Most firearms tactics and techniques tend to focus on having distance. Distance is your friend if you are a good shot and your opponent is not.
In the comments of Officer Created Jeopardy, Jerry reiterates this by mentioning the common error of officers getting too close to suspects with their firearm out.
But those tactics only work if the officer has knowledge of the suspect being armed before making an approach. In many cases, officers don’t have that information. The officer makes a routine contact with a person that eventually escalates into into a lethal encounter. At that point the suspect is usually within reach. There might even be a struggle over a gun. It is possible that the officer could have to take a contact shot.
Many officers haven’t been exposed to contact shot training though. A problem that can easily occur during contact shots is the slide can go out of battery from pushing the barrel against the suspect. This disengages the trigger and the gun won’t function.
Scott Lichtenberg, a police firearms instructor, explains a technique that resolves this issue in the short video below. The video has three parts:
- How to perform the technique
- How to teach the technique, and
- A live fire demonstration of it.
Slide Correction Technique Video
Slide Correction Technique from Spartan Cops on Vimeo.
What It Feels Like
When I first saw this technique, I was a little skeptical about it. Holding on to the slide of the gun was completely different than anything I had done before. It looked painful and dangerous. After trying it and then practicing it a few times, I realized it isn’t bad and doesn’t hurt. Holding the slide is comparable to holding a baseball bat when it hits a ball.
Final Thoughts
Officers may never need this technique but if they do being exposed to it and practicing it a few times at the range can make a critical difference in it’s effectiveness. Try it out and add another tool to your toolbox.
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excellent.
We trained and practiced with something similar. It’s definitely not instinctive after years of training a certain way. It’s great knowledge though and it’s nice to know if you ever need to do it, what to expect.
We were taught this technique(hand over slide)back in 2001 in GA.
Works with most semi’s, even 1911 style single actions.
Excellent vid by the way.