XII. Accuracy A. Pistol 1. General Accuracy Tips by Aaron ? My goal is to be able to hit where I think I'm aiming with overwhelming consistency. Where do I look for effective techniques to improve and maintain my ability? Books? Classes? Competition? Other? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What follows is a cut-and-paste summary of the usenet and email response I received in answer to my accuracy question. I have also include two or three posts responding to other questions, which I arbitrarily decided were relevant to my question. I have tried to remove clues to people's identities to respect their privacy, since most responses were through email. Responses have been sliced and diced and put into categories. The categories are identified by "=CATEGORYNAME" at the beginning of the line. The BASICS category entries also have sub categories, since this was by far the largest category. The categories (and their order) are: =QUESTION =BASICS -EXPECTATIONS -THE SHOT -TARGET DISTANCE -THE GUN -YOUR BODY -PRACTICE -EXERCISES =BOOK =VIDEO =COMPETITION =HANDLING =INSTRUCTION =SUPPLIES (if you're gonna practice, you'll need supplies, right?) I have included every response in this file, leaving it to the reader to judge the usefullness and correctness of the information. If you don't find your particular string of words, though you know you responded to me, it's because I tried to edit redundant information. To summarize the summary: get good instruction early, and practice practice practice for the rest of your life. To all who responded, thank you for your generosity. aaron@halcyon.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ =BASICS Have fun! =BASICS It's definitely better to start out teaching your body the right techniques. =BASICS It's harder to break bad habits than to avoid forming them.. =BASICS Practice, practive, practice! But don't waste ammunition if you don't know what you're looking at. =BASICS Only the actions that you have practiced repeatedly will be there when you need them. =BASICS The key to accuracy is keeping all factors identical for each shot. Of course, practice goes a long way in this regard, but only if you are practicing good habits. =BASICS -EXPECTATIONS Hang in there -- if you have a good plan and practice it enough, you're bound to improve. I've gotten to the point when, with 1.5" bulls at 21', I'm disappointed whenever a shot doesn't hit within the bull; it tooks a lot of practice to get to that point and now I'm working on speeding it up, gradually. (I decided not to try to place every shot in the same bullet hole -- the ammo and gun aren't that reproducible anyway! By the way, I practice with inexpensive FMJ ammo in a .40S&W Glock.) =BASICS -EXPECTATIONS To make one point more forcefully: in real life you want to hit a 4" circle at 15 ft or less, fast and every time. 25 yards is 75 ft, so a 4" circle at 15 ft looks just the same as a 20" circle at 25 yards. So mark 20" circles on your targets and as long as you are getting all the shots inside of that, you are accurate enough and should work on getting faster. =BASICS -THE SHOT Focus your dominant eye on the front sight, letting the rear sight be slightly fuzzy and the target blur out completely. Shoot into the middle of the blur. Steadily increase trigger pressure while holding the sight picture stable, until the gun fires. The exact moment of firing should suprise you. Do not jerk the trigger the last little bit. Do not worry if the front sight wanders over an area of the target. Do not try to "chase the bullseye" (i.e. do not jerk the trigger when the front sight wanders over the target center). Try to observe the recoil - the front sight should go straight up and then drop back into the correct sight picture. Once you have mastered this "slow squeeze - suprise release" method of shooting, you can gradually increase the speed with which you increase trigger pressure, but remember that accuracy is more important than speed. You will always be aiming at an area rather than a point. At 25 yards you should not expect to shoot a group smaller than 4" in diameter no matter how much you practice. =BASICS -THE SHOT Make SURE you have a good sight picture. If you don't know where you're going to shoot you'll never be on target. Take your time. Dont go blasting off 5 or 6 rounds at once. Learn to know what the sights look like when they're at point of aim. 30 seconds between shots a minimum. =BASICS -THE SHOT The key to accuracy is watching the front sight. I know this is not intuitive, but it works. Focus on the front sight; concentrate on your sight picture. This will include the front sight properly aligned with the rear sight. The top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight and the front sight should be in the center of the rear notch. With the sights properly aligned and your concentration firmly attached to that front sight, aligned the pistol on the target. Slowly press the trigger; do not jerk it. Maintain equal pressure on the grip with the other three fingers and thumb. Apply slight backward pressure with the weak (support) hand, which should be a mirror image in grip of the right hand, with the obvious exception of the left index finger being beneath