Point Shooting - Overview

Overview

Point shooting has been used and discussed since the early 19th century. It is detailed in Lieutenant Colonel Baron De Berenger's 1835 book on rifle and pistol shooting. The method employs the use of the index finger along the side of the gun to aim the gun, and the middle finger is used to pull the trigger. Mention of the use of the middle finger can be found in 11 books from the early 1900s up to 1912: 1804, 1810, 1816 1829 1835, 1885, 1898, 1900, 1900, 1908, 1912, 1912, and in many other military manuals on the M1911.

The US Army's first instructional manual on the use of the Model 1911 pistol specifically mentions it, but in a cautionary way due to the design of the slide stop. The slide stop pin protrudes out from the right side of the pistol, and if depressed when the gun is fired, the M1911 can jam. Here is the cautionary language found on page 12 of the first manual on the M1911 published by the US military, which recognizes that shooting that way was a known method of shooting:

"3. The trigger should be pulled with the forefinger. If the trigger is pulled with the second finger, the forefinger extending along the side of the receiver is apt to press against the projecting pin of the slide stop and cause a jam when the slide recoils."

That same cautionary language, or language that is very similar to it, is repeated in many other military manuals published from 1912 and up until the 1940's: 1915, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1941,

Several US Patents have drawings showing the method used with firerms: US Patent # 694969 issued Mar. 11, 1902,US Patent # 896099 issued Aug. 18, 1908, US Patent # 2270707 issued Jan. 20, 1942, US Patent # 5166459 issued Nov. 1992.

Early 20th century shooting experts such as William E. Fairbairn and Rex Applegate advocated point shooting, while many experts later in the century advocated the use of sights. Later sight-based methods include Jeff Cooper's Modern Technique method which became popular after World War II. The modern technique is also known as sight shooting.

The issue of using Sight Shooting, which employs the use of the sights for aiming in close quarters combat situations, versus Point Shooting, which does not rely on using the sights for aiming in close quarters combat situations, has been debated since as early as 1835.