Learing how to shoot (well). Professional Help Needed??

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Shawn Michael

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Other than a basic description of how to line up sights, I never had any training for pistol shooting. I seem to do pretty well. I do not often seem to be "outshot" at the range buy the average joe.

I practice with my snap caps and seem to work the DA trigger pretty well but wonder about basics (DA revolver)

1) what part of my finger should "pull" the trigger?
2) Is there a correct way to hold the gun?

My LEO brother in law talks about how much better he shoots when the range master "tunes up his posture"

I have asked a few guys who looked to be in gun clubs but noticed that they didnt shoot any better than me or were a-holes so I guess I have to bust out the checkbook to get some help...and why not, people pay for training.

If there was a good DVD I would buy that right away. Revolver shooting specifically, practical stuff.

Thanks for any suggestion.
 
In addition to dry fire practice and shooting my .22lr a lot, I try to read as much as I can to pick up any new nuggets of info. There's some good info on the web, but plenty that's, well, not so good. Read it all, then try your best to extract the gold. I recently read an article my Ayood, which had a good nugget or 2, and addresses your question of finger position and grip:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob85.html
 
One place to NOT learn...

Is the movies. Basically, other than pull a trigger, do not do anything that most pop-culture movies do:

Do not snap the cylinder open or closed with a flick of the wrist
Do not "chop" down with the uncocked gun, thumb on the hammer, to cock the gun for SA shots
Do not slam a magazine into the pistol (for semi-autos)

And so on...

Best wishes,
Quoheleth
 
Seems everyone is always after the paper black spot, even the CCW instructors do it. Everything seems to be at 25'~50' looking for the center. I don't have a problem shooting paper targets but I only do to warm up. The fact is most people get a CHL and never try point/shoot with a target about 10' away or closer. That's where the majority of defensive shooting takes place. If it's any further the BG is probably on the run, I wouldn't want to be in a position trying to justify myself to the LEO's or the court for shooting someone that was probably retreating. That "duty to retreat" law is still effective in most states.
 
Shawn -

I'm a relative newbie who's been working on basic marksmanship and have considered professional instruction as well. I realized, though, that I haven't yet decided specifically what disciplne I want to be "good" at. I have some vague idea of becoming an "expert shot", but in what? Defense style, like IDPA? Bullseye? Cowboy? Each seems pretty specialized, so I decided professional instruction can wait until I have a specific goal. In the meantime, I practice basic marksmanship a lot, read a lot, ask a lot of questions, and have lot of fun in the process.
 
I heard the excuse many times that most gun fights occur at close quarters. Even for purely defensive shooting accuracy is required, not two fights are alike and nobody can tell what the day will bring.

A good handgunner is good at all distances, with a good balance of speed and accuracy.

This thread is about learning to become a better shot and before somebody wants to run, he's gotta crawl. If the basics of shooting are not mastered, how does somebody expect to become a master?
 
The NRA's basic series--pistol, rifle, shotgun, etc.--

covers basic orientation to a given firearm type pretty well. It's been several years since I taught it--but, my guess is, if you were to find an instructor who includes a fair amount of range time as well, you would learn some techniques and gain some knowledge you don't currently have.

Jim H.
 
PrzGren
I agree with your statement
"A good handgunner is good at all distances, with a good balance of speed and accuracy."
But I also know the majority of all gun encounters are always at very close ranges. They are not 25' feet away. They happen very quickly and you have to react immediately. There is no time to aim and shoot.
Like a lot of people I don't have the time or money to attend the various advanced shooting courses available so I make it a habit of going to the range once a month. I am lucky that the range I go to is subsidized by police and sheriffs's departments for their training and I get a lot of instruction from the range officers.
I think the basic ccw course is fine however I do think it would be helpful if they do explain and demonstrate close quarter shooting. It's not difficult to hit 50' targets at 25' and you see the results within the first hour.
 
XD,

I learnt accurate handgun shooting after the military in a bullseye club. The basics that I learnt there helped me a lot in the action shooting sports.

I firmly believe that the basics of accurate handgunning are very important for a novice to really be able to advance. Tactical shooting is not so different
and the greatest benefit from practice is the confidence that comes with mastering different shooting styles.

Good instructions can be a shortcut on the way to becoming a good shot. Particularly with today's ammo prices.
When teaching a new shooter and showing him/her a video of him/herself, they are usually surprised that they can notice many of their mistakes.

If you are self analytical, you can spot your own mistakes. One way is to switch to the left/weak hand and enforce the basics of grip and trigger control.
 
I learnt accurate handgun shooting after the military in a bullseye club. The basics that I learnt there helped me a lot in the action shooting sports
Click to expand...

Joining a Bullseye club was the the best thing I ever did for my shooting. In 5 months of weekly practice and matches, my skills jumped exponentially. Got lots off great coaching from other members on posture, gripping, trigger control, sight alignment, breathing, etc. At 39, I was probably the youngest in the club, most were in their 60s-70s.

All that stuff has to be correct and consistent if you're gonna hit a 3" target at 50 yards. Mediocre Bullseye shooters tend to be very excellent pistoleros by most standards.
 
Hello,First off,no one can tell you how to shoot well online.Everyone is a different size,height, weight.Certain guns will shoot different for one than another.No 2 are alike.I have some students that tell me when they register for my courses they have been shooting for 20 yrs only to find out they couldn't save their own life with a bazzooka,then others have never held a gun before and can shoot bullseye's all day.Target shooting fudimentals and self defense shooting are 2 different ball games.They even apply different fundimentals.Target shooting is slow fire at a still target,self defense is,Flash site picture and point shooting at center mass.
First take the Basic Pistol course that the NRA offers.Then,take the Personal protection in the home course,then Personal Protection outside the home.Go to NRA.org and click on Education and Training,then,(find an Instructor in your area)Then you will be ready for anything.

Hope this helps, Vicspank,NRA Certified Training Counselor and Instructor,Pistol,Personal Protection,Homefirearm Saftey,and Chief Range Saftey Officer
 
PzGren
The military was my training as well except it was combat training, shooting the M1, BAR, and 1911 45, at paper targets. I have nothing against the NRA courses. I just wish they would put more emphysis on the reality of shooting a weapon in self defense than on the difference between a revolver and semi-automatic and loading/unloading magazines. Most if not all people going into one of those classes already know about guns. If they don't then they shouldn't even be allowed in.
 
XD,take the Personal Protection course,Iv'e had x army rangers that were not my best students.
vicspank
 
vicspank
pretty much had about 6 yrs of it already. I'm not the 18yr old I was 44yrs ago. I can still hit the target at 25/50'. I always aim at the waist, and I can still point and shoot. My goal in practice is keep my skill active, not punch 2" bullseye's". I just wish the cirriculum would change to a more realistic venue. There's got to be someone in the NRA that's had some type of experience with what really happens in a gunfight. They can't all be target shooters.
 
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