Slicing the Pie

[mmckee1952]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

 

[eagleeyes]

i'll have to admit i was one of these persons ''Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it.''

until recently when i decided to seriously reconsider my protection, and i've seen some great you tubes about clearing houses and tactical training on home protection and all so i'm actively seeking all the tips and training i can get being some day soon i will be another concealed weapons carrier
i wish you all safe and able to protect yourselves if and when a situation rises.....

 

[Kalamity023]

Great instruction but I must disagree. The guy to bunker down and wait. Im going to make it clear that I am armed and not hesitant to use it. Although knowing how to clear a house is useful and something that is fun to do in drill or training, in real life it's dangerous and dumb.
3 things to keep by the bed. Flashlight, Gun, cellphone. The thing goes bump in the night 1st thing you pick up is the cell phone then the gun. call the police, then take cover or concealment with you and your family. Somewhere where you have an advantage over any attacker. Tell the police that you have a gun and where you are. Let them know to ID themselves when entering, leave the phone on with dispatch who can communicate between you and officers.
The police get paid to clear a house. You don't. Your duty is to protect your life and the life of your family, no possession is that important to go looking for a perp in your house.
I don't come from a state with a castle doctrine so this is my choice. I never want to put myself in an unknown situation that will further to endanger my life or the life of my family. There are enough prosecutors in the state of CT looking to label the guy who clears his house as John Wayne. Thats not needed when you have to defend yourself.

 

[Treo]

It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I stopped reading right there. Clearing your house alone is one of the easiest ways I can think of to get yourself killed.

Your home defense plan is of course dependant on the lay out of your home and your specific situation but ultimately I am not going to go sneaking through my dark house in the middle of the night looking for a bad guy.

All of the things in my home are insured for their replacement value so I’m going to do as Uncle Sugar taught me and set up an ambush and wait for the bad guy to walk into it. And if he never does I’ll let the cops fill out a report and put in for a new T.V. / Stereo/ DVD player / Tool set with the insurance company.

After all that’s what I pay those premiums for

In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I'd like to see a cite for that please. That I am aware of only one state (Texas) allows you to use deadly force to protect property.

 

[eagleeyes]

i've gone into my own house many times making sure nobody walked in whilst visiting a neighbor or mowing the yard as ya don't know if someone wandered in whilst you weren't watching........i've also gone to job sites and even my own empty rentals with caution as far as entering and making sure no one was hiding in the apartments buildings and even restaurants i've had to check up on when the alarm has gone off... i also check my vehicles back seat area and around before reentering it so it's not a bad idea to know how to clear your home or any other building or apt you may need to enter and yes if i heard something go bump in the night i'm not afraid to cautiously check to see what it is
but that's just me

 

[Treo]

i've gone into my own house many times making sure nobody walked in whilst visiting a neighbor or mowing the yard as ya don't know if someone wandered in whilst you weren't watching........i've also gone to job sites and even my own empty rentals with caution as far as entering and making sure no one was hiding in the apartments buildings and even restaurants i've had to check up on when the alarm has gone off... i also check my vehicles back seat area and around before reentering it so it's not a bad idea to know how to clear your home or any other building or apt you may need to enter and yes if i heard something go bump in the night i'm not afraid to cautiously check to see what it is
but that's just me

This is a post that is firmly rooted in ignorance. There is a huge difference between doing a walk through of a house to make sure it’s unoccupied and actually clearing a house that you know is occupied, especially when the occupant is hostile.

Why don’t you do that a time or two then you can tell us how it’s done

 

[Bttbbob]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

This is a bad tactic...........You need to be as close to the opposite wall when slicing the pie. Not the pivot wall. Otherwise someone could just reach over and disarm.

Besides clearing a house is not for those that are faint of heart or those that are untrained.............Call the police and stay in your safe room. Then you only have to defend 3 feet.......The doorway to your saferoom.

 

[SGB]

Link Removed Originally Posted by mmckee1952 Link Removed
In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

I'd like to see a cite for that please. That I am aware of only one state (Texas) allows you to use deadly force to protect property.

Don't see a mention of the use of lethal force in his post.

 

[GLADad]

That is a good tactic to find the BG. However, I have renters insurance, and document all of my valuable stuff. I don't think a TV or computer is worth dying or killing over. I will take a defensive position to keep my gun between the BG and my family, but I am not going to look for him. I'll just take advantage of the $20 a month I pay to protect my stuff, rather than thousands to hire a lawyer over a stupid TV.

