Shooting handguns is damn hard!

[Classical Liberal]

I am a quite fresh handgun shooter. I joined up with a pistol club so I can get a license for a handgun and some practice. But this stuff is too hard! I can barely see the black stuff we're supposed to be shooting at, let alone bring my wobbly hand to actually hit something. Also, us newbies only get to shoot with .22s (We did get to try heavier stuff once, probably to entice us to pay the membership fee *grumble*).

As it is now, I have to do a year of this to earn my license and to be able to participate in the fun tactical stuff.

Anyway, what are some good tips for me stay motivated and actually improve my shooting? I'm pretty stubborn and I ain't gonna quit now that I paid good money for this. Just looking for something that will make it a bit more fun, that's all...

 

[1 old 0311]

Save, and date, your targets. It doesn't take long to see how you improve. You will see yourself getting better, in a short time, than if you were playing golf, or playing the piano. Besides.........It sure is fun

Kevin

 

[model 649]

+1 Kevin.
I've always found guns easy to shoot, just hard to hit what you're aiming at!
Plus this is a FAR more useful real-world skill than golf.
Josh

 

[Classical Liberal]

Problem is I'm so bad I can't tell if I'm improving, let alone how to improve

 

[bratch]

Does the club have a coach or senior member that you could get lessons from?

 

[afsnco]

Classical,

Some of the easiest mistakes to make are:

1. Anticipating the recoil and compensating for it before the gun fires.
2. Pulling or jerking the trigger instead of squeezing it.
3. Continuing to breathe normally, rather than holding your breath while squeezing the trigger.

Do you use your weak hand to steady your shooting hand?

 

[flatdog]

Take bratch's advice and find a coach or a proficient shooter in your club. You haven't had much time to develop bad habits and a coach can put you on the right path straight away.

Good luck

 

[Monkeyleg]

I'll second the idea of having someone coach you.

Once you've done that, it's practice, practice, practice. You'll see in time how much you're improving.

Shooting isn't like riding a bicycle, though. Your skills deteriorate if you don't practice often, as I can personally attest to.

 

[Classical Liberal]

bratch: yeah, we sure do. But it's not helping...

afsnco: so I have to hold my breath, huh? Thanks for the tip. And no, we're supposed to use a one-hand grip with the .22s when we do competitions (you have to remember that this is Sweden and the only reason we're allowed to do this at all is that shooting is a sport).

 

[Classical Liberal]

How much shooting do I need to do? Is 3 hours straight each week enough?

We have a pretty inane system where we shoot 5 rounds and then pause to mark the hits. This means it takes a lot of time. The last time I only got off 100 rounds

But in the winter-time we move to an indoors range where they have these fancy target-collecting machines so we don't have to pause all the time. That is something I look forward to

 

[10-Ring]

Patience Grasshopper, it's about perfect practice and building muscle memory. Frustrating yes, but it will pay off. Just stay focused

 

[bratch]

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/training.htm

Try a target like that and see if you can identify any problems.

 

[tegemu]

I am a firm believer in MUCH dryfiring. The object is to be able to pull the trigger such that the front sight does not move. You must also concentrate on the front sight, not the target. Focus on the front sight and it will be aligned with the, out of focus, target. You don't ignore the target, just make the view of it, a secondary consideration. One drill is to be able to dry fire with a coin balanced on the barrel - the coin should remain there.

 

[Canuck-IL]

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/
same reference site as Bratch above but - I'd suggest you wander around there a little bit...1/3 of all Bullseye shooting is .22, one-hand at 25 and 50 yds. That site has a wealth of training guides, suggestions, etc....'tis the BE bible on the net.
/Bryan

 

[georgeduz]

you must know the 4 basic fundimentals before your start shooting.

 

[bouis]

Shooting one-handed is hard. I too have generally shaky hands (and graying hair -- I'm 24 and a law student...), but with both hands I can generally keep it under control. Best thing is to use your weak hand thumb and fingers to steady the "wobble" of the gun. It's much, much more important to keep a perfect sight picture throughout the trigger pull than it is to keep the sights exactly on the target. Once you're used to keeping the gun perfectly straight and level, you can worry about aiming.

