SHOULDER TRANSITIONS WITH THE CARBINE

There has been much talk lately on the intarweb about transitioning shoulders when using the carbine. When people ask “do you transition shoulders around off-side cover?” I say “well, that depends”.

As with most things, people seem to want a “one way” solution, when none really exists. The timing of using this procedure, like everything else in the gunfighting world, depends on circumstances. Remember, circumstances dictate the technique or procedure.

Bottom line, I usually switch shoulders only when I have stopped moving, and then (usually) only in a CQB environment. When moving, as part of a team or alone, or when outside, I generally advocate staying on your strong shoulder.

In gunfights, speed and accuracy count; and we are all far more accurate with our strong side shooting, both stationary and moving, than our off side. Our eye dominance, coordination and thousands of repetitions all favor our strong side. Remember, if the shooting actually starts, the person who shoots their opponent to surrender, unconsciousness or death first wins. The accuracy and speed gained by staying with your strong side outweighs, except sometimes in the circumstances illustrated below, the small benefit in protection gained by utilizing off side cover from your weak shoulder.

When to shoulder transition
I generally switch shoulders when I need to hold a strong point utilizing cover (or concealment) for more than 5 seconds or so, and the circumstances dictate that I do so from around my non-dominate side of the cover. This circumstance can arise if I’m holding a hallway from a door, holding an area from a right-side corner or holding a stairwell from the right.

How to shoulder transition
For whatever reason I have decided to hold a space from around my non-dominate side of the cover. As soon as I see this situation and decide I am going to transition shoulders, I want to bring my support hand back to the magwell of the carbine, move my shooting hand to the foreend, place my support hand in a firing position, point the muzzle straight down, rotate the carbine to my other shoulder, then bring the weapon up in my support side hold. With practice, you should be able to accomplish this in about 1 second, standing still or on the run.

Once I have transitioned shoulders, I want to decide on the most likely avenue of attack, and post my feet or body to be behind the cover as much as possible, while leaving my muzzle, light, optic and laser and eyeball with a clear view of the threat area. I want to be positioned so the muzzle of my weapon is at least 3-6 inches “behind” the line of cover. In other words, be far enough away so you can’t touch the wall or other structure you are using for cover. Cover your sector until your team moves up or the situation changes (the police show up, you shoot someone etc).

I advocate that as soon as you move on from that strong point, you immediately transition back to your strong side.

View of off side cover use from the threat area

View of off side cover from the offset angle

View of offside cover from the side. Note the distance between the muzzle and the wall.

As you can see from the 1st photo, transitioning shoulders when using off side cover can present a very small target to the enemy, thus gaining you some advantage. Keep in mind, however, that not getting shot will not win the gunfight. Only fast, precise hits to vital areas of your opponent will do that.

So, how much do you practice making these hits from your off side while off balance? Not enough I bet. If you use your carbine to defend your home, or work with it as part of a team, you need to posses this skill and the judgment gained through training and experience to utilize shoulder transitions in the appropriate circumstances.

Stout Hearts