How Do I Become A Better Shooter?

[algerunc]

I just purchased my first handgun (with a lot of advice from the THR Forum- Thanks Guys!). I have a Ruger P95 that I took to the range for the first time today.

I was looking for some advice on how to become a better shooter. I know that practice is a huge part of it, but I don't want to practice bad habits. Any advice or resources that you guys can give?

I'm new to shooting handguns, so even the basics won't offend me :)

[jpwilly]

Concentrate on the front sight and slowly squeeze the trigger keeping front sight over target. The pistol should surprise you when it goes off...do not anticipate it firing. Do this shot after shot until it is natural.

[JImbothefiveth]

Well, don't use ammo with lots of recoil, because that will give you a flinch

Also, learn the rules of gun safety

All guns are always loaded, always. Even if you think, or know they aren't, don't use that for an excuse for poor safety.

Always keep them pointed in a safe direction, meaning that if they were to fire, noone would get hurt. (Beware that walls won't always stop bullets)

Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot

Always know your target and the background. Make sure that noone is using a target to hide, and that that motion really isn't another hunter.

[Oro]

Do 80% of your firing dry. Dry fire regularly so you can watch the sight picture at your break. It's the fastest, most efficient way to build good trigger memory without wasted effort. I read years ago that many top competitors do 60 to 80% of their trigger work dry. Adopting that practice changed my shooting dramatically. I think this is the single most important thing to do.

[David E]

It would benefit you to take a class from someone that knows how to shoot and can relay the "how" on to his students.

One thing about the P-95, or any other DA auto, is how to handle the transition between first and second shot.

Some say you should place the trigger in the first crease of your finger for the first shot, then, during recoil, reposition it so the pad of the finger (1/2 between joint and extreme tip) for the second/follow-up shots.

Baloney. The people that dispense this advice read it in a gun magazine and/or can't shoot very well, especially at speed. (speed comes later!)

Don't move your finger at all. You'll be fine and more consistent as a result.

Remember to decock the gun before you lbring the gun down off target. At the same time, take your finger off the trigger.

[GLOOB]

First thing first. Get a good grip. The gun should not "meet the middle" between both arms. It should make a straight line with the strong-side forearm, only. Hold the gun with your strong hand as if you're going to shoot it one-handed, then add your support hand. And finally, don't cock the sights up towards your eye; bring your eye down to the sights. The web of your hand should be as high as you can get it, and your grip should be about as tight as you can squeeze without tiring yourself or shaking.

Shooting like a girl (this makes me cringe):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWEe5oCBI_M&feature=related
Notice the 30+ degree angle between his right forearm and barrel axis. I'm not saying that you can't shoot accurately like this. I've seen a competent shooter use a modified Weaver stance with a slightly bent elbow (but not winging out to the side, like this). It can be done, but you will not handle recoil as well, you will not point shoot as well, and it will take more practice to be consistent. Also, keep your finger out of the trigger guard until your sights are on the target! Overall, this is a pretty good video of what NOT to do!

Good grip (particularly guy#2 seen at 5:00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_JuF23qazI

Second: learn to squeeze the trigger without flinching. You want to counteract the recoil with a nice locked wrist and strong grip. NOT by anticipating the shot. Load a dummy round in each mag and see if you are flinching.

Also don't do this:
I came across this "expert" video by a self-described "seasoned military operator." Check out the grip at 1:20. I was watching this and it made me cringe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Q1nlBRhbM

So I come across another of his videos. This one made me laugh. (left hand). Ok, that's a little mean. Anyone can have an accident. But when you do it on camera while wearing full military-type gear and using fancy terminology, some people might think it's funny.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDrh8puSi-k&feature=related

[owlhoot]

Looking at the front sight sounds ridiculously easy, doesn't it? However, after serving many years as a police firearms instructor, I can assure you that some shooters never learn to look at the front sight. They think they are looking at the sight, but they are not.

When you truly learn to concentrate on the front sight, it will be unnecessary to look at your target. You will know where the sight was at the moment you broke the shot. Consequently, you will also know where the bullet hit the target.

Dry firing is a good thing, and I am all for it. But be advised that you will behave differently with a loaded gun than you do with one that you know is unloaded. Nobody jerks the trigger, flinches, or otherwise makes a bad shot with an empty gun.