 

[fudo]

It is late at night and a noise coming from across the house rouses you from your sleep. Your wife wakes up too and whispers to you that she thinks someone is breaking in. Your heart rate increases dramatically while all the blood from your extremities rushes to your vital organs—triggering your fight or flight response. The adrenaline feels like a drug as your breathing increases and pupils dilate. You quickly regain control of your thoughts and tell your wife to run into the bathroom with the phone and lock the door. You quietly reach into your drawer and grab your .45 caliber handgun and your flashlight—time to go and see what’s what.


Burglaries in the Home Can Happen at Any Time

For most people, this scenario is one of the most dangerous things you will ever do. Slipping through your home in the middle of the night to confront an unknown threat is not only hazardous it’s potentially deadly. Some would argue that the best thing you can do in this situation is try to escape, or lock yourself away and wait for the police to eventually show up and write a report. While I have nothing but respect for the impossible job the police are burdened with, in most cases, they simply can’t get there fast enough. If you live in a rural area, it may take half an hour for a squad car to arrive in your driveway. It is my opinion that the best course of action is to clear the house yourself, and eliminate the threat. The burglar may only be there for your television, but they are going to have to get through you to take it. In most places in the United States, you have the right to protect your property without having the obligation to attempt to flee.

Unfortunately, the majority of people who buy a gun for home defense take it to the range once, and never really learn how shoot it. An even larger majority never learn how to fight with it. There is a lot more to gunfighting than just hitting a stationary target at 10 yards. When moving around a corner, deploy a basic maneuver call slicing the pie. The concept is simple, and it can save your life. The idea behind slicing the pie is that your target has minimal time to react to your presence before you get a chance to fire your weapon. To traverse a corner, simply do the following:

•Approach the corner as close to the wall as you can get without rubbing up against the wall and making noise. Giving away your position is the last thing you want in this situation.
•Put your eye on the corner and remember that the apex of the corner is your pivot point.
•Take a horizontal step away from the wall. Keep your elbows close to your body and don’t let anything poke around the corner ahead of you.
•Pause and scan the slice of the pie. Between each step taken, you should scan from the floor at the corner to the ceiling—scanning each slice in a vertical motion.
•Lean slightly toward the direction you are stepping to allow your head and eyes to be the furthest object, allowing you to see your target before he sees you.
•Shoot with either hand, if you can, using the hand closest to the direction you are moving.
•Do not cross your feet, since this is not a very stable stance for shooting. Remember that you may have to fire your weapon at any moment.
•Always point your firearm where your eyes are looking. This will allow you to react more quickly than if you have your firearm at low ready. Arms extended or high-compressed ready are both good options. With high-compressed ready, make sure that your non-firing hand is behind the plane of the muzzle.

This little maneuver is identical to the way police and military personnel traverse corners in tactical situations. Performing this act alone isn’t always the safest option, but if you have no other choice, you should at least do it correctly. This will increase your probability of survival, making you a more proficient gun owner. Exercising your right to protect your family is not only your right; it is your duty as a responsible citizen.

Captain cut and paste, umm....No. Your safest play is to hole up. armed, and call 911. You should be in a place where there is a controlled choke point at the entrance so you can easily protect from entrance of bad guys.

 

[Mark Chitty]

I don't see how clearing the house yourself is a good idea, but being able to move safely to my kids' rooms is important. Since our bedroom and both the kids rooms are accessed from the same hall, personally I would just wait with my gun pointed down the hall while my wife called the cops. You're always at more risk if you are the person walking in to your opponents line of sight because odds are the stationary person will see you first giving them more time to respond. In that hallway there is only one direction for the burglar to come from and he's in for a big surprise when he turns that corner, whether he's "slicing the pie" or not.

 

[scfd5]

in my ccw class the instuctor taught this but as a last resort or to get to a childs room if needed. The adive was to always stay put and protect ones self and family from cover and call 911 if possible. I think i like this way better then risking it.

 

[Dennis1209]

I had a little first time learning experience a few weeks ago I posted on another site if you care to read it.

Talk about a reality check? The wife and I were deep asleep when this piercing sound woke me up. Coming out of such a deep sleep, it took me a moment to realize it was the burglar alarm. If any of you have an ADT system with that ear piercing whistling siren, you know what I’m talking about.

We have had this system for about a year and a half and have never had any false alarms. I was thinking of that and many other things as I grabbed my S&W 686+, .357 magnum pistol sitting on top of my nightstand next to me. I also have a Remington 870 shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot next to the bed. I realize now the shotgun is just too unwieldy for the configuration of my home.

