Tips for Increasing my shooting Skill?

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plinker2

New member
I shoot several hundred to a couple of 1000 rounds per/month (from .22 to 9mm to .45). My problem, I want to shoot better. How about sharing some practice tips with me that will help my marksmanship. The one I always hear is to lay a quarter on the top front of your slide and click off rounds without the quarter falling while continuing to keep your proper sight picture.

Please share your tips. Maybe we will all become better marksmen because of it.

Thanks in advance. --plinker2--
 
Dry-fire until you develop a callus on your trigger finger.

Well, maybe not *that* much, but dry-firing is absolutely the best practice you can get. It's free, quiet, and can be done anywhere, as opposed to spending metric buttloads of cash and going out to the range.

One caveat, though: "Practice" doesn't make perfect. *Perfect* practice makes perfect. IOW, make sure you've got the fundies (stance, grip, breath, sights, trigger) down before you start burning mistakes into your brain.

HTH. :)
 
I am by no means an Olympic-class shooter, but I will be happy to impart upon you some of the things that helped me:

1. Formal training by a coach or experienced shooter. In my case, some NRA training, some training by a competitive shooter, etc.
2. Shooting competitively, such as IDPA and IPSC. Watching these amazing shooters in action will help direct your training and shooting skills.
3. Dry firing. I like to balance coins flat wise and then endwise on the frame or slide and practice trigger pulls until the coin stays on.
4. At the range, for slow-fire accuracy, try shooting at small targets at a distance. If you spend some time shooting 8" paper plates at 25 yards, you will be amazed at how much your 7 yard groups on a B27 target will imrpove!
5. When you can, set up multiple targets at multiple distances. Practice engaging multiple targets with 2 shots each, 2 shots, etc.
6. Practice, practice, practice...

Sounds like you are well on the way to being a good shooter allready. Just keep plugging away!
 
I shot on a pistol team in the Army a few years back & one of the things that they employed that was very helpful were personal coaches (ie; teammates.) They would watch you as you shot & knowing the techniques, they'd tell you what you were doing during your shot string. Also, they'd do a blind fire test with you. That's where they'd load your gun for you with your back turned. Sometimes you'd have a "loaded" gun & sometimes your pistol would only go "CLICK!" After some practice this way, you completely get over any kind of flinching, jerking, palming, or pushing. Also a critique would follow. You'd be surprised how quickly your skills improve. Oh yeah, lots of dry firing too.

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Guard Freedom from those that "want to do it for the Children."
 
There are several exercises you can perform to improve how your eyes perform. There are also drills to improve reaction time to buzzers. I find dry firing exercises that force my eyes to change position in both planes to be very helpful. See the USPSC Web site for some tips.
 
Along the lines of the "blind fire drill" above, I often load only 5 rounds in my 6 round .357 ... spinning the cylinder before closing it while not looking leaves me with one surprise during the string which very clearly reveals a flinch if it exists. It is hard to do with a semi ... but I've thought of loading up some dummy rounds (I think I'll seat them a little deeper and crimp the snot out of them ... hate to leave a bullet in the chamber!) for my USP40C to accomplish the same effect ... it might even help with the jam clearing drill ... it has NEVER jammed on its own ... A USP40C with an empty mag weighs noticably less than a loaded one so the simpler method wouldn't work. If I don't count ... maybe snapcaps would be a good choice here ... now I'm just thinking as I write, so I'll stop here.
Good luck,
saands
 
Plinker2,

How good are you now and how good do you want to be? Give us some numbers, such as an X inch group of Y rounds fired in Z seconds from an unsupported two-handed position at range R.
 
I would get a bb pistol. I have several softair guns and can plink inside. No recoil, so your whole deal is hitting the target. Also I use a laser sight to help with muscle memory for grip and point. You quick draw up and see if you were actually going to hit. Oh and I have wanted to get it for years,but never did, there is one that plugs into your computer and a laser in your gun and it prints out on paper where you hit.
 
One of the things my Dad made me do was take a milk gallon jug and hold it out like a pistol in a one-handed grip. It develops a decent amount of control.

My friends all thought it was some bizarre parental punishment, though.

