The Double Tap - What, Why and When?

[Business_Casual]

So everyone, well, almost everyone it seems, at the range practices the "double tap." Either with pistols or rifles, I see or hear this going on every time I go shoot.

This got me thinking, because anytime some "thing" is the convential wisdom, it is usually wrong.

So I ask the forum - what, why and when? What situations do you employ the double tap or why not and when do you decide?

Is there a theory or practical basis behind the double tap or controlled pair? Is it a lack of trust in our weapons' ballistics or our marksmanship or is it something else?

I'm not asking for someone to just restate what they've been taught or heard, I'm asking for some thought into the practical side of this practice.

M_P

[CCK]

So everyone, well, almost everyone it seems, at the range practices the "double tap." Either with pistols or rifles, I see or hear this going on every time I go shoot.

This got me thinking, because anytime some "thing" is the convential wisdom, it is usually wrong.

So I ask the forum - what, why and when? What situations do you employ the double tap or why not and when do you decide?

Is there a theory or practical basis behind the double tap or controlled pair? Is it a lack of trust in our weapons' ballistics or our marksmanship or is it something else?

I'm not asking for someone to just restate what they've been taught or heard, I'm asking for some thought into the practical side of this practice.

M_P

Are we talking Hammers or controlled pairs? Because there is a difference. I am of the mind that I will train to always shoot twice; controlled pairs for me. The reasoning being, anything you are justified in shooting once, you are justified in shooting twice. I am shooting to stop a threat, two to center mass should do it. If not, I follow up.

Chris

[Jay Cunningham]

The "Double-Tap"

[m60g]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_Drill

Although I guess technically, The Mozambique is a 2+1 shot

[gringop]

Is there a theory or practical basis behind the double tap or controlled pair? Is it a lack of trust in our weapons' ballistics or our marksmanship or is it something else?
M_P

I don't think it's a lack of trust in ballistics or marksmanship, I think it's a good understanding of of terminal ballistics and physiology. Shooting for self-defense purposes is not like hunting deer or punching paper, the danger of not stopping the threat ASAP is too great to shoot one shot and assess.

There are 3 ways to stop an attacker quickly,
1. Disrupt his Central Nervous System with hits to the brain or spine; those are very hard targets to hit.
2. Drop his blood pressure so far and fast that he quickly loses consciousness. Multiple hits to the heart and or the large blood vessels around the heart.
3. The attacker makes a psychological decision to stop attacking, this is not under our control and is the most unreliable.

Speaking for myself, I'll gladly use up a little extra ammo to ensure #2 above, using a pistol or rifle.

Gringop

[Jay Cunningham]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_Drill

Although I guess technically, The Mozambique is a 2+1 shot

Wikipedia is not a credible source to cite for any example. I would STRONGLY steer you toward the link I posted to Failure2Stop's thread - I am thinking he has a slightly better handle on it than Wikipedia...

[VooDoo6Actual]

Great question and there will be lots of answers and schools of thought on this one.

I will give ONE scenario that I KNOW worked for me.


When shooting through glass on vehicles.

I have used Hammers and CP's/DT's.

Both worked.

[Business_Casual]

Great question and there will be lots of answers and schools of thought on this one.

I will give ONE scenario that I KNOW worked for me.


When shooting through glass on vehicles.

I have used Hammers and CP's/DT's.

Both worked.

Intermediate barriers is an excellent example in my opinion of when. Thank you. Any real-world experience is much more valuable than IPSC stages.

M_P

[VooDoo6Actual]

Another example of WHEN I KNOW it works, is when you KNOW where your Tango is BUT they are CONCEALED (notice the distinction, NOT COVER).

Shooting/Assaulting a TANGO in CONCEALMENT w/ Hammers/DT's/CP's allows for a larger projectile channel to mitigate, defeat concealment medium(s), ameliorate wound channel(s) thusly increasing effects of hydrostatic shock, ballistic and blast pressure shock, cavitation etc.


The same would be true of a heavily dressed TANGO wearing HEAVY Leather outergarments/heavy garments/ "MUFTI" etc. (NOT "BA").

Until the THREAT is resolved.

[m60g]

Wikipedia is not a credible source to cite for any example. I would STRONGLY steer you toward the link I posted to Failure2Stop's thread - I am thinking he has a slightly better handle on it than Wikipedia...

I just used that because it does correctly explain the drill. It is 2 in the chest and one to the head. That is the Mozambique Drill. I know wiki is not always credible, but I think they actually got this one right. If I'm wrong I apologize for posting bad info.


The following was written by Jeff Cooper in June 1994:

"As time passes we discover that there are a good many readers who have not been to school and who are puzzled by our reference to "The Mozambique Drill."

I added The Mozambique Drill to the modern doctrine after hearing of an experience of a student of mine up in Mozambique when that country was abandoned. My friend was involved in the fighting that took place around the airport of Laurenco Marquez. At one point, Mike turned a corner was confronted by a terrorist carrying an AK47. The man was advancing toward him at a walk at a range of perhaps 10 paces. Mike, who was a good shot, came up with his P35 and planted two satisfactory hits, one on each side of the wishbone. He expected his adversary to drop, but nothing happened, and the man continued to close the range. At this point, our boy quite sensibly opted to go for the head and tried to do so, but he was a little bit upset by this time and mashed slightly on the trigger, catching the terrorist precisely between the collar bones and severing his spinal cord. This stopped the fight.

Upon analysis, it seemed to me that the pistolero should be accustomed to the idea of placing two shots amidships as fast as he can and then being prepared to change his point of aim if this achieves no results. Two shots amidships can be placed very quickly and very reliably and they will nearly always stop the fight providing a major-caliber pistol is used and the subject is not wearing body armor. However, simply chanting "two in the body, one in the head" oversimplifies matters, since it takes considerably longer to be absolutely sure of a head shot than it does to be quite sure of two shots in the thorax. The problem for the shooter is to change his pace, going just as fast as he can with his first pair, then, pausing to observe results or lack thereof, he must slow down and shoot precisely. This is not easy to do. The beginner tends to fire all three shots at the same speed, which is either too slow for the body shots or too fast for the head shot. This change of pace calls for concentration and coordination which can only be developed through practice.

Mike Rouseau was later killed in action in the Rhodesian War. May he rest in peace!"



This is pretty interesting, it tells all sorts of shooting drills to practice:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/HandgunDrills.pdf