Beginner Female Shooter ... Please Critique My Video

[old lady new shooter]

I am a strong advocate of learning to shoot without sights while moving and at a moving target as well as from different positions, angles etc...

This is not a skill that is taught very often. It takes practice, stamina, and space not normally available at most gun ranges.

I'm probably not ready to start trying to shoot while moving yet, but for those of us who can only shoot at a range, do folks here think there is any benefit to practice moving one step forward, backward, or laterally while shooting? That's about all I would be able to get away with.

Last week I did try a target that had a bunch of different things to aim at, shot at different ones in different order, first two shots each then one shot each, imagining that was at least a little more like shooting at a moving target in that at least I had to keep changing where I was pointing. It wasn't harder than shooting at the same point all the time, so I'm guessing that while it was a little more interesting it's not gonna teach me to hit a moving target. Next week I'm planning to go to an outdoor range (because my indoor range won't let me shoot my chosen SD ammo and I want to at least shoot a box of it before I go live with my HD plan in case it feels different from the range ammo), maybe they have some type of moving targets there I could try. I might not actually be ready for that either but as an experiment I think it could teach me something.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Some people put a coin on top of the front muzzle and dry fire while holding it so steady the coin doesn't fall off. I have not had much luck with this but I have to admit I have not given much of my practice time in trying to perfect it.

Believe it or not, that was the first thing I tried when I brought my gun home, and to my great astonishment (or more accurately utter disbelief), the quarter I started with didn't move. I then tried a penny and it didn't move either, even "shooting" as fast as I could. Trying to analyze this I think it's because that 12-pound trigger is heavy, my finger just isn't strong enough to jerk it, so, silver lining syndrome. I have to confess though that I've only tried it with the coin lying flat, not with it standing on edge like in MrBorland's video.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I'm probably not ready to start trying to shoot while moving yet, but for those of us who can only shoot at a range, do folks here think there is any benefit to practice moving one step forward, backward, or laterally while shooting? That's about all I would be able to get away with.

Yes. It's called "getting off the X", and it's fundamental to defensive pistol shooting.

Actually shooting on the move is very difficult, accuracy so low that it's only useful for area denial/keeping your opponent pinned down while you maneuver. I practice it regularly on the private range we have, and at 50 yards with a rifle, I will only manage ~15% hit ratio on a 100% silhouette with a rifle at a jogging pace. In a full run, almost any hit is by chance until you close to <20 yards. As you can imagine, it's even worse with handguns.

More tactically sound is to move quickly from point to point, shoot once you're stopped.

 

[9mmepiphany]

do folks here think there is any benefit to practice moving one step forward, backward, or laterally while shooting?

Start on either side of your booth/stall and move laterally to the other side...usually just a step.

Bring the gun up as you are moving, with the goal being to break an accurate shot just as you stop.

It isn't about distance, it is about getting into the habit of not standing still as you bring your gun up

 

[old lady new shooter]

Start on either side of your booth/stall and move laterally to the other side...usually just a step.

Bring the gun up as you are moving, with the goal being to break an accurate shot just as you stop.

It isn't about distance, it is about getting into the habit of not standing still as you bring your gun up

Thank you very much. That sounds quite challenging actually.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I was wondering if there are any common beginner level mistakes I should work on as far as accuracy goes. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Suggestions online are less than ideal as we're dealing with your interpretation of what we'd offer and than we'd have to interpret your feedback of what occurred from following our suggestions.

That is why I usually advise getting some professional instruction, when first starting, to avoid ingraining bad habits.

Having said that, two things spring out immediately while looking at your videos.
1. Your grip is compromised for recoil control. Your left hand needs to be higher on the gun...as high as the right hand...and you need to grip less with your right thumb.
2. You're jerking the trigger in anticipation of the sights being on target. Yes, I know it sounds like a mind trick...as I can't see what you're seeing and i can't see where your shots are hitting...but rest assured that I've been instructed enough people to make a pretty accurate guess.

Both these points are pretty general and don't really address the solutions, but we'll need more specific questions and better video to offer more helpful advice.

