Three separate styles of shooting on the move at the Casa

Grande, Arizona PD Range. From left to right: Jerod Johnson,

HK rep for these parts, is low, hunched over the gun, and
moving with short steps. He is absolutely deadly. Scott Loomis
(aka Armored Car) moves more erect and with longer steps,
but is uncannily accurate. Steve Fisher—a large human—has the
grace of a wounded hippopotamus, but shoots faster and with
greater accuracy than 99% of the people the author has ever
met. The technique has to fit the user.

Shooting
On The Move
Effective Dynamic
Engagement
» BY PATRICK A. ROGERS
Delivering rounds into paper bad guys on the flat range is a relatively simple exercise.
A
cquiring the threat, getting a sight picture
and then pressing the trigger straight to
the rear are all pretty academic. To be
sure, there is pressure, even there: performance
anxiety, peer pressure, plus the normal cerebral
flatulence that may occur when loaded guns are
placed in the hands of many.
However, no one is shooting back—a major
stressor. And the targets are anchored firmly in
place, big side toward you.
Pretty simple, no?
But people still have difficulty getting solid
hits within specific time constraints. Don’t be-
lieve me? Take a look at any of the thousands
of CCW classes conducted around the coun-
try—some people have a difficult time perform-
ing even the basic skills necessary to deliver a
projectile into a specific target.
MARCHING FIRE
Shooting on the move had its genesis in
the horribly misnamed War to End All Wars.
With a stalemate that extended across the war
zone, raids of various sizes—some involving
Divisions—were frequent.
Artillery preparation and counter battery
fire were common, but a rifleman still had to
leave the relative safety of his trench to advance
across no man’s land, and against the massed
fire of emplaced machine guns and rifles.
The assaulting troops had to advance with the
support of indirect fire and limited direct fire.
They were defenseless as they moved up to the
enemy’s trenches, where they assaulted with
fixed bayonets. Remember that the standard
infantry rifles of the day were long and cumber-
some bolt-action repeaters, with a magazine ca-
pacity of five to ten rounds, and reloading was
a slow process. They were used for long range,
indirect fire as well as for aimed direct fire, and
were inefficient for close quarter combat (result-
ing in the birth of the sub caliber submachine
gun and eventually, the assault rifle). The bayo-
net was long, to provide farther reach, and the
combination of a long rifle and long bayonet re-
sembled the Pike of days gone by.
The dogma of generals with more pomp than
common sense prevailed, and in the middle of
squandering a generation’s blood across fields
of green, the theory of “Marching Fire” came
into use.
As originally visualized, as the soldiers moved
out of the trenches toward the entrenched bat-
talions of machine guns, they would fire a sin-
gle round of unaimed fire when their left foot
touched the ground. This technique would al-
legedly strike fear into the hearts of the dreaded
Hun, and allow the assault to carry through the
defenses.
Maybe not.
Only some could actually fire—those at the
front of the assault—and while a rapid turnover
could be expected, the volume of fire might
be less than sufficient. The terrain was seldom
clear, and physical obstacles, craters and other
distractions—like those defending the opposite
trenches—made movement difficult.
The greatly maligned French M1915 Chauchat
Automatic Rifle was many things, but foremost
it was the first true squad automatic weapon.
“The technique of walking fire was felt to be the best
manner in which to take advantage of the Chauchat’s
firepower and portability. Walking fire was basically
firing the weapon while marching toward the enemy
to keep their heads down and suppress return fire.
While this may have sounded like a good idea in
theory, it didn’t work out so well in practice….The
tactics eventually shifted from emphasis on march-
ing fire to using the weapon for infantry support by
firing from some form of cover….” –U.S. Infantry
Weapons of the First World War, Canfield
The U.S. adopted a modified French gun, the
Caliber .30 Chauchat Automatic Rifle, Model
of 1918, which was less reliable than the 8mm
French version. It was a gun that was way
ahead of its time and suffered the problems of
being adopted during wartime with insufficient
attention to manufacturing.
Later the U.S. Browning Automatic Rifle,
Caliber .30, Model of 1918 made it to the front.
The BAR had a longer sling to allow it to be used
in Marching Fire, and the gunners’ war belt had
provisions for six BAR magazines, two .45 pis-
tol magazines, a pistol holster and a metal butt
cup to accept the buttstock and keep the BAR
supported during marching fire—schoolhouse
mandated shooting from the hip, and probably
the forerunner of pray and spray.
There were not very many Chauchats avail-
able, and the BAR only got into combat in
September 1918—less than two months before
the Armistice.
The U.S. had developed a device to replace
the bolt in the Model of 1903 Rifle with a semi-
automatic unit firing a .30-caliber pistol type
cartridge and fed from a 40-round magazine.
The “Automatic Pistol, Caliber .30, Model of
1918” was a secret, and it never made it to the
war. More commonly known as the Pederson
Device, it was designed specifically with march-
ing fire in mind. It also followed the premise
that large numbers of troops indiscriminately
S.W.A.T. » JULY 2008 53
SHOOTING ON THE MOVE

firing an anemic round against a well-

entrenched opponent would somehow
shift the balance.
While Marching Fire gave way to fire
and movement at the end of the Great
War, it was resurrected during World
War II against the same enemy, though
possibly with similar results. Note that
Assault Fire, where the unit moves into
the final assault, is a different technique
where the assaulters advance the last
few meters while rapidly firing onto the
objective to suppress fire when they are
most vulnerable. To paraphrase Stalin,
the quantity of fire has a quality all its
own.
All of the above involves different
Tactics, Techniques & Procedures (TTPs)
from Close Quarter Battle (CQB)—which
is the crux of this article.

CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE ON

THE MOVE: WHY?
CQB by definition requires surgical/
discriminatory shooting. The rounds
fired must be directed directly into a
threat. Anything else may wind up in a
hostage, unknown or other team mem-
ber.
Therefore some questions that should
be asked are: Can you be as accurate
while shooting on the move? Why
would you shoot on the move in the first
place?
To answer the last question first, the
reasons are multiple and diverse. They
can range from an Infantry Company in
the final assault on an enemy position, to
CQB with terrorists. As for accuracy, you
will probably not have the same degree
of accuracy when shooting on the move
as when standing on your own two hind
legs. However, how much degradation
of that skill set can you afford to live
with—literally?
The techniques for shooting on the
move can vary as well, from the gross
deviation for the Grunt to the smooth
flow of a police tactical team.
HOW?
Here’s an example I use at class to jus-
tify shooting on the move. You have to
move down a long hallway (hallways
being a funnel of death).
If you are moving down that hallway
and an opponent leans out around the
Making life easier. Hips and shoulders square to the target, toes pointed in the direction of the
target, and short, smooth steps, coupled with a good sight picture and proper trigger control,
make for good hits downrange.
L shape and brings a gun up, you have
options.
Option one is to stand still and die
like a man. While an option, it is not op-
timal.
Another is to stand still and return
fire. As you are behind the power curve,
it is better than Option One, but still not
optimal.
Executing the Nike Defense (turning
around and running away) is likewise
an option, but like Option One it is not
optimal, as you are giving the smelly
bearded man an unopposed shot.
The final option is to continue to move
aggressively down the hallway and
close on the mutt while engaging him
with rapid, accurate shots. Your training
may be the decisive issue here.
Not the best of things, but then again,
this is either the vocation you chose or,
as a private citizen, you have been forced
into action. Like the Coast Guard says,
you don’t have to come back….
For one conducting CQB—generally
inside a structure, and on a more or less
level surface, here is one way that may
work for you. Before you start reading,
though, remember this. As one SOTG
Instructor emphasized, “Shooting on the
move requires two things: shooting and
moving.” Keep these pearls of wisdom
in mind as we stroll down this particular
path.
Taking the shot while moving pres-
ents some unique issues. One is that
accuracy will be degraded. The other
is that the degree of degradation will
be the direct result of multiple inputs.
We have all heard that consistency is
the mother of accuracy, and that is true
here as well. If we can keep a smooth
and steady gait, our hit potential goes
up. But the environment and the tacti-
cal situation may preclude this. Clearly
an interior hallway will make moving
easier. However, if an explosive device
has been functioned, debris, fragments,
bodies, and sprinkler system activation
may combine to make movement more
difficult. Exterior movement will always
present some degree of difficulty, as mi-
cro terrain, rocks, and such will make
hits more difficult.
Orient your body more or less with
hips and shoulders square to the direc-
tion of travel. Keeping a collapsible stock
at the closed/one click open position

