whats your most common problem with new shooters?

One exercise I like to do with new people is have them stand there and empty 2 or 3 clips, just rapid fire, one shot after another, and do it with a COMPLETELY relaxed, perfectly straight face. No lip-twitching, no blinking, no nothing. Just hold it up and go bang bang bang, appearing to be utterly bored to death. This really helps a lot of people.
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Roger that!

I will typically follow that kind of drill with putting some kind of HUGE target, like a 24 inch circle, at 3 yards. "Just hit the circle anywhere". Then based on how they do with that, consider making the circle smaller OR making the distance greater.

My most common seen problem, perhaps like most, is muzzle discipline. If I sense that's going to be a continued problem, I quickly go to "one round only" drills. Doesn't cure the problem, but makes me feel less anxious.


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq
 
face time....

A common problem with new shooters or service members is holding the handgun to close to the face. With a semi auto pistol, it can be painful! :(
I had a US Army MP Sgt in my unit tell the story of a young 2LT who had a M9 slide smack him in the face. Stupid!

Part of the problem is that people watch TV shows or movies then think they can do the exact same. When they twist a semi auto to the side, you know they watched to much of The Wire on HBO, ;) .
 
Too much pride in not listening to what I'm telling them to make it better. Whether it's jerking the trigger, limp wristing, anticipation of recoil and forcing the gun down..etc.
 
Too much pride in not listening to what I'm telling them to make it better. Whether it's jerking the trigger, limp wristing, anticipation of recoil and forcing the gun down..etc.
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That's a tough nut to crack in any kind of instruction. Unfortunately, students with that kind of approach seem to want to think that if they simply practice it (incorrectly) a bazillion times, it will somehow magically resolve itself into being correct. Male students are worse than fem students, in any subject, shooting related or otherwise.


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq
 
male vs female students/recruits...

I agree with Sgt L.
I've heard often that cadre & firearm instructors prefer untrained women over men(trained or untrained) because they listen more, do not have bad habits or poor shooting methods & they retain more from classroom instruction.
I'm no AMU level target shooter or ACE/Tier 1 type super-commando but I do know a few stances/methods/firing positions. I can learn from a qualified instructor but most already expect you to know the basics.
Tactics & gun handling are not difficult to learn. The important part is using the firearm skills under extreme stress or in a target match.
Clyde
 
Two Primary Problems

1. Most males have seen all the cool movies and have learned the technique already. Also, most American males think the ability to shoot - especially a handgun - is part of their genetic makeup. This can be even worse with men with some form of prior training (that didn't seem to help much, either.)

2. Hearing protection. Many guys are 'too tough' to wear hearing protection and therefore have a horrible flinch.


The best results I've had with 1. is demonstrating I can hit what I intend to hit. It usually works, but sometimes slower than other times.

2. is cured by asking them if they want to have hearing next year. Or simply getting them to 'try it' and they realize shooting is much easier when one is not anticipating being stabbed in both ears with pencils.

Neither work perfectly and women are much easier to teach.
 
Kraig,

Especially the re-set on a glock trigger!

New & Old Shooters alike,

Getting them to understand the value of DRY FIRING. Hours upon hours of dry firing.
__________________
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
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With my kids the thing i saw early was flinching. SoI started training them with a Suppressed 22lr. It has made a world of difference.
 
safety
at our club we have very strict rules, when people are going down range to change a target or put up a target all guns are to be locked open and a chamber indicator in place. This applies to both the long gun range and hand gun range. With new shooters if often happens that they forget to lock the bolt open or they forget the chamber indicator. Another is we have a white line painted on the black top behind the firing line and anyone not going down range is to be behind that line, some forget this and when others turn and start to walk back to the firing line after changing their target some guy is at the firing line getting his gun ready to shoot again. With some guys these rules take a few scoldings to sink in. We had one member trying to fix his rifle while others were down range, I kindly told him that he needed to be behind the line and his rifle secured while others were down range, he replied that he was a cop and knew how to handle guns. I politely told him that was no excuse to break the rules. He dropped his rifle abruptly on the shooting bench and stepped back behind the line. He was kind of POed. Later as he was leaving the range he came over to me and apologized for his behavior and attitude. We have since become good friends, he was just having a bad day with his rifle jamming and his mind just wasn't on safety. He is an excellent marksman and has taught me a couple things that have helped me to shoot better.
New shooters often need some help and guidance. I believe it is our responsibility as experienced shooters to help them out.
 