Just a general bit of advice:

Many believe that the key to fast and accurate shooting is everything from sight alignment to grip to breathing...it isn't.

The key to being able to shoot accurately is a smooth, consistent, and straight to the rear trigger press.

You can do everything else correctly, but if you aren't able to correctly manage your trigger, you won't be able to hit your target accurately

 

[9mmepiphany]

That sounds quite challenging actually.

It is even more challenging when you do it on a range, drawing from a holster, and reacting to a turning target. The target exposure was 1.5 seconds to draw and fire two COM shots before the target disappeared.

Before you even try this, you should be able to bring you gun up, align the sights, and fire an accurate shot...in one smooth motion...while standing still.

It is counter-productive to add movement before you can place accurate shots...you'd only be training yourself ta accept shooting without the sights being aligned on the target

 

[1911 guy]

Agreed. Also, as stated, move laterally, not forward or backward. When studying the dynamics of fighting, there is something called a "line of force". Moving laterally moves you out of that line, left or right, not simply closer or farther from the threat but still in the line of force.

Another point, it is usually, but not always, useful to move to your right, assuming you are right handed. This allows you more natural movement aligning your own weapon and forcing the opponent to move in a less natural movement. You are changing the line of force in your favor, making the opponent react to the change you have initiated. Puts them behind the eight ball, how far depends greatly on their level of proficiency.

Now to the O.P. The thing i noticed almost immediately, in both videos, is that you are leaning too far forward. Your weight should be evenly distributed over your center of gravity. Allows for better recoil control and faster realignment of sights after the shot.

 

[old lady new shooter]

It is even more challenging when you do it on a range, drawing from a holster, and reacting to a turning target. The target exposure was 1.5 seconds to draw and fire two COM shots before the target disappeared.

Before you even try this, you should be able to bring you gun up, align the sights, and fire an accurate shot...in one smooth motion...while standing still.

It is counter-productive to add movement before you can place accurate shots...you'd only be training yourself ta accept shooting without the sights being aligned on the target

I'm pretty accurate standing still, but not as fast as I hope I'll be with more practice.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Agreed. Also, as stated, move laterally, not forward or backward. When studying the dynamics of fighting, there is something called a "line of force". Moving laterally moves you out of that line, left or right, not simply closer or farther from the threat but still in the line of force.

Another point, it is usually, but not always, useful to move to your right, assuming you are right handed. This allows you more natural movement aligning your own weapon and forcing the opponent to move in a less natural movement. You are changing the line of force in your favor, making the opponent react to the change you have initiated. Puts them behind the eight ball, how far depends greatly on their level of proficiency.

That's very interesting about moving to the right, thank you!

 

[chipcom]

You seem to be shooting well...except for that obvious flinch that is very noticeable when you pull the trigger on an empty gun. I'm more concerned about how you are handling your firearm when you are not shooting. When loading, reloading and clearing, try to pay better attention to where your muzzle is pointing and keeping your finger off the trigger.

 

[LoneGoose]

Here's my two cents:

Shooting, and defensive shooting take a lot of practice for the skills to develop. Ya gotta punch a lot of paper and get that (those) gun(s) to be like a part of your body. You might find out over time that the gun you have doesn't fit you like this other gun. Here again, time and practice will get you to where you can adequately judge which gun is for you. I went through a lot of trades until I found the perfect gun for me.

Follow-through. Keep the sight picture and trigger control until even after the shot is fired. That will keep you from jerking. Also, with those striker-fired guns, there is a lot of trigger travel. You might find that a 1911-style gun suits you best.

I use a LaserLyte insert http://www.laserlyte.com/products/trainer-pistol-pre to do my practice dry-firing at home. It only comes on for a short flash when the trigger is pulled. That will help you immensely with control and follow-through. I have to shim mine at the muzzle with a couple thicknesses of paper to get it lined up perfectly with the sights, but no big deal.

Congratulations on your new interest. Keep in mind that you can't learn "enough". Stay with it, and shoot as much as you can afford. (You can burn up a lot of .22 ammo for the price of a box of 9mm.)