Shaking and somewhat confused on what to do next, not being able to hear anything because of the ear-piercing siren, I decided the siren had to be turned off because it could not be tolerated for any length of time. The single control panel is located in the kitchen at the opposite end of the house. The siren is located on the hallway wall half way between the bedroom and kitchen control panel.

As I slowly and carefully made my way down the hall while checking for intruders, the siren was actually hurting my ears, and my hands were shaking. We always keep a living room lamp light on. After checking the living room, dining room and kitchen and seeing it was clear, I disabled the siren. What a head relief!

Fortunately having a pair of reading glasses near the alarm control panel I checked the code on the read out. Code 02, basement motion detector. This is where I always suspected to be the most logical place for a BG to enter. The motion detector immediately activates the alarm, not the 45 second count down for the windows and doors.

At that moment the telephone in the living room rings, we don’t have a phone in the bedrooms. I’m certain it’s ADT calling about the alarm. The wife had followed me down a few moments later.

The door leading to the basement has the standard doorknob lock, a dead bolt and one of those useless chain things with the tiny screws securing it. I tell the wife to answer the phone as I am covering the basement door hoping no one will come barging through. The ADT person tells my wife, “we have received an alarm from your address, Code 02 basement motion detector, what is your password?” The wife is relaying this information to me as my eyes are trained on the basement door.

The ADP person asked my wife, “are you going to check the basement or do you want us to send the police?” With hands still shaking I thought for a moment… To me, the best course of action was to get the police here, quick. She informed my wife they are calling. It was probably 3-4 minutes from the time the alarm went off until ADT called, assuming I immediately awoke when the alarm went off.

I have a police scanner sitting close to the alarm panel I seldom use and thought this was an opportune time to turn it on to monitor the Sheriffs progress. I live in EBFE and sure enough, the deputy sheriff called dispatch for directions.

The dispatcher called and informed my wife that the deputy was here and unchaining my driveway gate. The deputy later informed me it was policy to call the homeowner before arrival for safety reasons (home owner with gun). It took roughly 20 minutes for the deputy to arrive.

While waiting for the police to arrive I happened to look at the clock, a few minutes after 3 A.M. Thinking to myself, from what I’ve read, two to three o’clock seems to be the prime time for home invasions.

Seeing the police car driving up my 200+ yard driveway, I pondered what to do with my handgun. Put it away or keep it near and cover it with a towel or something. Since he was on scene I felt comfortable enough to take it back where it came from.

I didn’t know if he would come to the front or back door so I turned on the front and backlights and opened the doors. He cautiously approached the back door and announced sheriffs department and I made myself visible and told him to come in.

I gave him a brief description of what happened and the alarm code. He told me the first bit of good news was my gate was closed and chained when he arrived (no pad lock, just a clip).

He then cautiously opened the basement door with flashlight in hand, turned the basement light on and slowly started down the stairs. I’m thinking, dude, you need to have your handgun drawn? I’m reasonably certain someone broke in and might still be there. But, I’m not about to say anything as he is a professional and is trained, it’s my over active imagination probably.

After what seemed to be an hour, but probably only 4-5 minutes, I hear the officer coming up the steps. He was down there for quite some time. Now I’m really wondering where they broke in from and how much damage was done. He asks me a couple questions about my garage door, something about if it locks? The single car garage is separated from the basement with a flimsy hollow door and dead bolt.

With great anticipation, he finally tells me everything looks secure and there was no break in. I can’t tell you the relief my wife and I experienced at that news. It still took us a couple of hours to calm down before we could attempt to go back to bed.

Before departing, the deputy complemented me on my Liberty safe in the basement and we talked a good ten minutes on what could have caused a motion detector false alarm and crime statistics in my county, etc. before he left. A good guy!

Lessons learned: While I am fortunate this was a false alarm and grateful for such, what if it was the real thing?

After the deputy departed, one of my first thoughts was, I need to get me a good alert / guard dog. But in retrospect that might not be a good thing. I had a good alert dog at my previous residence but has since passed away from old age. We had the same ADP alarm system and my wife burnt something in the oven and set off the smoke alarm. The dog went crazy yelping and running around from the high pitch loud noise. Seems to me that would be one more distraction to deal with in an emergency?

The shotgun is too unwieldy for me to use indoors with the configuration of my home. Guess I’ll put it back in the safe as it is a better outdoor defense gun, and I don’t “plan” on checking out or confronting anyone outdoors at night.

I have a phone jack in the bedroom. I need to get a hard line phone for it today because that’s the number the police will call upon arrival, the telephone number of your alarm system the ADP people give the police.

