Me or the gun?

For guns with sights fixed directly on to the barrel (revolvers and a very few semi autos), you are mostly correct, but even then no gun can ever possibly shoot like a laser beam, it's just physically not possible.

For guns with sights fixed to a reciprocating slide (almost all semi autos), you are mostly wrong: Lockup matters.

BUT still , the worst of pistols with the loosest, slopy, rattley, frame to slide and hardly any lock up at all, is still more precise than any set of tactical sights
 
I used to practice dry firing my glock with a coin balanced on the front sight blade. There was a very obvious jerk when the trigger broke unless my grip and trigger finger were just right. Practice practice practice until it becomes muscle memory and that coin does not fall anymore.

The snap caps loaded randomly into the mag is a great idea also. I know it works well to expose flinches on people shooting heavy recoiling rifles. You will know right away if your flinching or anticipating the recoil.

You can shoot untill you can find that neutral state.
 
BUT still , the worst of pistols with the loosest, slopy, rattley, frame to slide and hardly any lock up at all, is still more precise than any set of tactical sights

I disagree. If a problem pistol has a mechanical accuracy that yields groups of 10" at 25yds out of a Ransom Rest (not unheard of), that's a lockup issue that has nothing to do with sights or a shooter's use of them.

Factors that affect accuracy stack on top of one another: Mechanical accuracy + shooter accuracy = shooting system accuracy.

So if there's a laser gun and an average shooter, you get

0" mechanical accuracy + 4" shooter accuracy = 4" shooting system accuracy

If you've got that problem pistol with inconsistent lockup and the same average shooter, you get

10" mechanical + 4" shooter = 14" system
 
Some very good advice here on pistol shooting!! I'll be giving a few of the suggestions a try later on.

Dry fire/trigger control, proper stance etc. All good basics and needed to shoot decently.

But.. Sights Sights Sights. Your front sight should be clear and at 6 o'clock to the target. The target should be a bit blurry. You're focusing on your sights not the target. Line up to the target then go to your sights. This is probably why your close up shots are much better. You're probably looking at your front sight but then further back looking at the target which opens up your groups considerably. I was taught this by shooting in low light. IE they turned the lights off and our group was shooting only using the tritium night sights. Everyone's groups tightened up a lot. Why? Because were were looking at the sights not the target. The shot is from the pistol not downrange!!
 
Some very good advice here on pistol shooting!! I'll be giving a few of the suggestions a try later on.

Dry fire/trigger control, proper stance etc. All good basics and needed to shoot decently.

But.. Sights Sights Sights. Your front sight should be clear and at 6 o'clock to the target. The target should be a bit blurry. You're focusing on your sights not the target. Line up to the target then go to your sights. This is probably why your close up shots are much better. You're probably looking at your front sight but then further back looking at the target which opens up your groups considerably. I was taught this by shooting in low light. IE they turned the lights off and our group was shooting only using the tritium night sights. Everyone's groups tightened up a lot. Why? Because were were looking at the sights not the target. The shot is from the pistol not downrange!!


A very good piece of advice I have received from one of our best
High Performance shooters was:
(This applies to one-handed or two-handed target shooting).

With your arm(s) at or near 45 degrees and your stance being such that
when you raise your arm(s) naturally the gun will come up already
lined up with the vertical axis of the target, look at your front sight,
focus on it then slowly raise your arm until your front sight (aligned,
of course with your rear-sight) is in place in the middle (or 6 o'clock,
depending on your method) of the blurry target.
This way you are not,
as a lot of us do,
focusing on the target then bringing the gun up and then
having to refocus on the front sight.
 
A very good piece of advice I have received from one of our best
High Performance shooters was:
(This applies to one-handed or two-handed target shooting).

With your arm(s) at or near 45 degrees and your stance being such that
when you raise your arm(s) naturally the gun will come up already
lined up with the vertical axis of the target, look at your front sight,
focus on it then slowly raise your arm until your front sight (aligned,
of course with your rear-sight) is in place in the middle (or 6 o'clock,
depending on your method) of the blurry target.
This way you are not,
as a lot of us do,
focusing on the target then bringing the gun up and then
having to refocus on the front sight.

Excellent advice. Even more critical when doing defensive style shooting. We're taught that too. Especially when from the "low ready" ie 45 degrees and then punch out onto target. Front sight front sight. Same with from the holster. Currently though in reality most of us use a high ready for real life rather than on the range. Less likely to have the pistol taken from you and quicker. But I digress this was about target shooting....
 
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