 

[jmorris]

Any suggestions are appreciated. I just started shooting and am trying to learn as much as possible. I know somethings you cant always learn from a book or from the local yokels.

Depends on what you want and expect out of shooting. If your just wanting to plink and have fun basic gun safety is all you need. If you want to become a competitive shooter I would advise some classes focused in that area.

If you fall somewhere in between classes might help if you don't have satisfactory "yokels". I question the one you had when you were shooting outside, you should be wearing safety glasses, like the indoor range forced you to do. No exception on this one burned skin from hot brass will heal, your eyes can be damaged forever in an instant.

I don't know where your at but you might look for a local IDPA or USPSA club, you will get all the help you would need on handling and shooting pistols.

I went golfing once, not having a clue about what I was doing, after a few holes I asked a guy if he had any suggestions. He said, "Get lessons before you develop bad habits." Not what I wanted to hear at the time but sound advice.

 

[Frank Ettin]

....The key to being able to shoot accurately is a smooth, consistent, and straight to the rear trigger press...

The first principle of accurate shooting is trigger control: a smooth, press straight back on the trigger with only the trigger finger moving. Maintain your focus on the front sight as you press the trigger, increasing pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks. Don't try to predict exactly when the gun will go off nor try to cause the shot to break at a particular moment. This is what Jeff Cooper called the "surprise break."


By keeping focus on the front sight and increasing pressure on the trigger until the gun essentially shoots itself, you don’t anticipate the shot breaking. But if you try to make the shot break at that one instant in time when everything seem steady and aligned, you usually wind up jerking the trigger. Of course the gun will wobble some on the target. Try not to worry about the wobble and don’t worry about trying to keep the sight aligned on a single point. Just let the front sight be somewhere in a small, imaginary box in the center of the target.

Also, work on follow through. Be aware of where on the target the front sight is as the shot breaks and watch the front sight lift off that point as the gun recoils – all the time maintaining focus on the front sight.

Also, while practice in very important, remember that practice doesn’t make perfect. It’s “PERFECT practice makes perfect.” More frequent practice shooting fewer rounds, but concentrating hard on what you’re doing, will be more productive than less frequent, higher round count practice.


Practice deliberately, making every shot count, to program good habits and muscle memory. Dry practice is very helpful. You just want to triple check that the gun is not loaded, and there should be no ammunition anywhere around. When engaging in dry practice, religiously follow Rule 2 - Never Let Your Muzzle Cover Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy." As you dry fire, you want to reach the point where you can't see any movement of the sight as the sear releases and the hammer falls.

Think: front sight, press, surprise.

 

[cologuy]

"But to anyone that questions my purpose with my videos or joining these forums, you know where you can go!"

Love it! Best response I've seen in a while. I think you'll do fine however you decide to learn about shooting, you seem to take it seriously and that's the best way to go about it. Take all the advice, see what works for you, and practice, practice, practice! Keep us posted now and then on your progress.

 

[danez71]

Yep. Exact same username/post showed up for the first time this morning on Glocktalk. She's already been nuked there.

I suspect someone is trying to cash in on youtube ad revenue...lets see, who hangs out on gun forums? Guys! What do guys like? Guns/chicks! Lets make a series of videos of a chick with guns and ask all the guys to watch. We'll be rich.


I wonder how many other web boards "she" joined and posted to today?

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/thre...unchic.155700/
http://www.glocktalk.com/threads/fem...oting.1603953/ (already deleted)
https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho....php?p=6202225
http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f...inters-117671/

Probably others...but this is getting boring.

So what? Does it really matter if she is trying to make a little money too?


There's a bunch of other pretty girls shooting guns on youtube that are made purely for visual effects. She's asking for input from legitimate gun forums and she's not even dressed or posing for body image feed back.


She's a new shooter and should be welcomed with open arms instead of snarky-ness.

Your right! I did post multiple locations so that I could choose where I wanted to spend my time. I am new to this. I am shooting videos to document my progress! Show me a gun person that got rich off of Youtube! Lol. I started my series because I haven't seen anywhere on youtube where someone (especially a female) started at ground zero and posted videos of their growth.

