Cutting Edge Training

"Your mindset governs your fight, defining and limiting your options in winning this fight."  The Author 

Every shooter would like to have some distance from a person who is an imminent threat to his or her life, and, if we get to have a wish list, add to that list cover (something that stops bullets or the effects of bullets*), a ballistic vest and helmet, and couple of armed friends who are willing to shoot the other guy.  But reality intrudes.  Gunfights are often sudden, unexpected, and way too close.  Statistics show that 50% of police officers who are murdered are shot by the suspect within 0-3 feet.  We also know that up to one-third of all police shootings occur during or just following a physical fight.  Most non-military shootings are within talking distance—often within touching or contact-distances—and only rarely beyond rock throwing distances (rock throwing distance is where you can consistently hit his body by throwing a rock).

While shooting at any distance beyond touching-range with a handgun, regardless of the method used, your arms are likely to be extended, holding the pistol (or revolver) at eye level.  This presents a problem when the Threat (the person you reasonably perceive is creating an imminent threat to life or safety) is within touching distance or is actually attached to you (you are holding on to him, or he is holding on to you while shooting or stabbing you).  Extending your handgun at a Threat within touching distance may result in an “aware offender” grabbing your handgun, deflecting the muzzle while shooting you with his handgun or stabbing you with his knife, or giving him the opportunity to disarm you.

Recognizing the reality of close range gunfights, the “Combat Tuck” was developed decades ago to solve the problem.  The Combat Tuck is offered as a method of retaining your weapon at close range while still permitting you to fire and hit the Threat.  The handgun already in your hand is pulled tightly to your side at rib level, the muzzle directed at the Threat.  The handgun is also rotated out so that the slide or cylinder is not obstructed by your clothing during its operation.  It is supposed to solve the problem of being too close to the Threat for normal extension of the arms and still be able to hit the Threat who really needs to be shot.

Before going on, it must be said that introducing a firearm into an ECQ (Extreme Close Quarters) environment is hazardous.  Hands—and therefore, handguns—move faster than the human brain can orient and react to.  As such, any ECQ fight is dangerous, and when a deadly weapon is introduced, it is often lethal.

Problems with the Combat Tuck

There are many practical problems with employing the Combat Tuck, the most important being inefficient targeting and a low probability of hitting the Threat in this incredibly dangerous situation.  The Combat Tuck is “position dependent.”  If the body is correctly positioned like it was in training, and if the handgun is held in the same anchor point on the body as it was in training, and if the wrist is locked exactly with the master grip identical to the range environment, then it is possible to get consistent hits on target employing the Combat Tuck.  However, if anything is different—the body is not exactly positioned correctly or the handgun is held an inch too far forward or too far back, the wrist is not locked exactly right, or the master grip is not achieved, the bullet(s) misses the Threat, and you are seriously injured or murdered as a result.

Combat Tuck advocates will often discount this argument saying, “You’re too close to miss.”  Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.  A person who is one to three feet from you is an incredibly big target and really easy to hit on the range.  At the live-fire range, the only danger is shooting yourself and not the paper target.  It is a place where you choose the time, rate of fire, and the distance at which you are firing.  You may consistently position yourself in an optimal manner.  Training is nice because you can work out all kinds of problems before you perform perfectly because there is no consequence for failure other than missing a paper target.

This is generally not the case when you are forced to shoot another person.  In this instance, the Threat chooses the circumstances, the distance, and when the shooting takes place.  You are very certain that if you don’t change this equation immediately, you will be shot and possibly killed.  Typically in this situation:

• You are surprised that this has changed from a verbal conflict or maybe a physical struggle to a deadly force response, or you are surprised someone so close to you suddenly has a handgun in his hand, or somehow produced a weapon “out of nowhere.”
• You are late to respond to his sudden introduction of a deadly weapon into the fight, and this feeling of being late compounds your fear and frustration in getting your weapon on-target on-time.
• You know you want to shoot him but don’t want him to divert your weapon, or worse, take it from you.
• You are uncomfortable being this close to him.
• You are being hit by muzzle blast at close range whether or not you are being punctured by bullets.

