New gun, got a couple question about pistol target shooting.

[Bigtuna]

I picked up my first gun Friday, a CZ-75 P01 (9mm). . Got it at a decent price ($477 shipped) and after putting a few hundred rounds through it on Saturday, very happy with it. Ordered the .22lr Kadet conversion kit to make practice a little cheaper .

I did a few hours of instruction at the Manchester Firing Line last week and Tom did a great job going over safety and shooting mechanics. I liked the place and became a member, plan to shoot once a week or so. I'm really new to this and trying to figure out what reasonable target shooting goals should be. It would be great if some could share their practice methods, shooting distances and what are reasonable goals/expectations? I wish I saved my targets, but didn't cross my mind to (I attached the target I was using for reference). Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks

 

[Keystone]

Reasonable expectations for a beginner - hit the target at close range, most of the time.

Generally I shoot in at 7 or so yards, and move out later. You should start at a distance that you can hit the target, as your groups get tighter, move further and further out. 3 yards, 5 yards, 7 yards, whatever you feel comfortable. You don't want to shoot too far away, as it'll become frustrating when you are missing a lot. You can move it further out for a few magazines a session, just to try it for fun.

It is better to shoot LESS rounds, MORE often, as opposed to shooting MORE rounds, LESS often.

Welcome to the wonderful world of shooting, and it's awesome you've gone green already!

 

[Bigtuna]

Hi Keystone, thanks replying and for the advice.

When you say to hit the target and keep getting the groups tighter, how tight of a group would be considered good? Say at 7yds, for a reasonably good shooter firing 10rds, would you expect everything in the 3"ring or better?

 

[Mattitude]

You got a GREAT pistol, excellent choice!! What Keystone said about shooting at a close distance for a beginner is very good advice for a number of reasons. As a beginner you need to work on the fundamentals of trigger control, grip, stance & sight alignment and shooting at a target at about 10 feet is a good place to start. It is much easier to aim at a bull that is closer which will help you concentrate on the fundamentals better. With the 9mm you should be able to keep all of your shots in the black @ 10 feet and eventually you should be able to not only keep all the shots in the black but they will be in a nice tight group...50 rounds should be in a ragged hole about the size of a quarter. When you start shooting the .22 conversion you won't have the distraction of the snappy & sharp recoil of the 9mm and you will notice that your groups should be smaller, but not by that much. The greatest advantage of the conversion to you will be the economy of shooting rimfire and the recoil, other than that everything should be about the same. Once you are able to get good groups with your pistol at 10 feet, then you can move the target back in 1 yard incriments. If you are planning to use this pistol as a carry piece I would limit your practice and training to 7 yards/21 feet to keep the mindset of actual (and possibly legal) shooting distances.

 

[Keystone]

Hi Keystone, thanks replying and for the advice.

When you say to hit the target and keep getting the groups tighter, how tight of a group would be considered good? Say at 7yds, for a reasonably good shooter firing 10rds, would you expect everything in the 3"ring or better?

If you can get most of the shots in the black, preferably all of them, that's pretty good. As you push the target further out, the black becomes "smaller," and so your accuracy has to become tighter to compensate. You'll soon be chewing the center out of the black at 7-10 yards, especially when you are keeping it on the black at 15-20. This could take some time and practice, though, so don't despair.

They key is to not make it boring. Don't focus on groupings. When you are shooting, try and feel each shot. What feels good? What did that shot into the center of the target feel like? What about that flyer that nicked the edge of the target? Maybe change something up - try a slightly different grip, stand differently, whatever. Did one feel better?

Remember to take it slow at first. There is an old adage that is parroted around a lot, but it is true: Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast. Build up to the speed. Take each shot individually, making sure each shot is as you want it. Eventually, the mechanics of shooting will get easier, and faster. With practice, that site picture will just start appearing.

That said, it is good sometimes to push your comfort zone - shoot a little farther than you can, shoot a little faster than you can. You may miss a lot, but it's good to get a feel. Don't do it a whole lot, it is frustrating to miss bunches.

Once you moved the target out (say, 10 yards), don't hesitate to move it back in and try and repeat your previous feats faster. Say you can hit the black at 10 yards firing once every 4 seconds. Try hitting the black every time firing once every 2 seconds at 7 yards.

Don't get frustrated if at first you have trouble hitting the target, or at least the black. Frustration decreases enjoyment. Don't worry about moving the target in closer, or firing slower. Ignore the guys blazing away at 25 yards next to you - they have been at the same place you are now, and will understand. The guys that don't understand, are probably just wasting money and not hitting much. You can laugh at them later when you can shoot circles around them.

Don't forget to make it out to an NES shoot, there's one in June, check out the Member's section. People are absurdly friendly around here, and will be more than happy to help you shoot better.

 

[smokey-seven]

Muscle Memory is a good thing to work on and you don't have to do that at the range.

Get a plastic gallon jug of water or a half gallon for the ladies, and grab the handle with 3 fingers. The thumb goes to the other side and the trigger finger goes around the top to keep it straight. Hold it at arms length and hold it there until you can't. Relax and then repeat. You can do this while you watch the tube and it will most assuredly help in increasing the hand/arm triger finger strength. The first time I used this, next time on the range it was obvious how much more steady on target I was. The hand gun feels like a feather as well.

