I need help with accuracy!

wear double hearing protection.

All of the above are great tips but I have found that flinching is a result of anticipating noise as well as recoil. Try using the squishy ear plugs plus ear muffs I think you will be surprised at the difference it makes.

Welcome to the forum,
Si vis pacem, para bellum!
 
Okay, I don't know if this has been addressed, but target's are much cheaper than ammo these days.

Don't shoot at target's that are so badly shot up that you can't tell were you are shooting. One magfull=two or three targets in cost.

Think about it.

More advise, mark every shot after every ma with a magic marker. And monitor each mag to were your going wrong and take your time. Your not out to just have fun shooting, your out to improve your shooting and accuracy.

I see people put $50 worth of ammo through a 50 cent target, and what do they get? Nothing! Might as well buy some fire crackers and shoot them off!
 
Welcome to the Firing Line!

Enjoy yourself shooting! Thats what it is all about, for many of us. Just a word of caution, beware of information overload here on the forum!:D It can be a bit bewildering for a new shooter. But don't worry, just take your time, and sort out what you need from what you don't.

No one here began as an expert or as a great shot, although its been so long for some that they may forget it.

All the advice given is good, well meant, and has proven efective with lots of folks for many years. And I'll add my $.02. Take it slowly, like eating an elelphant. One small bite at a time. And don't force things. All the different things, stance, grip, sight alignment, trigger pull, etc., are all important, but not so important as the overall enjoyment of what you are doing.

Remember when you were learning to drive (and if you don't drive, you do something else involving mulitple motor skills, right?)? Even though you knew what to do, every time you drove you were a little nervous inside, right? As time went on, that went away, and now you don't even think about all the little motions you use to run the car, you think about driving. It s the same with shooting (and a lot of other things too!).

With handguns, it usually isn't the actual physical force of the recoil that bothers beginners, its the sudden loud noise (mostly), and the jump of the gun together. Good hearing protection, correctly worn is most important, even when shooting .22s.

Women's upper body and arm strength can make a difference, but only in the amount of time and practice needed to reach the same level of ability holding the gun as bigger, stronger folks. And everyone is an individual in this regard. My mother was 4'11 (and a half!) and just barely 100lbs, but she learned to shoot Dad's S&W .357 magnum (model 28 6", a large, heavy revolver) quite tolerably well. And she was deadly accurate with her Ruger Super Bearcat .22!

If you can afford professional instruction, by all means get some. But don't obsess if you can't. Millions of us have grown to become good shots without it. Take a stance that feels comfortable to you. it doesn't matter if it isn't "right", as long as you can control the gun and hit the target, then its as "right" as it needs to be. Again, don't obsess over it.

Accuracy is about doing the same thing every time. When you get to that point, then you can fine tune things.

I always recommend a .22 for all beginners. What you are doing is very common, and the cure is also. Practice, without pressure. Don't rush. don't fret. Don't even think about what the gun will do, just focus on that front sight and squeeze. Learn to squeeze the trigger with only the trigger finger. Dry firing will help with that. Lots of us unconciously squeeze with the whole hand. That is what is most likely what is giving you trouble at this point.

Know that these things take time, and everyone improves at their own pace. Just relax and enjoy the fun of shooting. Make a little change to your style, and see what happens. Keep it up until you don't think about it anymore. Then if you still need to, make another change.

Again, welcome to the Forum, and ask anything you want. We're here to help.
 
si vis pacem, para b: All of the above are great tips but I have found that flinching is a result of anticipating noise as well as recoil. Try using the squishy ear plugs plus ear muffs I think you will be surprised at the difference it makes.
Click to expand...

First off, welcome to the forum!!

Secondly, the above advice needs to be recited more often. Especially with new shooters. Until you get accustomed to the loud noise, I find people are very jumpy on the firing range. Even experienced shooters get jumpy on really loud ranges. Doubling up the hearing protection helps tremendously.

