No matter what type of weapon you are equipped with, if you expect to operate in extreme close quarters, a handgun is hard to beat.
Pistols are small, maneuverable, and extremely portable-attributes that make them very attractive for close-quarters engagements.The only thing that they do not have is power.
If you encounter an obstacle that does not allow you to maintain control of your pistol, do not try to force an outcome this way. Do you think that this shooter is in a position to shoot if a threat materializes?
A much better option is to move to the close-contact position.This keeps the pistol close to the body to prevent muzzle protrusion or an unexpected weapon retention problem.
If the danger area is too close for a standard ready position, but not close enough for a close-contact position, you may elect to simply "compress" your ready position enough to maintain control of your muzzle.
There are also extremely close-quarters spaces that may require checking. Such places include attics, basements, storage closets, and, in some instances, extremely cluttered rooms that are often found in depressed urban areas.
Attics are not good places to go for the lone operator. Tactical teams use dogs and portable shields to search an attic. As you break the horizontal plane of the ceiling through the attic opening, you are surrounded on all sides with potential hiding places for your adversary. Not good. Consider this: Why would you ever need to search by yourself in the first place? If you suspect that an adversary has hidden himself there, he is in no position to attack you, and he is obviously on the defensive. Hold your position and call for reinforcements. The same goes for crawl spaces below the building. If the unthinkable happens and the adversary begins firing up at you through the floor or down through the ceiling, you can do the same to him. But whatever you do, do not follow him into these places.
Some environments prevent the use of any weapon but the pistol. This shooter is about to clear a crawl space in an old aerospace research facility. Close-quarters environment? You bet!
Clearing small rooms and closets is also problematic, because you do not have room to maneuver. You may need to manage the door with your body weight and alter your shooting platform to see what you need to see.
Bring the weapon into the close-contact position when you must clear such areas. This shooter is clearing a rest room stall. Rest rooms are a favorite hiding place for criminals who are trying to go undetected.
When you search a storage closet or any extremely closequarters environment, your main concern should be weapon retention. Do not move your weapon into an unsecured space or plane. If there is a hostile hiding there, he will snatch it away from you and… well, you know the rest.
At such times, you must either retract your ready position so that your pistol is closer to your chest in a "tight Weaver position," or you must abandon the two-handed hold and use the close-contact position. This involves holding the pistol in a position so that the wrist is braced tightly alongside the pectoral muscle. The pistol is aligned on the target/danger area and canted slightly outboard to avoid snagging clothing or equipment during firing. Your support hand and arm arc held forward about chest high, but away from the muzzle, to assist you in moving or to deflect a hostile's first strike.
These positions are quite efficient within arm's reach (up to about four feet). Any shots fired in this environment will probably be within inches of your adversary, and he will likely have powder burns on his clothing along with a bullet hole or two. You will be able to get reasonable hits to the body of your adversary up to approximately five meters using this position.
SEVEN
TACTICAL MOVEMENT TO
CONTACT AND SHOOTING
ON THE MOVE
The "Art of War" is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on.
Being able to shoot as you move from one point or obstacle to the next is very important. The entire reason and purpose for any tactical maneuver, whether slow or quick, is to allow you to cover the next potential danger area with your gun muzzle. Sometimes, you must also shoot on the move as you advance toward another position. You may even wish to aggressively close on an adversary to shoot him on the advance, put him on the defensive, or enable you to execute a more precise shot.
As you search, you must adhere to the three-eye principle. This means that, except for specific situations, both your eyes and your gun muzzle must always be oriented in the same direction. They must, all three, be "looking" at the same thing. If you look up, your muzzle "looks" up also. If you look at the apex of a corner for a target indicator, your muzzle must be oriented toward that corner as well.
The objective is to be able to shoot any suddenly appearing hostile without hesitation, at all times-whether you are stationary, advancing, or passing him on the move.
When you are moving through an open area, you should use the tactical walk, where you avoid exaggerating any of your movements or body mechanics. Walk just as you would walk down the street except for a few accommodations to the firearm you hold. The weapon will be up and oriented toward the point you are approaching. Your knees will be slightly bent, and you will have a slightly aggressive forward lean. This in turn will help stabilize your upper body and allow a sort of rolling gait. The movement looks as if you are gliding, without any up and down motion, from one point to the next. Take smaller steps than you normally would to keep control of your feet and motion as you move. Most important, as one U.S. Marine Corps close-quarters battle instructor pointed out to me (as only a marine can), move only as fast as you can guarantee getting hits on the hostile. Do not break into a run unless you are already under fire because you cannot shoot effectively "on the run."
The most important thing to remember is that the shooting platform exists from the waist up. What the lower body and feet are doing is almost inconsequential to shooting.
Advancing aggressively toward an adversary may be required in a tactical scenario.
Moving forward is not the only technique you must learn. It may be necessary to move directly from one point to another while covering your flank with the muzzle of your weapon as you move.
Covering a potential danger area or shooting to your support side as you move along a straight line is easy; all that is required is for you to pivot your body at the waist to the support side and point your weapon as you need it.
When you decide to engage, do so dynamically. Control the action-do not let it control you.
Covering a similar danger area or shooting to the strong side on the move is slightly more difficult because of the inflexibility of the human torso and the upper-body dynamics of most shooting positions. I've conducted some experiments to determine which method best solves this problem. The method I think is best, and which I use, is to turn the body enough to allow a comfortable shooting position toward the danger area. This will place you more square to the target than a "usual" Weaver stance. Now you simply move in a sideways shuffle as you cover the danger area with your weapon.
The most important thing to remember is that the shooting platform exists from the waist upward. What the lower body and the feet are doing is almost inconsequential to your shooting. Isolate the shooting platform from its transportation (i.e., the legs).