Double Taps

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I actually think I'm on to something here. A shortcut to learn how to deliver hammers effectively.

How did you get that chainsaw sound on the slo mo clips?
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That's magazine, not a clip! Oh wait, wrong thread....
 
Nice video, KB. It makes me want to dust off my old BHP. Snaps right back on target every time.
 
KodiakBeer said:
I actually think I'm on to something here. A shortcut to learn how to deliver hammers effectively.
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I thought you were just showing what a good time you had while shooting.

I can't tell if you are being facetious. Since you used the term Double Taps in the thread title, I thought you were just poking fun at folks who actually try to do that.

Now that you are referring to hammers, I gather you meant this as a demonstration of something new to you that and you are trying to show it's effectiveness.

Yes that is how we teach shooting Controlled Pairs or Hammers. It is two completely separate sight pictures and shots. You let the sights return to target and allow the appearance of the aligned sights on the target cue the completion of you trigger press. I learned the technique back when we were still shooting revolvers. The only difference with revolvers is that the trigger stroke is racing the sights back to the target...the trigger stroke doesn't wait for the movement of the sights
 
Yes that is how we teach shooting Controlled Pairs or Hammers. It is two completely separate sight pictures and shots.
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What's different is that I'm using one sight picture for two shots. I'm not using the old technique.

I'm using grip tension to control where the muzzle falls. You keep adjusting your grip tension on single shots until the muzzle falls back to the original point of aim. Then practice doubles until you've ingrained that grip tension into muscle memory.

I can do this much faster than I can double using the sights for the second shot. It's just a neat trick that I happened on, that at least doubles the speed I can deliver the pairs. The terminology of hammers, controlled pairs and double taps are almost meaningless as far as I'm concerned. Call them what you will - the faster you can deliver them, the better. And this is much quicker than indexing the sites for each shot.

I'm sure it's nothing new. But it's different than the standard teaching on the subject. I used the sights for years and was never particularly fast. This technique is like lightning - watch the last clip of the pumpkins and note how quickly the shots are hitting them.

I'm not a gun guru, though I do play one on YouTube... It's all good fun, but at the same time it's a neat little trick to learn.
 
until the muzzle falls back to the original point of aim
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I can do this much faster than I can double using the sights for the second shot
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Are you saying, you aren't seeing the sights for the 2nd shot?
Then how do you know the muzzle as fallen back to the original point of aim?

The technique I've taught is to hold the gun in a neutral grip and allowing the gun to return to the original point of aim by seeing the sights return before shooting the next shot...I'm not controlling the muzzle fall at all, it just returns because of the even grip and body positioning. This technique is good for 4-5 shots per second, inside 6", at 5-7 yards, after a 3 day class. With a little practice, you should be able to be shooting at a pace of 5-6 rounds per second with the same accuracy. Your save time by resetting the trigger and preparing to press off the next shot while the gun is in recoil.
 
It is two completely separate sight pictures and shots.
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I've always followed this instruction. It may be quicker to just jerk the trigger again when you THINK the muzzle has returned to the original point of aim, but I think that is a shortcut to something that I don't want to take the shortcut to. I can pull off a quicker second shot if I don't take that second sight picture, but I'd rather get better and better at tracking the sights back onto target. IMO, it is a choice between doing things quick, or doing things right. YMMV
 
Are you saying, you aren't seeing the sights for the 2nd shot?
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No, I'm pulling the trigger before I can consciously look down the sights.

Then how do you know the muzzle as fallen back to the original point of aim?
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By hammering old barrel tops until it's become automatic. I've put two thousand rounds through this pistol in the last 2 months or so. It's just muscle memory, or "Zen" as somebody called it elsewhere. The metal gives me an audible thump that lets me know I'm within that 30' (?) circle. After some practice, I was able to keep the shots within about 6' in the center of that circle. What I'm seeing is a vertical dispersion of perhaps 6" at ten yards. There's very little lateral dispersion. Plenty good enough for COM combat shooting.

I've used the sights for years and wasn't particularly fast, though I was certainly a bit more accurate.

The squashed frozen pumpkin (8 inches high?) at the end of the video was at about 5 yards and you can see I was able to keep all the shots on it, no matter how fast I shot. I'd never be able to do that, at that speed, using the old technique - and believe me, I've tried!
 
CoRoMo said:
IMO, it is a choice between doing things quick, or doing things right. YMMV
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It came from a time when top tier shooters believed that if they held a gun with enough force/pressure, they could hold it down in recoil. The Double Tap was originally conceived as triggering two shots off of one sight picture...with the first shot hitting COM and the other in the high chest area. That is why they introduced the terms Hammer (to hammer that target as fast as you could get another sight picture) and Controlled Pairs (starting with the intent to fire two shots as fast as you could get a sight picture)...but the term Double Taps has hung on over time with most folks not even knowing the original meaning...much like the Press Check
 
IMO, it is a choice between doing things quick, or doing things right. YMMV
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There's no "wrong" if you're hitting the target, and doing it faster.

In the real world, it would hardly matter if your shots were 1/5th of second further apart. Let's just it call it "gun fun".
 
It came from a time when top tier shooters believed that if they held a gun with enough force/pressure, they could hold it down in recoil. The Double Tap was originally conceived as triggering two shots off of one sight picture...
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Those guys must have been much manlier than me! Or, maybe they just didn't have slo-mo photography?
 
I'm pulling the trigger before I can consciously look down the sights.
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We're not that far apart in technique...I'm just letting my subconscious see the sights without have to look at them. It takes a little work, but a lot less ammo...you develop the ability through dryfire.

Looking at Nothing, Seeing Everything...Brian Enos talks about it in Practical Shooting : Beyond Fundamentals
 
In re-watching the video, I can see that I don't clearly articulate that I'm not using the sights for that second shot.

I'm going to re-do this when I get some good weather; taking what I've learned from comments here and on .US and showing this with better camera angles (pointed down range) and clearer commentary.
 
I'd like to see it done with a timer to see what the splits are.

What happens when you shoot a different ammo or gun?
 
I'm using just 115 grain ball from several manufacturers, in a Hi Power.

I've tried it with my 1911, and didn't get great results, but then I've been concentrating on this Hi Power for several months. I'm sure it would work just as well with a .45, but it will require a lot of shooting to get there. Not sure if I could transition easily back and forth from guns with varying recoil levels... Time will tell.
 
KB, Thank you ! You have revived my interest in my HP. I will be taking it to the range soon. And likely buying some new magazines for it.
 
What's different is that I'm using one sight picture for two shots. I'm not using the old technique.
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Then it's not a "Double Tap."

No, I'm pulling the trigger before I can consciously look down the sights.
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There is a word for folks that shoot like that: D-Class
 
I thought double-tap was the minimum pub hardware needed to satisfy a thirsty KodiakBeer.
 
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