Switching Shoulders...

[Col_Crocs]

Lets talk about your methods of switching shoulders...
Ive seen Chris Costa totally switch hands in a clip from one of the Magpul videos and Ive seen a few others, simply resting their stocks on the other shoulder while maintaining hand positions. -- My preferred method.
How do you guys do it?
TO be honest Im am mostly just curious but this may turn out to be a good resource for those still learning to shoot ARs... so lets throw stock and VFG or forearm grip (which ever is applicable) positions into the mix.
Im right handed and just rest my stock on my left shoulder with hands in the same place. Stock is usually on the 0 position with the thicker CTR pad. VFG is a notch back of B23 position.

[theJanitor]

i use a single point sling and switch shoulders similar to the magpul guys: swap hands, punch the gun out, rotate buttstock up and over the sling, reshoulder. maintaining dominant hand on the grip/firing is pretty easy, but you need to practice working you trigger with your support hand.

i "think" i'm pretty fast at switching shoulders, so if i have to go through a complex manipulation (and i have all my faculties), like a double feed clearing, i switch back to the dominant shoulder, clear the stoppage, and switch again if need be.

[mark5pt56]

better in the training area

[Jay Cunningham]

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=11844

[Sam]

Narrated by Larry Vickers and demonstrated by Larry and Ashley Burnsed of Blue Force Gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXs_3jGejxs

[Col_Crocs]

Thanks for moving the post and thanks for the link... picking up from the other thread, purely from a "dot acquisition" (with your weak eye) stand point, would the eotech have any advantages over an aimpoint?

[Failure2Stop]

I use both techniques depending on application/need.
(Some points from me in the thread linked by The_Katar)


I think that a description on when to go to reverse shoulder versus when to fully transition is in order.

Full Shoulder Transition-
Supported position work with cover to the primary side.
Using cover without immediate pressure to get a gun into the fight.
Close-quarters work to get the gun into a space faster than would be possible/acceptable with the gun in the normal shoulder.

Reverse shoulder-
Close range targets from a stationary covered position. What defines close range? When you don't feel like there is enough time to switch shoulders and hand position. In this application it permits rapid engagement with a minimum of body exposure and preserves the ability to rapidly switch back to the primary shoulder to work another side of cover or move.
-The full shoulder transition is also better from unconventional prones and braced positions.

Setting up the gun, sling, and kit to support shoulder transitions will help a lot.
I setup and use my two-point slings differently than most.
I prefer to have the sling attached to the rear of the stock, and toward the outside. This does a few things for me-
Keeps the muzzle pointing down between my feet when hands-free.
Locks the gun against my armor (partially due to how I place the gun when transitioning to pistol).
Gives "more" sling when switching shoulders.
I don't have to do anything with the gun other than push it away from my shoulder and move it over to the other shoulder.
Keeps the sling out of my face when transitioning shoulders.

My sling length is pre-set a little longer than a lot of people. My slings are long enough to tuck the primary under my support side arm. This allows me to clear small/compressed spaces that are limited on the support side and I can use the light attached to the primary if I have to transition to pistol without having to find my pistol light or when the pistol does not support a mounted light.
If I can index the primary under the support arm, it is long enough to easily switch shoulders. I don't want to have to take the time to run out slack if I am in need to use the gun rapidly from the other shoulder.

I have my length adjustment run all the way out. I tighten it up if I need to go hands-free for any reason or to securely stow it for other activities such as climbing, dropping, searching, breaching, throwing, pulling, aiding, or controlling.

I can't say that the EoTech, with it's larger reticle reflecting area won't be easier to use initially, but I can say that I have no problem with any of my Aimpoints. Then again, I spent most of my training learning to use the technique with iron sights and ACOGs, so almost anything else is relatively easy.

Just what works for me.

[Col_Crocs]

Thanks for the responses everyone!
Failure2stop, thanks for the down-to-the-sling details. I really appreciate it... and for quoting the other thread. I was actually just thinking about this maybe being subjective to shooting conditions.
No way out of it then... Will set time aside for shooting left to get used to it. :D