The reality as experienced by human beings in this type of shooting is that it is incredibly common to miss at moderate distances (3% of NYPD police bullets hit at 8 yards or farther in gunfights), and only four out of ten NYPD bullets hit at zero to two yards (that’s zero to six feet!).  The reason?  SOMEONE IS SHOOTING YOU AND YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT OTHER THAN YOUR BODY POSITION, THE ANCHOR POINT OF YOUR HANDGUN, YOUR WRIST BEING LOCKED, AND YOUR MASTER GRIP.  You might be moving, dodging the Threat’s muzzle as you are frantically pressing the trigger with the bore axis of your weapon pointing who-knows-where.  You might be getting pushed and shoved by the Threat who is also desperately trying to shoot you down or stab you.  The bottom line is that a gunfight is wholly different than range training where the only commonality between the two activities is that a firearm is being used to hit a desired target.  Mentally and physically, you will undergo an entirely distinct experience when shooting another human being while being shot at as opposed to spending a day at the range.  The Combat Tuck, dependent as it is upon replicating the exact body positioning and anchor point of the gun-hand and wrist lock and master grip cannot reliably be counted on during a shooting to save your life.

Practically, the muzzle is the most dangerous part of any firearm; it is, after all, the business end from which the bullet and muzzle blast originate.  In any ECQ event where a firearm is produced, training dictates to “Charge a gun, flee a knife.”  At close ranges, it is safest to get into touching distance and divert the muzzle of a firearm rather than to flee (flight permits the gunman to shoot you down at his leisure).  A knife, on the other hand, is relative harmless to you at distance, but often lethal at close range.

This Gun/Knife Formula is not unknown to offenders.  The Combat Tuck also presents a danger to you if you are up against a “prepared offender” who is switched on and well-versed in combatives—something you cannot count on avoiding in these days of Mixed Martial Arts training within the criminal community.  The need to divert that muzzle is an imperative, and if his hand can slap or otherwise move the muzzle away from his body parts, the firearm is incapable of injuring him.  So if the Threat quickly strikes the weapon, he will not be shot.  The smartest direction (for him) to strike or shove that muzzle is into your belly (and if you are right-handed, into your liver—and livers don’t react well to being shot).

Having your weapon’s muzzle shoved into your abdomen in the middle of a ECQ gunfight is extremely problematic to your survival.  If you are firing or have decided to shoot, the motor centers of your brain sends a command in the form of a motor program to your trigger finger to “press the trigger.”  Once that command is sent, it takes approximately 0.2 seconds for the neural impulse to travel from your brain to your finger.  Unfortunately, that motor program is irreversible—once the trigger finger is told to “fire,” it cannot be stopped from firing despite what you are able to see, think, or decide to the contrary.  So you may decide to fire just as the Threat slaps the muzzle of your handgun, shoving it into your belly.  You may actually have the time to realize what is about to happen, and even to watch it as you shoot yourself in the liver with a contact shot—probably ending the fight for you.

Solving This Very Real ECQ Problem

The Threat has to be stopped quickly and surely in any gunfight, and in no gunfight experience is it more true than in an ECQ event.  Note that I did not say, “The Threat has to be ‘killed’ quickly…”  Ending the threat of the shooter is not necessarily synonymous with killing the individual.  If the subject dies as a result of his wounds, that was his choice, his responsibility, and his culpability for engaging in life-threatening assault and behaviors.  What will best save your life (or that of another you are assisting) will be for the Threat to cease all activities that may result in your murder or serious physical injury.  This is an important mindset to actively and completely accept, for it changes all possibilities and creates a flexibility of action—and especially targeting—that is not available if you are solely attempting to kill the Threat.

Your mindset governs your fight, defining and limiting your options in winning this fight.  If you are focusing solely on shooting “center mass” and “head shots” then you will only press the trigger when the weapon is pointed at these targets--and perhaps only when aiming at the center of these targets where hits at the range are judged according to their proximity to the center of the target.  In an ECQ fight, holding your fire until you get that opportunity may mean you wait for the rest of your life and never get the shot.  Change your targeting plan.  A functional combatives mindset, while remaining open to the possibility of hitting him in the upper thoracic region and head, recognizes the shooting of any target on his body sooner rather than later will likely move you forward in stopping this fight. This is especially true when shooting him multiple times in a body part that he cannot easily defend before hitting multiple times in a more significant body part.

The targeting of the Threat’s body should include any weight bearing bone or bone of any limb combined with high vascularity (large blood vessels, arteries, or nerve plexuses).  The weapon is fired quickly the moment you perceive it is on target, even before it is close to the body.  As soon as you perceive the weapon is aligned with the target, rapidly fire at it until the Threat begins to fall or move.  At that point, the weapon is transferred to a target closer to the torso, or perhaps even center mass or head if the situation still calls for it.  If you reasonably perceive him to be an imminent threat to human life or safety, you are permitted to shoot until you reasonably perceive he is no longer an imminent threat.  Just because he took three or even five rounds to the knee, for example, does not mean that he will not hit the ground and continue to shoot or stab from there.  Commonly targeted areas include:

• Axilla (armpit).
• Femoral triangle.
• Supraclavicular triangle (above the clavicle, or collarbone, at the base of the neck).
• Any part of the spine (if firing at his back while moving from his flank to his rear).
• Any joint:  knee, ankle, elbow, wrist, etc.
• Any bone.

