Common Shooting Errors

Len-2A Training

Len-2A Training

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I'm starting this Stickied thread to post some of the commonly asked/needed info. Please add to it when/if appropriate, but ask questions about these things in another thread please (keep this one as pure info).

Thanks.

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Chart of shooting errors (for Right-handed folks, reverse the info for Lefties).

http://www.degrata.com/pdf/commonshootingerrors.pdf
 
First lesson I learned. Pick a gun that fits your hand. If you get a gun that's too big or too small your trigger finger will likely "push" or "pull" your shots. If you're a right handed shooter and have small hand there's a good chance you'll push the shots left.
 
On that same note (thanks Lugnut), be aware that 1911s can be modified for short hands by simply dropping in a "short trigger". Cost of the short trigger can be ~$15 and up, so no reason to pass up a good .45 for fit that can easily be corrected.
 
Louis AwerBuck's shooting disgnostic circle

By the end of the week, Neshooters will have a major revision to the old diagnostic circle ready for distribution. This new tool includes both shooter errors and mechanical (Firearm) errors. This document was developed by Louis Awerbuck. What more needs to be said?
 
Another quick, easy and inexpensive mod that can help getting a 1911 to fit your hand is the mainspring housing. Most guns come with the arched housing, but a flat housing feels better in some hands.

Ken
 
A few days ago I said that Neshooters will have a major revision to the old diagnostic circle ready for distribution. This new tool includes both shooter errors and mechanical (Firearm) errors. This document was developed by Louis Awerbuck. What more needs to be said?
We are done and Louis Awerbuck has approved our work.
Enjoy
 
JimConway said:
A few days ago I said that Neshooters will have a major revision to the old diagnostic circle ready for distribution. This new tool includes both shooter errors and mechanical (Firearm) errors. This document was developed by Louis Awerbuck. What more needs to be said?
We are done and Louis Awerbuck has approved our work.
Enjoy
Click to expand...

Nice work!!! I've seen a basic version but this gives more good data. For example sometimes I shoot at the 7' O'Clock position even when I'm shooting slow yet when I shoot faster the groups are more centered! I'm sure there are more than one reason for this dilema but it helps clear things up a bit more. Always something new to learn!
 
Is this thread only about handgun shooting technique?

Or are tips about rifle and shotgun (wingshooting) techniques welcome too?
 
Shooter Errors reply

hello guys,
I am currently revising a "shooter error" chart series, for semi-autopistol applicable to defensive/tactical shooting. This has been a project I have been working on and refining for years, back to about 1991, and is going to be in my book series. There are 6 charts total. For tac rifle/defensive carbine, and precision rifle i will have charts as well, which has been a collaboration with other instructors I work with in Centermass Training Institute. so stay tuned on this.
 
A very common error (esspecially for me) is anticipating the recoil. Someone at the range showed me a good technique for correcting/diagnosing this.

With you gun unloaded aim at your target and dry fire. The gun shouldn't move at all, if you find yourself aiming an inch below where you were before pulling the trigger you are anticipating the recoil.

To correct this condition keep dry firing until you no longer move the firearm at all. After awhile your subconcious mind will realize that the gun doesn't move when you pull the trigger.

Resume shooting live ammo. You should notice an improvement in accuracy.
 
Flinching

I agree that dry fire is the most important aspect of getting good with a firearm. There is another reason for shooting low and that is ambushing the trigger. By that I mean that the sights are exactly right and on target and you jerk the trigger. Everyone's gun moves in some natural arc (You cannot stop this movement) and the gun will be moving on and off the exact spot that you want to hit. You must recognize that this arc is very small (it will get smaller with a lot of time spent dry firing) and any shot within the arc will be very good. Simply, point the gun and start adding pressure to the trigger and keep adding pressure until the gun goes bang. If you do this right, the exact moment that the gun fires will be a surprise. If you are surprised, there is no way you will flinch because you did not know when the gun would fire
 
csharpdev said:
A very common error (esspecially for me) is anticipating the recoil. Someone at the range showed me a good technique for correcting/diagnosing this.

