Jump to content

Ever Try Shooting from the Hip?


Recommended Posts

i know this has been discussed before, but today i decided to try it...removed the butt stock, held the gun at my hip and tried shooting at a full size human targer approx 15-20 yards away....amazingly i was able to hit it on short bursts more than 1/2 the time...often every shot of the burst on target...my first burst hit and i figured it was just luck...but then the next 2 out of 3 also hit...not something id want to do any further distance, but in WW2 if coming up on the enemy fast this technique of blasting from the hip was probably pretty smart w/ some practice behind it...

 

ive seen guys shoot from the hip with 1911's at 25 yards and hit pie plate size targets at a range i belonged to....so you can train your body to shoot by feel....

 

wish i would have taped it....it was very interesting to try

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best "shoot from the hip" or more specific "shooting without the buttstock" is to center the rear of the Thompson receiver in your Solar Plexus where your ribcage joins your breastbone. Look over the barrel and you are pretty much dead on at 20 to 40 yards. Look back at the end of the 21 vs 28 tape we did with VSO gun channel. He does this at the end. He starts at the hip, then when I showed him how he should have done it, he did it again, and hit with almost the entire mag. Then then edited the two together. You can catch it and you can here the steel plate ringing. Its very accurate at 25 yards or so. Very fast shooting. Start around 10:55 later from the ground up you can see how the Thompson is centered in his body.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started hip shooting as a teenager,.22's, M1's, shotguns, etc. Now I show my grandsons and they love it. We use a 50 yd section of my range. After the first shot, just correct and blast away. My SA tommy and 50 rd drum is my youngest grandsons favorite.......................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hip shooting is a matter of practice. the key is correcting fire based on bullet impacts. I rarely fire the Thomson or any SMG using the sights, since most targets are under 75 or so yards.... I started as a kid to fired my Ruger 22 pistol so much there is no rifling left. I still have that old pistol . I bought that little plinker for $48 at coast to coast with lawn mowing money back in "the good old days" when I was 14. But anyway, hip shooting is a skill you just need to practice, an start at closer ranges . When I was in the Navy- we were taught to snap shoot at close ranges with an M16, using the top of the rear sight and the front post. Once you got the hang of that- point shooting at ranges under 50 yds was quick and effective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The real experts with the Thompson shot only from the hip. With very little practice short bursts will go where you're looking. This is true of any MG. Caliber .50 M2 HB on a flex mount against trucks at 1,200 yards? Piece of cake. Lean into the gun with the spade grips in your belly. Focus your entire attention on the target. Fire short bursts and adjust by slightly moving your feet and knees. Light up the night!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Open range I always shoot the Thompson's from the hip, gangster style. Same with the BAR but that's because it's to damn heavy to hold up. I do fairly well with the Thompson, especially when I'm lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is how it was taught at the tank destroyer school at Camp Hood, Texas during WWII. The Thompson demonstration is at 4:02.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After many years of shooting, and many years in the Air Force; I finally started to shoot my AR-15 and M-1 Thompson from the hip. It goes counter to all those years of aimed fire training. Having never fired an M-16 or any other weapons in anger; I did not like the idea of "shooting from the hip".

 

I have shot some SMG matches and hip shooting is part of the course of fire, very different. Was weird at first, now I practice it in 22LR with Merle's kit in my M-1 Thompson. Starting to become natural. My tendency is to shoot low at first, due to a desire to be safe and not overshoot the target.

 

What I have found is it is only good at extremely short ranges. Not certain it buys you much time versus shouldering the weapons, especially with short weapons like SMGs or M-16s. In the case of the BAR, goes back to the theory of "Marching Fire", a WW-I tactic. A belt fed MG-34 or 42, M-60, BAR, 1917 etc, where weapons weight is a significant issue hip shooting can be the only way to do it solo.

 

It is fun like a "Drum Dump", but after the first few times I find myself asking myself why? Aside from practices for SMG matches; aimed fire separates us from the uneducated; just like reason does from the apes. I can say the same thing about pistol shooting, aim and shot muscle memory. I practice to be an ethical rifle or archery hunter, I practice shotgun to be a bird hunter, I practice pistol, M-16/AR-15, W-II firearms and SMG to the tools of the trade and their place in history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the same thing. But it could have been pieced together also. I would not want to be those guys if it wasnt. I also wondered about his quick jump from position to position. Seems like not enough time to make a decision on friend or foe. Very neat video thought. Thanks for sharing.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...