For guys that shoot for tight groups... how do you do it?

[TimboKhan]

I don't shoot bullseye, and am an average shot. I have always focused more on "combat" accuracy than gilt edge shot placement. I say that to give you a grain of salt to take when I say this:

For anything regarding marksmanship, it all boils down to excellent command of basic fundamentals. Grip, stance, trigger control, breathing and proper sighting. Muscle memory and repetition can improve you generally over the short term, but your potential can only be fully realized by focusing on and striving to improve those basic fundamentals.

I mentioned my style of shooting, so I train for fast shots and quick yarget acquisition and shifts. For years I was frustrated at my progress until I started dry firing and analyzing each shot and then fixing my bad habits. Did that over a winter and my shooting improved dramatically, to include becoming a decent double action shooter. I can keep it all in a paper plate and I can do it fairly quickly, and thats because i focused on the fundamentals and continue to strive for consistency in the application of those fundamentals
sent from my Galaxy Note II.

 

[jon_in_wv]

Personally I use an isosceles stance, thumbs forward grip. Then I incorporate the following.

1. For trigger control, pull the trigger and keep the trigger to the rear after the shot. Reset the trigger after you have recovered your sight picture.

2. After your shot, follow through and re-establish you sight picture on the target every time, even if you are only firing one shot. The front sight should fall naturally into the rear sight notch. If it falls to the left or right adjust your grip so you aren't muscling your sights into alignment. Your front sight should travel naturally straight up and down.

3. Shoot slowly at first. Gain speed slowly. Once you establish a good natural grip and trigger control you will eventually be able to just focus on the front sight through the rear notch. When it reappears you can just squeeze lightly and fire the next shot.

Its really that easy. If your sight alignment, trigger control, and grip are all solid you have all you need to shoot well. A good relaxed and neutral stance is all you need. You don't need any tricks or contortions to make you shoot well.

As a side note the other thing I did to vastly improve my shooting was to buy a 22lr pistol to take to the range with me. The extra 50-100 rounds I fired each session made a huge difference.

 

[Bobo]

I started handgun shooting about 1960 while on the U.S. Army Bullseye Pistol Team in Okinawa. The best thing I learned for shooting a pistol accurately is being able to "call your shots", passed on to me by the best shooter on the team at the time, a Sgt. Gonzales.

The trick is to concentrate on keeping the best sight picture you can while allowing as little sight-wander as possible, slowly squeezing the trigger until the shot goes off, then calling where you believe the shot went by remembering the sight picture you had at the exact moment the shot broke.

Was the shot shot high-right, low-left, a flier? If you can call each shot it means you didn't flinch or pull the shot by mistake, and if you did you could see it because the sight picture was off at the the time the gun fired and started its recoil.

Concentrate on your sight picture, slowly squeeze the trigger, and "call each shot".

Practice this very slowly and deliberately at first, then as you master it you can slowly pick up speed.

You'll be amazed at the difference this technique will make!

Bobo

 

[sgt127]

I think stance and grip are a small part of pure accuracy. Stare at the front sight and press the trigger without moving. It sounds so simple, yet, it's the toughest part.

Thousands of years of evolution make you want to flinch and protect your eyes when there is an imminent explosion right in front of your face. You have to fool your brain so it reacts to the blast rather than anticipate it. Your brain cannot know when the gun is about to go off.

Lots of dummy drills with a partner, never knowing if the gun will go bang or click is the key to not flinching.

 

[Got_Lead?]

A lot of good advice here.

I used to shoot military bullseye, and we were taught "the Grip", which consisted of pressing the pistol back into the web of the right hand, then wrapping the second and third fingers around the grip, pressing then against the front of the gripframe only, and not applying much side pressure. The pinkey was loose, teacup style, and the thumb was loose also, forming a kind of flying V. Then a conscious effort was made to pull the trigger straight back, I used to envision pulling the front sight through the rear one with my trigger finger. And finally the grip strength was supposed to be tight enough to make a good weld, but not so tight that your hand shook.

I'm not sure this works on all pistols, but it's not a bad place to start. I have found over the years, that each gun has its own personality, and prefers a certain hold. I believe my SW 52 likes a looser front/back gripframe hold, while my BHP likes more of a handshake grip.

Centerfire autoloaders seem to be more fussy about how you hold them than rimfires, or revolvers.

As a note, I worked up a load for my BHP, which was shooting about an inch at 25 yards. However, the last time I took the HP out, I was shooting about 3" at the same range, it took a fair amount of shooting to get the groups dialed back in. So if there is a lesson learned here, practice, practice, practice.

Good Luck

Dave

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Increases in group size are often diagnostic of not maintaining focus on the front sight and having your eyes continually shift focus from rear, front, and target. I'd start there. I think the thumb positions are overrated and over discussed.

If you ever get a chance to take a class from Loui Awerrbuck, he will be able to diagnose and fix your problem in 5 minutes. I've seen him do it so many times. It is amazing.

 

[murf]

front sight, squeeze, repeat. any other input from you will open up the group. follow-through is very important. don't try and influence it.

stance, grip, position, one hand or two doesn't matter. do those three things the same every time and your groups will shrink dramatically. oh, and lots of practice.

imho,

murf

 

[9mmepiphany]

I used to shoot military bullseye, and we were taught "the Grip", which consisted of pressing the pistol back into the web of the right hand, then wrapping the second and third fingers around the grip, pressing then against the front of the gripframe only, and not applying much side pressure. The pinkey was loose, teacup style, and the thumb was loose also, forming a kind of flying V. Then a conscious effort was made to pull the trigger straight back, I used to envision pulling the front sight through the rear one with my trigger finger. And finally the grip strength was supposed to be tight enough to make a good weld, but not so tight that your hand shook.

I'm not sure this works on all pistols, but it's not a bad place to start. I have found over the years, that each gun has its own personality, and prefers a certain hold. I believe my SW 52 likes a looser front/back gripframe hold, while my BHP likes more of a handshake grip.

That is still the way I shoot my pistols. I only apply fore-n-aft pressure to the frame...very much a handshake pressure grip. I let the support hand apply the lateral pressure.

The great secret to good handgun shooting is that most of grip, stance, breathing just isn't that important. Even seeing the sights correctly pale in importance to being able to press the trigger correctly.

If you align and focus on the front sight and press the trigger correctly, you should be making pretty good hits. One trick to help is to shoot at smaller targets...it reduces your acceptable aiming error. What working of fundamental shooting skills, I usually shoot at a 1" dot on a 3"x5" card