Off-hand shooting with handguns? Need enlightenment please.

[CortJestir]

So in reading all these range reports on here, other fora, and gun mags, I come across off-hand shooting quite a bit. With regards to handguns, what are the benefits of off-hand shooting? And secondly, is there a proper technique other than replicating what you do with your preferred hand when shooting?

Thanks,
CJ

 

[bigghoss]

I think you may have off-hand(shooting without a rest) confused with weak or non-dominate hand shooting(shooting with your left hand if you are right handed and vise-versa)

learning to shoot with your non-dominate hand could save your life should you dominate hand/arm be injured. in some situations it could also allow you to shoot from cover without exposing yourself more than necessary. like if you had to shoot from the left side of an obstacle if you're right handed.

but when you read a range report in a magazine and they talk about off-hand they mean they didn't use a rest. this is sometimes called "combat accuracy" because they are trying to shoot the gun as close to how it would be used in an actual encounter

 

[The Great Mahoo]

I, too, have always associated 'off-hand' with non-dominant. In most publications, its actually shot 'free-hand', as in not stabilized with a rest. Obviously the rest improves accuracy beyond real-world situations, so off-hand is important to know.

Still, I always refer to my left hand as my off-hand while referring to wielding any weapons/tools.

 

[Scattergun Bob]

Off hand vrs weak hand shooting

Off hand= unsupported by bench or wall

Weak hand = firing from non=dominant hand

strong hand or weak hand only= one handed firing

Hope that helps

Good Luck & Be Safe

 

[CortJestir]

Thanks, that does it clear it up a bit. I was certainly getting the term "off-hand" mixed up with "weak-hand" or "non-dominant hand". I could have sworn I read in an article or two where the author wrote off-hand, but meant non-dominant hand? Course, it was probably just me.

 

[darkgael]

Offhand

Until recently, I thought that "offhand" meant shooting one-handed. As you might surmise from the posts in this thread, I was misinformed.
I went to look it up in the rule books for Bullseye and International match shooting. No mention of "offhand", just that the shooter stand free and the gun be completely supported by one hand only. Makes me wonder where I picked the idea up.
Pete

 

[JohnKSa]

'Weak-hand' is generally used when the meaning is that the non-dominant hand is being used. That can be either weak-hand one-handed or weak-hand two-handed but the former is most often what is meant.

Offhand just means that the shooter is standing unsupported and comes from rifle shooting terminology.

Shooting one-handed is sometimes referred to as the bullseye stance, or more often just spelled out.

The technique most often taught for shooting with the weak hand is to simply mirror what you do with your strong hand. Most instructors do recommend that you continue to use your dominant eye for sighting which means that you will have to change your stance a bit to line up your dominant eye with your weak hand.

Some of the benefits of learning to shoot with the weak hand:

• The strong hand may be injured.
• The use of cover may make shooting with the strong hand awkward or impossible.
• The strong hand may be otherwise occupied (e.g. grappling with attacker).

 

[zippy13]

Off-hand isn't limited to shooting a handgun. I learned to shoot with a rifle, and to me, the term off-hand means shooting from a standing position (with both hands on the rifle). A typical rifle match included shooting from prone, sitting (squatting), kneeling and off-hand positions.
The concept of strong and weak hand pistol shooting is relatively new to organized civilian target shooting. Understandably, its roots are in LE training.

 

[WESHOOT2]

weak

Continued strong-arm surgeries (that would be my right side, as I am mostly right-handed) means I have had to shoot some USPSA matches weak-handed (that would be my left side).

If shooting ONE-handed I place my foot forward, the foot that resides underneath the hand I am using (right hand, right foot forward).
I LEAN forward, so the recoil does not push me or my gun-holding arm backwards.
My OTHER hand (if not in a sling) is placed in the center of my chest so it is not waving aimlessly about, affecting my balance.

I did not make this stuff up; I copied it from World Champion shooters (and survivors; all to often during gun battles the hand holding the gun is the FIRST THING SHOT).


That's me.

 

[tipoc]

Until recently, I thought that "offhand" meant shooting one-handed. As you might surmise from the posts in this thread, I was misinformed.
I went to look it up in the rule books for Bullseye and International match shooting. No mention of "offhand", just that the shooter stand free and the gun be completely supported by one hand only. Makes me wonder where I picked the idea up.

Me too. I also thought it meant one handed shooting and was distinct from weak handed shooting. I've thought that for years.

In fact it may have originally meant that as for decades most shooting was done, and taught, one handed. Wasn't till Jack Weaver showed up that two handed shooting caught on. Law enforcement training, military training, competitive shooting of all types, etc. was all done one handed. Except for long range hunting type shots, it was all one handed and offhand meant one handed by default as that was what there was. Weaver and Jeff Cooper changed that I suppose as more shooters shot two handed, offhand came to mean "unsupported" in general. Could be the origins of the confusion. The meaning of words evolve.

tipoc

 

[darkgael]

offhand

Tipoc: Yep. That could be. I've thought that offhand meant one-handed since I was a boy (I'm 61 now). Maybe I wasn't misinformed, just old fashioned.
Pete