Steve
 
First; try to determine what your weak points are ie. accuracy at distance or speed up close or combinations of such.

Second; break your range time into two parts, first work on the fundamentals ie. grip, stance, front sight, trigger control and follow through. Work at all the different ranges and positions. Second, work on your weak points. Try to have a simple objective of what you want to accomplish. If shooting accurately at distance is a problem finish off at the 25 or 50. Only shoot as fast as you can hit.

Third, dry practice. Develop a dry practice routine and work at it daily. About 10-15 minutes per day is all you need. Eventually, your range time will only validate your dry firing fundamentals.

Fourth, seek profession instruction. There are plenty of good facilities to take a basic course at. If you are in the Northern CA area look at The HALO Group.

Try to remember it is not the quantity of rounds you shoot, but the quality of the ones you shoot. You can't miss fast enough. People do not rise to the occassion, they default to their training. Master the basics!

Later,

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www.thehalogroup.com
 
Join your local USPSA club (uspsa.org -- 'club-finder') and you WILL learn better shooting.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Develope the fundementals by dry firing. Then use what you have learned by shooting live rounds. Constantly dry fire, you can never do it enough!

Buy some snap-caps and save your firing pins from damage.
 
All of the above are good tips. But I have found out from my own experience and that of others that shooting many different guns is not conducive to accuracy with any. Switching from, let's say, a Glock, to a .45 1911, to a S&W Model 686, to a Colt Woodsman, to a Single Action Army, will mean basically that you won't shoot any of them well. You may shoot reasonably well, and you may be very good relative to others, but you simply won't be as good as you can be if you concentrate on only one gun.

(But shooting only one gun is d**n boring!)

Jim
 
Here are a few things that have made a significant difference in my short shooting experience (5 months... what a veteran).

1) Changed my stance. I was using Weaver and went to a perpendicular stance, and my accuracy immediate improved. I even shoot well one handed. Try different positions and see how it works for you.

2) Concentration. My BIG problem was moving the gun as I pulled the trigger. Usually, I pushed. Dry fire to get a feel for what a smooth pull should feel like, and think about that feeling when you're at the range. It has gotten to the point that I know if I've hit my mark before I look at the target by whether the "feel" was right on the trigger pull.

3) Shoot at 50 feet until your arms begin to get tired, and then bring the target closer. The distance magnifies your mistakes so you know what to work on, and bringing it closer makes you feel a lot better. :) I was shooting "okay" 50-foot shots and when I brought it in, I was knocking out the bulls-eye.

I wonder if changing sights would help improve fine control. My sights are chunky night sights, and at 50 feet I can't really tell if I'm in the center or 2 inches off.
 
Regarding dry firing: Are there any pistols that dry firing is harmful to?
I know glocks are fine but what about others.
If this has been addressed elsewhere please excuse.

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"Keep shootin till they quit floppin"
The Wife 2/2000
 
mcshot: most .22lr guns should not be dry fired. Most centerfire pistols can be dry fired without any problem. Jared
 
Stephen Ewing.....I thot I was the only one who whiled away the evenings in front of da TV while holdin a milk bottle out. Works.
Also the dry firing can't be overdone. AND empty chambers and the quarter thing.
It all helps and the more you do of each just indicates your desire to improve. And THAT is the REAL help.

I have my pistol trophies and still use a handgun with one hand.

PS. if you can afford an airgun, that is really good practice.

[This message has been edited by Lavan (edited May 19, 2000).]
 
What kind of airgun are you guys practicing with? Part of me wants a pistol and another wants a .25 rifle.

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There are two types of men. Those with guns, and those at their mercy.
 
Mikul.....I use a FWB 65 which will cut one hole. Most accurate pistol I own.

I bought it directly at Beeman's store. When I was a bit reluctant at the price, they brouhgt out a "second." I looked at it for a few minutes and finally had to ask where the blemish was. A tiny depression in one stock.

I got it in 1984 for $385. Now I see they list for $1100 or so. (!)

I bought my son and son in law each a Daisy 742 or some such and it is also very accurate but the trigger is not like the FWB which is absolute match quality. But other than the spongy trigger, that damn Daisy would suffice for me had it been available when I got the FWB.
 
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