What’s the best shooting stance for a gunfight?
Would you rather be poor and blind or rich and a Kardashian? That’s really the same as asking, would you rather use a Weaver shooting stance in a gunfight or an Isosceles stance in a gunfight? The answer is both choices suck — or are, at the very least, less than ideal.
The reason is the choices you have are both unnatural and unreal. In a gunfight, especially at contact range, the thoughts running through your brain won’t be my feet need to be in this position and my shoulders at that angle and my arms bent to this degree but rather holy shit I need to shoot this crazy s.o.b. right now!!!
Consequently, your stance requires a lot less thought than your average Cabela’s gun-counter ninja tells you. All a “shooting stance” needs to do is position your body weight to control recoil and keep you mobile.
That last part is critical and something that few “experts” mention. Mobility. Chance are if you don’t move or can’t move when the bullets start flying you will be dead. Holding still during an engagement is by far the outlier, particularly when handguns are involved.
Here is the recipe for a “proper” stance: Stand up. Look at your target. Pretend it is going to punch you. Pull your gun out. Shoot. End of story.
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Isosceles is characterized by having your shoulders squared with your hips and feet.
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And your arms extended. It gets its name, unsurprisingly from the Isosceles triangle.
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A shooting stance is a learner’s permit while you’re learning to drive. That’s all. It gives you a baseline and a point of reference as you learn the real rules of the road.
I would encourage you to watch a video of a USPSA or IDPA pistol champion and tell me what stance he or she uses. Answer: None of the above. If he or she won the match, odds are pretty good that almost all of his or her shooting was done on the move.
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In a Weaver position, one foot is offset and the shoulders are bladed.
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Proponents of the Weaver like it because it presents less surface area to the attacker.
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The best advice I can give, don’t over think it. Project your weight slightly forward like a wrestler, and keep your feet in a spot that keeps you mobile. And as soon as you can, progress to shooting on the move.
Or you can just be a “big dog” and shoot one handed. After all, the origin of a “handgun” was a firearm that could be shot with one hand. On another note, the military taught one-handed shooting until the ’70s.
And in case you were wondering, all the shooting in this video was done with the SIG P320 X-Five. She’s one sweet piece! Word on the street is that NOW is the best time to buy one! Shop GunsAmerica to pick up yours today. You’ll love this gun!