Your job is to fight with the handgun, not just shoot him.  How to stop the Threat involves hitting him (or her) with your bullets in a manner that stops him from continuing to shoot at you.  This involves one of two, or both of the following strategies.

 

Movement as a Survival Priority

At conversational distances (zero to eight steps away from the Threat), sudden movement is your highest survival priority.  At the very moment you believe you even might have to respond to an imminent threat, move.  Thousands of years of combat have proven repeatedly that it is safer and more effective to attack an enemy’s flanks and rear than it is to engage him frontally.  Suddenly moving at an angle to the Threat’s side creates momentary confusion as well as difficulty in tracking and hitting you.

The movement occurs instantly upon the first orientation to possible deadly imminent threat behavior.  Move to the Threat’s flanks while drawing your weapon.  It is better to make shoot/no-shoot decisions from the Threat’s flank or behind him than standing directly in front of him wondering what he’s pulling out of his pocket or waistband. 

• If his action or behavior constitutes an imminent deadly threat, continuing to move to his flank or back while firing into him increases the chances of winning the fight while decreasing the likelihood of your being injured. 

• If you perceive it is not a shooting situation, you are still at an advantage because the subject must reorient to your position.  You may then reengage conversationally with him, letting him know that type of action may be interpreted as a threat to life and result in his getting shot as you holster your handgun. 

 

Proximity Shots

“Proximity Shots” (as distinct from “Contact Shots”†) are performed when you are too close to the Threat to extend your weapon to his chest or head without his being able to grab or deflect your handgun.  They may be employed when the risk of firing at even a very short distance and possibly hitting an innocent is too great.  It will also likely be employed when the Threat is attached to you (grabbing you or you grabbing him during the fight).

It is performed by punching your handgun toward any part of the Threat’s body that is not easily defended.  Punching the weapon at the Threat’s chest or face can very well result in an instinctive slap or grab of the handgun, much like a fly suddenly buzzing by a person’s face.  Rather, punching the weapon at a non-traditional body part forces the Threat to orient to the threat of the handgun punching at, say, his femoral triangle/upper inner leg, then decide to defend against it—this takes time he does not have before multiple bullets are pounding through that body part.  The weapon is literally punched as quickly as possible at the targeted body part—not punched into contact with suspect’s body—while firing repeatedly until the Threat falls or a better target more likely to stop his imminent threat becomes available.

The Proximity Shot creates injury through two mechanisms:

1. The bullet striking and penetrating through the body creates a permanent wound channel, organ damage and disruption, and broken bones with resulting secondary missiles causing damage.  An obvious additional effect is exsanguination, or bleeding out to a greater or lesser degree.
2. Muzzle blast.  The expanding gasses from the combustion of the gunpowder can enter the body part with explosive results, tearing apart and damaging tissue far beyond the permanent wound channel caused by the bullet.

Targeting is accomplished the same way as any shot:  interrupt the eye-target line with the handgun.  Look at the body part to be targeted, punch the weapon quickly at the target while firing, and continue to fire for as long as that target is available, until a bigger, or better target becomes available.  Fire continues as rapidly as combat accuracy (any hit that diminishes the imminent threat to life) can be achieved until the imminent threat is over.

Proximity shots are traditionally performed by waiting to fire until the muzzle is at distances ranging from almost contacting the subject to a couple of inches from the Threat’s skin or clothing.  This is inefficient; the moment the weapon is aligned on-target as it interrupts the eye-target line, begin shooting.  It is not just a single shot, but multiple rounds fired into that body part.  As long as the Threat remains an imminent threat, continue firing into the body part as the weapon is quickly thrust at the targeted area.  If he continues to be aggressive, move the weapon to a target closer to the trunk until his chest or head can be targeted while continuing to fire.

Conclusion

There is a real need to be able to hit a Threat who is in proximity or who is attached to you.  And it needs to be done consistently and safely.  While the Combat Tuck was an attempt to solve this problem, it cannot overcome its inherent deficiencies of requiring perfect body position, a perfect anchor position, a perfectly locked wrist, and a perfect master grip while ensuring the handgun is rocked outward to get the hits you desperately need right now to put the Threat down.

