SHOOTING STANCES

A. Weaver Stance
- is an aggressive, “boxer-type” stance.
- Usually taught to new or amateur shooters.
- The Weaver Stance is an aggressive, weight-forward stance. It holds the gun closer to the face
and requires bent elbows. The gun is tensioned between the pull of the support hand and push of
the strong hand.
Non Dominant Leg (Left) – Front
Dominant Leg (Right) – Rear/Back
Arm which will hold the firearm – Extended
Support arm – bent
Toes – Pointed Forward
ADVANTAGES:
1. fast sight picture
- With the elbows unlocked and the arms not fully extended the sights are brought closer to the
shooter’s eyes.

2. Wider swing arc

- Applicable to the shooter’s support side.

3. Allow the support-side pivot

- increases another 45 degrees

DISADVANTAGES:
1. Area of recoil control
- coil forces are largely taken up by the wrists.
- requires a relative degree of upper body strength which makes it NOT recommended for female
shooters and males with small body structure

2. Affects those who have cross-dominant vision

- Weaver Stance leans heavily on the strong hand having the dominant eye on that side

B. CHAPMAN STANCE
- Stance used by Ray Chapman to correct the Weaver stance.
- but the support-side foot doesn’t need to move quite as far forward, and the support-side shoulder
doesn’t drive toward the gun.
ADVANTAGES:
1. more-relaxed stance
- requires less upper-body strength to execute

2. Can be used by shooters with cross-dominant vision

 - Cross-dominant vision find the less-rigid head position of the Chapman allows them to get their
eyes properly aligned quicker with just a slight shift of the head.

C. POWER ISOSCELES STANCE

- dual locked elbows and the gun centered in the field-of-view. Dropping the strong-side foot back
several inches improves stability over the standard Isosceles.
- All that is required is to face the target squarely with the feet spread shoulder-width apart, and
bring the gun up directly in front of the eyes with a two-handed grip and both arms at full
extension.

THE 12 GOLDEN RULES FOR SAFE GUNHANDLING

1. Always treat the gun as loaded.
2. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
3. Always keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
4. Always keep the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
5. Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy.
6. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
7. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the gun you are using.
8. Always use proper Ammunition.
9. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before loading and shooting.
10. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, hold your shooting position for several
seconds; then with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, carefully unload the gun.
11. Don't rely on the gun's safety to keep it from firing.
12. Be aware of your surroundings when handling guns so you don't trip or lose your balance and
accidentally point and/or fire the gun at anyone or anything.