Why The Emphasis on Center Mass over Headshots?

[Little Creek]

Shooting a static target while standing still is much different than a moving target while moving. In my opinion, a better standard would be a head-box sized target inside of the center of mass area, with the understanding that groups open up when you are moving, and that they open up significantly when the target and you are both moving.

Amen brother. Don't rely on a one shot stop, either. IMHO, a one shot stop should only occur if one fails to seat their magazine.

[DocGKR]

Good advice.

[TheTrevor]

Doc, was there any loss of vision or other sensory impairment in the case you shared above?

Not the weirdest bullet-vs-head interaction I've ever heard of, but it's probably in the top 10. The incidents where a bullet hits just right and takes a ride around the inside of the skull without damaging the brain are pretty fascinating.

[David Armstrong]

Given that handguns are weaker weapons then long arms , we can set aside the common basura about "stopping power."

In my casual perusal of many after action reports, it seems the most decisive way to end a gunfight was a shot to the head or spine.Given that, why does the larger training community stress center of mass hits, then headshots?

Wouldn't the most logical setup be to aim for the head from the start, THEN take torso shots as the bad guy now begins to juke for cover or concealment? I do realize this is a tougher row to hoe training wise, but that's the whole point of effective training.

It is already hard enough to hit what you want in a serious social situation. CoM just improves the chance of getting a hit, any hit, which is usually what we need. Head shots sort of rank up there with "shoot the gun out of his hand" or "just shoot him in the leg" as a first choice. My $.02.

[DocGKR]

Was not my case, but it is not at all unusual. Few of the patient have any visual or other sensory impairment.

[45dotACP]

Was not my case, but it is not at all unusual. Few of the patient have any visual or other sensory impairment.

Precisely why I'm excited for ED clinical rotation...

[BillB]

A wise man once told me to aim "center mass on whatever you have to aim at"

Outside the square range the bad guys may not give you a full frontal target

[Chuck Haggard]

A wise man once told me to aim "center mass on whatever you have to aim at"

Outside the square range the bad guys may not give you a full frontal target

I teach our folks to shoot the "center of available mass" of whatever body part the bad guy gives them, as often as possible, until the either quit, fall over, or something better to shoot at becomes available.

[rsa-otc]

I teach our folks to shoot the "center of available mass" of whatever body part the bad guy gives them, as often as possible, until the either quit, fall over, or something better to shoot at becomes available.

Ditto.

[jetfire]

I teach our folks to shoot the "center of available mass" of whatever body part the bad guy gives them, as often as possible, until the either quit, fall over, or something better to shoot at becomes available.

That same advice has been presented in a couple of training classes I've been to. The line was "if someone is shooting at you, and you can hit them somewhere in the meat, take the shot. Maybe you'll get a more important piece of meat to shoot at next."