows the gun to return to the same place it was when you fired the first shot.

.

[whiptrackercracker]

Like I said earlier, "There is always some argument over targeting with a double tap." I've seen the terms applied the way echo_5 said and also the way David E said. I've have people whose best approach to double taps is a hard grip, some it was perfect trigger control, others perfect breathing technique. As with all shooting, you should have a bit of everything, but one technique or way of shooting works better for one than another. My advice would be to try various methods and not stick to a single one until you find one that works personally for YOU. Just my 8 and half cents. :)