It helps to be able to dry fire.. when I get a new gun I grab some snap caps and sit at my desk dry firing it occassionally for days, pointing at the little handle on my miniblinds.

It works. Other people might suggest dry firing with "a penny on the end of the barrel" (the idea being to practice pulling the trigger without it falling) which works, assuming you don't mind the risk of the coin scratching your gun...

Practice shooting is only useful if you're getting something out of it. Three hours at a time might be too much if you start to get tired or sloppy.

If possible, you want to know exactly where each shot goes so you can adjust yourself appropriately. In my experience shooting coke cans (start close and work back to about 25 yards) is the best practice, because you have a reasonably small target and you know after each shot whether you hit or not.

Hell, I don't know if your not-so-classically liberal socialist state will let you take a gun home. That sucks. Doesn't Finland at least have some decent gun laws (and a Swedish minority?) -- might wanna consider moving

 

[Ala Dan]

Nobody Said It Would Be Easy My Friend-

Patience and Practice, Practice, Practice
makes for a better shooter. If you want too be a better shot, it
will require a LOT of shooting. If you are shooting a centefire
handgun, you may want too invest in some handloading type
equipment. I won't lie, and say that it will save you a bunch
of money; but you can tailor your ammo to your particular
firearm~!

 

[Classical Liberal]

Good tips, everyone!

Can I dry-fire with an airgun or something?

Do I need to have both eyes open? Currently I'm shutting the left one (I'm right-handed).

And yes, Finland is much more manly when it comes to guns

 

[Classical Liberal]

Any muscles I can work out extra? Back, shoulders, lower arms seem good candidates.

 

[Cosmoline]

I don't go in for dry firing much. I had my one and only ND that way and ever since then I've been a BIG FAN of getting my hind end to the range as much as possible to practice practice practice. Shooting handguns is indeed damn hard. It's far more difficult that most people realize. You can expect it to take years of practice and training before you're a competent shot, esp. with magnums. I find basic hatha yoga style stretching helpful, esp when shooting off rapid fire magnum strings. It's certainly hard on your back. Wearing wrist and hand protection for the more potent chamberings is also a good idea.

 

[bouis]

I dunno... I've never shot airguns, but I doubt the trigger and weight are anything like a real firearm.

I can't shoot with both eyes open. Use the eye that can focus on the front sight while you're shooting.

For exercise I'm sure you'll benefit from anything upper body, but one exercise you might consider is just holding, straight arm, a light weight, say 5-8lbs (2-3 kilograms?) with your strong arm for long periods of time.

 

[1 old 0311]

3 Hours at one stretch is a bit much. Like most things you will learn/practice better on 1-2 hour sessions.

Kevin

 

[Classical Liberal]

I tried a S&W .22 (model 571 or something) and I'm having a lot of respect for people who can actually hit stuff with DA. Seems like an impossible task to me.

 

[bratch]

If you can get an Airsoft that is a replica of your pistol that is a good practice tool. An airgun would work too if you had somewhere to shoot.

 

[MCgunner]

If you can legally own and shoot air guns there, set up a home range if possible. Not too wise in an apartment I reckon, LOL. Softair guns will also help. Some air guns shoot slow enough you can actually see the pellet in flight. You can SEE yourself jerk the trigger/pull the shot. It's very helpful. I have an old Bemjamin pump .22 cal pellet gun and a .177 cal CO2 gun I use sometimes. They're quite accurate at 50 feet. The triggers aren't very good, cheap guns. I've never fired a high end air pistol.

Around here, I live far enough out of town (and Texas is a "manly" state ) that I can shoot .22 CB shorts in my revolver for practice. But, I get out in the yard with the pellet guns sometime because it's great for practicing your shooting mechanics.

DA is better done from an isoceles or weaver stance, two handed. It just takes practice, just like your bullseye shooting. PPC shooters are amazing in their accuracy. They're shooting tuned, weighted custom revolvers, of course, but still it's pretty amazing. They shoot DA. This shooting came out of police shooting when revolvers ruled law enforcement.