Add in all the advice about dry-firing and .22 practice, and you should be on the path in no time.
 
Don't know if it was mentioned... but with regards to shock & noise, it's typically much worse on an indoor range than an outdoor range.

There's the noise level inside. (much louder!) There's the concussion and shock from being inside a place with walls to bounce and compound it, especially off the ceiling or in the shooting "booth" if your particular indoor range uses booths. And finally, there's the flash from the muzzle that can be horrendously bright, especially on a dimly-lit range, which seems typical, at least in my experience.

I think that these factors definitely affect anyone's ability to shoot well, and all the more if there are other folks shooting at the same time, and moreso if they are shooting heavy calibers.
 
+1, Lost Sheep. You beat me to it - Cornered Cat's section on How to Cure a Flinch is fabulous. Actually, the whole site is fabulous.

Welcome to the gun community, TexasGirl! I, too, am a new member of the forum and the gun-owner's club. Always nice to have other lady shooters around!!
 
Thank you!

Thank you everyone for your advice! I read the corneredcat.com page on curing a flinch - it was very helpful too. I think I will try the double ear protection and dryfire a BUNCH. I really have caught the bug pretty bad, and I refuse to give up until I can be proud of how I shoot. (or at least not ashamed) Stay tuned....
 
Great to have women shooters!!

Great advice above.

Do make sure the gun fits you well and the grip is small enough so that you grip it well. If you grip it well you will shoot and absorb recoil better. My wife does better with smaller framed guns like Kahr's.

Make sure the gun points instinctively for you.Draw and aim with your eyes closed, then open your eyes.You should be looking at the front sight with your dominant eye!

Welcome to shooting!! Practice makes perfection!
 
I've found lasers to be an excellent training aid. When used in conjunction with your dry firing anything from a cheap "bore sighting laser" to a $200+ TLR-2 will show you exactly how much even the smallest wiggle makes a big difference down range.

Especially with a DA revolver or semi-auto with a long trigger pull, a laser can show you exactly where in the "pull" you might be having issues.
 
Here are a couple of good threads on firing line:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=349909

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...t+anticipation

One of the threads has a target with the "problem zones" pointed out.

Also, here is a link to a blog about choosing the right stance and practicing for the real-world:

http://www.rangelog.com/Community/Th...3/Default.aspx

The blog writer is a female, a former law enforcement officer and the master of all firearms questions at our little organization.
 
Like many of the others before me I would like to welcome you to the shooting world. I think your determination to get good is great.

I have taught people to shoot for a lot of years and There has been a lot of good advice given. The one thing I have not seen mentioned here is something I have seen when giving a class, be it one person or a classroom full. That is something a lot of shooters both new and old do. They look to see where they are hitting as soon as they pull the trigger. A simple excercise to see this is to use a plain piece of paper as your target. Shoot at the middle of it and then use your first bullet hole as your aimimg point. If your next shot or shots are below it you are looking to see where you hit.

If you are looking to see where you shot, your next shots will be low. The only way to correct this is to concentrate on your sights and let the target take care of itself. Not easy for the beginner or the experienced shooter who has created a bad habit. But with practice it can be done.

Best of luck and best wishes with your practice.
 
Welcome, control your breathing, squeeze slowly, don't pay attention to half of what your going to be told on forums, women out shoot men a lot, just take your time and enjoy.;) Your 9mm will do a fine job, of the guns I own my Baby Eagle is the sweetest shooting gun i have.
 
Hi Girl!

My Texas lady started out on my Mini Glock 26 in 9mm. She is very small (5'1") and her biggest problem was allowing the pistol to twist under recoil so the grip was not centered in the web of her hand. She fought that for a while but mastered it.

The other problem she had was raising her head to see where the shot went. Unconsciously, she would pull the shot as she prematurely braced to raise her head & look. Now, she gives a 1001 count before raising her head. It's called "follow through" and it's very simple to cure the problem.

