Shooting tips for new gun owner ?

[Tom95YJ]

Hey guys I am new to firearms and I figured this would be a good section of the forum to get some tips on shooting and stance.

I have a sd9ve with about 450 rounds down the pipe. But I am wanting to get my accuracy and grouping tighter. Do you guys have any advice ?

Here is a pic of how I usually stand while firing if it will help you guide me in the right direction.

 

[Big Cholla]

Tom: You took the right step in asking for advice. IMHO, you should get training from someone that knows how to teach. Shooting is an eye/hand coordination exercise and for accuracy must be practiced correctly. IMHO, as an old coach/instructor you need to start with the basics; grip, stance, sight picture, trigger press and follow thru. Also, it really helps to get a .22LR handgun in as close of configuration as your big bore to start your training and to do followup practice with for the rest of your shooting efforts. Look around for a shooting school near you and start there. ............. Big Cholla

 

[Tom95YJ]

Tom: You took the right step in asking for advice. IMHO, you should get training from someone that knows how to teach. Shooting is an eye/hand coordination exercise and for accuracy must be practiced correctly. IMHO, as an old coach/instructor you need to start with the basics; grip, stance, sight picture, trigger press and follow thru. Also, it really helps to get a .22LR handgun in as close of configuration as your big bore to start your training and to do followup practice with for the rest of your shooting efforts. Look around for a shooting school near you and start there. ............. Big Cholla

Thanks , since I am in Utah finding shooting classes should be easy. I have tried different grips and sight windows and trigger finger placement and improved quite a bit doing that in the past month or so.

 

[jonesy814]

Your feet should be more parallel instead of one way in front of the other. It also looks like you are standing up too straight. There should be a slight bend to your knees. Shoulders need to be squared up to the target more. Its hard to tell from the picture but if you can grip a bit higher, do it. Thumbs should be pointed towards the target and your grip with your primary hand should be squeezing front to back while the other hand is squeezing more side to side

 

[Tom95YJ]

Your feet should be more parallel instead of one way in front of the other. It also looks like you are standing up too straight. There should be a slight bend to your knees. Shoulders need to be squared up to the target more. Its hard to tell from the picture but if you can grip a bit higher, do it. Thumbs should be pointed towards the target and your grip with your primary hand should be squeezing front to back while the other hand is squeezing more side to side

Thank you, I'll be going to the range tomorrow to shoot 200 more rounds I will shoot a mag how I have been ( Pictured above) Then I will change targets and Adhere to your tips and shoot another mag to see the difference .

 

[gkitch]

You have chosen a Weaver stance and it looks good, overall. You may also want to experiment with the isosoles stance. Both have their advantages.

As you are starting out, accuracy should be an objective. Small and precise targets set up at almost any range will help...just try to tighten up you 5-shot groups with every new attempt. I often like to set up a paper with many small targets at around seven yards:
1. Pick a target and settle upon it.
2. Focus your eye on the front sight post. This should now be CLEAR AS A BELL and your target itself should go fuzzy. The rear sight will also blur a bit. You must concentrate, as your brain will want to focus on the target.
3. Apply trigger pressure. Think "click" as you are dry-firing in your mind.
4. You should be getting one ragged hole or something close to it.
5. If your groups open up, rather than tighten, DRY-FIRE NOW.
6. Experiment with your grip, finger placement, etc to learn what works best. You may find that a tight, high grip works well.
7. Take your time and do it well. Once you are capable of shooting accurately you move on to other levels of training. You must always return to accuracy training from time to time, however.

Remember that safety is more important than anything else. Make sure of your backstop, treat the weapon as if it is loaded, keep your finger off the trigger, and be VERY muzzle conscious at all times. Complacency is a common problem as a new shooter becomes more comfortable. Do not let it happen to you.

 

[sctman800]

I would recommend taking an NRA Basic Pistol course, good fundamentals for a new shooter and not intimidating at all. Jim.

 

[Arik]

One thing to remember is that not all guns are capable of one ragged hole. This is fine but at least you will know it's not you.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[hfl73]

The posters above have plenty of good advice. Once you learn the basics I would concentrate on mastering your trigger pull which will improve your accuracy quite a bit. This can be done easily. First buy some snap caps then simply practice your trigger squeeze pointing the gun in a safe direction. Keep your eye on the front sight making sure it doesn't move even slightly when the trigger is pulled. Do this 100+ times a session several times a week and you should see improvement in your accuracy. Dry firing is still not live fire you still need to concentrate on the basics, but the trigger pull is the key

 

[Tom95YJ]

Well I just got back from the range and shot a few rounds how I was shooting then I changed my stance and it appears that my shot placement has tightened up. I'll be signing up for a shooting class and keep shooting 100 rounds a week

The first picture is before then second is after

 

[racknrider]

Good job. Keep doing what you're doing on that second target.