With you gun unloaded aim at your target and dry fire. The gun shouldn't move at all, if you find yourself aiming an inch below where you were before pulling the trigger you are anticipating the recoil.

To correct this condition keep dry firing until you no longer move the firearm at all. After awhile your subconcious mind will realize that the gun doesn't move when you pull the trigger.

Resume shooting live ammo. You should notice an improvement in accuracy.
Click to expand...

Another, sometimes more effective way of diagnosing "flinching" is called "ball and dummy". Without you looking, someone else either loads or doesn't load one round for you, then hands you the gun. You then fire, and look for movement on those times the gun wasn't loaded. Because you don't know if you're firing a live round or not, it's a better simulation of your normal behavior. If you know the gun isn't loaded, you're likely not to flinch even though you may in actual firing.
 
Dick said:
Another, sometimes more effective way of diagnosing "flinching" is called "ball and dummy". Without you looking, someone else either loads or doesn't load one round for you, then hands you the gun. You then fire, and look for movement on those times the gun wasn't loaded. Because you don't know if you're firing a live round or not, it's a better simulation of your normal behavior. If you know the gun isn't loaded, you're likely not to flinch even though you may in actual firing.
Click to expand...

That is a very effective way of showing someone that swears they are not anticipating the shot. [wink]
 
Keeping with the subject of flinch and recoil, theres a few methods that many people recomend when shooting milsurp and big bore rifles that I know work. One is to invest in a recoil pad. I use an inexpensive but well made one from Cabelas that fits over my shoulder and straps around my chest. Military rifles often have 2 stage triggers and terrible creep so comfort is a must when trying to squeeze accuracy out of a 50+ year old carbine made to hit man sized targets at long distances. Trying to stay on target with a sore shoulder often makes for lousy shooting especially if you're standing. A recoil pad definitely helps tame some of the punch of a flat steel butt plate and saves your shoulder.
Another trick is to squeeze off some rounds from a .22 rifle before you start blasting with say a Mauser, Mosin Nagant, Enfield, whatever. Say for example I'm planning on shooting a K98 Mauser. On days when I'm shooting paper at 100 yards for accuracy, I'll start off with a .22 bolt action rifle with sights similar to the Mauser's sights to get myself settled and focused. Then I'll move up to something a little stronger like 7.62x39 in an SKS. This builds up a kind of resistance to the heavier blast of the 8mm round. By the time I pick up the K98, I'm already warmed up so the sound and kick doesn't make me flinch like I would after 2 or 3 shots out of that rifle if I had started using only it in the first place.
 
One that Jim Conway helped me with and I'm still working on it: Loosen the grip! My grip was too tight and this caused me to push some shots left (righty shooter). If you tighten your grip this will make it more difficult to pull the trigger back straight without negative infuence from other fingers.


Flinching: Yeah dry firing is a big help IMO and what I've been told from some very reputable shooters... however- I'm not sure there ISN'T a distinction from a real flinch (movement before the firing/hammer break) and anticipation reaction (movement right after firing/hammer break).

Anyways- the 2 absolute most important things are trigger control and sight picture... with trigger control being the most important and difficult to master well. I am convinced maintaining a good sight picture is within many peoples abilities... trigger control takes lots of work IMHO.
 
Flinching

Remember that the human mind can only focus on one thing at a time. If you have an intense focus on the top edge of the front sight and add trigger pressure slowly you will achieve a surprise break. Since your focus was on the front sight, you are not thinking about when the shot will break. If the moment the the shot breaks is a surprise, how would you know when to flinch?

As you are getting ready to fire, think or say (say works best) "Front sight - Preeeeeeeeess"
For those of you that are interested in shooting faster, there is something called the "Compressed Surprise break". All that this is is doing all of the same things, but faster and smoother.

Ann, I know that you can do it properly, because I have seen you do it. As I remember it, you had two shots that were almost in the same hole.

As you shoot and train more the surprise breaks happen more frequently, but the first time that it happens is a special joy that you will remember.
 