You will do these things with a loaded gun, even with a mild .22 LR.
So when you look at a target you've just shot and the hits aren't where you hoped they would be, accept the fact that you haven't learned to concentrate on the front sight.

As JP mentioned, the other issue is trigger control. It is hard for a new shooter to accept the fact that he flinches or jerks the trigger. He isn't afraid of the recoil, so why would he flinch? Fact is that even expert shots have to work and keep working on trigger control, especially with a handgun. There are several other "fundaments" that are important, grip, stance, breath control, sight alignment, sight picture, etc. But the big lessons to learn are sight alignment (watch the front sight) and trigger control.

[musick]

Second: learn to squeeze the trigger without flinching. You want to counteract the recoil with a nice locked wrist and strong grip.

In addition to what has been mentioned, try dry firing w/o a magazine (I keep all live ammo in a seperate room) w/ a snap cap in the chamber (if you are so inclined) and a EMPTY (!!!) shell placed on the top forward most portion of the slide (usually just behind the front sight). Practice your trigger pull until you can keep the empty (!!!) shell on top of the slide w/o it falling off.

Consider taking a firearms saftey course as well.

[ArchAngelCD]

After you take all the good advice in the above posts and you think you are good, take things a step further. Compete in any kind of shoot you like but go into some kind of competition. You will not believe how different shooting is under pressure until you try it. Nothing can replicate the pressure you're under in a SD situation but shooting in a competition comes very close. (or so I'm told since I've never had to use my handgun in a SD situation) That Sir might save your life some day and also make you a much better shooter. It's a hack of a lot of fun too...

[musick]

This is why you keep your finger OFF the trigger until you have made the decision to shoot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4vPMpDbRY&NR=1

[GLOOB]

Looking at the front sight sounds ridiculously easy, doesn't it? However, after serving many years as a police firearms instructor, I can assure you that some shooters never learn to look at the front sight. They think they are looking at the sight, but they are not.

This is the tried-and-true best method of using open sights for precision target shooting. But there is another option where you learn to focus on the target. I shoot nearly as accurately (and much faster) with target-focused shooting. It's a bit like point-shooting, only you can clearly see your sights and a bit of the top of the slide in your line of sight. But your eyes focus on the target. I prolly do focus on the front sight every now and then to check my alignment. But once you learn to hold your sight picture, it's a bit like shooting a shotgun. You just know when everything is lined up.

[gunnie]

there are many GOOD methods of school on shooting. try as many as you are exposed to and/or find, and see which of them (or combinations from them) work best for you. as you study the shooting tips from the legendary shooters it seems they all employed their own differing techniques...

ammo prices are now inflated to unsustainable highs. practicing regularly enough to get sufficient fam-fire will eat your lunch on todays market. purchasing a similar .22lr handgun will pay the investment off quickly.

there are .22 conversion kits for a few of the most common platforms out there now. this list is growing very quickly. keep an eye out for them, the ruger is selling well. same being the VERY best way to practice with ammo you can say "brick" about, and not cringing whilst breaking out into a cold sweat. everything exactly the same but recoil. since it is what happens before the recoil that counts, the conversion kits are perfect practice tools.

practice is THE secret method employed by ALL of the great shooters.

gunnie

[MrBorland]

Some good advice here. I've chimed in on this topic enough that I'll just paste some links to earlier replies rather than re-type:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3264345&postcount=13

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=5345492&postcount=22

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=5543678&postcount=3

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3263699&postcount=6

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3265087&postcount=19

[45ACPUSER]

Get formal training. Then practice......my suggestion is to look at getting a 22 LR like a Ruger MKIII.....

[Zerodefect]

Youtube search for Todd Jarrett. Good stuff.

[raskolnikov_22]

Shoot and won't be able to stop yourself from getting better. When I felt most confident in my pistol prowess, I was shooting up to 1,000 rounds a week. Buy that's not really possible right now.

If you want to learn all about technique, I recommend Massad Ayoob's The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery
http://www.amazon.com/Gun-Digest-Book-Combat-Handgunnery/dp/0896895254/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243133167&sr=8-3

[ScareyH22A]

I'm no pro but I know that dry firing with some snap caps goes a long way.

