What about speeding up??

[Adam_MA]

Ok...
I just got back from the range. If I put my mind to it, focus on my breathing, sight alignment, stance, pressing the trigger without anticipating recoil I will get something that looks like this.

I'm no expert by any means, but I think this is a fairly respectable group. If not please set me straight...

Now, How what do I need to do to get this done a little faster?

Adam

 

[JimConway]

Adam
There are two points to make here. First, that is a very good group. What distance were you shooting? Since the group is a little high, you may want to lower the rear sight a bit. How much, if any, will depend on the distance to the target. To explain this, any handgun will only hit exactly at two distances. For example, on my Colt Commander, the first zero is at about 4.5 yards (from 0 to 4.5 yards the bullet will be low and rising) and the final zero is at 25 yards. Between 4.5 yards and 25 yards the bullet rises, reaches the top of the trajectory and begins to fall. The distances that I have mentioned above will not be the same for any other gun and ammo combination. I may be wrong, but I think that your P99 is factory sighted in at 25 yards so you results will be similar.
If you want to determine the exact ballistics of you round send me a PM and I will give you the info that I will need to do the calculations.

It is a good idea fire your gun from 18" and out until you find the first zero point and then continue all the way to 25 yards to find the second (the real one) zero. If you ever had to take a precision shot (a hostage situation for example) at, say, 15 yards it would be good to know where the bullet will strike. Sadly, very few people bother to find out where the gun shoots and simply adjust the sights for some fixed distance that they most often shoot.
The second point that i want to make is on your question of speed. You can try to push yourself but it will rarely work. There is an old comment from one of my instructors that says that when you get smooth that speed will come naturally. I would suggest that you spend a lot more time dry firing. This will help a lot.

 

[Adam_MA]

Jim,
This target was shot at 25'
I was using Bullseye 180grn Cloe Style Lead.
This ammo seems to be pretty hot. The recoil is very much the same as the Federal Hydra-Shok 165grn ammo that I carry.

Adam

 

[JimConway]

I would expect to bullets to be a litte high at 25 feet so the sights may be right on. On your reloads, I would suggest that you tame them down to a mild load for practice. I just ran across the following by a top competition shooter of 15 to 20 years ago and it may answer your speed concern.

J. MICHAEL PLAXCO'S SHOOTING PRINCIPLES

1. ACCURACY TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER SPEED.
2. SPEED IS ECONOMY OF MOTION.
3. SPEED WILL COME WITH PRACTICE (IF YOU PRACTICE TO BE FAST).
4. LET THE SIGHTS DICTATE THE CADENCE OF FIRE.
5. YOU MUST LEARN WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE SIGHT PICTURE AND TRIGGER CONTROL FOR THE SHOT REQUIRED.
6. SHOOT ONE SHOT AT A TIME.
7. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, ALIGN THE SIGHTS... SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER.

 

[GTOShootr]

Check out this thread:
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18422&hl=
(there are many more on the same topic if you search around)

Everything basically echos Jim's view, smooth is fast. When you want to shoot fast, shoot only as fast as you can reliably call your shots.

I have Matt Burkett's DVDs. For you I have "Vol 4 How to Shoot Faster," and for C-pher I have "Vol 7 How to Practice."

 

[JimConway]

You are right about both Brian Enos and Matt Burkett. Both of the Burkett videos are very good.
This may sound a little esoteric but there is a Brian Enos quote that I like about how to shoot fast and accurately, as follows:
"See what you have to see to make the shot" Using this idea it makes sense that we need a much better sight picture at 25 yards than at 5 yards.
Just as an example try ther following at 5 yards. Pick a clear aiming point on the target and fire one perfect shot. Then get the same sight picture and allow the front sight to come half way out of the rear sight and fire. Do the same thing with the way down, way left and way right. You should end up with all of the shots within 3 ".
If you think about what you just did it should be clear that you did not need a very good sight to get a good at that ramge. In other words see what you need to see.

 

[Adam_MA]

Sounds like those are good videos...

Where is a good place to get them?

Adam

 

[JimConway]

Adam
you can get the Matt Burkett from Dillon Precision, or Brownells or direct from Matt Burkett at www.mattburkett.com. There are 7 videos in the series and they focus on competition shooting, which is not bad.
Burkett also carries the Anderson and Kirch Practice books.

 

[GTOShootr]

Along with the videos, Brian's book Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals is a must. You can get it from Brian or Matt their respective sites. They both post a lot on Brian's site and are accessible.

Try some USPSA, it is all about speed, accuracy, and problem solving.

 

[KMaurer]

I recall watching a video (IIRC of Rob Leatham) practicing drawing and firing the first shot. He takes about 20 seconds to do it in practice. The key is moving your hand toward the gun in exactly the same way, so that you get exactly the same grip without fumbling, then bringing the gun up to meet the other hand. Only when you're getting every little detail consistent and conrrect can you shout fast and accurately.

Ken