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I'm somewhat new to proper techniques of shooting, and would love to go to a training to help better my shooting abilities. But, one safety thing i've noticed about myself and others is that when a person grabs a gun there finger ends up on the trigger. I've broken the bad habbit, but it seems natural to put your finger there when it shouldn't be there until you are ready to aim and shoot.
 
What a wide varity of answers.
While they are are very valid to shooting, most of them are a load of crap to new shooters.

As I practise it:
The 4 commandents of firearms - not suggestions, good ideal,
They are COMMANDENTS

Second and most important is:
Sight Picture and Trigger Press.
 
We're talkingn pistols right?

I taught pistol shooting in the Army. I was amazed how poorly some shooters shot. At 15' they'd miss the entire target. Just terrible. I had been shooting pistols since I was 16 and was good at it.

Biggest single first error: Looking at the target and not at the sights. Placing the front sight on the target and now lining it up with the rear sight.

The secret to shooting a pistol is to stare hard at the sights. Line the top of the front sight with the top of the rear sight, make the two parallel lines on light on either side of the front sight the same size.

Hold the pistol deeply into the hand, the lower the center of gravity the better. Don't squeeze the gun too tight. Firm is tight enough. If shooting two handed place the non-firing hand over the firing hand and lay your thumb on top of the shooting thumb gently apply pressure. You can practice this at home with an empty pistol. Shoot with both eyes wide open. Take a deep breath and exhale, then another and let half of it out. Firm up your sight picture and ease the pressure on the trigger.

It is excellent practice to shoot one handed. Do it as often as you can and practice. Only dry fire a .22 with a snap cap in the chamber. Shooting one handed is excellent practice for shooting with two. You will find that you can hold the pistol with two as still as if you are shooting a rifle, if you practice one handed.

Shoot off hand and off eye one and two handed. You'll have to squeeze you strong eye closed to do this. This trains consentration and there are tactical applications for shooting with your weak hand/eye.

I practice by walking along a dirt road shooting at pebbles. I suggest using a Ruger Single Six or a Bearcat. I seldom plink in the woods with an auto. It's just easier and I think safer to shoot and reload a revolver. I shoot at pebbles the size of a nickel at about 20'. Pine cones at say 25 yds.

Shoot at long range. I usually shoot at long range using both hands. I've shot thousands of rounds through a little 2" Smith 36 at beer cans at 50 to 200 yards. Do not hold over. Put the front sight up in the "U" of the rear sight. At 150 yards with a Browning High Power I hold about half of the front sight high. Practice. You will be astounded how well you can hit at long range. It is a real confidence builder. They try it one handed and then off handed.

Sitting with your elbows resting on the inside of your knees using both hands you'll be able to shoot a very long ways. It'll take you two to three shots to walk your rounds to a target the size of a basket ball at 200 yards. At 500 I'll make a man put his head down.

I call it the "zin of pistol shooting". It's a head trip like a golf swing. Be metholdical and concentrate hard. When I was in my 20's I'd shoot a brick a day while walking through the woods. I did this Saturdays and Sundays most every weekend for a decade or so. Wear plugs and muffs. Even at that you'll still screw up your hearing. I'm bout half deaf. I'm still a good shot though and I still enjoy the dickens out of pistol shooting.

After practicing like this you will find it pretty easy to keep all your shots in the 10 ring at 25 paces. 15' is a piece of cake. At 25 yards with a accurized Smith revolver and wad cutters you'll shoot a group the size of the palm of your hand. I shot on the pistol team in the Army with the .45. Fun shooting. They issued us special guns; made a big difference.

I'm an old guy now and not as good as I once was. I shoot a Smith 25-3, a 45Long Colt. They come from the factory timed and with a very nice trigger. I reload lightish loads and enjoy the pistol.
 
Biggest single first error: Looking at the target and not at the sights.
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I agree with this. I learned to shoot a single action 22, single handed bullseye style, when I was a kid. When I learned to focus on that front sight instead of the target, my accuracy improved through the roof.

I find it interesting that in some target related sports we focus on the target, and on some we focus on the "bullet thrower". I think(?) boxing and martial arts promotes focus on the target, not on the fist/hand. Baseball batters don't focus on the bat. Golfers, OTOH, focus on the ball, perhaps the equivalent of the front sight. I'm not sure where tennis players focus.

What about archery? They seem to have a pretty weird sight to target setup. Any archers here? Do you focus on that sight stud thing on the front of your bow? Is that the equivalent of our pistol/rifle front sight?


Sgt Lumpy - n0eq
 
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