[sniper5]

+1 to all the above. Shooting is no different than any other sport:

1. Get good instruction. Be picky about teachers. Just because they have a lot of letters strung behind their name and can do it well doesn't mean they can teach YOU to do it well (How to tell the difference-talk to their former students and see what THEIR opinion is).

2. Break down the components: Stance, grip, trigger finger position, sight alignment, squeeze, follow through. Concentrate and perfect each one through dry fire, practice drills, live fire, whichever is appropriate. Strength training if necessary. Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.

3. Put it back together: First do it safe, then do it accurately, then speed it up.

4. Evaluate results and identify the weak link in performance. Then go back to step 1 or 2 and start over.

5. You can always improve. If you become perfect before you die, write and tell everyone in the world how you did it. None of the rest of us have figured it out yet.

[chris in va]

I look at it this way. In reality when will you ever actually USE the gun...target shooting or self defense?

In other words I'd start doing slow, deliberate drills once you get used to the safety aspect of shooting a handgun...ie finger off the trigger etc. Get a good holster, learn draw/fire techniques. It can be done at home provided the GUN IS EMPTY.

If someone busts into your house at 3am, the last thing you'll be doing is carefully lining up your sights and slowly squeezing off a round to hit the bullseye.:scrutiny:

[ndh87]

Get some snap caps, stick a target on the wall and dry fire.

[BCRider]

My two favourite resources on your pistol grip. The grip is probably on an equal footing with being able to see the front sight when it comes to pistol shooting.

The Jarret video has already been pointed out but without a link near as i can tell

http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/combatg_100306/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48

[4v50 Gary]

Archery. It teaches you follow-through.

[Greybeard7]

Safety first. Slow and accurate next. Speed comes with practice. Speed first equals "spray and pray", and I don't recommend it.

Next, practice skills or technique, or learn new skills. Don't just burn up ammunition reinforcing bad habits. Every time you go to the range, recognize something that you need to work on the next time you go.

If you are interested in self defense skills, here is a link to a rather large pdf file with different exercises to improve your shooting and awareness of different possible situations. If this interests you, print it out and take it to the range and work on those drills that are safe based on your experience and ability, and are acceptable at your range.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/HandgunDrills.pdf

Just my opinion.

GB7

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Read, read, read (or watch). Practice, practice, practice!

[gunnie]

wannabe cello player to philharmonic orchestra musician, "can you tell me the directions to get to carnegie hall?

orchestra musician, "practice, practice, practice!"

gunnie

[kyo]

practice every day. dry fire every day

[SCKimberFan]

Practice, practice, practice!

Works for most everything. :D

[Riss]

Must also stress that lots of practice CAN be good. But most of the time is not. Regular ractice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Once you feel, when practicing, that all is going in the wrong direction it is time to move on to something else for a little while.

[Zerodefect]

Unless your practicing the wrong technique. Then you'll be real good at shooting bad.

I practiced the weaver stance for years, until I saw some competitions and noticed none of the good shooters useing it.

Thats when an old timer told me about todays combat stance: Both sholders square to the target, feet pointed in the direction I want to move (if I want to move), support hand rotated forward with its thumb pointing straight at the target as straight as can be.

[MrBorland]

I just stumbled on this page. Full of great articles by Ed Hall on pistol marksmanship:

http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/articlesand.html

Some good reading there, even if you're not into formal bullseye competition.

[fiddletown]

And some good, professional instruction is always a good idea. There is really no good substitute for having a qualified instructor watch you and comment on what you're doing.

[OldCavSoldier]

Get some A-Zoom snap caps and practice "dry firing" with them in the chamber. When you are tired of that, do it some more.

Then, go to the range and practice, practice, practice live firing....

...practice is the only way I know to improve one's ability....

[joe817]

I couldn't agree more OldCavSoldier! After being out of the shooting hobby for over 20 years, that's exactly what I've done, and my shot groups keep tightening whenever I go to the range.

The ratio I try to keep on dry cap firing vs. live firing is 4-1.

That and working on the grip, sight picture(I look at the front sight instead of the target when I squeeze a round off), trigger work and breathing. I haven't started working on the stance yet, which I need to.

[Toml]

BRASS
Breathe deeply so you can hold it without discomfort. This will help you to
Relax into a stable position. Check your natural point of aim.
Align your sights on target: check both alignment and placement. Hold your breath.
Steadily (or Slack)
Squeeze until the shot breaks. Follow-through and prepare for the next shot.