I have a set of electronic earmuffs in my range bag. I’m going to put them next to my home defense pistol. I wonder if they will muffle the ear piercing alarm? With the alarm off they do enhance your hearing significantly, which is an advantage.

Most importantly, I need to get some training and work on my mind set. Instead of trembling hands, I should have been pissed someone has the balls to break into my home.

For me anyway, seems my best laid plans went out the window when that alarm went off! It also a different story when it’s daytime and you’re prepared, alert and condition yellow compared to at your most vulnerable, asleep in bed.

Sorry about being long winded.

 

[Treo]

Captain cut and paste, umm....No. Your safest play is to hole up. armed, and call 911. You should be in a place where there is a controlled choke point at the entrance so you can easily protect from entrance of bad guys.

As fudo alluded to, this article was actually lifted in it's entirety from cheaper than dirt.com 9mm | The Shooter's Log w/ no credit given to the original author.

IOW the OP plagarized it

 

[lc9'er]

I would just like to offer up the salt and pepper shaker to those (she) who keep(s) opening their (her) mouth and inserting HER foot.

 

[Hoganbeg]

Regarding clearing your own house vs hunkering down in a safe room. There is no question that a prepared ambush is the best guarantee of your safety. A good comparison is hunting from a stand vs still hunting. There is a reason why stand hunting is so productive. In still hunting your movement tends to alert the quarry to your presence before you become aware of him.

Massad Ayoob once made a comment that most homeowners, even knowing that it is not the best tactic, will want to clear their home anyway, and that being the case, they should know how to do it properly. A problem arises when it takes more that one person to do it safely, depending on the layout of the building.

I think knowing how to clear your own house is a valuable tool to have in your survival repertoire, but it's certainly not the first tool to reach for. Think of it as a special tool to be used in the rarest of circumstances: cops are hours away, tied up on a more important call, you've previously pissed them off, or it's TEOTWAWKI.

 

[Bill Cavalieri]

Just what is it about the room you're cringing in that makes it a "safe" room. Does it have a steel door, kevlar in the walls and ballistic glass in the windows? If not the bad guy can clear your safe room by simply shooting through the walls or putting his gun around the corner, shoot through and kick the door open then shoot a bunch of times at random around the room. He's not afraid of you. What if a family member has a distant bedroom? You just abandon them to their fate while you hide? This smells of a do-gooder plan to sell us on the effectiveness of safe rooms with the next step being requiring us to retreat to one rather than defending ourselves against interlopers. King's new clothes.

 

[Bttbbob]

Just what is it about the room you're cringing in that makes it a "safe" room. Does it have a steel door, kevlar in the walls and ballistic glass in the windows? If not the bad guy can clear your safe room by simply shooting through the walls or putting his gun around the corner, shoot through and kick the door open then shoot a bunch of times at random around the room. He's not afraid of you. What if a family member has a distant bedroom? You just abandon them to their fate while you hide? This smells of a do-gooder plan to sell us on the effectiveness of safe rooms with the next step being requiring us to retreat to one rather than defending ourselves against interlopers. King's new clothes.

And this opinion would come from training where? Please read up on deadly funnels and come back to us.

 

[SGB]

Just what is it about the room you're cringing in that makes it a "safe" room. Does it have a steel door, kevlar in the walls and ballistic glass in the windows? If not the bad guy can clear your safe room by simply shooting through the walls or putting his gun around the corner, shoot through and kick the door open then shoot a bunch of times at random around the room. He's not afraid of you. What if a family member has a distant bedroom? You just abandon them to their fate while you hide? This smells of a do-gooder plan to sell us on the effectiveness of safe rooms with the next step being requiring us to retreat to one rather than defending ourselves against interlopers. King's new clothes.

 

[Bikenut]

And this opinion would come from training where? Please read up on deadly funnels and come back to us.

I'm well aware of "deadly funnels"... but I'm also aware that holing up in a room that has no means of escape from, regardless of how heavily armed, can become a.... "deadly trap".

I'm not advocating that folks clear their homes subjecting themselves to the dangers of "deadly funnels" and/or ambushes from bad guys behind corners nor am I advocating that folks hole up in one room where they are trapped with no way to get out and where, as has been mentioned, the bad guys can simply spray bullets through the door and/or walls. All I wish to do is point out that both methods have their advantages under certain circumstances.................. and both have their disadvantages under certain circumstances.

And that it is unwise to have a defense plan that isn't flexible enough to be changed when circumstances require.