She began to use homemade targets consisting of a "Heart" drawn on pink paper. For whatever the reason, it worked for her. She did so well that I gave her the Glock for Christmas one year. If hearts are more interesting for you to shoot, then have at it.

Incidentally, she started with the Glock, began shooting High Powered rifle matches at 200, 300 and 600 yards and became a High Master high power rifle long distance shooter.

She worked hard and overcame a lot because at her first rifle match she cried and lost her breakfast due to nervousness. Now, she has her Concealed Handgun License, and she became a Texas Corrections Officer with an exemplary record. Needless to say, she is always the top shooter in firearms qualification!

I mention these things to illustrate how the self confidence she gained through the shooting sports carried over to many other areas of her life. It all started with that Glock.

You go girl!!

Flash
 
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Good advice in the posts above.
My sister has the same problem, flinching in anticipation. The effect is magnified when going from a pistol with a shorter trigger pull to a longer one.

If you can get someone to film your grip while you are shooting, it may help to diagnose some of the problems. I recently found out that I have a weak left grip that I adjust after each shot and I have that on film. I am working on correcting it.

Here is a short video of my sister's flinch (ignore other problems such as grip etc) but it shows quite nicely the wrist deviating to the ulna side, resulting in the muzzle dropping before the shot is fired:

http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g154/Odd_Job/?action=view&current=MVI_6084.flv
 
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+1 on double hearing protection; stance

Not only will this help with flinch, but it will also have a noticeable impact on preventing hearing loss, especially if you primarily shoot at indoor ranges. (Note: I didn't use double protection in my younger years, and my audiograms tell their own story; got smarter as I grew older, and the rate of loss in my left ear dropped significantly)

There have been a lot of other really good tips in this thread. Most seem to focus on what you do with your hands and head, so I'll throw in a point on the rest of the body: good stance helps make everything else work.

I see a lot of new shooters stand with their feet too close together, upper body leaning back to balance the handgun. Whether you end up choosing isosceles, weaver, or some other primary stance, they all have some common traits.

Feet should be approximately shoulder width apart. Knees should be slightly bent. Torso should be leaned slightly forward of upright; bending the knees more will allow a more aggressive forward posture. Leaning backward is not conducive to good recoil control and follow-up shots.

Whatever stance you use, you should try to make it comfortable. It's hard to do anything well when you are distracted by complaints from joints and muscles.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum.
 
Accuracy tips

Here are a few things I was taught in my training.

1. Properly grip the gun. This involves several things. The first is ensuring that both hands firmly wrap the grip with the thumbs pointed forward on your weak side. Next, be sure to place the tip of your finger on the trigger, NOT the joint. Dry fire until you can maintain a steady, firm grip and consistent trigger pull. Make sure that your stance is a strong base. There are many stances that accomplish this, but you must find one that works for you and consistently use it until it is reflexive.

2. When aligning the sights, let your eyes focus on the front sight. It should be clear in your vision. Align it with the rear sight and the target making sure the target stays blurry. As the trigger breaks and the gun fires, let your focus remain on the front sight as it falls back into alignment. Align it again and fire.

3. When practicing marksmanship, use your defensive ammo as much as possible. Your response time must be attuned to that ammo in the field. If you look for target ammo, try several kinds to find some that handles as close to your defensive ammo as possible.
 
Thank you!

I really appreciate everyone's help! Double ear protection, saying front sight front sight front sight as I fire, and holding position for a bit instead of looking right away is really helping. I'm not where I want to be, though. I have to concentrate so darn hard, and I want it to be second nature. I guess that just takes time and practice. I did shoot a 239 on my CCL range qualification - 3 shots were - you guessed it, low. Thanks ya'll.
 
As if you need any more tips, but you may want to try and bend your elbows just a little and not fire with rigid arms. Have your husband get a second job to pay for your ammo :eek:
 
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