Search and assess question

[Pelican82]

Quick question on the proper method of how to do a search and assess.

A lot of folks I see perform one after a round of shooting or a drill will pivot with their pistol/rifle pointing in the direction they are looking.

My opinion is that this does not seem to be the correct way to do it.

Instead you should simply move your head and look around while keeping the firearm pointed in the same direction you had just been shooting. I am of the opinion that this gives you more peripheral vision.

Another thing that I notice if I pivot with the firearm is that I tend to be distracted by my sights, and the firearm blocks a portion of my view, which reduces my awareness.

Does it make any difference of how you go about doing it?

[Jay Cunningham]

This question will illicit a HUGE number of different responses.

[ToddG]

I teach moving the gun back to your normal ready position. Your normal ready position should be safe enough that you can move around, etc., without flagging anyone with the muzzle. Thus, you can scan your immediate arc/sector and then check behind you. If you see anything, anywhere, that elicits a shooting response then it's just a matter of engaging from your normal ready position, which you practice all the time.

The eyes-and-muzzle thing sounds logical, but it's assuming that (1) you are only aware of what's in the center of your field of vision and (2) that your muzzle is perfectly aligned with what you're looking at.

Get a pop-up target and have it appear by surprise when a shooter is scanning in the opposite direction (put it at 2 o'clock and activate it when he's looking at 10 o'clock, for example). The guy who scans from the ready position will be faster and less likely to miss because he's not swinging the gun in a wide arc to the target.

Also, scanning with your gun at extension has obvious weapons retention issues. The scanning habit you build on the sterile square range will be the scanning technique you use in the middle of a shopping mall populated by screaming, panicking bystanders who've just witnessed a shooting.

[Pelican82]

Logical.

The mall scenario makes good sense too, not a good idea to go flagging a bunch of people while you scan.

[BLACK LION]

Quick question on the proper method of how to do a search and assess.

A lot of folks I see perform one after a round of shooting or a drill will pivot with their pistol/rifle pointing in the direction they are looking.

My opinion is that this does not seem to be the correct way to do it.

Instead you should simply move your head and look around while keeping the firearm pointed in the same direction you had just been shooting. I am of the opinion that this gives you more peripheral vision.

Another thing that I notice if I pivot with the firearm is that I tend to be distracted by my sights, and the firearm blocks a portion of my view, which reduces my awareness.

Does it make any difference of how you go about doing it?

I personally do not care for sweeping my muzzle during a search and assess... I do see people do it but I wont advocate it myself...
I have seen comments from people who are being told now from some trainers not to seach and asses because the whole "breaking the tunnel vision" thing is a myth...
Thats not a subject I care too much to tangle with because I know the merits of maintaining a 360 degree perimeter wether on the gun or ridign a motorcycle or walking the kid to the park... its all the same to me, with or without the adrenaline and tunnel vision...

I personally advocate a search and assess whenever possible but sweeping a full 360 degree area by leaving the muzzle orientated down range or on target and dropping and turning the head right and left as far as the neck will go, using the peripherals to cover the rest...
I do this all the time as I mentioned above... wether its on the gun or not I am always covering a 360 degree perimeter... I have done things to further habituate it including but not limited to subtracting the mirrors on my motorcylce...

[JSantoro]

The Corps still teaches "guns & eyeballs" to your basic GCE bubba, so I'm forced to put up with watching folks do it, pistol and rifle. I patently refuse to do it myself, now that I'm out and can tell people to go screw themselves. I never did it except when in view of those who have waist flexibility issues (what with that "E7 And Up" upgrade stick being inserted where it is).

I've always personally thought that it was a waste of energy and tougher to do, from a sheer physics standpoint, than simply turning your head and driving the gun to a new target, at need. If you're on a two-way shooting range, carting an assault load+, running, jumping, and climbing trees, you don't need the extra incremental energy burn of plying the old "guns & eyeballs" jive. Even slick, it's awkward to me, especially when moving.

I think that in the time it takes you to scan and assess to the left with your gun up, you can get in a quick left/right, left/right with your head alone and get more out of it.

[popo23dba]

I teach moving the gun back to your normal ready position. Your normal ready position should be safe enough that you can move around, etc., without flagging anyone with the muzzle. Thus, you can scan your immediate arc/sector and then check behind you. If you see anything, anywhere, that elicits a shooting response then it's just a matter of engaging from your normal ready position, which you practice all the time.

This is how I have always been trained.

I have seen comments from people who are being told now from some trainers not to seach and asses because the whole "breaking the tunnel vision" thing is a myth...

I try to never seach asses....

[BLACK LION]

I think that in the time it takes you to scan and assess to the left with your gun up, you can get in a quick left/right, left/right with your head alone and get more out of it.

I couldnt agree more...

[LA Sig]

I try to never seach asses....

[YVK]

Quick question on the proper method of how to do a search and assess.

A lot of folks I see perform one after a round of shooting or a drill will pivot with their pistol/rifle pointing in the direction they are looking.

My opinion is that this does not seem to be the correct way to do it.

Instead you should simply move your head and look around while keeping the firearm pointed in the same direction you had just been shooting. I am of the opinion that this gives you more peripheral vision.

Another thing that I notice if I pivot with the firearm is that I tend to be distracted by my sights, and the firearm blocks a portion of my view, which reduces my awareness.

Does it make any difference of how you go about doing it?

I used to do it with entire body/weapon turn, but I was recently corrected and given logical explanations why head turn is a better option.

First, it faster to turn the head than whole body. Second, it is easier to scan larger area. Third - which sounds most convincing because I know I've been guilty of this - is that the goal of search-assess is first to break the tunnel vision and second to scan for additional threats. Turning the weapon together with body/head often leads to situation when eyes are still glued to sights and effectively remain in the tunnel vision pattern.