So I'm still new to shooting... in so far as rounds downrange. (Would guess under 500 lifetime) I was introduced to shooting when i was a young teen by my father. He was military trained. He taught me correct firearms handling and respect.
I guess cause i was a girl he never pushed the issue of shooting or get me my own firearm. I actually loved to shoot. I took over the family bb gun (rifle) and always looked for an excuse to rail on some trees. We even made up a target range of sort in the basement with stacked phone books against a cyinder block wall for the winter months.
As a teen once, he taught me to use the pocket 22 at the barn i rode at. That consisted of shooting a can at about 7 yards or so. Only missed 3. I shot about 25 or so. Then we shot again when i was 16 at a range. This consisted of shooting a few mgazines thru his ruger 22 target pistol. Shooting a few rounds on his long barreled 357 magnum. Yes i shot 357 not 38. Dad rented me a Beretta 92. Then i was handed my boy friends glock. This was when they were still new to the market. I spilt a box of 50 rounds with the guys to run thru the glock and the 92. Dad was all excited about the glock. In the moment, He asked about buying me my own gun. (Think he wanted an excuse to buy a glock) He was trying so hard to talk me into a glock... I said I wanted the Beretta... lol... that was the end of the buying me a gun discussion. Then the next and last time shooting was at college one weekend. We rented a Beretta 92, a Ruger and a Smith and Wesson. He and i ran a box of 50 thru the trio. I shot best with the 92. He said I had a natural talent and had good groupings for a new shooter. The end of shooting with dad...
I did not get my first firearm till i was in my late 30s in 2013. You guessed it... my own Beretta. Anyway... bullet shortages led to very little range time with conservative round counts. I would say 4 visits with a shared box of 50 rounds per outing. Yipes! In the back of my mind I thought about a bore laser trainer, but the spouse was not biting. In all honesty, I had not realized how important dry fire practice was for the shooter.
If it matters... my real guns are 40 caliber and my carry gun is an LCP for its concealability.
So what brings me to my post... i discovered a fault/pattern in my shooting. Im a right handed shooter. I'm shooting low and right... 4 or 5 o'clock? I started to research said fault. From what i have read i might be tightening my grip as my trigger finger curls... my lack of time with a pistol equals a lack of pointer finger isolation from my other digits.... Said lack of isolation means the hand and tendons act as a unit. Seen alot in people who use hands alot with tasks. I'm very physical and hands on for a girl. Rode horses for 30 years, where hand is unified. I was trained pinky isolation, but everything else was a unit. Now I work on my own cars where again the hands are a unit... So As the trigger finger tightens, so do all the digits. Does that sound right?! Could that be it?
I simulated a grip and tried to only curl that pointer finger. Nope the whole hand moves... esp my thumb. I held my carry gun and simulated a trigger pull under the guard. As soon as I curl my trigger finger the nose goes right and down on a perfect angle... ugh... I'm sure it gets worse once you add recoil and anticipation to the mix... does anything else creep in when you see the 4-5 o'clock pattern? Is it a wrist thing? In riding wrist position is important, but you don't lock the wrist. Maybe that muscle memory is contributing? Could it be a grip size issue? How do you know what is the correct grip size? Is there a way to tell with wraping fingers and thumb around said grip?
I assume dry fire practice would be my best training for this issue? Any drills you can suggest for this issue? What would be the best training aid. A bore laser type aid (lights when firing pin hits snap cap the laser lights) or just snap caps and a balanced quarter? Getting out a fake gun and working my pointer finger isolated over and over till I see zero movement from my other digits and my front sight holds dead on? I want to break this weakness quick before it becomes a habit.
Thanks you guys!
I guess cause i was a girl he never pushed the issue of shooting or get me my own firearm. I actually loved to shoot. I took over the family bb gun (rifle) and always looked for an excuse to rail on some trees. We even made up a target range of sort in the basement with stacked phone books against a cyinder block wall for the winter months.
As a teen once, he taught me to use the pocket 22 at the barn i rode at. That consisted of shooting a can at about 7 yards or so. Only missed 3. I shot about 25 or so. Then we shot again when i was 16 at a range. This consisted of shooting a few mgazines thru his ruger 22 target pistol. Shooting a few rounds on his long barreled 357 magnum. Yes i shot 357 not 38. Dad rented me a Beretta 92. Then i was handed my boy friends glock. This was when they were still new to the market. I spilt a box of 50 rounds with the guys to run thru the glock and the 92. Dad was all excited about the glock. In the moment, He asked about buying me my own gun. (Think he wanted an excuse to buy a glock) He was trying so hard to talk me into a glock... I said I wanted the Beretta... lol... that was the end of the buying me a gun discussion. Then the next and last time shooting was at college one weekend. We rented a Beretta 92, a Ruger and a Smith and Wesson. He and i ran a box of 50 thru the trio. I shot best with the 92. He said I had a natural talent and had good groupings for a new shooter. The end of shooting with dad...
I did not get my first firearm till i was in my late 30s in 2013. You guessed it... my own Beretta. Anyway... bullet shortages led to very little range time with conservative round counts. I would say 4 visits with a shared box of 50 rounds per outing. Yipes! In the back of my mind I thought about a bore laser trainer, but the spouse was not biting. In all honesty, I had not realized how important dry fire practice was for the shooter.
If it matters... my real guns are 40 caliber and my carry gun is an LCP for its concealability.
So what brings me to my post... i discovered a fault/pattern in my shooting. Im a right handed shooter. I'm shooting low and right... 4 or 5 o'clock? I started to research said fault. From what i have read i might be tightening my grip as my trigger finger curls... my lack of time with a pistol equals a lack of pointer finger isolation from my other digits.... Said lack of isolation means the hand and tendons act as a unit. Seen alot in people who use hands alot with tasks. I'm very physical and hands on for a girl. Rode horses for 30 years, where hand is unified. I was trained pinky isolation, but everything else was a unit. Now I work on my own cars where again the hands are a unit... So As the trigger finger tightens, so do all the digits. Does that sound right?! Could that be it?
I simulated a grip and tried to only curl that pointer finger. Nope the whole hand moves... esp my thumb. I held my carry gun and simulated a trigger pull under the guard. As soon as I curl my trigger finger the nose goes right and down on a perfect angle... ugh... I'm sure it gets worse once you add recoil and anticipation to the mix... does anything else creep in when you see the 4-5 o'clock pattern? Is it a wrist thing? In riding wrist position is important, but you don't lock the wrist. Maybe that muscle memory is contributing? Could it be a grip size issue? How do you know what is the correct grip size? Is there a way to tell with wraping fingers and thumb around said grip?
I assume dry fire practice would be my best training for this issue? Any drills you can suggest for this issue? What would be the best training aid. A bore laser type aid (lights when firing pin hits snap cap the laser lights) or just snap caps and a balanced quarter? Getting out a fake gun and working my pointer finger isolated over and over till I see zero movement from my other digits and my front sight holds dead on? I want to break this weakness quick before it becomes a habit.
Thanks you guys!
By doing this you are taking the pistol off target before you should. Focus only on the front sight. Watch it track it see the front "lift out" of the rear and return. Do not focus on the target. Think in your mind" front sight. front sight" and focus there. This will help you keep the pistol on target and not look over your sights. This is good for shooting tight groups. 