Instead, the contextually correct use of Proximity Shots is a better solution to the perception of an ECQ imminent deadly threat.  It may be employed while moving to the Threat’s flanks and rear, using sudden angular movement as part of the survival strategy of avoiding being hit while putting the Threat to the ground.  Remember, sudden angular movement to the flank of the Threat can turn a “gunfight” (two people shooting at each other) into a shooting (you shooting at the Threat), which is a very desirable turn of events from your point of view.

The Proximity Shot is employed to prevent the Threat from diverting your handgun’s muzzle or even taking the weapon away.  Thrusting it quickly at the targeted area or body part, it is fired rapidly as soon as it interrupts the eye-target line.  Multiple rounds are fired from extremely close range—slight contact to a couple of inches—destroying that body part and causing the Threat to either move to avoid more wounds, or to fall.  If the individual is still perceived as an imminent threat, targeting is then transferred to more traditional targets of the upper thoracic region, spine, or head.

It is important when choosing your survival methodology to avoid a “herd mentality.”  Something that is being taught by everyone may or may not have any use in your “survival rolodex" or "tactical drop-down menu.”  Evaluate everything within the context of application.  Body dependent shooting positions work on the range, but tend to fail in the field because bodies cannot be reliably set up to be perfectly positioned to get the hits you need when life-threatening ECQ assaults suddenly--and all too rapidly--unfold.

The Proximity Shot works because the handgun is suddenly thrust at the Threat’s body part while firing as soon as it is lined up and on target.  Rapidly firing, pounding the targeted body parts will almost certainly affect the Threat’s ability to maintain his balance or aggression.  If there is a continuing imminent threat, the Proximity Shot often continues to be useful in ending the shooting.

Endnotes

*  The effects of bullets, or spall off the back face of the cover, e.g., the bullet hits the face of the brick wall.  If the brick wall is not thick enough to contain the bullet’s energy, the back face of wall can “spall,” or break off.  These pieces and bits of brick will fly out from the wall at the same speed as the bullet hitting the wall.  This spalling can be lethal up to three of four feet from the cover, and can easily blind a human when it hits an eyeball at greater distances.  To classify as “cover,” the material must therefore stop bullets as well as the effects resulting from the bullet hitting the cover itself that can harm the person behind the cover.

†  “Contact Shots” are a method of ECQ fighting with revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, not pistols.  The Contact Shot is performed by shoving the weapon’s muzzle into the targeted area and while pushing against his body, pressing the trigger.  The muzzle blast and the bullet are captured within his body, creating devastating wounds.  While the problem of pressing the muzzle of an auto pistol against a Threat’s body and being unable to fire due to the slide moving back, causing a failure to fire due to being out of battery is often overstated in the gun and training community, it can and has happened.  Proximity Shots are preferred over Contact Shots when fighting with pistols.

A very informative PowerPoint by the FBI’s Defensive System’s Unit has been going around the Internet (again).  The subject is an OIS (Officer-Involved Shooting) involving three police officers from Pennsylvania ambushed by a single suspect.  The specifics of the shooting for this discussion, while interesting, are not too important:

• The officers carried .40 caliber Glocks loaded with Speer 180 gr. Gold Dot ammo, and Hornady TAP 75 gr. .223 caliber (and SWAT employed 55 gr. TAP) from their AR15s.
• The suspect carried a single .45 caliber handgun.
• 107 .40 cal and .223 cal rounds were fired by two officers.  The third was wounded in the initial ambush.
• The assailant fired 26 rounds, and reloaded his magazine from loose rounds during the firefight.
• The suspect was hit 17 times, with 11 rounds exiting his body.
• The suspect’s right arm (humerus) was broken by a .40 cal. bullet after all .223 ammo was expended.
• The incident lasted approximately three-and-one-half minutes.
• Even with all of his wounds, the officers were forced to fight the suspect into handcuffs before he expired.
• The suspect had trace amounts of marijuana in his system. 
  

What is important are the conclusions the officers and agency came to as a result of the shooting:

• The .40 caliber ammo “failed” and “did not cause incapacitation” which is the opposite conclusion the FBI came to:  the .40 caliber ammo was effective, and the .223 ammunition "failed" based on their gelatin "standards.'
  