the trigger guard. That is the essence of accurate shooting with a combat pistol. =BASICS -THE SHOT Aligns the sights with the target (top of front and rear sight should be exactly vertically aligned, and front sight should be exactly centered in rear notch, with aim point at the middle of the top of the front sight), focusing on the *front* sight (not the target), maintains alignment as well as possible (it will wobble, don't overcorrect) while the trigger is slowly *squeezed* between base of thumb and forefinger (other fingers should *not* be squeezing, just maintaining a steady, firm hold on the handle). The trigger "break" (trip) should come as a surprise; to see if it really does, try dry firing and notice whether the sight picture is disturbed when the trigger trips. The eyes should remain open the whole time, which takes some work since the natural reflex is to flinch. It might help to practice with a mix of live ammo and "snap caps", so that you never know whether there will be a "bang" or not. I suggest setting the target at 21' and using a small aim area (bright orange stick-on dot, or use one of the 50-yard multiple .22 rifle targets which have small bulls). Alternatively, make the bottom of the bull ("Six O'Clock position") your aim point. =BASICS -TARGET DISTANCE Start small. A novice trying to hit a 50 yd target is going to be very disappointed. I routinely practice with 10 to 15 yard targets. I practice for defense, so that's the range where I want to be sure I'm accurate. Try a 10 yard target first. When you get accurate, pull the target back farther. Starting out far will not help you master technique nor will it give you incentive to try harder. =BASICS -THE GUN Make sure that your gun actually shoots at point of aim! You might need to get your sights adjusted. I had night sights installed on my Glock and even though the armorer lined the sights up to 'his' eyes, they didn't work for me. A good range instructor or an armorer can help there. =BASICS -YOUR BODY Use a two-handed hold with your elbows locked straight. =BASICS -YOUR BODY Aim with your dominant eye. To find which of your eyes is dominant: Have a friend stand about 7-10 yards in front of you. Have them raise their hand and hold it up. With both eyes open, as soon as you see them raise their hand, point at it with your trigger finger and hold your finger pointing at their hand. Don't move it, dont adjust your finger, leave it at the first point that LOOKS correct. Next, while you're looking at your finger, close one eye and then the other. You'll notice that when you close one eye your finger is right on target but when you close the other eye your finger is off quite a bit. The eye that makes your finger and your friend line up is your dominant eye. You ought to be doing your aiming with that eye. USUALLY but not always if you're righthanded you're also right-eye dominant and vice versa, but not always. =BASICS -YOUR BODY Every time you pick up the pistol, your grip and stance have to be the same. You need to develop a stance that aligns the pistol on the target without any extra effort. At the firing line, get into your stance, close your eyes, and raise and lower the pistol a few times. With the pistol raised, open your eyes and see where it is pointed. If it isn't lined up on the target, move your FEET to line things up. This produces a 'natural point of aim' where you are not using your muscles to apply any sideways force on the pistol. This is particularly important in sustained fire, so that the pistol will naturally spring back lined up on the target. =BASICS -YOUR BODY You need a firm grip (my coach always said 'the tighter the grip the tighter the group'), concentrating on applying pressure on the front and back strap, not on the sides. =BASICS -YOUR BODY In theory, accurate shooting is easy -- one stands facing the target, with the left foot advance a couple of inches perhaps (assuming your right hand is the strong hand), places the grip in the "V" of the open hand between thumb and palm, closes the hand with forefinger extended alongside the slide, closes the left (support) hand around the strong hand with both thumbs extended toward the target alongside each other (and free of the gun), raises the gun with locked but casual right forearm and (your choice) locked left arm (isoceles stance, which is what I recommend for defense training) *or* left elbow bent down so the left hand is pulling down and back aganst the right hand (Weaver stance, speeds recoil recovery), =BASICS -YOUR BODY There are a number of things you can do about your grip. It is possible to hold the pistol too tight ( I know, I've got crushed tendons in my fingers from it). You might try relaxing just a bit until you feel that the pistol is recoiling too much. If that doesn't help, there are several exercises you can do. For your grip, just squeezing something repeatedly will help. You want lots of repetitions and only moderate resistance. I like the new 'Grip Master' grip exercisers. You can even get one that has a clip on pistol sight (cute, but of little value). Don't overdo it. Slow down at the slightest sign of soreness. It is very easy to develop tendonitis if you go at it constantly, or start out too