I see this in the movies all the time now. characters holding the gun sidways. Even some of the characters that are cops are doing it now. Is this an accurate way to fire a gun? or is it just to look cool?
Just for looks.
It’s to look cool.
Here’s a fairly standard set of drills for stressfire shooting, and you’ll notice that no-one’s trying to hold the pistol sideways. If you ever try it at a range (I was bored and I’d watched a John Woo movie a few nights before) you’ll find it really decreases accuracy
In my experience, its just a “style” thing, assuming you can really call this “gangsta” motif a style. With that in mind however, for just blazing away at a target at close range (and not caring where your misses go) it’s probably as good as firing the correct way. Obviously if you needed to use the sights on the pistol you’d be out of luck.
I tried an experiment once with firing this way to see if it had any effect at all. The first thing I discovered is that it hurts my hand and arm. This could be just because I’m not used to using a pistol that way, but I think the extra twisting of the arm and wrist might also have something to do with it. I just know it made my hand and elbow sore after only one clip. Also, since I was doing slow fire, and I was unable to use the sights, I wasn’t hitting my target very well either.
I had to stop my test though, because somebody else came on the range and I didn’t want to look as stupid as I suspected I did right then.
Yeah - this thread has been done before but I can’t seem to find it. The general consensus was it is done because everyone sees it in movies. Believe me if you try to shoot like this at a range everyone will move away from you because they are scared (not because you are a gangster but because you are an obvious novice and possibly unsafe).
I had heard (and I got nothing to back it up) that this style was actually started deliberately by the LAPD. They encouraged Hollywood to portray cool people and Gangsta shooting a gun this way.
There’s two purposes. 1. You can’t shoot worth a shit that way. 2. If you’re using an automatic there’s a good chance the hot ejected brass is gonna hit you in the face after the first shot.
So, trying to get criminals to think it’s cool to shoot like that is done on purpose to make them incompetant and self-defeating.
It also seems that the safest place to be when one of these gang-bangin homeboys is shooting is right in front of them. It’s always the little kids 2 blocks away and the gramma’s 2 streets over that catch the rounds from these no-firing fools. The Army taught us a little mantra:
**Breathe
Relax
Aim
Squeeze **
Try it! It works for other situations besides firing a gun! Good for ketchup bottles, peeing in the dark, etc… 
Apropos of nothing in particular:
The first movie where I saw this rather absurd style of shooting was The Firm, where Tobin Bell shoots Gary Busey. That was 1993. Anyone know which movie started the trend?
Rush is what I heard.
In fairness to fighting ignorance, the range that is usually portrayed with this style of shooting would negate any accuracy issues. My guess would be it’s a movie thing, but I, and I’m betting any other poster here, do not hang out with drug dealers and assassins so it’s all WAGing.
Concerning accuracy, the angle of a projectile fired from a gun is up. Gravity then brings it back down to the intended target. So there are two times in a bullet’s flight that the target is ‘on’. Obviously turning a gun sideways will dramatically alter is accuracy. Hunters who site their rifles on level groung are often surprised that they miss their shots when firing from an elevated position (tree blind).
But if a guy (or girl) walked up to me, Baretta sideways, stuck it in my face and demanded money it’s a safe bet they would walk away a little richer.
I agree that people only do this to “look cool.” It’s a Hollywoodism as much as anything else. I also agree that if you actually shot this way, you probably would get hot casings being ejected right near your face. In short, it’s not a great idea.
However, I don’t agree it’s impossible to shoot this way. It’s very, very hard, for sure. You have to unlearn your normal aiming. You have to line up the front sight and rear sight along a vertical line through the center of the target, instead of through a horizonal line like usual. It’s much harder than normal aiming. But it can be done. I’ve never tried to shoot a real gun that way (though I will next time I go shooting), but I’ve practiced with my Playstation’s light gun, and it works. Your accuracy totally sucks, but it works.
As for the origin of the practice, I think I once heard someone say that The Massad (the Iranian special police?) were taught to shoot that way so they could shoot from behind their riot shields - which have a horizontal eye slots. It’s as good a theory as any other one I’ve heard…
-Ben
Warmgun, trajectory isn’t an issue at close handgun ranges so is a moot point. Holding a handgun sideways causes it to recoil sideways, not up, because that’s where the reactive force vector is relative to your hand and wrist. It wouldn’t be impossible to hit a target this way but you’d need sights calibrated to the new recoil direction. FWIW the coach at my gun club has been known to demonstrate a 1911 upside down, pulling the trigger with his little finger.
I can’t find the link right now but a guy made a phony ad for a “homeboy” Glock with the sights on the right side of the slide. Several media outlets and law enforcement agencies didn’t see it for the absurd joke it was.
Massad Acually Israelli I think.
From what I see on TV (it must be true!) they are some pretty tough hombres.
Mmmmm the Mossad is the Isreali intelligence agency. I doubt they would be out squatting behind riot shields. The Iranian Secret Police were called Savak and they were the types who would be out shooting from behind riot shields.
In the army, we had to learn to fire our weapons while holding them sideways. I had forgotten about this: when wearing the M-17A gas mask, you can’t tuck your head in behind the sights on the M16. You had to hold the weapon high and sideways to sight. Very uncomfortable but with practice you can hit what you aim at.
It was at birdman.org. It would appear they are no longer online.
I have a copy of the add, I will up it to http:\www.texasblues.net\old\ad.jpg
They also had a ad for a pistol version of the Barret .50 cal sniper rifle, supposedly for building entry. They had too much timeon thier hands.
From Padeye:
“FWIW the coach at my gun club has been known to demonstrate a 1911 upside down, pulling the trigger with his little finger.”
One of the nice things about the 1911 is that it is one of the few designs which can be fired from any position–the round is controlled thoughout the feed cycle by the magazine lips, the extractor, and the chamber. Other autopistol designs without this little bit of brilliance tend to have feed failures or stovepipe jams if held sideways.
Sorry for the hijack, but my fondness for 1911s is the source of my username.
45ACP
This was the subject of a very bad joke with the punch line being:
“That’s the way it came out of the box.”
::ducks and runs::
I have heard John Woo as being credited with inventing this technique, and it’s certainly abundant in his films, particularly the older Hong Kong stuff.
The rationale: The gun obscures less of the actor’s face.
No, it is not an accepted combat/stress fire shooting technique.
** Padeye ** You wouldn’t happen to be talking about Pat from Phoenix Rod and Gun would you? That old coot is disgustingly good. He’s one of those neat embodiments of “He can beat you with hissn, and he can beat you with your’n.”
I haven’t been out there in WAY too long.
ROFL, yes I’m talking about everyone’s favorite retired, arthritic alcoholic (his words). Yeah, he’s a character and he’s made me a better shooter. I’m a member down there because it’s the only range where they allow you to draw from leather at the main range. Are you going to make it to Copeland’s Saturday? Hope to see you there.
Level and clear, level and clear, ignore the wobble