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Need some help with shooting technique

HKdrummer

HKdrummer

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Ok, so, I have a serious problem here. I can't hit the broadside of a barn with a handgun. No. Seriously. I can't shoot a handgun to save my life, ironically-literally. On the flip side of this, with a rifle, I can shoot the hairs of a gnats ass from a 100 yds with iron sights. I know they're different animals, but why the hell am I stupid accurate with one, and would have better luck hitting something if I threw it with the other. So what the hell gives?? I've tried seemingly everything. Different stances, different guns, but it doesnt help. For christ sakes, I brought a noob who'd never shot before to the range yesterday, sumna bitch hit the steel targets 4 out of 10 times first time, me........not one in 20. Hand me a rifle, lookout. I just can't figure it out.

Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe some classes I could take? Anyone feel like dragging me to the range to help?
 
It's all in the grip. I had the same problem with my beretta 92 and was ready to sell it until I learned how to hold it. It's all in the wrist.
 
taz-2005 said:
What distance are you shooting? I shoot 25 yards regularly.
Click to expand...

For handgun, I'm gonna guess here, Ummm maybe 15yds. I'm a terrible judge of distance, Atilla maybe you can help here, since you run the range over there??

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falcon123 said:
It's all in the grip. I had the same problem with my beretta 92 and was ready to sell it until I learned how to hold it. It's all in the wrist.
Click to expand...

I've shot 5 different handguns, .22 all the way up to .45, same problem. Shit I'd put a newborn down range and feel safe the little bastard isn't going to get hit. It's actually pretty embarrassing
 
falcon123 said:
It's all in the grip. I had the same problem with my beretta 92 and was ready to sell it until I learned how to hold it. It's all in the wrist.
Click to expand...

Grip is just one thing.

From NRA training material:

Grip refers to how the gun is held. Whether one- or two-handed, the grip should be high, firm and consistent. Create a good grip by placing the backstrap in the web of the hand and wrapping the fingers around the stock. For the two-handed grip, bring the support hand around the front of the grip so that the fingers of both hands overlap.

Aiming determines the point of impact and consists of sight alignment and sight picture. The proper way to aim is to align the front sight at the same height and centered with the back sight and pictured against the target with the eyes' focused on the front sight.

Breath Control minimizes gun movement. Practice by taking a deep breath, letting out half and holding it during the shot.

Hold Control is holding the gun motionless while aiming and firing through a firm grip and a stable shooting position. Physical fitness and muscle tone is important for hold control.

Trigger Control is squeezing the trigger without moving the sights by gradually increasing pressure to the trigger in a way that the shot comes as a surprise. If you know when the gun will fire, you'll very likely miss the target.

Follow Through ensures a good shot by implementing all shooting fundamentals before, during and after the shot the same way every time. While it might take years to master, eventually this becomes almost instinct.
 
Pistol is used to fight your way to a rifle.

-Proud to be dad every day, a licensed plumber most days, and wish I was a shoemaker on others.
 
Just hold the sights aligned on target until the shot breaks. Ignore the outdated NRA information overload stuff.
 
Obligatory handgun error chart:
Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol
wheel.gif
 
Supermoto said:
if you know how to line up sights and pull a trigger on a rifle, then there is only one reason you will miss doing the same with a handgun
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if my hands are over compensating and I'm pulling on the gun before the trigger is pulled.
 
HKdrummer said:
Ok, so, I have a serious problem here. I can't hit the broadside of a barn with a handgun. No. Seriously. I can't shoot a handgun to save my life, ironically-literally. On the flip side of this, with a rifle, I can shoot the hairs of a gnats ass from a 100 yds with iron sights. I know they're different animals, but why the hell am I stupid accurate with one, and would have better luck hitting something if I threw it with the other. So what the hell gives?? I've tried seemingly everything. Different stances, different guns, but it doesnt help. For christ sakes, I brought a noob who'd never shot before to the range yesterday, sumna bitch hit the steel targets 4 out of 10 times first time, me........not one in 20. Hand me a rifle, lookout. I just can't figure it out.

Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe some classes I could take? Anyone feel like dragging me to the range to help?
Click to expand...

The following video helped me a ton with my grip. Once i figured my grip out, my aim improved dramatically.
Tweaking the Grip by Gomez-Training.com - YouTube


RIP Paul Gomez [sad]
 
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Let me ask this, is there a stance that is right or wrong, or is it what ever is comfortable? I ask because I tend to feel more comfortable shooting cross body, so that my hips are more perpendicular to down range, yet most video I see, the technique taught is standing facing down range, hands directly in front shooting downrange.

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bill o said:
Accepting the fact that you're flinching is the first step to fixing it.
Click to expand...

Why would I flinch shooting a .22 handgun, but be completely at ease shooting an AR or Uzi?
 
HKdrummer said:
Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe some classes I could take? Anyone feel like dragging me to the range to help?
Click to expand...

Practice dry firing your handguns. Watch what happens to the front sight when the trigger breaks. If you see any sporadic movements of the front sight, see if it correlates to anything in the basic handgun shooting error chart. Put a coin/shell/whatever on your front sight and then try to pull the trigger without it falling.
 
HKdrummer said:
Let me ask this, is there a stance that is right or wrong, or is it what ever is comfortable? I ask because I tend to feel more comfortable shooting cross body, so that my hips are more perpendicular to down range, yet most video I see, the technique taught is standing facing down range, hands directly in front shooting downrange.

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Why would I flinch shooting a .22 handgun, but be completely at ease shooting an AR or Uzi?
Click to expand...

Stance has zero effect on accuracy. It does make a difference with recoil control.
 
HKdrummer said:
I'm wondering if my hands are over compensating and I'm pulling on the gun before the trigger is pulled.
Click to expand...
Have someone video you while shooting different calibers, it is more than likely a mental issue, anticipation causing flinch, grip strength on trigger pull, and it is being repeated throughout your different calibers, its a common problem. Again, got an old girlfriend's pic you want to mark up, takes the mental issue out of it, perhaps the Partridge family.

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Supermoto said:
Stance has zero effect on accuracy. It does make a difference with recoil control.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, spot on, accuracy no, second or third shot recovery, yes.
 
Steel plates are entertaining, but don't provide a lot of feedback as to where you're misses are going. Paper targets are not as sexy, but they do tell a story...

Speaking as someone with a lot left to learn, I'd recommend starting by keeping all of your shots on the paper (so you can see where they went).
The fastest road to this goal is to get bigger paper (I use poster board with stick-on orange bulls-eyes as aiming points when I'm trying to figure out where things are going).
If you can establish the pattern of where you're hitting relative to where you're aiming (beyond "not"), you can start looking for the aspect of your mechanics that is causing the difficulty. (And you may get more useful advice from the real experts here if you have more specifics to your questions.)
 
Have a friend mix dummies into your mags. Then have them film you shooting.

99% you've trained yourself to flinch.

Dry fire EVERY DAY. You should be dry firing at home all the time to teach yourself proper muscle memory.

Stop shooting at steel until you fix your shooting. Steel is a horrible thing to rely on for training. Use it for fun, not marksmanship.
 
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