The question was then asked by someone in the long line of forwards, “If the ammo did not fail why did they have to fight the (S) (Suspect) after he was hit 17 times?...Wonder what the real truth is…"

To answer this question, we must remember there are only four ways to stop a human being:

1. Mechanically.  His bones are broken and he can no longer stand up.  If he continues to be motivated (see "Psychologically" below), though, he may continue to fight/shoot even though immobilized and on the ground.
2. Electrically.  His CNS is disrupted (brain, spine, or motor nerves are disrupted).  Dr. Martin Fackler, M.D., stated that "any bullet entering the brain" immediately disrupts a human's ability to act.  Hits to the spine cut the body's ability to send motor nerve impulses to the hands and legs, causing the body to fall.  If the spine is severed high enough, the hands stop functioning. 
3. Hydraulically.  He bleeds out sufficiently to cause unconsciousness.
4. Psychologically.  He doesn’t want to be in a gunfight/fight any longer and quits.

• NOTE:  This is not about "killing" the subject.  It is about stopping the "imminent threat" of the individual.  If he dies or does not is not relevant to the importance of stopping the threat by fire.

So, with the above in mind, there are only three requirements necessary to end a gunfight when the opponent doesn’t want to (and won’t) quit (psychological):

1. Bullet placement.
2. Bullet placement.
3. Bullet placement.

What is the most reliable way to stop someone? Put a bullet through the brain or spine.  The problem with either or both of these targets?  They are small targets.  They are relatively easy to hit on the square range with rounds going in one direction only and with sufficient time.  However, when bullets are in the air (these being bi-directional during an exchange of fire) with a corresponding overwhelming perception of high threat to one’s self, those "easy" shots on the shooting range generally become very difficult.  The higher the perception of threat, the greater the difficulty. 

The easiest human target to hit?  Upper thorax and/or pelvis.  The problem?  These targets requires him to bleed out (unless the spine is hit through the thorax), which may take your lifetime before he can no longer fight.  

• NOTE:  A pelvis hit with rifle fire is semi-reliable to fracture hip or pelvis (mechanical) and is likely to put his down as well as make him bleed out (hydraulic), whereas a pelvis shot with a handgun generally does not break the pelvis or hip, but is often fatal due to bleeding out (hydraulic). 

So you want to stop a bad guy from shooting you?  

• Hit him in a place in his body that disrupts his ability to continue to be an imminent threat.  This wound affects the mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic function of the body.  Until that happens, he can keep going until he wants to stop. 
• A "psychological stop" cannot be predicted or counted upon. 
• A "hydraulic stop" can take a very long time (every tenth of a second that he continues to fire is "a very long time" when the bullets are coming at you).  During that time, he remains a threat to your life, and may kill you.
• The only reliable stop is the "electrical stop," but it requires a bullet strike through very small, hard to hit targets.  
• The concept of “accuracy” is context specific.  On the square range, tight groups on the target is the premium.  In shooting at an imminent threat, it is actually beneficial to have a three to five inch spread between rounds to maximize the wounding potential, resulting in injury to a wider range of organs. 
• “Speed is fine; accuracy is final” (Wyatt Earp) is as true as anything can be.  Striving to be “first” is important, but what does that mean?  Getting the first shot off is impressive, and may be fatal to you.  Strive to be the first to hit the target in a vital area.  Hitting is the name of this game, as slow as you have to to hit and no faster.  
• The more hits you have on important structures (brain, spine, upper thorax, femoral triangle, pelvis, etc.), the more quickly he will likely stop.
• Discipline your training and slow your rate of fire to ensure sufficient hits with combat accuracy.  Forget "hammered pairs," "double-taps," and other "game" related activities.  Continuously fire on the Threat until he is no longer an "imminent threat to life." 

We hear in the question, “If the ammo did not fail, why…”, a question that everyone wants to resolve at some point in their shooting life:  what is the “best” ammo to use to save my life?”  One simple answer is, "The round you have in your chamber right now."  Even if you had a magical magazine that held an unlimited number of rounds, that would be a good of example of every blessing being a potential curse:  would that "unlimited" number of rounds result in an unlimited number of hits, or would it assure that you would get on that trigger like never before and hope that a wall of bullets would do the job?  The best strategy is to fight with the round in your chamber and put that one bullet through a target that disrupts his imminent threat.

We all want the “silver-life-snuffer-magic-bullet."  This isn’t going to happen with present technology (OK, .50 cal BMG round, but I’m not carrying a Barrett in my hip pocket—Dang!).  While some handgun bullets are statistically better than others, most bullets are going to do the job sufficiently well to eventually kill an assailant.  As Cutting Edge Training teaches in our firearms and knife classes, “All bullet wounds and knife wounds eventually stop bleeding.”  If you want to do it faster, there are the three requirements necessary to ending a gunfight that must occur (see the list above if you don’t remember).  