fast. Another classic exercise is the 'weight winder'. Get a 12" piece of rod or pipe about 1 1/4" diameter, 5' of clothesline, and a plastic 1/2 gal. jug. Tie the line around the center of the rod (a hole will help), and to the bottle. Fill the bottle half full of water, and holding the rod at arms length with both hands, SLOWLY wind the weight up to the rod, and then SLOWLY unwind it. Repeat until your arms fall off ;-). This builds up your grip, your wrists, and your arms, all at once. Once it becomes easy to do 20 times, add more water. When you can do it 20 times with a 1 gallon jug without feeling it, you will be in much better shape than I am! Hockey stick tape around the rod helps get a good grip. I was amused to see this exercise in the film 'Hannie Caulder' when Robert Culp was teaching Rachel Welch how to shoot pistol. It's been around a very long time. =BASICS -PRACTICE If you're all over the paper it sounds like you need to work on basics. The best and cheapest is to dryfire. Simply go through the motions of shooting with an UNLOADED gun. Paying considerable attention to your stance and trigger pull. The sights should not move out of alignment when the hammer falls. Without the distraction of a round going off it is obvious if you are jerking the trigger. =BASICS -PRACTICE You should also practice shooting left handed, one handed (right and left), shooting with your right eye, and as many strange positions (sitting, kneeling, prone, leaning around corners) as can be arranged. Somewhat-good fast draw practice can be done by holding the gun at waist level, pointed downrange, and quickly bringing it to eye level and firing. Drawing from leather can be done at home with an empty gun, and the two overlapped actions, practiced at different times, seem to combine fairly well. =BASICS -EXERCISES Some people tend to jerk a pistol as they pull the trigger, it's a natural fear reaction. If you do that the only solution is practice! Get used to the sound and the reaction. The way I get over it is I try to shoot at the target but NOT pull the trigger all the way, you know, pull the trigger but stop before you let off a round. It should become obvious at that point if you flinch, and you can't be sure if you're really going to set a round off, so you have to be steady just in case! =BASICS -EXERCISES YOU'VE GOT TO FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT! Even if you KNOW to focus on the front sight, it's sometimes hard to tell. The best diagnostic is 'calling the shot'. If you are focused on the sights, you should have a clear image, after the shot breaks, of where the sights were aligned relative to the target. If you can't tell (without a scope) where your shots are going, it's a good indication that you're watching the target. You can't focus on both the target and the sights simultaneously, and the target isn't moving. The target will be a black blurry blob, but that's OK, you can still judge where the center is amazingly well without having it in focus. The most critical part is the angular alignment of the front and rear sight, and you can't control that well if you aren't focused on the sights. =BASICS -EXERCISES The next most crucial task is firing the pistol without disturbing the sight alignment. Depending on the trigger pull of your pistol, this can be tough. No matter what happens, you've got to pull STRAIGHT back. The best way to work on this is LOTS of dry-firing. Another good exercise is 'ball and dummy'. Load up some dummy cartridges, and mix them in with good rounds. Load your magazines without looking at the cartridges. When you get one of the dummies, if the pistol hangs out there and goes click without moving, you're in business. More likely, it will dive or flip in some direction. Practice dry-fire until every time you pull the trigger, nothing moves. =BOOK You can probably do some if this for yourself from books but it might be more effective to get coaching. =BOOK You can get specific books that cover things like IPSC, NRA Bullseye, Combat shooting, International (Olympic) shooting, etc. =BOOK There is a book by Gil Hebard (available from Gil Hebard Guns Co.) which has a lot of information about accurate handgun shooting. It is inexpensive. The Pistol Shooter's Treasury 2nd ed. Edited and Published by Gil Hebard Gil Hebard Gun, 125-129 Public Square, Knoxville, Ill. 61448 6" x 9" 128 pp, paperbound inexpensive A collection of classic articles by world champion shooters, eminent authorities and the editor on how to shoot a pistol and how to prepare yourself for the exacting requirements of competitive handgunning. (from the cover page) Contents Fundamentals of Marksmanship, Bill Joyner How to be a Handgunner, Gil Hebard The Great Game of Shooting, Bill Blankenship Aim and Squeeze, Bill Toney Look at the Sights, Paul Weston Area Aiming, Paul Weston Trigger Control, Bill Blankenship Techniques in Rapid Fire, Dave Cartes Pistol Tips, Bill McMillan There Aren't Any Secrets, Harry Reeves Mental Aspects of Match Shooting, Joe White Advanced Marksmanship Guide, U.S.A. Advanced Markmanship Unit International Shooting, Lew Weinstein Competitive and Combat Shooting, Paul Weston Competitive Police combat Shooting, Bill Joyner Buying Your Way to Pistol