54 S.W.A.T. » JULY 2008 SWATMAG.COM

SHOOTING ON THE MOVE
Clint Lynch (foreground) steps off the line
and brings his SCAR-L up to the target at
a recent EAG Carbine class. Clint is bent
forward at the waist, while Stephan Hilliard
(in MultiCam) is more erect. Different body
styles require different techniques.
will help with this. Lower your center of
gravity by squatting slightly—think the
beginning of a squat thrust exercise and
you’ll be on track.
Keep your shins vertical, and your
weight over your feet. Bend your knees
so that the legs are not locked and rigid.
Understand that every shock that is trans-
mitted from the ground goes up your leg
and into the carbine. And, because there
are four points of contact with the gun—
your shoulder, strong hand, weak hand
and cheek weld—keeping the gun even
reasonably steady can be a chore.
Keep your feet pointed at the target. If
you are walking at a normal gait, many
people will have the support side foot
oriented toward the direction of travel
and the strong side foot pointed out-
board. This is fine for strolling along
River Walk, but if you are intending to
fight it out at close range with one or
more people who hate you, it may not
be sufficient.
We are all physically different, and
body type, configuration, past injuries,
present injuries and the time of day may
all factor in to how we move. Some peo-
ple will never have the grace to move
effortlessly downrange, but may or may
not be able to deliver the rounds into the
intended meat balloon at the other end
of the hallway. Some may move with the
style of a ballroom dancer and not hit
anything. You are the one pressing the
trigger, and you are the one responsible
for launching those rounds.
Speed of movement will be dictated
by two things: the speed at which you
can accurately shoot, and the surface
you will be traveling over. Clearly you
will be able to shoot more accurately by
moving slower, but that lack of down-
range speed may negate your moving in
the first place.
WHEN?
A big issue is this: when do you shoot?
56 S.W.A.T. » JULY 2008
While this seems to be a simple question,
some answers border on over-thinking
to the tenth power. For example, when
I asked Marines (in several classes) this
question a few short years ago, I was
told—emphatically—“When both feet
are on the ground.”
Very cool. Except when are both feet
on the ground? Now? Now? Now?
When you are moving, both feet will
likely never be on the ground at exactly
the same time. But even if they were, is
that when you need to take the shot?
How about if you need to take the shot
when only one foot is on the deck?
And how about this: If you are so
wound up trying to figure out when both
of your feet are on the ground, what are
you not paying attention to?
Yes, sports fans, you are not paying
attention to that smelly bearded guy at
the end of the hallway who was the rea-
son you are doing this shooting/moving
thing in the first place.
Therefore the short answer is, shoot
when you have the shot. See him. Shoot
him. Quit over-thinking it.
COMMON MISTAKES
It is often stated—correctly stated—
that many train for the flat range
and not the fight. To that end, many
will start off shooting on the move
correctly, but as they prepare to take a
shot, they will do one of the following:
Stop: They stop completely to take the
shot.
Niagara Falls: They go into the “slowly
I turn” routine performed by Abbott and
Costello (ask your Mother). They move
in super slow motion as they take the
shot, then regain speed after they finish
shooting, rushing to keep up with the
rest of the line. Cute….
Stutter Step: Their legs will not pass
when moving, taking a long step with
one leg and then bringing the second
leg up to the first—they look like The
Mummy as they bring their feet together.
This is fine for moving within a confined
space, but not so good for covering a
longer distance.
Vapor Lock: This usually occurs when
faced with a malfunction. They forget
all about their Immediate Action Drills
and halt in place. They gaze wondrously
at their malfunctioned weapon, while
apparently wishing/hoping that this
would all go away so they don’t look
like a clown’s derriere.
The Capt. Diaper Walk: Some have a
distinct lack of grace in their movement
and walk stiff-legged and upright, feet
splayed and wallowing from side to
side. Their movement makes me think
of a child or the psycho Navy Astronaut
who wanted to make her boyfriend’s
girlfriend disappear.
SWATMAG.COM

TRAINING ISSUES
We have been walking since we were
wee lads, and have been more or less
successful at it. Shooting on the move
should not be that difficult, but it seems
like many make it that way. We walk ev-
ery day. And we can shoot from a sta-
tionary position fairly well. So why can’t
some shoot on the move?
The answer is fairly simple: We over-
load ourselves with nonsense.
Shooting on the move is nothing more
than shooting, albeit while moving. That
means those pesky little things like sight
picture and trigger control are still nec-
essary.
Iron sights are tough, but by no means
impossible to use—unless you are one
of those who insist on using the smaller
aperture on the sight. Using the larger
aperture will increase the certainty of a
hit, and there are those who teach/use
looking over the top of the sights and do
it quite well.
I run an XS Sight Systems Big Dot on
my AK, and it is extremely viable (for
me, anyway).
If you are running a red dot sight
SWATMAG.COM
(RDS), I’ll tell you what I tell people who
are trying to shoot standing still. Accept
your wobble area. Don’t try to make
the dot stop moving—it won’t happen.
Don’t chase the dot, shoot through the
dot.
In the end you will have to accept the
Zen of this. Be the bullet. Trust your shot,
and if your training is good, and you run
this often, it will probably be there.
One very good way to train is this.
Next time you go into Petsmart or a
similar store, look for something called
a “Cat Toy.” It is a small visible laser that
you can use to drive your dogs and cats
crazy (if you don’t have CTC grips on
your Rings Gun). Remove the bolt from
your carbine and Rigger tape or zip tie
the laser onto your forend.
Place an eight-inch paper plate on a
wall—the longer the distance you have,
the easier this will be. Look through the
sight at the laser as it strikes the plate
while you are moving. It may well be
erratic. Vary your body position, stride,
length of step and so forth, and see if it
will reduce that pattern on the plate to
something manageable.
SHOOTING ON THE MOVE
You are looking for something that
may approach a lazy figure 8 for some
(but not others). The big issue here is to
keep the beam within the circle no mat-
ter the distance. You may not be able to
do this in one or three of five sessions.
You may do it once, but not immediately
again.
Don’t give up. It will happen, and the
light will eventually shine over your
head. Make shooting on the move part
of your dry practice and live fire train-
ing, to the extent possible.
Shooting on the move is a TTP. It may
or may not be something that you would
use, but when used effectively, it is one
more thing that can keep you alive and
ensure that the guy at the end of your
muzzle will be the one hearing the Hal-
lelujah chorus in hell. §
[Pat Rogers is a retired Chief Warrant
Officer of Marines and a retired NYPD
Sergeant. Pat is the owner of E.A.G. Inc.,
which provides services to various govern-
mental organizations. He can be reached at
eag@10-8consulting.com]
S.W.A.T. » JULY 2008 57