 

[John C.]

Also, nothing wrong with practicing dry fire (except not with .22 conversion). First, make sure gun is unloaded. Second, make sure gun is unloaded. Then pick out point on the wall and practice dry firing. Concentrate on sight picture and trigger control. Trigger pull should be smooth squeeze and gun/sight picture should not change. Eliminating recoil will actually help you focus.

I also find that when you are at the range it sometimes helps to turn the target around so you are shooting at a blank piece of paper. Focus should be on simply hitting what is roughly the center of the paper. This will cause you to be less fixated on the slight wobble we all have and more concentrated on trigger pull and follow through.

 

[cqbseven]

dry firing is a great way to find the small things that could be throwing off your consistency. another good technique of practicing follow through is to balance a dime on a flat surface atop the slide of your pistol. the tendencies will be amplified by the dime's movement and a weathered shooter should be able to help you make corrections or adjustments in your technique. the biggest pointer i can give to a newcomer is to try not to muscle the gun. muscles are unreliable and your natural tendencies will change as your body adapts to the pistol if you try to force it to be stable. let your arms come to rest, bend your elbows slightly and just let that pistol come to rest naturally in your hands. don't clench or overcompensate with either hand. just let it sit. this will be your most stable firing position. you definitely chose the right way to go with 9mm for your first. you should be able to relax your hands and still manage recoil fine. too many new shooters want the newest tactical polymer pistol that only weighs 22 ounces and can fit 18 rounds in the mag but what they don't realize is that a pistol like that is actually worse for your followthrough than something of steel construction that weighs a little more and might not be so compact and easy to conceal. where i work we pump submachinegun ammo through baretta 92fs pistols and i can put more rounds on target accurately and in a shorter amount of time with one of those than i can with my buddie's new FNP 9mm with standard cheapo low-powered range ammo. sorry about that little rant, it's just something i see a lot in newcomers that grinds my gears. shoot well first, then fast. and only after you have mastered those should you look into upgrading gear. good luck man. and remember it's the shooter not the weapon.

 

[Kenny474]

One very good thing you have done is buy the 22lr conversion. That will help you build technique without fighting recoil, much like dry fire practice. It will also help you put more rounds downrange in regards to budget constraints. You can shoot 500 rounds of 22lr for the cost of 50-100 rounds of 9mm, which in turn will equal more range time. I would personally start each session with the 22 conversion and try to do a little better than last trip. Try to make faster follow up shots and double taps. Then switch to 9mm and try to apply your ability to 9mm.

Also, I would try a few groups from a sand bag rest with the 22lr conversion to see what it is capable of accuracy wise, or even have a more experienced shooter help you. That way you know what the gun is capable of accuracy wise, and you can see how close you can come offhand. The reason being you don't want to get frustrated if you cant produce tiny groups if the conversion is only capable of 3" groups. Then you will know when you have achieved maximum accuracy with it, and it's the gun holding you back and not the other way around.

Anyway, good to see another new shooter and I hope you enjoy the sport.

Kenny

 

[Mattitude]

One note about (a good number of) the .22 conversion, they function best with plenty of lube on the mating surfaces and most recommend using 40gr. projectile ammo for reliable cycling. It may take a few hundred rounds to break in the conversion and you will more than likely have to find what ammo works best in it as well. Take your time as technique doesn't happen overnight and if possible go to the range with an experienced shooter who is willing to give you some good pointers.

 

[Bigtuna]

Wow...thanks for all the great advice guys. Now that I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and where to go next, can't wait to get back to the range now .

The instructor did mention some dry firing, actually made me unload and dry fire a few times whenever I was forcing or anticipating the shot. Taking the lesson was money well spent, left me with an understanding how important trigger control is and how natural body reaction effects shooting performance. I think initially I took the instruction more so I wouldn't be the guy looking like a moron out there...lol. Turns out there is a lot more to shooting than pointing a gun and pulling the trigger.

Really guys, thanks so much for taking the time to help me out and making me feel welcome. I will definitely listen to and apply the pointers posted here and will post some target results after next range trip.

I'm really liking the CZ P01, felt a lot better in my hands than the sig 226. Thanks for the info about the .22 conversion kit too.

Dave

 

[Blitz1]

Wow...thanks for all the great advice guys. Now that I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and where to go next, can't wait to get back to the range now .

The instructor did mention some dry firing, actually made me unload and dry fire a few times whenever I was forcing or anticipating the shot. Taking the lesson was money well spent, left me with an understanding how important trigger control is and how natural body reaction effects shooting performance. I think initially I took the instruction more so I wouldn't be the guy looking like a moron out there...lol. Turns out there is a lot more to shooting than pointing a gun and pulling the trigger.

Really guys, thanks so much for taking the time to help me out and making me feel welcome. I will definitely listen to and apply the pointers posted here and will post some target results after next range trip.

I'm really liking the CZ P01, felt a lot better in my hands than the sig 226. Thanks for the info about the .22 conversion kit too.

Dave

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