Thanks to the nice folks at Helicopter Tours of Texas, I can now scratch “shoot guns out of a helicopter” off my bucket list. And in two weeks I’ll be scratching off the next item, “shoot machine guns out of a helicopter” as well, thanks to HeliBacon out near Houston. So as I’m preparing for my second go-round poking the muzzle of a gun out of a Robinson, I figured I’d review my notes and share the three most important tips that helped me actually hit targets on the ground from a moving chopper . . .
1. Get your ass outside
The interior of a helicopter, especially the smaller ones, is extremely cramped. There’s barely enough room for you and your gun, let alone enough space to maneuver your rifle and get off a good shot. If you want to have your sights on the target for more than a split second, you’re going to need to leave the comfort of your seat and make your way as far out of the helicopter as you’re comfortable leaning.
When I made my runs in the helicopter in this particular model of Robinson, I found that the most comfortable position was actually to have one foot on the skid and less than a full cheek on the seat. Naturally you’ll want to use the seat belt to keep you from tumbling to your death. But being mostly outside gave me an excellent view of the ground and allowed me to swing the rifle almost to the point where it was aiming straight ahead as we flew.
2. Don’t Lead — Follow
Physics is awesome, but sometimes the practical application can make your head hurt.
Normally, when you’re shooting a moving target such as a deer or a pig, you need to lead it. The idea is that it will take a split second for the bullet to reach the target, so you want to aim in such a way that the target will run into the bullet’s path just as the bullet arrives. It’s one of the tougher things to learn to do in shooting, but when you have more than one round at your disposal the ability to “bracket” a target (shooting one round behind where you think the proper lead should be, one round at the proper lead, and one round ahead) almost guarantees a hit. Almost.
The issue with shooting out of a helicopter is that in most cases you are moving faster than your target, especially if you’re shooting at a stationary target. So instead of needing to aim such that your target runs into your bullet, you need to aim such that your bullet runs into your target. In other words, you need to aim for a spot on the near side of your target instead of the far side.
For me, when I was making my runs on some stationary steel targets, I found that when we were flying left to right across the set I needed to aim about a foot to the left of the steel plate to hit it. It took some practice to do, but eventually I was singing steel like a champ.
3. Be Polite: Brass Catchers and Silencers
When you’re shooting on the ground or from a car, you don’t have to worry too much about where your spent brass is landing or about annoying the driver. But when you’re thirty feet in the air and speeding along at thirty miles an hour, one stray piece of brass under the rudder pedals or an unexpected muzzle blast in the pilot’s face can mean the difference between “that was awesome” and “oh the humanity.”
Brass catchers are cheap and readily available, and will keep your spent brass from finding their way into the mechanical parts of the complicated flying machine in which you are sitting. According to the guys at Helicopter Tours of Texas, the best brass catchers for this purpose are the kind that mount to the flat top rail of an AR-15, such as this one from Brownells.
Silencers not only allow you to communicate with the other people in the helicopter, but they keep the noise and the muzzle blast from your gun from annoying the pilot. Flying at treetop level takes some skill and concentration, and a face full of exhaust gasses from your gun or even just the report might be enough to break their concentration and return you to the ground a little faster than anticipated. Don’t take the chance — muzzle your muzzle.
Straight from the morning a shift at the mall, these ninjas begin their rigorous training.
Dennis Rodman helps train North Korean soldiers on Halloween. Remember, knowing is half the battle.
Don’t click on that photo!!!! O_O
Tag you’re it.
When it’s all said and done, it’s much better to be caught with a gun (or two or three) than to be caught without one.
What a great picture!
Naturally you’ll want to use the seat belt to keep you from tumbling to your death.
I’m going out on a limb, but shouldn’t that be Tip #1?
It is interesting how he used “liberal tears” to lube the famed communist rifle. Maybe he should have found a Garand or a 1911 or something.
That joke is almost as funny as when liberals came up with it 10 years ago.
Hi Point’s a pretty accurate gun, once you get the sights zeroed, and once you figure out what ammo it likes (or fine tune your handloads). I don’t really shoot in formal environments, paper doesn’t give me the instant feedback i desire. Last weekend I did some plinking, and I hit 6 soda cans with 12 rounds, starting at 25 yards to 55 yards. it wasn’t 100% accurate but that’s probably because I’m a lousy shot with a handgun. But what I managed surprised the heck out of me.
1, I didn’t know I could shoot that good
2, I didn’t know my ammo was that good (they were designed for maximum economy and distance no more than 50 feet)
3, I didn’t know my handgun is that accurate!
In the hands of a good shot, I believe a hi point c9 won’t loose to a fancy Kimber 1911 or a Glock 9mm.
At the indoor range I practice twice a month, I’ve been able to put 4 bullets in the same hole at 7 yards several times.
This is probably the best deal gun for the money i’ve ever bought. aside from my marlin 925 22 rifle, which was another $160 gun that is very accurate and reliable.
FYI, the trigger pull should be around 4.5 lbs. most hi point c9’s have a 4.5 lb trigger. it’s sometimes more probably because there’s gunk in he trigger thing or something. Mine was like 12 lbs or so, but it’s gotten smoother over time. I learned to work with it. probably easily fixed in 30 seconds with a dremel buffing wheel but i never got around to it.
I’ve owned mine for 3 years, and put close to 8k rounds thru it. it’s a wonderful gun. I recommend it to anyone, but gun snobs always get in the way.
Original caption from Russian: “Bodyguard course in China”.
It’s just not as funny as some of these other ones.
I dream about taking out thugs like that.
0. Safety harness.
I think you meant to write “a better comprehension of the extent of the problem”. Veracity doesn’t work in that sentence.
Dick, stop being a dick. You blew it. Go away.
Phase one complete…now its time to take names.
Why would you mention malfunctions when you carry revolvers? Insead of carrying two revolvers, just get into the 21st and get any double stack pistol. With the subcompacts of the day they are plenty concealable.
Next week practical shooting tips, shooting when hold up on a bell tower on the lamb from the law.
Sure, sure let’s just throw money at it…$27.5 mil here, $50 mil there, $130 mil for those guys over there…everybody happy now? Excellent. Onto the next one!
it’s purty
…the best one, is the one you have.
For me it’s a Ruger LC380 loaded with one of ShootinTheBull’s .380 Winner’s Circle.
Sig p290
I’m sure that bright lad will be able to pay his substantial hospital bill.
Not very interested in it, I will stick to my ruger LCP for a .380. I am a fan of Glocks, own three of them, and would buy this if it was in 9mm. This single stack gives me hope that a similar one in 9mm is coming. The Glock 42 is not something I will buy.
The moral of this story is: don’t use your penis for a brain.
There are a lot of boys trying to become men who don’t know how to avoid crazy. I bet ol’ Zimmerman’s dad ducked out of the picture early on. He’s got that vibe of trying to be hyper vigilant with regards to the neighborhood watch/trayvon situation and his woman picker is broke.
Does a fat baby fart?
I work for Helicopter Tours of Texas and just to let everyone know we have our first SATURDAY AirOps COURSE on August 16, 2014. It starts at 1pm and usually is about 4 hours testing your shooting skills with motion simulation and then in a helicopter with your chance with three passes to shoot the steel targets laid out. Highly recommended for those interested in learning and getting the feel of shooting from a helicopter. email me. [email protected] if you want to register for this class.
I think I love you. Do you clean and cook game&fish? I ain’t got no problem washing dishes.
Gunshithelicopters.com