It is very important for a shooter to know how to shoot. Far from the dangerous hobby it’s often touted as, gun training is a practical skill that allows individuals the chance to sharpen their motor skills, concentration, and hand-eye coordination — not to mention the ability to defend themselves. Nevertheless, any firearm training program must emphasize the importance of patience, caution, and discipline when shooting. To set beginner trainers on the right path to gun mastery, here are five shooting tips. Reloading Data will help you find out more information about ammunition.
1. Keep Your Grip High and Tight
How properly you hold the handgun is key to controlling recoil and can even slightly make up for a sloppy trigger pull. But sadly, the grip is also one of the things that shooters tend to get wrong.
When holding a handgun, the grip should be high enough and tight, meaning there should be no spaces between your flesh and the gun when you grip onto it. Having spaces in between your hand and the gun means that there is room for the gun to move when it recoils. The web of your hand should go as high as possible without interfering with the slide, and your non-dominant hand should come forward to fill the empty space on the grip panel.
2. Get Your Stance Right
Fast and accurate handgun shooting requires a stable shooting stance. A proper handgun shooting stance will set you up for success in other areas, such as sight alignment, trigger control and recoil management.The topmost popular handgun stances include the Isosceles, the Weaver and the Chapman. There is no “best” stance. All three have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can experiment with different stances and choose one that you feel most comfortable with.
3. Use the Front Sight
One of the biggest mistakes that beginner shooters tend to make is looking directly at their target as opposed to their front sight. If you’re shooting for pure accuracy, you have to line up the front and rear sights. The front sight needs to be in clear focus, while the rear sights are somewhat fuzzy. Avoid pulling the trigger until you see that your sights are aligned. This will only instill bad shooting habits that will be hard to break.
4. Work on Recoil Anticipation
Recoil anticipation messes up a lot of handgunners. It is one of the reasons why dry firing—shooting without live ammo—is so important because it helps build muscle memory that can help you overcome recoil anticipation. If you find yourself flinching in anticipation of the recoil, try to pull the trigger as if you were just dry firing it and let the gun do its thing. Dry firing is perfectly safe for the most part (the exception being rimfire guns) and can significantly improve your handgun accuracy. Keep in mind that the four rules of gun safety still apply to dry firing. So when you’re finished dry firing your pistol, be sure to immediately return it to the pistol case. People have dry firing accidents when they get distracted, load their firearm and return to “dry firing,” only to experience a loud bang. A handgun case can help prevent unnecessary accidents.
5. Learn Proper Trigger Squeeze/Press
Despite trigger pull being one of the most important aspects of handgun shooting, it’s often easily neglected by beginner and experienced shooters alike. If you have your sights lined up and your shot is still veering off the left or the right, an improper trigger pull is probably to blame.
Most handgun instructors advise using the center of the pad on your fingertip and the first knuckle joint to press the trigger. However, this may differ for everyone based on your hand and finger size.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
It is not uncommon to hear about an amateur gun enthusiast giving up gun training after only a couple of weeks. Much like with any other mechanical skill, shooting requires consistency, in practice and mindset. Those looking for quick results are at a disadvantage. The good news is that there is no such thing as people who aren’t cut out for shooting. Anyone can be a great shooter with enough practice and professional instruction — so be patient and practice all you can in a safe environment.
Remember, practice makes a man perfect. And also, a gun is a dangerous tool to handle. So, practicing shooting with care should be the first priority. Have a good day.