Went to Range

[adams020604]

I went to the Shooting range on 1-30-2006 with my wife and father-in-law, and for the first time shot a gun. I shot at the target but my shots weren't accurate and by luck I was able to shoot the target. I then realized something, when shooting my hand squeezed the trigger and began to shake. My question to the board is, how do you actually target and fire without the shaking of the hand and accuracy? I know it takes practice but I really wanna know.

 

[Red State]

Welcome!

I hope you enjoyed your time at the range.

To answer your question: practice, practice, practice and get some tips and pointers from an experienced shooter.
As far eliminating the shaking that you are experiencing, get familiar with the feel of the trigger without any live rounds in the gun. Make sure you put in a dummy round that will absorb the impact from the firing pin, and then you can dryfire to your hearts content. That will allow you to practice your trigger sqeeze and aiming without having to worry about the gun going off.
When you shoot, you should be able to hold the sights on the target and gently sqeeze the trigger until it goes off. When the gun goes off, it should suprise you a little bit - because you are so focused on keeping the sights on the target.
Your shaking may be because you were a little nervous or excited. I would expect that to go away as you become more familiar with shooting.

Hope that helps!

-RS

 

[Standing Wolf]

If you squeeze a pistol grip as hard as you can, your hand will shake. It helps to back off a bit from that degree of clenching. A firm grip is usually more accurate than an extremely tight grip.

The colder the air, the less steady most hands become.

Flinching is normal. Contending with it sometimes takes a few trips to the range, but sometimes years of effort.

For most of us, it helps to squeeeeeeeeeeeze the trigger slowly while concentrating on the front sight. That's a lot easier said than done.

Sometimes, I just bang-bang-bang-bang-bang off ammunition instead of trying to hit targets. I've found it useful to accustom my hand to the recoil—or re-accustom it, as the case sometimes is.

Keep trying, eh? Any nitwit can point and click; hitting what you're aiming at, however, requires a bit of skill, a lot of practice, and a great deal of both patience with oneself and determination.

 

[Black Majik]

It sounds like you are flinching, or anticipating the shot. Shooters do this when they anticipate the recoil and noise and try to compensate for the recoil by jerking the trigger.

To overcome this, you'll have to dryfire a pistol and gain some practice. Of course, practice at the range will help you overcome this.

Next, where were your shots going? If you are right handed where they low and left? Next, what caliber where you shooting? You might want to try with something with less recoil and noise. I always have new shooters start with the .22 to learn basic shooting fundamentals.

Also, congrats on your first time to the range. Its definitely an exciting experience for you I'm sure. Take your time and read up on the mounds of info here, theres a lot to learn and read.

Lastly, welcome to The HighRoad.


ETA: Standing Wolf and Red State, since we all posted the same thing at the same time.... JINX!

 

[Red State]

Almost the same time ..... I was just a bit quicker on the trigger! jk.

Glad we didnt all say completely different things!

 

[adams020604]

Answer to your question.

Im shooting with a C9-9mm luger and because I am right handed when I shoot, my shot bears left. So what do you suggest I do, I'm trying to get used to the gun I currently have so I can understand it a whole lot better. Secondly, does anyone here have a faq on how to disassemble and reassemble a firearm and has anyone experienced and problems

 

[MCgunner]

There are those that have never handled a gun, especially a couple of kung fuy type martial arts types I have known that I'm thinking about, think shooting a handgun is so easy it's cheating and you're a wussie if you resort to one. They're like the folks that think you don't have to know how to point a shotgun to kill a bird or hit a clay target. It just annihilates anything in the general vicinity in front of it, or something like that.

Well, as you found out, there's a lot more to it than that. Read up on marksmanship technique, breath control, trigger control, proper stance, etc. Use a two hand technique, either isosceles or weaver/modified weaver. And, practice, practice, practice until you can put those words into actions. Or, you could seek out some instruction, but you can learn it on your own. It will take more than a few range sessions to get proficient, but you'll start to see improvement soon.

Proper hold can reduce the "shaking", but not totally eliminate it. One hand shooting as the bullseye guys do, you sorta shoot when the sight finds itself over the bull. LOL For bullseye, a precise trigger is very important. The two hand techniques will reduce the shake, but not totally eliminate it at extended ranges. The same shake occurs with a rifle off hand, but even more reduced, but it's still there and there in lies the challenge of marksmanship. It can turn into a never ending quest for perfection. Others, like me, get mildly proficient and say "screw it, good enough". To really, really be on top of the game, even after you've become proficient, you have to burn a LOT of ammo. The guys you see shooting on outdoor channels and ESPN in the shooting games like IPSC go through handguns like a baby goes through diapers. They wear out a gun in less than a year that would last most of us duffers a lifetime. Like me, you may never be that good, but you can be proficient above the average, sufficient to protect yourself if the time ever comes or even to hunt big game with a handgun. And, nothing against the martial arts, but unlike Karate, an 80 year old in a wheel chair can use a gun for self defense effectively. At 52, physically, I'm getting past my prime, but I can still shoot! And for women, nobody ever raped a .38. And, I mean, even the martial arts of the time used the most modern weapons of the time, swords, nun chucks, etc. Well, we ARE in the 21st century after all.

 

[Ala Dan]

Again, welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay, and that you
enjoyed your trip too the range as well; as its always a fun time
when family and friends can get together for a day of shooting.

 

[Sheldon]

A firm grip is good, but if you start to grip too tight, your muscles will tremble. If your muscles start to get tired the same will occur. You can practice with weight and build the muscles up to help prevent that. Flinching is another thing that occures when one is not used to the recoil and muzzle blast of a firearm. The rcoil can be limited with lighter ammo and a LOT of practice to acclimate yourself. The effects of the muzzle blast can be limited by doubling up on ear protection.....using foam pluge under your ear muffs.

The other thing to realize is that the weapon WILL recoil no matter how hard you hold it. BUT the bullet exits the barrel before the slide starts to move ( and before most of the effects of what you perceive as recoil). The most important thing is to have the sights aligned when you let the shot off. If you find yourself flinching violently, odds are your jerking the trigger when the sights are aligned and pulling the weapon off target when doing so.

 

[middy]

Be sure you are using a 2-handed grip. The off hand wraps around the trigger hand, not underneath like a cup in a saucer. You should grip harder with the support hand (the one not pulling the trigger). My grip is about 65% support hand. This eliminates a lot of the shaking that comes from trying to death-grip the pistol and pull the trigger at the same time.

 

[ezypikns]

It's a little scary the first time.

I've hunted all my life. I grew up with shotguns and rifles. But I'd never shot a centerfire hangun. I bought a Hi-Point 9mm (sold it almost immediately afterward) and went to a local indoor range. A 9mm cartridge seemed enormous and very powerful. Imagine my surprise when I shot the first magazine and actually did pretty well.
Meanwhile it's years later and I have a pretty good collection of handguns now and take a lot of pleasure in shooting them all. Stay with it. It gets more and more fun. Plus you get to meet some great folks like the ones you'll meet here. They don't call this 'The High Road' for nothing.

 

[Thain]

Take a look here: US Army Field Manual FM 3-23.35 "Combat Training with Pistols, M9 and M11"

The exact text is about the M9/Beretta M92F but aside from the technical and mechanical parts, the rest is spot on for any handgun. Sounds to me like you should really read up on the part about how to hold the weapon.

I'm not an expert, by any means, but I figure the US Army has taught a few hundred thousand men and women to shoot using this book, so why not me too? Plus: its free!

 

[Alex45ACP]

Also make sure you eat something before you go to the range. I went one morning and was in a hurry and skipped breakfast and noticed my hands were very shaky.