Mastery, Gil Hebard Selecting a .22 Target Gun, Gil Hebard High Standard Military Autos, Gil Hebard The Smith & Wesson 52, Gil Hebard Why a Custom Handgun, Dick Shockey Pistol Primers, Their Development and Use, CCI Technical Staff Reloading Pistol Smmunition, Jim Clark Tips on Reloading Match Ammo, Gil Hebard Care and Use of Molds, James Gibbs Hercules Reloading Data Speer Reloading Data Dupont Reloading Data Bullet Allows ..22 Misfires, CCI Technical Staff How to Build a Basement Range National Championships Handloaders Information =BOOK There are books by J. Michael Plaxco and Brian Enos that are both very IPSC competition oriented that have good basic stuff. =BOOK The NRA "Competitive SHooting" book translated from the Russian olympic team coach is very detailed on that type of shooting but also has some excellent material. =BOOK The NRA basic pistol book. =BOOK The Canadian IPSC training guide "Black Badge Training Manual" is a great guide to combat sytle shooting with lots of illustrations and clear text. You can get it for $10.95 from Nick Alexakos at T.C.E. - 905-849-6960 or 905-842-4323(fax). =BOOK The best book on this topic is "Shoot a Handgun" by Dave Arnold, ISBN soft 0-9611108-0-5, but it is hard to find. Some book stores might be able to order it for you, and gun stores sometimes carry it. =BOOK The Modern Technique of the Pistol (available from the NRA; you ARE a member, right?). =BOOK For books, I would start by tracking down the NRA Basic Pistol Marksmanship text. It has a set of diagrams that can help you diagnose common problems from where your shots group (7:00 = jerking trigger etc.). It does a good job of covering all of the basics for any kind of pistol shooting. The NRA publishes "The Basics of Pistol Shooting" (call 202-828-6265 to order). =VIDEO Rob Leatham has a good (cheap) video sold by Dillon. =VIDEO How do you know what's the right technique? The video "Shooter Ready" from Dillion is pretty good for $14.95. =VIDEO If no course is available, get a Cooper video and some snapcaps for dry firing. =COMPETITION Informal competition at a local club is the best -- you will get free instruction and advice from expert shooters, all for free. They will be more than happy to help you along. =COMPETITION NRA Bullseye shooters can teach you a lot about their kind of shooting, which is very accuracy-oriented. The only thing bad about that is that for basic "normal" shooting you want to learn the more natural two handed IPSC style, which is what everyone *except* the bullseye guys do. =COMPETITION How about joining the Thursday night league at Continental Sportsman? (Mountlake Terrace, WA) Every Thurs at 7:00 you pays your $5, pick up your targets, and join the relay. There's some very good shooters there who are more than willing to help you out with tips and techniques. Timed fire can be nerve-wracking, but makes for very rapid improvement if you're concentrating on what you're doing. =COMPETITION #Could anyone instruct me on the rules of #Practical Shooting (9mm). I've heard this #is a hot sport nowdays. Good question. Here's a *brief* description: Practical Shooting (aka IPSC competition) is a sport which combines speed, accuracy, and power in equal measure. IPSC is the International Practical Shooting Congress, which sanctions matches around the globe. Competition is usually with pistol, though there are rifle and shotgun matches in many IPSC countries. Matches are conducted as a series of timed courses of fire, known as stages. There are several types: timed fire, standards, speed, and field stages. The first three are fired from a single position, the last requires moving through a "simulated combat" course. Standards have specific shooting requirements (strong hand/weak hand, prone, kneeling, mandatory reloads, etc.). Standards may have specific time limits, in which case your score for the stage is your target score (less penalties) alone. They may have no specific time limit, in which case they're called speed stages, because your score for the stage is your target score *divided* by your time in seconds. Field stages cannot specify specific shooting requirements, but may pose problems that force shooters to approach a problem in a specific way....for example, you might be required to shoot through a window at ankle height, which pretty much forces you to shoot from prone position...or, you might be required to keep your strong arm in a sling, pretty much forcing you to shoot with your weak hand. Field stages are scored like speed stages, with your target points divided by your time. Handguns are classified under IPSC rules into three categories: Standard, Modified, and Open (Unlimited? I can't recall the exact name). These are based on components used and overall firearm capabilities. In the U.S., the IPSC sanctioning organization, USPSA, simplifies this to two categories, Limited and Open. In general, if you have optics or a recoil compensator, you have an Open firearm. Most internal modifications are allowed under Limited rules. Competitors only compete against others in the same firearm category. Some shooters compete in multiple categories. Power differences are based on "Power Factor, defined as: bullet weight in grains X muzzle velocity