Does Anyone Really Shoot-Practice Using Their Weak Hand/Side?

[Revolver_Fan]

Sorry - incorrectly posted to this forum - off-topic.

I've tried. I suck...if I am going to be brutally honest about it.

There is absolutely no way that I can shoot with any confidence of adequate control, let alone adequate accuracy, using my weak hand/side. Of course Specials are a lot easier than Magnums. Magnums are just plain ugly.

I've been advised that it's a matter of conditioning (both strength and coordination), but it seems no matter how hard I try or how much I practice, I just plain suck. Strength probably has improved, but coordination is a completely different animal.

Some have told me it's mental while others have stated it's technique. Whatever it is I don't get it cause I ain't got it.

 

[BadKarma]

I do all the time. A good start is to build up some muscle memory. Practice with a UNLOADED firearm and do it often. Practice bringing the pistol up and lining up the sights keep at till its natural and it comes up to sight every time. Then do trigger work. Single action first, cock, check sight picture,squeeeeze. Got that down work on double action. Bring the pistol up slowly squeeze the trigger keeping the sight picture level(many ppl twist the gun) Keep at it till you got it. I cannot stress enough that the firearm is checked and cleared before starting these drills. What I used to do with double action autos is place a dime on top of the slide and practice pulling the trigger and keeping the dime from falling off if its falling off your twisting. Hope this helps remember Safety First.

 

[681ismyfavorite]

if you shoot for self defensive practice you'd be a fool not to do so with your "weak" hand.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Yes I do, back when I shot IPSC matchs we had to do weak hand. This got me into the habit of keeping these skills alive. You never know how or why your strong hand will be out of action and it pays to be able to shoot with your off side.

 

[LadyFed]

Weak Hand

We certainly do. There are documented cases of agents in gunfights where it was necessary due to the loss of the strong side, which saved their lives. It's part of our regular quals.

 

[ACP230]

I do, but not as often as I should.

 

[HayesGreener]

I qualify 4 times a year and a string with the weak hand is part of the course. I practice that way regularly. Also need to be competent at getting the gun out of the holster and reloading with the weak hand. This can be tricky with some autos if not practiced. Believe it or not, tilting the gun a bit with a "gangster tilt" seems to help me some when shooting with my weak hand. Talk to Cowboy Action shooters who shoot "Gunfighter" class, with a gun in each hand, and get tips on shooting accurately with the off hand (no gangster tilt there!)

 

[walnutred]

I do, but I'm ambidextrous so the difference between strong and weak side is minimal. I have a warm up routine I do with a 22 revolver. 50rds left hand SA, 50 rds right hand SA, 50 rds left hand DA, 50 rds right hand DA, 50 rds two hand DA, 50 rds two hand SA.

After that I'm ready for some serious practice with what ever center fire handguns I've decided to practice with that day.

 

[Chase]

I'm coming back to shooting handguns after a thirty-year hiatus. The CPL instructor now and my father earlier were adamant about practicing with the weaker side. After only a couple of months, I've seen improvement just going to the range every couple of weeks. I don't know that I will ever get to even 70% of my proficiency on the good side but that's the goal.

 

[hamourkiller]

I do it for deer hunting, you never know when the deer or hog sneaks up on the wrong side! Changing hands makes it the right side!

Takes more concentration but can be done.

 

[Obstin8]

Support hand shooting is a very important part my shooting/training regimen. It is not easy, but the challenge is well worth the effort. Before I lost the tips of two of my fingers on my support side hand I used to shoot Bullseye. A severe dose of "tennis elbow" in my strong hand put me out of competition for a while. I made a set of left handed grips for my High Standard and started shooting "backwards". This was an enlightening experience in retrospect. I had to retrain all the basic elements of stance, natural point of aim, timing, grip, etc. for the other side. This caused me to focus on the fundamentals of shooting. After a while, I was shooting expert scores with my left hand. After about a year, I shot a match strong side and found to my amazement that my scores had improved.
Now, having the additional challenge of partially missing digits, I devote some time at every session to support side shooting. Magnums.....NO. Not yet. Had to make some minor changes in my battery to accommodate the new digit layout, but I find that the time spent doing support side drills directly positively impacts my strong side skills.
Easy? Nope. But the rewarding stuff usually has a challenge attached.
BTW, most of my shooting these days is 3 gun and IDPA. I am also a training junkie. Adapt and overcome. You can do it.
Steve

 

[The Big D]

Every time.

Be safe.

 

[colt_saa]

Absolutly I do.

Whenever I break in a new firearm, I shoot it week hand.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

If you suck at it so badly, then there's the sign that you need to work on it more.

 

[GF]

If you suck at it so badly, then there's the sign that you need to work on it more.

That's me.
I'm like the OP and do poorly weak handed (left). I've been shooting J frames in 22 cal to get the hang of it and will work up to the 357 cal I want to be proficent with.

Just work on it, find a way to practice. You may not be as good as you are with your strong hand, but you'll improve.

GF

 

[Hang-Fire Hank]

Shooting With Support Hand

Just to add one more for strength of numbers, "Yep", I shoot one-handed support hand & then resting my support hand on the forearm of my "strong arm". Might be injured & unable to grasp the revolver/pistol with my strong hand, but might be able to raise that arm up to rest the wrist of my support hand on.

Geez! Was that clear?

H-F Hank
NRA Bene.
USAF Vet

 

[Chuck Jones]

The short answer is yes and likely not enough.

We all suck when we start, strong or weak handed, the trick is not to get discouraged while improving through practice to achieve mastery (or some acceptable degree of it).

I'd just stand closer to the target, like 3-4 yards and start from there. That will build confidence and technique as you develop the skill to move back, ultimately to 10-15 yards. It's more defensively realistic too. Anything that happens will likely happen fast and close-up since otherwise we'd simply walk or run away. That's what defensive shooting is all about.

...and practice practice practice.

/c

 

[jmcghee]

absoultly!

 

[Munsterf18]

Yes,
Every time.

Raise your weak hand and point your finger at the target. If it naturally has a tilt to it use that angle.

Also, lean way into it and roll your shoulder in to absorb the recoil and not wave around so much.

Good luck,
Munster

 

[Emerson]

I definitely practice with my off hand. I'm not great with it, but I'm a lot better than before I started practicing.