Dick

You are right.

I use to load single rounds for my shooters. Allow them to fire a shot and stay in position, I would then load another round and let the bolt go home. They would then fire again, then when they had no idea what I was going to do, I would load a Dummy or Empty shell and let the bolt go home. I always said one misfire is worth 10,000 Live Rounds. A Good Shooter is a person who admits their errors and tries to corrects them. A Primer Buster is a person who swears the shot went off too eary, Sun was in their eyes, or my favorite BAD ROUND. You can't teach if they aren't willing to learn.
Try Dry Firing with a Dime balanced on the Front Sight as well.
 
JimConway said:
A few days ago I said that Neshooters will have a major revision to the old diagnostic circle ready for distribution. This new tool includes both shooter errors and mechanical (Firearm) errors. This document was developed by Louis Awerbuck. What more needs to be said?
We are done and Louis Awerbuck has approved our work.
Enjoy
Click to expand...

The link doesn't work.

But, that's not why I am posting a reply.

ALL errors are the results of anticipation. Flinch, jerk, push are all the results of anticipating the gun going bang and the mind telling the muscle to move before the hammer drops.

You can look at the point of impact and say... oh I jerked the trigger but that is the symptom and not the true cause.

Trigger control and sight alignment are all the mind should be working on during the shot process. If you are focused on JUST that then any shot outside the ten will be caused by your wobble area which, in theory, should be an acceptable shot.

Other factors that affect our wobble area are stance and grip. Too tight a grip and we add a tremor to the wobble. Too open a stance and we add horizontal movement to the wobble and too square a stance and we add a vertical movement to the wobble.

Of course, this MOSTLY applies to one handed bullseye shooting. Two handed IPSC style shooting require a square stance while shooting but the sight alignment and trigger control are critical factors to eliminating errors in shot placement.
 
I am quite the noobie, and I'm amazed, not only at the wealth of information here, but the similarity between everything you've touched upon here, and the 1943 WW2 training films (using the M1 rifle) that pretty much echo the same thing. I was really taken aback by the trigger squeeze (and the emphasis placed upon it in the film-btw, it's in 6 parts)
http://www.archive.org/details/Rifle_Marksmanship_with_the_M1_Rifle
I guess good info stands the test of time.
 
The placement of the left thumb (I'm right handed) was lost on me during my basic safety class (I bent it down). That particular part of the video was enlightening.
 
Lugnut said:
First lesson I learned. Pick a gun that fits your hand. If you get a gun that's too big or too small your trigger finger will likely "push" or "pull" your shots. If you're a right handed shooter and have small hand there's a good chance you'll push the shots left.
Click to expand...

I am all over this statement in agreement!!!!!

I'm on my city's tactical team and our issue firearm is the Glock 21. This gun in my hand feels like I'm holding a 2X4. I'm not here to comment on whether its a good gun or not but to suggest that it is not the ideal choice for me because of the grip not being a good fit.

I have therefore opted for a 1911. It's full frame but the grip feels like it was built for my hand.

I can't agree more with the need to have a firearm that "fits" and the worth behind that starting point.

In my basic gun courses (rifle, shotgun or handgun) my instructors and I address correct firearms choices amongst other fundamentals.

If the gun doesn't feel right you wont want to shoot it. Therefore the fun and usefulness are diminished immediately.

Ed Fernley
Pathfinder Operations
Semper Primus!
 
I have the same question as shootersedge. I am a Marine Corps marksmanship coach, and this last Rifle range i had one of my shooters who were always pulling high right. Now I know of two possible causes: Flinching/anticipating the shot, and a loose sling/front hand grip. Are there any other possible shooter errors that could cause groupings like this?
 
Last edited:
Slimmer grips on my 1911 Sprinfield helped fit my hand much better. I had been using SafariLand Grips, don't think these are even available anymore, but they are fairly bulky. The new VZ grips are much better for my fit with a recessed area for my thumb, helping me reach the mag release easier, and its an extended release also.
 

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