in ft/sec --------------------------------------------------- 1,000 There are two categories: Major and Minor. To "make Major," your power factor must be at least 175. To "make Minor," your power factor must be at least 125. The difference is the point score when out of the bullseye. The minimum caliber that will "make Minor" is 9mm Parabellum. .380 Auto will not make Minor. In the U.S., if you compete in Limited, the minimum caliber that will "make Major" is .40S&W. Limited does not allow 9x21, 9mm Para, or .38 Super to score as Major loads, because stock firearms typically do not have the supported chambers capable of handling the high pressure required, according to the U.S. firearm standards body, known as SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute). Targets are either steel or cardboard. Steel that is knocked over to score is either a bullseye or a miss. Steel and cardboard targets with various scoring zones are torso/head shaped, and they are designed so that you cannot clearly see the scoring zones, and must shoot at the body mass. Targets may be blocked by soft cover (shoot through possible), hard cover (no shots possible through cover), or no-shoots (hostages). There are 4 scoring zones on IPSC targets, scored as follows: Zone Major Minor A 5 5 (Steel that falls are A only) B 4 3 C 4 3 D 2 1 Misses, no-shoots, and procedural faults are -10 each! How to get started: Required equipment: 1) Handgun 2) 4 magazines or speedloaders (2-3 may be ok, but 4 is better) 3) Holster 4) Belt 5) Magazine/speedloader carriers 6) A club in your area that holds IPSC matches Your first time competing, tell the organizers that it's your first time. Ask for instructions on safety procedures you'll be expected to follow. Be sure to tell the Range Officers that run the stages that you are new. They will explain the courses of fire in greater detail than they otherwise would, and will explain the match procedures to you carefully. You should watch a few competitors, paying attention to their gun handling--not their speed! The R.O. will tell you to keep your muzzle pointed down-range at all times, and to be sure your finger is outside your trigger guard when moving on a field course. Do NOT try for speed! Shoot for the A-zones. Speed will come with practice. Well, people have been telling me speed will come. *I've* been waiting a long time for speed....but it hasn't happened yet! =HANDLING When trying to gracefully eject an unfired round from the chamber, do _not_ trap it in your hand as you pull the slide back. It is totally possible that if the slide slips forward the extractor could punch the primer and set that sucker off right near your palm. One poster mentioned he knew someone whom this had happened to, and that they received a significant injury. A safer option is to eject the round onto the ground, or, after a bit of practice with snap-caps, eject it forcefully straight up and catch it in your hand on the way down (it's really easy to screw this up, be extra careful with it). =INSTRUCTION Any good handgun instructor can show you the correct stance, grip, sight picture, etc. to shoot very tight groups with any good pistol. The key seems to be focusing on the front sight but it takes some practice to do it right. =INSTRUCTION Locate an A- or Master- level IPSC shooter and take lessons one on one. If you're going to learn from someone start off with someone that really knows what they are doing. There are some good schools all over the country. =INSTRUCTION You'd do better with a live instructor who can help identify your particular areas of improvement. =INSTRUCTION After years of shooting on my own, I finally took the NRA Basic Pistol course. What I got out of it was regular, intense, disciplined practice and some useful coaching as to what problems need to be solved. Returning to a methodical approach was very important. My course cost $20 per person for 2hrs/wk for 6 weeks. Range time was included but you supply your own ammo. Guns were available for those who didn't have them. (Ruger .22) Some of us had so much fun that our instructor has agreed to go another 6 weeks and is teaching us IPSC stuff (draw, aim, fire for both score and time) =INSTRUCTION There's a guy up there (Seattle) named Marty Hayes that runs a firearms school that is supposed to be quite good. =INSTRUCTION >From my experience, I would say take a class. Even a basic pistol course is worth it. I've been shooting since I was about 10 with my dad, but just recently took a basic pistol course. I was afraid I might be bored, but it simply wasn't so. The course filled in a lot of gaps, including stance, trigger pull, etc. I think these subtleties can have a great impact. =SUPPLIES The two mail-order ammo places that I like are listed below. I have dealt with both of them numerous times and always been satisfied. I'm sure there are many other good places, but these are the ones I can recommend. Bottom Line Shooting Supplies PO Box 258 Clarkesville, GA 30523 706-754-9000 voice 706-754-7263 fax Cheap Shot Inc 294 Route 980 Canonsburg, PA 15317 412-745-2658 voice 412-745-4265 fax Both will send a free catalog if you call, write, or fax. -- aaron@halcyon.com I know enough to know that I don't know enough.