Basic Shooting Skills - making the most of range time

[OchoBlue 3]

What are some basic skills and drills to practice during an hour at the range. Typically I'll go through a box(50) of higher caliber rounds (.40 / 9mm) and a couple of hundred 22lr when available.

[Mr.Stu 1,916]

It depends what your current skill level is and what your objectives are.

 

What you need to practice for bullseye will be different to what you need to work on for one of the action sports.

 

If you are brand new to shooting work on your fundamentals - they are called fundamentals for a reason.

 

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[blksheep 466]

Stance, Grip, Sight Alignment, Trigger Control, Breath Control and Follow through.

 

Stance. Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, everything square to the target

 

Grip. Webbing of hand high in the tang, support hand meets the support side of gun filling the void. Thumbs and strong index finger pointed at the target.

 

Sight alignment. Sights should be even across the top and focus should be on the front sight.

 

Trigger control. Press the trigger straight back without disturbing the front sight as the trigger breaks.

 

Breath control. Breath normal.

 

Follow through. After the shot breaks managing the recoil and getting your sights back on target.

[das 0]

Stance, Grip, Sight Alignment, Trigger Control, Breath Control and Follow through.

 

Stance. Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, everything square to the target

 

Grip. Webbing of hand high in the tang, support hand meets the support side of gun filling the void. Thumbs and strong index finger pointed at the target.

 

Sight alignment. Sights should be even across the top and focus should be on the front sight.

 

Trigger control. Press the trigger straight back without disturbing the front sight as the trigger breaks.

 

Breath control. Breath normal.

 

Follow through. After the shot breaks managing the recoil and getting your sights back on target.

Thanks for the list & descriptions.  Noob follow-up questions...

 

Stance - How do you hold your arms... both locked, both slightly bent, one locked?  Do you adjust your stance for one-handed shooting?

 

Grip - Where do you put the index and middle fingers of your weak-side hand... around the grip, under the trigger guard, front side of trigger guard?  Which thumb do you put on top?  How tightly do you grip it?  Do you push with your strong hand, and pull with the weak hand?  Do you place your strong hand differently for one-handed shooting?

 

Sight alignment - Both eyes open, but sights lined up with the dominant eye, right?

 

Trigger Control - What part of your finger do put on the trigger... pad, or first joint, or other?  Does your finger move/slide laterally across the face of the trigger while firing, or is that discouraged?

 

Follow through - Any technique suggestions?  Something's got to give when the gun moves... do you want to bend/move at the wrists, or elbows, or shoulders? (Or conversely, what parts do you try to keep "locked"?)

 

What are common noob mistakes?  I would guess things like jerking the trigger, or flinching in anticipation of the break, but are there others to watch out for?

 

I'm taking the NRA Basic Pistol class this weekend, which includes range time, so that may answer many of my questions, but I'm also curious what experienced shooters think & do, in case that differs from what's taught in the class.

[Melgamatic 66]

 

I'm taking the NRA Basic Pistol class this weekend, which includes range time, so that may answer many of my questions, but I'm also curious what experienced shooters think & do, in case that differs from what's taught in the class.

 

100% of what you asked will be covered in your course this weekend!  Take the course and then come back on Monday to ask what they didn't cover....

[blksheep 466]

I lock both arms out.

 

Support fingers wrapped around strong fingers.

 

Trigger finger placement, pad of index finger on face of trigger.

 

Eyes. I close one eye for long distance shots. 10 yards and in usually both eyes open.

 

Grip can be as tight or as loose as you want but it has to be equal.

 

I dont cross thumbs nor teach that way.

 

Same stance for one hand shooting both strong and support side.

[blksheep 466]

No lateral movement on trigger. That can push shots left or right. Straight back towards your nose.

[blksheep 466]

Just let the recoil happen naturally. Dont try and over compensate for it by moving wrists or elbows.

 

New shooter problems?

 

Proper sight picture and trigger control are the two biggest problems.

[Norseman 2]

Go on YouTube and search for things like "handgun accuracy techniques" ...things like that.

 

 

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[chris327 30]

take the basic pistol class with an open mind i think. dont follow tips online or try to over think it. go to the class learn everything you can. then practice on your own and watch videos or read about ways to help you. while there may be great advice i feel if your taking a class wait till thats done. go in with an open mind. I think people read too much and think about the things they read during the class instead of whats being taught.

[Candyman87 10]

Pistol Basic is one of the best things I ever did as far as shooting goes. Got me out of some bad habits and into some good ones.

 

Take as much as you can out of the class... I don't think you can get that kind of bang for your buck just putting rounds down range!

[jrfly3006 42]

Everything BLksheep said...plus trigger pull should be steady and even....don't anticipate trigger break...let it surprise you

[Norseman 2]

Everything BLksheep said...plus trigger pull should be steady and even....don't anticipate trigger break...let it surprise you

This helped me tremendously. I fixed it doing dry fire exercises with snap caps and saw that I was moving my front site each time I squeezed the trigger. Figuring out and then practicing squeezing without moving the front site has helped my shot placement improve.

 

 

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[blksheep 466]

Thats all its about. Knowing what you are doing wrong is huge.

[acaixguard 37]

Trigger control is key.

 

If you have a little extra in funds, I highly recommend getting a SIRT training pistol...

 

http://nextleveltraining.com/content/sirt-specifications

 

What I do, aside from all the dry fire practice I get at home, is bring it with me to the range. Instead of shooting 100-150 rounds straight, I spend half the time practicing trigger control with the SIRT. You get the benefit of ingraining good trigger control discipline, plus by spending half the time with dry fire practice, you save money on ammo.

 

Well worth the initial cost in my opinion.

[mipafox 438]

 

Trigger control is key.

 

If you have a little extra in funds, I highly recommend getting a SIRT training pistol...

 

http://nextleveltraining.com/content/sirt-specifications

 

What I do, aside from all the dry fire practice I get at home, is bring it with me to the range. Instead of shooting 100-150 rounds straight, I spend half the time practicing trigger control with the SIRT. You get the benefit of ingraining good trigger control discipline, plus by spending half the time with dry fire practice, you save money on ammo.

 

Well worth the initial cost in my opinion.

 

 

That is absolutely awesome. That is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.

 

What is the difference in cost? It looks like the cheaper ones are slightly lighter and have weaker lasers. Do you have experience or recommendations on the different models?

[acaixguard 37]

I have the Pro, which has a metal slide and green/red laser. The metal is heavier, so the entire unit mimics the weight of a real loaded pistol. The green laser makes it easier to see in daylight.

The Performer model is just as fine though. With the weighted mag in place, it will be just as heavy as an unloaded Glock. And nobody complains about the weight of that when dry firing.

It's about a $100 difference between the two. Use the code "10-8" for 10% off the price you see on their site. While not the cheapest, it is a great value when you consider the amount of ammo you save. I can't tell you how many rounds of wasted ammo I launched down range over the years using improper technique. Had I had this device earlier, I would've saved some ammo by making each round count more.

The sights are both are interchangeable. I just picked up a cheaper pair of Ameriglo sights for mine. The rear dovetail is a little more oversized, so I put some red loctite to hold it in place. The company is great to deal with, and they stand behind their products too.

 

Search YouTube for "Sirt training" for some videos on how it works and some drills you can do with it.