What is meant by "Follow through" in shooting for accuracy?

[bushmaster1313]

I saw it mentioned that "follow through" was important in shooting for accuracy from the bench.

I know what follow through is when shooting at flying orange disks, but what does it mean when shooting from the bench?

 

[Hillbilly77]

I take it to mean to remain still until after the shot. Let the shot be over and the bullet hit before you move.
If you get too jerky or move suddenly you can cause a bad shot... Like trying to hurry and see over the rifle to look at your target, or to watch the animal you're hunting, etc. Situations like that tend to cause the shooter to pull the trigger with his whole arm instead of his trigger finger. It's an easy way to spoil your shot.

Ask me how I know.

 

[bushmaster1313]

I take it to mean to remain still until after the shot. Let the shot be over and the bullet hit before you move.
If you get too jerky or move suddenly you can cause a bad shot... Like trying to hurry and see over the rifle to look at your target, or to watch the animal you're hunting, etc. Situations like that tend to cause the shooter to pull the trigger with his whole arm instead of his trigger finger. It's an easy way to spoil your shot.

Ask me how I know.

That makes sense.

 

[finesse_r]

You can see fine examples of this in old, old westerns. They hold the gun pointing up by bending the elbow at 90 degrees. Then they snap their hand downward and shoot just as the gun levels off. It actually looks like they are slinging the bullets out of the gun. The follow through is where you continue the downward motion of the arm after the shot was fired, much as you would in a golf swing.

 

[Rule3]

Be the rifle, be the bullet, be the target, become one with it all.

The art of Zen shooting as in Golf

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWH811TcckU[/ame]

 

[DWalt]

See #2 - hold your firing position until after you hear the "bang."

 

[bushmaster1313]

You can see fine examples of this in old, old westerns. They hold the gun pointing up by bending the elbow at 90 degrees. Then they snap their hand downward and shoot just as the gun levels off. It actually looks like they are slinging the bullets out of the gun. The follow through is where you continue the downward motion of the arm after the shot was fired, much as you would in a golf swing.

I want to apply your theory to shooting a semi-auto at the range.

So I start with the gun pointed perpendicular to the line of fire

I Swing the gun down range

I pull the trigger when the target gets in the sights

And I follow through with my swing so the gun ends up perpendicular to the the line of fire 180 degrees from where I started

Did I get that right?

 

[finesse_r]

I want to apply your theory to shooting a semi-auto at the range.

So I start with the gun pointed perpendicular to the line of fire

I Swing the gun down range

I pull the trigger when the target gets in the sights

And I follow through with my swing so the gun ends up perpendicular to the the line of fire 180 degrees from where I started

Did I get that right?

That is close enough for government work, as my old dad used to say, only think vertical, not horizontal.

 

[bushmaster1313]

That is close enough for government work, as my old dad used to say, only think vertical, not horizontal.

The best part is that I get to sweep the line with live chambered rounds to the right and the left. Woo! Hoo!

But seriously. I have been at ranges where I had to leave because there were one or more shooters not taking it to heart that you do not point guns, whether loaded or not, at your fellow range members.

 

[crazyphil]

When you press the trigger the bullet is gone. Follow through in shooting is being ready for the next shot.

 

[5-Shot]

Practice with a flintlock for a while and you'll learn the real importance of follow through. It seems like you have to keep aiming for 10 seconds after you pull the trigger. Good training!

Ed

 

[brigeton]

Practice with a flintlock for a while and you'll learn the real importance of follow through. It seems like you have to keep aiming for 10 seconds after you pull the trigger. Good training!

Ed

Good post. You need the same follow through when shooting a bow or shooting pool.

 

[Inusuit]

Follow through is one of the five fundamentals we teach in NRA Basic Pistol Classes. Yes, the bullet leaves the barrel very soon after the trigger is pulled, but the danger of not "following through" is that some disruptive action by the shooter will be taken as the trigger is pulled or just before. The goal of follow through is to maintain the sight picture, sight alignment, and grip until the bullet is on the way. I see new shooters, and some not so new, looking up (thus losing sight alignment/sight picture) to see where the shot went. A bad habit because the action can easily begin to occur BEFORE the shot breaks. Thus the importance of follow through.

 

[otisrush]

The same is taught in NRA Basic Rifle classes. I worked with an instructor (competitor) who developed the habit of saying a word to himself after the shot but before he moved. In his mind and habits and routine saying that word was just as much a part of his process as sight alignment, breathing, trigger control, etc.

I've come the closest really understanding the impact of not deliberately following through when I'm firing a single or double action revolver. I realize I go to pull back the hammer for the next shot REALLY soon after I fire a shot - and it makes me wonder to what degree I'm impacting the current shot since I'm so quick to cock the pistol for the next one.

 

[jdlii]

"Follow through" is to rifle shooting the same as it is to a golf swing.

When shooting prone or standing, slow fire, it equates to holding your position for two or three seconds after breaking the shot. It is vital when shooting small bore match rifles or air rifles.

Some shooters, in anticipation of recoil, may flinch or relax, resulting in "muzzle drop". These action can and generally do have an adverse impact on accuracy and bullet placement.

 

[427mach1]

Practice with a flintlock for a while and you'll learn the real importance of follow through. It seems like you have to keep aiming for 10 seconds after you pull the trigger. Good training!

Ed

A pellet/BB gun will produce similar discipline!

I always try to look for and see the muzzle flash. That way, I know my eyes are open, the bullet is downrange, and I haven't flinched.

 

[g8rb8]

For me "follow through" is consistent with the advice offered by others to hold still until after the bang but also, and more specifically, refers to the trigger finger, to continue the slow steady squeeze on the trigger until after the bang, i.e. do not let off on the trigger the instant you sense the hammer or striker drops.

 

[DR505]

We teach that the shooter should strive for an identical sight picture following each shot, even if you will not press the trigger again. So, four shots equates to five sight pictures. This keeps you mentally focused and keeps the firearm aligned where it needs to be for accuracy, helping to assure a decent follow-through.

 

[Rastoff]

Yes, several have stated it, but DR505 demonstrates how to do it. It's more than just "holding" after the shot. It's actually getting proper sight alignment and sight picture after the shot.

Follow through is the most overlooked aspect of shooting any gun.

We don't follow through because we want to see the result of the shot. Eventually this means we will look away from the sights at the target before the shot is finished.

Developing good follow through will dramatically improve your shooting. It has everything to do with the sight picture and almost nothing to do with the motion of the gun.

 

[sasu]

The bullet does not leave the barrel the moment you press the trigger. It takes a while for the bullet to leave the barrel and the gun is rising in recoil and oscillating/vibrating that whole time.

You need to have such a consistent hold from shot to shot that the bullet leaves the barrel at the same point of barrel movement for every shot.

By following "through" and seeing the muzzle blast you force yourself to hold the gun until the bullet has left the barrel.

The psychological bonus is that by forcing yourself (to try) to hold the sight picture to the end you also prevent jerking and flinching when pulling the trigger. Because you strive for a calm and steady trigger pull even beyond the shot.

You can forget all this advice if you prefer shooting for power and style instead of accuracy.