Stop blaming your ammo for any alleged failure to stop.  A .22LR in the right spot is an immediate fight stopper.  A .22Short pistol in the hands of a motivated shooter is a scary opponent.  If you have reliable ammo (it feeds every time, and goes “bang” when it should), forget about the ammo you are carrying.  9mm vs. .40 vs. .45?  Big holes are a little better than little holes.  However, we are talking about a difference of only 1/10 of an inch between the 9mm and .45.  The only difference in effectiveness is where that bullet is placed and what it passes through in the body.  A .45 through the outside of the thigh with no bone involvement will not stop the fight faster than a 9mm through the heart.  Bullet placement...Bullet placement...Bullet placement...  Stop “shooting” and begin “hitting.”

That my friend, is “what the real truth is.” 

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  --Albert Einstein

Every shooter of a semi-automatic or select-fire weapon will eventually experience a stoppage of some type.  How this malfunction of the weapon is approached has consequences.  Failing to clear a stoppage will prevent you from reengaging a Threat quickly enough to save your life.  Because stoppages happen—and can happen on any shot—every shooter must be prepared through proper, well thought out training to get back into the gunfight.

After 30+ years teaching the employment of firearms to people who carry guns for a living, one thing I know about “gun-guys” –especially instructors of gun guys—is that most love complication.  The more complicated the shooting “procedure,” the better.  And better yet if the description of the task is clouded by arcane jargon known only to a few “real gun-people.”  And it is best by far if the phrasing sounds anything at all like it is derived from the military. 

Complicated isn’t better…it’s just complicated.  Memorizing multiple “procedures,” each with multiple and varying steps may work for you, but it is difficult for most to remember in the midst of a high-threat environment where your weapon just stopped and you really need it to work right now.  Human history has demonstrated over and over again that the more moving parts something has, the more likely it will break down.  And gunfights were made for “Murphy’s Law:  If something can go wrong, it will go wrong, at the worst possible moment.”  That means the person in the gunfight who is least prepared for Mr. Murphy is likely to be the one who doesn’t make it. 

Uncomplicated methods and procedures are the key to effectively reacting and functioning under the crushing pressure of a deadly force situation.  Simplifying the entire concept and making the clearing of a stoppage as simple as possible is the key to effective response to a stoppage. 

How you clear your weapon should be uncomplicated—regardless of the weapon system (handgun or rifle), the method should be as universal as possible so that there is commonality of actions in bringing that weapon back into battery and available for the fight.  If anything in combatives can be principle-based, it is generally more effective than attempting to employ a “technique-based” solution that requires specific responses to specific conditions. 

FUNCTION AND STOPPAGE BASICS:

There are two functions that must be performed properly in order for any well-maintained semi-automatic or select-fire weapon to fire:

1. The loaded magazine must be seated properly.  Because the weapon is magazine fed, the properly loaded magazine must be both inserted properly and seated in order for the bolt face to strip the bullet out of the magazine and into the chamber.  To resolve any stoppage and get the weapon working again, you must feed ammunition to the machine . 
2. The slide must be "in battery" on a loaded chamber.  Because the slide or bolt must be in battery (locked forward) in order to fire, pull the slide (or charging handle or lever) back and release it.  DO NOT  “HELP” IT MOVE FORWARD.  Do not treat it gingerly—let the mechanism do its job.

When the weapon malfunctions and a stoppage occurs, these two functions must take place to get that weapon back into battery and available for the fight. Any response to a stoppage, or malfunction drill, primarily involves either ensuring the weapon is loaded, or unloading it before reloading it.  These activities occur each time you practice, and are ingrained into your habits (which is why trainers seek to "habituate"--create habits--of loading and reloading the same way each time).  These developed skills are essentially the same skills you employ to clear stoppages.

Firearms Trainer Clint Smith came up with some great phrasing (when doesn’t he?) that we think really helps officers, military personnel, and civilian shooters to better understand how to immediately get their weapons back into operating condition.  Clint’s phrase:

• “If it stops working, reload it.
• If that doesn’t work, unload it, and then reload it.”

IF IT STOPS WORKING, RELOAD IT

In order to “work,” a firearm must be loaded.  A “loaded” weapon is one in which a live cartridge is loaded properly into the chamber.  If the weapon stops working, the goal is to get it reloaded (a live round in the chamber and the weapon in firing condition—or “in battery”) as soon as possible in order to be of use.

