What's the advantage of shooting a gun out of a car while holding it sideways?

Question

I know this sounds like a stupid questions, but seriously. There has to be a reason why the gangstas shoot guns this way. We all know they use massive jam-o-matics such as Tec-9s, Cobray MAC-10s, and Hi-Points.

Is it because holding it sideways in a moving car will allow a more reliable feed from such crappy guns? Do they shoot in that manner because of the inaccuracy of those guns? Do they custom gunsmith their weapons (unlike the movies) to put the sights on the side of the slides? Does it give an advantage in point shooting?

It's a question that has baffled me for years, as I've always shot firearms that are reliable with proper technique while both feet are on the ground.

Another thing, in the movie Behind Enemy Lines I saw in one of the scenes where the soldiers shoot the civilians in the bombed-out store that one of the soldiers holds his AK-47 sideways, with the stock against his shoulder. Is there any advantage in using this technique?

Answer 1

I think the short answer is that that is what the gangstas see on TV and in movies and they aren't smart enough to know any better.



Long ago, when the phenomenon first started becoming popular, I remember someone suggesting that the gang bangers were imitating the grip used by SWAT members with ballistic shields.



This may or may not be true, but the article below does mention that the only time "professionals" use this grip is with a riot shield. The article also discusses the Hollywood influence as well as some limited use for fully automatic weapons early in the last century.

Answer 2

tec9s, hi point, mac 10s, etc are not crap guns, its the idiots who use them. guns will jam if the operator is incompetent.



I doubt many people know why the guns are held sideways for. no it's not to look cool. people may believe that now but I believe back when gangsters were intelligent criminals, they discovered hold hte gun sideways have certain special advantages.



most gangster car windows are heavily tinted. criminals like their privacy.

if you hold the pistol properly you'll have to open the window more than if you held it sideways, and by opening the window more, there's a higher chance the victims & bystanders will be able to see your face, perhaps enough to pick you out of a police picture book or describe your face well enough to the cops they cna build a suspect list to pin you down.



by holding the gun sideways in that fashion they found there's less vertical muzzle climb, the gun's muzzle climbs sideways instead. which means you're more likely to hit that crowd of people on the sidewalk.



this was also when criminals can actually shoot, know how to maintain their guns properly and use the proper terminology.



the style of shooting has been passed down to younger and newer generations of criminals but the intelligence clearly has not.



I discovered holding the gun sideways you have more control on recoil than if you hold it properly. or at least thats how it works with my hands/arm/wrist.

Answer 3

OK, here's the real scoop. Holding a pistol in such a way means you couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside.



But, it was done for Hollywood (by someone who doesn't understand firearms) under these theories.

1. in a car full of Gangstas, rolling in a coupe, the person in the back seat wants to get in on the shootings but doesn't have a window, so he has to reach forward and angle his wrist at at an awkward position to be able to shoot.



2. the theory goes that holding a pistol sideways while shooting into a crowd allows for the slide opperation to change the path of the bullet. Meaning I don't care who I kill, but someone is getting shot and I don't care who. This is utterly stupid as the action of the slide takes place after the bullet has left the barrel.

Answer 4

No actual advantage to shooting with the gun sideways, other than the bros will think you be tacticool for not shooting like a white boy.



If you have a machine gun instead of a pistol, and hold it sideways with the butt against your body, recoil will pull the gun sideways instead of up. Not a good way to hit anything but fun to do for just spraying bullets in some general direction, which is all anyone not trained in proper technique is going to be able to do with a machine gun anyway.

Answer 5

It's in the script.



Personally. if I had to do this, I'd aim forward and below target, let the recoil and upwards pull of the gun rake bullets across the target. Sort of like leading a shotgun.



EDIT: What subguns are/Can be modified to left ejection? None I know of. The Lewis, some pistols. If you are a leftie in the army, tough t****. Get used to it. Yes, hot brass down your neck wakes you up, even .223 does. Ouch!







REF: Fired STEN, UZI, PPSh-43 ,PPS-41, H & K MP -5, and Thompson M1A1 ( Tommy gun had one Heck of an up-and-to-the-right pull!) Often with an MG, you can't really use sights, you have to leave both eyes open, look for bullet impact , and swing muzzle to compensate.



The UZI was a POS, jammed a lot. I was Not impressed...



(Also fired BAR and M2 and 1910 Russian Maxim. Big guns, especially on tripods or wheeled carriages, are different than subguns.)

Answer 6

They do that because Hollywood has told them that's how a "gangsta" is supposed to shoot.



As for doing the same thing with an AK, there is no real benefit. Again, it's Hollywood.



"Real" gang-bangers don't shoot like they do in the movies and on BET music videos. Real soldiers NEVER shoot with their gun sideways, unless that's the only way to get the gun into a tight space. Real people don't believe what Hollywood tells them.

Answer 7

The whole shooting sideways thing was born after John Woo had an action hero in a movie holding pistols sideways and actually hitting the target; remember that this was in a movie where anything is possible. In reality I don't know how you would bend your eyeball enough to even see the sight so you could hit the wall of a boxcar if you were locked inside the boxcar.

Answer 8

There really isn't an advantage. Semi-automatic rifles and pistols are designed to eject the spent shells to the right of the shooter (or to the left if it's been modified for a lefty), so if you hold the gun sideways there's a very good chance the spent shell will hit you -- and they come out of the chamber HOT!!!



The thing I see in movies that is REALLY stupid is when gangsta-thugs shoot their guns sideways with the ejection port of the gun facing up. That's a great way to get a very hot shell flung straight back into your face...

Answer 9

To start with, properly maintained, MAC-10 is a good, but heavy weapon, for short range. (Had one!)

The angle has little to do with the feed.

No advantage in most cases.



A full auto has a tendency to climb, so when under a "mass attack" holding it sideways allows the tendency to pull it around rather than up, allowing more possible hits.

Answer 10

to deflect the brass towards the inside of a car so as to leave less evidence.



that's the popular theory that was on "gangland", a History channel show about gangs.



it has nothing but accuracy disadvantages unless you get "birdman ghetto tech sights"...

Answer 11

Neither Gangsters nor Hollywood producers are combat trained professionals. The Gangsters are just lowlife murderering, drug addict pieces of crap that join gangs because they are not worth a $hit on their own merits. Face to face and one on one, they are cowards, and more worthlesss than a stray rabid dog. Also, they do not use any particular type of weapon. That is Hollywood and News media Horsecrap. They use whatever they can steal, whether it is a $1000.00 AR-15 or a $50.00 single shot .22.

Answer 12

they do this just to be different as i looked it up it is called side grip there is no benefits and in the movie he was trying to keep cover and not expose his head sorry if i did not help but the link below should tell you why it is bad but all for most just for style and to be different

Answer 13

Someone who does this shows how little they actually know about guns.... They care more about the "cool factor" than about actually hitting their point of aim.

Answer 14

None. People do this to project an image that they are "bad". In reality, it is detrimental to accuracy.

Answer 15

Nothing. You can't hit crap shooting that way. Only idiots and Hollywood think it looks cool.

Answer 16

most so called gangstas shoot unarmed civillians so i suppose it doesnt matter how they hold their gun

Answer 17

It's for looks not for performance.