If you must know, I was a victim of a home invasion where multiple men came in to my home and attacked me and my boyfriend. Only having ever shot a pistol once, (as you see in my video when I am wearing pink) I had a pistol taken away from me in the middle of the altercation.

I WILL NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN!!!! EVER!!!! GET IT??

In one night I went from being lukewarm to guns to fully understanding their purpose. I was warned that people at GlockTalk could be #$%^ and thats the reason I posted at multiple spots. I wont mention who alerted me to this but he is pretty prominent in the firearms community.

I would be lying to say that I didnt want my videos to grow, but its not about "getting rich". Only Total Clowns would believe that's even possible in firearms videos on youtube!
There are like 10 people that make legitimate money off of youtube and they deal with comedy, video games, and music. I think the highest gun related you tuber I found is FPSRussia and that guy has a job. How rich is James Yeager, FPSRussia, YankeeMarshall?? I DO however want to share my journey so that other women see where I have come from and see that its possible for ANYONE to take active action in their own self defense!!

... and before people pry in to my past, you can kiss my backside! If admins wish to know the details I will briefly explain it to them! But to anyone that questions my purpose with my videos or joining these forums, you know where you can go!

Sincerely,
AGC

Its nice to see someone take their own safety seriously instead of just following the mantra of the last couple decades of which was 'just cower and follow the bad guys instructions and you'll be fine until the cops get there' .

Good for you and Good job to your parents for raising you to be able to think and make good decisions for your self.




I cant offer anything other than what has been mentioned here by several others.


I will echo that the shoes and shirt should be more appropriate to the activity. That doesn't me you have to look like a construction guy, mechanic, or some other 'dude'; you can still be fashionable. And, agreeing with above, 'practice practice practice.' The familiarity you gain with handling a gun will translate into better safety and better shooting (accuracy and follow up shots).

 

[d2wing]

I would add that you should learn the basics with an air pistol, BB or airsoft. Going directly to high power is where most people learn bad habits. I am a certified instructor. You can learn better trigger control and sight alignment if you practice with an air pistol.
Since you have already learned to flinch, you have to unlearn it. I encourage you to keep it up. Most people do not want to start at the beginning. But that is where I always start and I encourage you to get real instruction from a trainer or NRA videos.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Welcome. Lots of great and really critical advice above.

First things first. Watch the video Sam shared. It's informative. Use it as a way to work on your grip.

Second, front sight, front sight, front sight.

You're off to a good start.

 

[Jim Watson]

A lot of good advice here, but some of it is a bit advanced.
First learn the operation of the gun, it must be reflexive.
Then learn to get hits from a static position. When you are getting 85-90% hits, move the target farther away.

When you are sure of your gunhandling and shooting, THEN think about carry, draw, movement, "tactics."

Formal training is good. Competition is good; USPSA or IDPA.

Couple more items in the video.
While you were generally good about keeping the gun pointed downrange, it is still not good practice to look around at your coach or buddy for approval until the gun is holstered or tabled.

You don't have to empty the gun every time you have it pointed at a target. Take a break. Fire a shot and think about what you were doing. Fire two, THIMK, take a break, etc.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Sorry you had to experience a home invasion. If you can, save up your money and vacation time and go to Gunsite in AZ. Their 5 day pistol class will be a great experience. Not sure where you live but there are other good shooting schools across the nation.

 

[old lady new shooter]

Cool video!

From time to time I seek out women-shooting videos in order to show my 5-year old daughter how much fun it can be.

She should love this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd4B77PkeaU

 

[Al Thompson]

Nice find OLNS!

 

[old lady new shooter]

Nice find OLNS!

I cannot tell a lie, someone sent it to me.

 

[quartermaster]

Nice job, post some more vids as you progress

 

[AmericanGunChic]

Fun Video!!

OK .. So THIS IS NOT a progression video!! Its just something I shot for fun that I thought I'd share. I have a class towards the end of January that I hope to do a video update on.

This video is just for fun.

Carney Fun! WOOHOO!!!!
https://youtu.be/eUxaLa7XQ64