If the slide or bolt is locked back, feed the gun.  Replace the empty magazine with a loaded magazine, and drop the slide or bolt in order to get the weapon into battery.

If your weapon was loaded and it failed to function for any reason (failure to feed, failure to extract, failure to eject--stovepipe), feed the gun--reload it.  Immediately:

• Tap.  Tap sharply up on the base of the magazine with your palm heel (or any hard surface if your reactive-hand—the hand not operating the weapon’s controls at present time--is unable to fulfill the function) to ensure it is seated firmly.  This provides ammo to feed the gun. 
• Rack.   Pull the slide or charging handle/lever sharply back with your reactive-hand and release it.  Do not help the slide or bolt move forward.  Allow the mechanism to work as it is designed while firing:  it slams back to its mechanical stopping point (or, actually, the limits of its springs), and then slams forward until the breech is closed and locked.  This puts a new live round into the chamber ready to be fired.

Racking the slide of a handgun:  Many instructors will tell you that you have to perform this "X" way with "Y" grip while holding the weapon at "Z" angle.  Context determines how you manipulate the slide--when you are under fire, you may not rack that slide or bolt the way you expected to because getting shot at tends to make most folks a bit stupid and their expectations a joke that they can hopefully wonder or laugh about later:

• You may grip the rear of the slide with your "hand over," gripping with your 3rd, 4th, and 5th fingers and palm, pulling the slide back using arm strength as you push forward with the gun-hand--unless you don't or can't because of a lack of strength (smaller individuals and many females have problems with this method).  It is not a rare event to see a shooter punch himself or herself in the mouth using this method when under stress (I've always thought that recognizing and clearing a malfunction was tough enough without adding a punch in the teeth, but that's just me).
• You may grip the rear of the slide with your thumb and forefinger like God designed you to grip things--unless you don't or can't.
• You may "push-push" with your reactive-hand over the slide pushing and the gun-hand pushing in opposite directions to maximize your strength (many smaller male and females need to use this method).

How you rack or manipulate the slide doesn't matter and while there may be a "better" way, there really isn't a "best" way to do it.  Just get it done.

“Mortar Method” for the AR15/M16:  Sometimes the bolt will fail to unlock because the brass is stuck in the chamber, and the bolt is locked forward.  In order to “Rack” the weapon when the charging handle will not move and bolt is closed, the “mortar method” can be used if you have time:

• Collapse the adjustable stock (if present).  This prevents the small pin holding the stock in place from shearing and rendering the stock incapable of extending.  It also decreases the likelihood of destroying the buffer tube—in the past, the buffer tube has snapped, preventing the weapon from operating.
• Grasp and depress the charging handle latch with your shooting hand.
• With your reactive hand, grasp the foreend stock with the reactive-hand.
• Strike the butt of the weapon on the ground with both hands.  Multiple strikes with the butt to the ground may be necessary to break the bolt loose.

Once you feed the machine, the weapon is now functional for most stoppages you will experience.  If you press the trigger and the weapon fails to fire, move to the logical second phase of weapon stoppage clearing.

IF THAT DOESN’T WORK, UNLOAD IT, AND RELOAD IT

The “Tap-Rack” method will clear all but a double-feed, and all but a few rarely encountered malfunctions in a rifle.  If you are in a gunfight at close range and you are not behind cover (something that stops bullets and their effects) with a malfunction that cannot be immediately cleared by the Tap-Rack method, your best move is to transition to a (second) handgun and get back into the fight, or to run to cover to clear your weapon (if you do not have a handgun/second handgun).  No one is going to clear a double-feed or other more complicated malfunction in time to respond while standing within a few feet or yards of an Imminent Threat.

If the Tap-Rack fails to bring the weapon back into battery, unload the weapon, making sure that the chamber is clear and the magazine is out of the weapon.  

• Lock back the slide/bolt.
• Unload the weapon.  Ensure the weapon's mechanism is clear of live or spent rounds.
  
• Reload the weapon. 

Locking back the slide or bolt first relieves the pressure on the magazine, permitting the mag to more easily be removed.  While some authorities will tell you to discard the magazine, modern magazines that were not damaged when you loaded the weapon—why would you load your weapon with a damaged mag?--will likely not be the cause of the problem.  There is generally nothing wrong with reloading the weapon with the same magazine after it has been cleared.

Regarding checking the chamber after the slide or bolt is locked back and the magazine is released, visually (or physically—by inserting a finger into the ejection port and chamber) inspect the chamber to see what condition the weapon is in—is there an unextracted round in the chamber, a number of rounds are caught in the ejection port, debris is fouling the weapon, etc?

