Diagnosing a new shooter.

[LynnMassGuy]

One of the old coots at the range showed me this trick a while back so I figured I'd share it. It's for when you are trying to figure out what a new shooter is doing wrong when they pull the trigger. It also makes it easy to show the shooter what they are doing wrong. Probably an old trick and some of you may have heard of it. Idunno...

With a revolver, load it with live rounds except 1. Load the other one with spent brass. Now watch them carefully while they shoot. When they get to the already spent round you will really be able to see what they are doing wrong. (Pushing the gun forward to counter recoil, twisting the gun while pulling trigger, etc...)

I actually made myself a better shooter doing it to myself. I used it on my wife and Dad. Really helped in showing them what they were doing wrong. (My Dad is surgical with a rifle but his pistol skills leave something to be desired.)

John
LMG

 

[Rockrivr1]

That method works great! I used that to teach my neighbors daughter to shoot. She was consistantly shooting low and the the left when she started. I could see she was pulling the trigger instead of squezzing it which had her dipping the bbl down. I tried to show her what she was doing and let her know she was anticipating the recoil. It was a 22LR, but she was new. So I put an empty in one of the chambers and sure enough when she pulled the trigger with no boom, you could see her trying to brace for the recoil by the way the gun moved. She understood then and has become a much more proficient shot since then.

 

[OF]

You can use a snap-cap in a magazine for autos to achieve the same thing. And it's not just for new shooters, either. Try it yourself - have a buddly load a mag for you. This is also a great way to practice malf-clearance drills. Load each others magazines, putting snap caps in every once in a while and then just train like you normally would. When the gun gloes 'click', clear it.

Another tip I like: have the new shooter hold the gun on target and pull the trigger for them. Sometimes this will get people to that 'AHA!' point where they finally understand the relationship between sight-picture and trigger squeeze.

One more: when starting a new shooter, always only load one round in the gun.

- Gabe

 

[SMLE]

This is an EXCELLENT way to detect and treat "flinchitis". Add plenty of dry fire practise to perfect form and follow through. It works with long guns too.

 

[赤悪魔]

its a Good trick that works well. It also a good idea to inform the new shooter that it should be a suprise every time the gun goes off. Eleminating the anticipation seems to be the key

 

[ceetee]

We used to do it like this:

Load one

Skip one

Load two

Skip two.


That way, when the gun goes "click" and you just know that the next one's gonna go "bang!" but it goes "click" instead... or you just know that it's gonna go "click" next, but it goes "bang!" instead...

I was drilling myself at an indoor range this way once, and the RO came over and asked, "What kind of ammo you using, son? You're sure gettin' lots of misfires!"

 

[Standing Wolf]

赤悪魔

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Seriously: I've been known to put one live round in a six-shooter and hand it to another shooter, then three, then one again, then two, then...

I've seen people catch on in as few as twenty rounds.

 

[P95Carry]

Not exactly adding much - but will say this - when teaching NRA basic pistol, possibly the single most valuable phase of the live fire section - is - ''ball and dummy''. Indeed, the shooters who were being ''shy'' either of recoil or noise - were immediately seeing for themselves what their flinch and trigger errors were.

Once this stage was over, I doubt there were any exceptions - all groups tightened right up. Has to be the method ''par excellence'' for displaying bad habits! A winner!

 

[OF]

It also a good idea to inform the new shooter that it should be a suprise every time the gun goes off.

It's getting them to understand what this statement actually means in a practical sense that's the trick.

In my experience, you can tell people that all day and until you pull the trigger for them, and they feel the gun recoil suddenly while all they were doing was comcentrating on the sights, it's in one ear and out other.

- Gabe