[joe817]

After a session on the firing line, I wasn't pleased with the shot groups, so I asked the guy behind the counter what I was doing wrong. He pulled out a target like this:

http://alcotarget.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=129

Compare an actual target you have used to this one. You have to look carefully but you can see what you are doing wrong by the text on the target. And sure enough it was true. They make that target for both right handed and left handed shooters.

Google "improving handgun accuracy", and you'll get a bazillion hits. I've saved about 10 to my favorites and read them in my spare time(when I'm not reading here in my spare time, lol!) And I've put into practice many things I've learned from those sites. Practice, practice and practice....both live fire, and ESPECIALLY dry fire using snap caps. One of the articles I read for novice shooters is to practice dry firing 1,000 times before going to the range. I only lasted 300 dry fires. But it helped. I compared before and after and the difference was startling.

[thorazine]

How Do I Become A Better Shooter?

Disregard all the prior posts.

Go out and purchase every season of twenty four on DVD.

Watch and study.


You'll be super tactical.

[VegasOPM]

+1000 on whoever has said:
1. Get some training
2. Practice dry firing daily.

[Lee Lapin]

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/basictraining.asp - class descriptions and a class locator for the biggest network of trainers in the nation.

Practice is great, but you need to know what to practice. Training is a good way to learn what to practice. Practice helps you 'groove' what you learned in training.

lpl

[cchris]

The only advice I can offer is don't buy a sigma...heh. That's what I bought first, and I can still do much better with less-spongy triggers (i.e. the XD, which I first started practicing with before buying my own). I've lightened it up but it still doesn't really "snap" like other guns. However, with more practice, I can be as good as a guy with a more expensive gun. The same goes for anyone - just practice and correct what you're doing wrong. There's a pistol correction target online (may have been posted in this topic already) that'll tell you what you're doing wrong based on where the shot hits.

[MDPuckett84]

Don't just dry fire at home, dry fire at the range too.

After shooting for a bit, stop and dry fire at the target to check for a flinch, and if you are flinching keep dry firing until you quit. You'd be surprised what habits the recoil is hiding.

I made a huge improvement by only loading the magazine with 3 rounds for a couple trips. I found that as a went "deeper" into a high capacity mag I lost concentration on the fundamentals. Having to reload the magazine forced me to take short but frequent breaks and regain focus.

If you carry, spend some time practicing with the gun in the method you carry it in. I believe in your case that means DA then SA shots. With a 1911 it means working with the manual safety. For reliability checks, top off the mag after loading the chamber since this puts more upwards pressure on the slide and its probably how you carry it.

[cchris]

"I made a huge improvement by only loading the magazine with 3 rounds for a couple trips."

You said it exactly, MDPuckett. I still have yet to load more than 5 rounds. Not only do you conserve ammunition, but you are limited to the number of shots you have, so you try to get it right the first time and focus.

Personally, I like loading 1 or 2 in each mag and telling myself "alright, you've got one shot to hit this" or the same for 2 shots.

[orionengnr]

Well, I can only tell you what worked for me.

1. Get a .22 pistol. Mine is a Ruger MkII.
2. Shoot every week, at least 100 rounds.
3. Focus on the basics (already enumerated in prior posts).

And for me, probably most important:

4. Aim small, miss small. Ever since reading that, I've been using 3x5 index cards as targets. I stick a 1" orange dot in the middle, run it out to 15, 21, 25 feet, and concentrate on that little dot on that little card. I'm convinced that has improved my shooting more than anything else. I am nowhere near world class, but my improvement over the last year or two has been noteworthy. And it translates directly into my revolver and 1911 shooting.

[Confederate]

Handle the gun a lot. Like basketball players that have to take basketballs around with them from room to room, get to feel comfortable with what you're trying to master. Do a lot of aiming and dry firing.

The upside of this is that the gun will become second nature to you. The downside, of course, is that you may lose some of your respect for the gun and pick up bad habits. Still, it's possible to handle it safely as long as you obey the safety rules

Learn how to shoot with the front sight of the gun. One problem that many people make is that they lose the sight picture, or they think the picture has to be perfect. It doesn't at close ranges and the front sight will always take you to your target in close in shootings.