 

[walkin' trails]

One of the best training techniques is not done on the range throwing bullets, but can be conducted at home with proper safety measures in place. Dry fire. You practice sight alignment and trigger manipulation. Your goal is to be able to press the trigger to the rear in one smooth, consistent motion without disturbing the front sight. Before dry firing, select a good place in the house. Basements are great. Then, unload , clear, and inspect the pistol in another room. Leave all the ammo there. Then go to your dry fire range. Hang a target on the wall and practice. Get some dummy rounds or snap caps so you can also practice other skills such reloading. You should still seek training provided by a professional instructor. Training on your own the wrong way, even if it looks right, only induces and encourages bad habits. In the interim, there are some good books and instructional videos out there that can help you with the basics. I like Surgical Speed Shooting by Andy Stanford.

 

[federali]

Proper Grip

It's difficult to tell from the photo but it appears that your support hand is too low. This grip is sometimes called the "cup-and-saucer" grip. As such, the weak hand does not fully help control the handgun.

Instead, grip the gun with your shooting hand. Notice what parts of the grip remain exposed. Then, fill that space with the heal of the non-shooting hand. If properly done, your thumbs will be parallel to each other with the nail of the thumb on the shooting hand about even with the first joint of the thumb of the support hand.

Also, you'll notice when people shoot, most of them look like they're squeezing grapefruit. Once established, the grip does not change for the entire string of fire.

 

[LedFowl]

Remember to have fun. This will help when you don't the results you want right away.

Sent from my rotary phone.

 

[Tom95YJ]

Thanks for all of the tips, I have changed my grip and tightened up my stance which has helped get my groupings much tighter. I'm not going to win any comps any time soon but my grouping looks great. Sofar I have roughly 1200 rounds down the pipe on my pistol and I'll be putting another 4-500 down the pipe tomorrow.


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[rde1911]

I would shop around for a good instructor in the NRA class listed in the other post. I would pay the money for a 1 day 8 hour class if they provide it. Good luck have fun, be safe and make all your shooting time quality time.

I would recommend taking an NRA Basic Pistol course, good fundamentals for a new shooter and not intimidating at all. Jim.

 

[Biggfoot44]

To continue a theme - Trigger control is by far the single most important factor. Perfect ( stance , sight picture , sporty outfit , cool acessories , etc ) , but with a jerked trigger is a miss. Good trigger control with vaguely ok stance and grip can give a decent hit.

The grip described above is A grip technique , but not THE grip. Try it and evaluate , but not engraved on a stone tablet.

But alas , even with this internet thing we can't stand next to you, observe , or demonstrate. You would do well to spend an hour one on one with an experienced and knowledegable coach to observe , and potentially fine tune your current methods , and sugguest alternate ( stance, grip , etc ).

 

[brucev]

Briefly...
1. Dry fire practice. Do it. Do it every night. With obvious strict attention to safety, practice dry firing on a target. Do it slowly with attention to detail. Forget about foolishness such as drawing, speed, etc. In the beginning... practice learning to shoot accurately... correctly. Easier to learn good marksmanship habits than to unlearn bad habits.
2. Watch other people who know how to run a gun. Pay attention to what they are doing/not doing, etc. Ask questions of the folks who actually can produce results on target. Listen politely and say thank you to them... as well as the ones who don't know what they're doing. Pay attention though... to the ones who are not just talkers.
3. When you are at the range, pay attention to what you are doing. Try not to be distracted by whatever is happening up or down the line. Shoot slowly and deliberately concentrating on the shot. It's like golf... what happened with the last shot is irrelevant to what will happen with the upcoming shot. A good shot can be followed by a bad or good shot. It's all in your hands.

4. Start shooting at 4-5 yards. Work at your ability to hold a tight group... five shots at a time is plenty. When and only when you can keep a nice round group, extend the range to say 7 yards. Repeat the process. Then move on to 10, 12, 15, 20, 25 yards.
5. Focus on and develop your marksmanship skill starting close so that issues such as the actual mechanical accuracy of the pistol, quality of the ammunition, etc., are less a factor in your on target results. As you develop your skills, you will find what you have learned is immediately applicable to getting good/better/best results on the range with your pistol. As well these skills learned and rehearsed will be immediately transferable to your shooting of other pistols as well as rifles, etc. JMHO. Sincerely. brucev.

 

[Bkreutz]

Another thing that will improve your abilities is to get involved in some kind of competition. You will be able to measure your abilities, and know when you are improving. You also will meet many shooters who normally will be willing to help and offer suggestions. I prefer action pistol (IDPA, USPSA, Steel Challenge) over the bullseye types but that's personal preference. To me it's a lot more fun than standing in a shooting lane at a range, or dry firing in the garage (both of which are still part of my training regimen). Try it, you'll like it.

 

[JJEH]

All good advice here. But I have seen your mistake, you are holding the gun in the wrong hand. J/K

Here's my idea; try to take a professional class, take is serious but always remember to have fun, learn how to control your breathing (I'm still learning ) , google/youtube for drills you can do on your own (I like Jerry Miculek's channel btw), buy more ammo and magazines, get a good holster and belt, take good care of your equipment, enjoy what you are doing and built up on that.