Marksmanship tips

[LouisianaCarry]

Ok, trying to build a list of marksmanship tips. Contribute yours here. These are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head- I'm sure I'll think of more later. I am no trainer or competitor, just some dude who takes learning about shooting seriously, so forgive me if I do not state something perfectly.

• Do not snatch, yank, or otherwise manhandle your trigger. Pull it directly to the rear with the pad of the end of your index finger in a smooth orderly fashion. This may possibly contribute more to your chances of hitting where you aim than anything else.
• When shooting a rifle from a standing position, tighten your sling around your body so that it assists in stabilizing your rifle.
• Find a footing that is natural and comfortable to you, and lean slightly into the shot, so that the recoil is absorbed by as much of your body as possible.
• Grip more with your weak hand when shooting a pistol with two hands- the more tense your shooting hand is- the harder it will be for your trigger finger to be relaxed enough to accomplish a smooth pull.
• Do everything you can not to expect your trigger break. It should be a surprise each time. If you anticipate the moment of recoil, you are more likely to snatch your muzzle off target at the last moment.
• Front sight, front sight, front sight! When using fixed sights, your world should revolve around the placement of your front sight, with your target superimposed on your point of focus. Your precision is directly relative to just how aware you are of the position of your front sight.
• You cannot prevent recoil- don't try. Your grip should be such that you rapidly get your weapon back on target- not a death grip that tries to prevent it from coming off the target in the first place.
• Do not try to release the trigger as fast as you can after the shot breaks. You should only let the trigger come back forward far enough to reset the action, and not keep bringing your finger forward until it has lost contact with your trigger.
• Do not underestimate the need for proper trigger manipulation on your rifle. The skills you use for accurate handgun shots should carry over to your long gun shots.
• People debate this one, but keep your elbows down when shooting off hand with your rifle. You want to use your skeletal structure rather than your muscles as much as possible to support your firing position.
• Overall, you want your entire body as relaxed as possible. The tenser you are, the more you will tend to shake or quiver. This become more true the longer you hold a firing position.
• When firing a pistol with two hands, keep as much of your hands/palms as you can in contact with the weapon. Spread your grip out across your hands so that your grip is more even/steady, rather than letting only small areas of your hands do all the work. Again, remember to grip more with your weak hand.
• If you can make or acquire them, load a snap cap/dummy round in your magazine at random intervals (have a friend load your magazine for you if necessary, so they can 'hide' the dummy where you won't expect it). Besides the tactical clearance drill practice- this will give you a chance to see if/where/how you are snatching the weapon as a result of expecting recoil. It is human nature to expect and account for recoil, so most of us will never eliminate it, but it is something you should focus on minimizing.
• You will never be able to hold your weapon perfectly still- forget about trying. Even world class shooters do not hold their weapons perfectly still, though some have gotten it down pat so well that their main obstacle is simply their heartbeat. Learn to manage your weapon's movement by allowing it to move in an ever-smaller circle or sideway figure eight pattern, and learn to take the shot at the right moment in that travel. Taking a shot between an exhalation and an inhalation helps many with this.
• Dry fire! It is not as sexy as sending lead downrange, but your live fire should only show you how your dry fire practice is coming along. This is where the rubber meets the road. No one wins any competitions without spending the bulk of their practice time with an unloaded weapon.

 

[dwarven1]

To improve your rifle marksmanship, get thee to an Appleseed Shoot.

All the rifle tips above will be taught you by qualified instructors over the course of a weekend, along with the six steps to firing a shot, the proper use of the military sling, three positions (standing, sitting & prone), how to analyze your target, how to adjust sights, etc.

 

[Nickle]

The link is right, and it worked for me as well. Another way to get there is the link in my signature.

Another good place to start is the forum over there at Project Appleseed.

http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php

 

[thug23]

LouisianaCarry...Nice Job.

 

[clearshot7]

"Do not snatch, yank, or otherwise manhandle your trigger. Pull it directly to the rear with the pad of the end of your index finger in a smooth orderly fashion. This may possibly contribute more to your chances of hitting where you aim than anything else."

The trigger pull weight may influence where you put your finger on the trigger -- for less than 5 lbs. or so, use the pad of the end of your index finger. For trigger pull greater than 6 or 7 lbs, and especially here in MA with the infamous 10 lb. mandatory trigger pull, use the distal joint of your index finger. This helps to pull the trigger straight back, and, of course, smooth and easy in both situations. Good shooting

 

[LouisianaCarry]

I can see that, thanks for the tip. My guns all have 3.5# pulls.

You guys have a mandatory 10# pull? Seriously? That sucks big time. Wow. Sorry.

 

[dwarven1]

You guys have a mandatory 10# pull? Seriously? That sucks big time. Wow. Sorry.

It's for the children.

 

[drgrant]

I can see that, thanks for the tip. My guns all have 3.5# pulls.

You guys have a mandatory 10# pull? Seriously? That sucks big time. Wow. Sorry.

There is a mandatory pull weight, but that description by itself is somewhat misleading. The poster is likely referring to the AG's infamous handgun dealer sales regulations in this state, which generally require that newer DA/striker fired guns have a 10 pound+ pull when sold through a dealer.

It's important to know, however, that those regulations do not prohibit a gun owner from modifying their trigger nor do they stop people from owning guns that do not meet the AG's regulations. The regs still suck, but it's important to know that there are ways around them.

-Mike