{"id":2606,"date":"2014-11-28T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/?p=2606"},"modified":"2025-04-04T17:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T21:14:08","slug":"rifle-vs-pistol-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/rifle-vs-pistol-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Rifle vs. Pistol: Faster First Hit on Target"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to take the 3-day Practical Rifle class<\/a> offered by Randy Cain of Cumberland Tactics<\/a>.\u00a0This is a unique\u00a0course with a focus on how to run a bolt action rifle with speed and efficiency primarily at close ranges. Or, as the official course description says, “the format explores\u00a0practical marksmanship at practical distances under field conditions.”<\/p>

Rifle vs. Pistol Demo<\/h3>

One portion of the course was devoted to learning different methods for carrying a rifle in the field. In most situations, Randy\u2019s preferred method is African carry. That\u2019s where the rifle is slung over the back of the support side shoulder with the muzzle pointed\u00a0down. From here, the rifle can be shouldered in one fluid motion with surprising speed.<\/p>

After having us practice this method with only five dry fire and five live fire repetitions, Randy did a quick demonstration. He asked if any of us were just now trying out African carry for the first time. Since most of the other students had taken this class with Randy before, I was one of only two people to raise my hand.<\/p>

He asked me to step up to roughly the 10 yard line line along with another student who had a holstered handgun. At the fire command, we were both to attempt\u00a0a single headshot at our respective targets — me presenting my rifle from African carry and the other student drawing his 1911 from\u00a0a belt\u00a0holster.<\/p>

When the command was given, I brought the rifle up as quickly as I could and nailed the center of the target\u2019s headbox. I heard the pistol go off a split second before my rifle, but he had rushed his shot and missed the target completely.<\/p>

According to Randy, the rifle wins about 90% of the time he does this demonstration in a class. He intentionally picked me for the drill in order to show just how easy it is to get a shot off from African carry, even for someone with next to zero experience. The student with the 1911\u00a0has been shooting handguns for years and has thousands of draw repetitions under his belt. To the contrary,\u00a0prior to this drill, I had practiced shouldering a\u00a0rifle from African carry a sum total of ten times.<\/p>

But maybe I just got lucky. Or the other guy was having a bad day. So when I got home, I had to try this drill for myself. Could I get off a headshot at 10 yards with my rifle from African carry quicker than I could draw my carry gun and hit the same target?<\/p>

<\/p>

Watch the Video: Is a Holstered Pistol Quicker Than a Slung Rifle?<\/h3>