• If the chamber has a round in it, work the slide/bolt until it is clear.
• It may require you reaching into the ejection port to dislodge a round, casing, or debris. 

Once clear, lock the slide or bolt open, and load the weapon.  While it is not vital to lock the slide or bolt open at this point, it does clear the way for a fully loaded magazine to be inserted without problem.  This is purely a personal preference.

Once the weapon is reloaded, if it does not go “bang,” it should be considered to be a “catastrophic malfunction” (a mechanical breakage of the mechanism that cannot be fixed in the field).  If your weapon is "broken," transition immediately to a handgun/backup handgun to finish the fight. 

AR15/M16:  a rare, but possible malfunction are the “Bolt Override” (an empty casing is lodged between the bolt carrier and the gas key) and "Charging Handle Impingement" (an empty casing is lodged between the bolt face and the back of the charging handle claw where the gas tube pass-through is located) malfunctions.  In both malfunctions, a live-round will be partially loaded into the chamber.  Both malfunctions will be identified by the presence of spent brass lodged in the bolt carrier space.  In this case, a general principle won’t work, and a specific clearing method is necessary.  After dropping the magazine, reach up through the magazine well with a finger(s) and push the bolt back to the rear--if truly jammed, attempt to gain some space by using the "mortar method."  While holding the bolt carrier to the rear with your finger(s), strike the charging handle forward with your hand into the locked the position.  This should clear the malfunction.  If it does not, that is what God made secondary weapons and battleground pickups for.

Context-Based Stoppage Response

Responding to any stoppage is context-based.  Depending on the circumstances you find yourself in at the time your weapon malfunctions will in large part determine how you will react.  It is contextual based on the weapon system you are operating, the proximity of the Threat, and the availability of cover (actual cover that stops bullets and the effects of bullets).

Within touching distance of the Threat:  If you are in touching-proximity of the Imminent Threat and your weapons goes down, immediately aggress the Threat and divert his muzzle to a safer direction.  Disarm and neutralize the threat.

In proximity to the Threat—Conversation distances:  If you are within conversational distances—beyond two steps away from the Imminent Threat and your weapon stops functioning, keep moving!  Reload your handgun, or transition to a handgun, whichever is reasonable, and reengage while moving.

If at a distance from the Threat—at rock-throwing distance or beyond:  At these distances, cover is the most valuable action.  Move to cover.  If while moving you can reload and get your weapon back into battery, do so and engage the Imminent Threat as you continue to move if your background permits. If armed with a rifle, transition to your handgun--a pistol is capable of convincing suppressing fire at most shooting distances.

If behind cover and the Threat permits it:  Clear all malfunctions by any means possible to get back into the fight:  Reload your weapon.  If it doesn’t work, unload, then reload your weapon.  Always be ready to transition to a handgun/second handgun if you are aggressed by the Threat. Maintain situational awareness to prevent the Threat from flanking or assaulting you unawares.

CONCLUSION

Shooting has always been complicated by instructors who teach techniques, because by their very nature, techniques are complicated and dogmatic, whereas the human fighting for his or her life is not.  Clearing stoppages is no different.  Getting to the simplest method of operating a weapon—including fixing any stoppage or malfunction—is one of the keys to being successful in any life-saving shooting.

“If it stops working, reload it.  If that doesn’t work, unload it, then reload it.”  Simplicity is not “simple”—it means “uncomplicated.  Since the weapon can only work if its loaded, and by far the most common activity other than firing the weapon is to load and unload it, it is valuable to think of clearing any stoppage in these simple terms.  Reload any weapon that stops working.  If it doesn’t work, it needs to be reloaded—so unload it and reload the weapon. 

The only variable is that of weapon systems—it is generally faster to transition to a handgun if your primary weapon is a rifle than it is to address the stoppage—and the context within which the weapon malfunction occurs.  Sometimes your reaction to a stoppage may be to aggress and go hands on, while other times you will have time to hunker down behind cover and problem-solve.

The bottom line is that responding to stoppages should be as principle-based as possible while at the same time effective during any situation you find yourself in.  Simple enough to work under life-threatening circumstances…which is as uncomplicated as it can be, but not simpler.

Note:  Keep your weapon clean and lubricated to limit stoppages.  The best product out there that we have found--and we've tried almost everything over the years--is FrogLube.  This is an amazing product.  More in another article later.  Try it.  Contact Cutting Edge Training (training@cuttingedgetraining.org) for a 40% discount, or contact FrogLube to request a sample.  We use it on every weapon--and every metal surface--we own.