mikemyers
Member
When I read advice from good people, or should I say people I think are good, I often think it's probably better than what I do on my own, so I try to use and learn from what I've read.
Years ago, I used to hold my guns (mostly revolvers) in a way that felt comfortable. Then I read that you should hold a revolver as tight as you can, right up to the point where your muscles start to quiver. Lots more reading, lots more opinions, and the last one was to "hold your revolver no tighter than you'd hold a lady's hand, were you to shake hands with her".
Fast forward to today at my local range. I had gone through two targets with around 15 shots in each, and while most of the holes were where I thought they might be, based on my own ability, each target had two or maybe three holes way off, either up or down or both. I only load 3 bullets into my revolver, leaving three cylinders empty, so I'll know if I'm flinching (when the front sight moves as I release the trigger). I was pretty sure that was my problem, but I couldn't get my hand to "relax" and stop doing stuff that messed up my aim.
I stopped for a few minutes, wondering what to do differently. On a hunch, I stopped holding the gun so tightly, and followed that last bit of advice - holding the gun no harder than if I was shaking someone's hand. Voila!! for the rest of that target, and the following target, there were no more "wild shots". Zero. I had the feeling that my hand was more relaxed, and therefore there would be less of a tendency for some muscle to move the gun one way or another.
Also, I read that when you squeeze the trigger with a relaxed hand, the other fingers are less likely to move the gun as you're taking the shot.
Before anyone starts thinking I'm better than I really am, consider that I'm 70 now, and have just finally gotten to where I can shoot 3" groups at 15 yards. I'll post the last target from today, so everyone reading this knows I'm just an amateur, trying to learn, not someone trying to say how to do anything.... although the above change does seem to work better for me..... along with dry-firing day after day, every day, for at least half an hour every day.
Squares are one inch. Bull is three inches diameter.
Target is designed to make it easy to enter all hole locations into a spreadsheet to calculate CEP.
If I have a goal right now, it's to get to where I can shoot 2" diameter groups with the same gun (S&W 357 Magnum Highway Patrolman) shooting 38 Special ammo at 15 yards distance, slow fire.
Years ago, I used to hold my guns (mostly revolvers) in a way that felt comfortable. Then I read that you should hold a revolver as tight as you can, right up to the point where your muscles start to quiver. Lots more reading, lots more opinions, and the last one was to "hold your revolver no tighter than you'd hold a lady's hand, were you to shake hands with her".
Fast forward to today at my local range. I had gone through two targets with around 15 shots in each, and while most of the holes were where I thought they might be, based on my own ability, each target had two or maybe three holes way off, either up or down or both. I only load 3 bullets into my revolver, leaving three cylinders empty, so I'll know if I'm flinching (when the front sight moves as I release the trigger). I was pretty sure that was my problem, but I couldn't get my hand to "relax" and stop doing stuff that messed up my aim.
I stopped for a few minutes, wondering what to do differently. On a hunch, I stopped holding the gun so tightly, and followed that last bit of advice - holding the gun no harder than if I was shaking someone's hand. Voila!! for the rest of that target, and the following target, there were no more "wild shots". Zero. I had the feeling that my hand was more relaxed, and therefore there would be less of a tendency for some muscle to move the gun one way or another.
Also, I read that when you squeeze the trigger with a relaxed hand, the other fingers are less likely to move the gun as you're taking the shot.
Before anyone starts thinking I'm better than I really am, consider that I'm 70 now, and have just finally gotten to where I can shoot 3" groups at 15 yards. I'll post the last target from today, so everyone reading this knows I'm just an amateur, trying to learn, not someone trying to say how to do anything.... although the above change does seem to work better for me..... along with dry-firing day after day, every day, for at least half an hour every day.
Squares are one inch. Bull is three inches diameter.
Target is designed to make it easy to enter all hole locations into a spreadsheet to calculate CEP.
If I have a goal right now, it's to get to where I can shoot 2" diameter groups with the same gun (S&W 357 Magnum Highway Patrolman) shooting 38 Special ammo at 15 yards distance, slow fire.
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