Posted by
Schwing:
The rule of thumb I have always and still hear is 3 feet 3 rounds 3 seconds...
Yes, one does hear that from time to time.
The number of rounds can vary a great deal. And if you analyze it, you will find that if an attacker is moving at 15 feet per second, he would travel aroud eight feet between the first and third shot. On that basis, one should probably strive for a rate of fire approaching four rounds per second, assuming that one can achieve combat accuracy while doing so..
I asked Rob Pincus about the source of that phrase, and he more or less characterized it as folklore.
There are
some real data, however. The distance data from the incidents experienced by Rangemaster students indicate that around 85% of the incidents occurred within 15 feet, IIRC.
Here are some other relevant data.
....so I don't see a downside to being able to exceed that range by a factor of 15.
The question is not one of minutes of angle; rather, it is one of training in realistic situations, balancing speed and precision at likely distances. Shooting at a target at which you have planned to shoot, the location of which is known to you,
when you intend to shoot it, at a distance considerably farther away than you will likely have to shoot to defend yourself in the real world, can lead to training the wrong reactive and cognitive behavior.
Rob Pincus can explain that far better than I, and it takes more to do so than we have time for here. So, I
strongly recommend reading
Counter Ambush: The Science of Training for the Unexpected Defensive Shooting, by Rob Pincus.
I had the good fortune of being able to attend the Combat Focus Shooting course when the I. C. E. Personal Defense Network tour this year, and I recommend it highly.
But not everyone can do that. So, if you have access to a range with a three-sided berm, in which you can set up multiple targets and draw while moving, you can get the phone app and the study kit and try the drills yourself. You'll need a buddy. But do read the book first.
Be aware that it is
not about how to shoot well.