I suck with a pistol in general
- Thread starter Jeffhere
- Start date
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Go with someone that's good, and can coach well. Pistols are easy to be bad with, and small adjustments from someone who knows their craft can make a very substantial difference in performance.
Start off a bit closer, and as r34 said see if you can find a coach for a afternoon.
I started 65 yrs ago on my own, long before internet.
there are some good videos with tips if you search these days.
Proper grip and trigger control is important . the front sight is where your focus should be, but I still mess that up at times.
I started 65 yrs ago on my own, long before internet.
there are some good videos with tips if you search these days.
Proper grip and trigger control is important . the front sight is where your focus should be, but I still mess that up at times.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Take a pistol/fundamentals class if you have access to one, if not see if there’s something through your range that can give you some coaching.
Dry fire exercise
Work on proper grip (week hand, straighten your fingers it should be 45* to the ground)
Work on weak hand thumb resting on the exact part of the frame all the time
Pay attention to what part of your finger is on the trigger
I know it doesn’t do you much good now, but I found out after a few years actually shooting a handgun gives a more realistic feel for how it fits you way more than just gripping it in the store.
Work on proper grip (week hand, straighten your fingers it should be 45* to the ground)
Work on weak hand thumb resting on the exact part of the frame all the time
Pay attention to what part of your finger is on the trigger
I know it doesn’t do you much good now, but I found out after a few years actually shooting a handgun gives a more realistic feel for how it fits you way more than just gripping it in the store.
Dry fire and start from up close.
8" target, if no bullet are out of it, down to 3" dot. No miss ? 7 or 10 meter line and repeat.
There are no points to shoot from far if you can’t group from up close. Also, get someone that shoots pistols well to coach you. Spot a good shooter at the range and ask him/her nicely.
Also, maximise you range time/ammo. 50 well used rounds are better than 200 rounds blasted into the backstop.
Take your time and keep trying, this is the way
8" target, if no bullet are out of it, down to 3" dot. No miss ? 7 or 10 meter line and repeat.
There are no points to shoot from far if you can’t group from up close. Also, get someone that shoots pistols well to coach you. Spot a good shooter at the range and ask him/her nicely.
Also, maximise you range time/ammo. 50 well used rounds are better than 200 rounds blasted into the backstop.
Take your time and keep trying, this is the way
What kind of pistol are you shooting may I ask . that can be a big factor or the type of ammo ? are you thinking about when the pistol is going to go off or are you relaxing and concentrating on your sight picture and breathing slowly and your trigger control ? when I have been at the range so many people are rushing their shots and not going for accuracy . I've only been able to shoot one Glock decent but have never owned one nor had a lot of trigger time with one . I've shot some 1911 type pistols and you can fine tune the triggers and that aids in the accuracy department big time .
a guy one time handed me a Colt national match 45 he picked up working in a gun store off someone who had to sell it . he put one round in it for me . I was expecting a very nice trigger . it was crap . I held center of his target and there was only one hole in the target . I put that round through the same hole . couldn't believe it . buddy had a totally Hot looking woman with him . they both went wow . practice practice slow shooting and trigger control and find out what ammo your pistol likes of what load . try different holds on the pistol .
please let us know what happens .
The problem with shooting pistols well is instruction. Its a difficult thing to do well, and no beginner knows how to do it properly. I'll add to that, very few experienced shooters now how to do it properly either. Even if a person is shooting 2"groups at 20m, is that evidence they are doing it properly or capable of instructing?
This isn't a shot at recreational shooters..the sport is about having fun, and everyone has fun at different levels of skill and commitment. However, if you want to get serious, here are some thoughts.
Handgun shooting is not unlike golf. You can make yourself 'better'at golf or shooting but you will never make yourself 'great' at either without learning fundamentals first and not developing bad habits early. I watch a new shooter or golfer do something wrong right off the bat, and then correct that by doing something equally wrong that 'works for them'.
IF you choose to get advice from a shooting partner I would watch them shoot for a good while first, and I would subtlely inquire who taught them to shoot? There is no faster place to watch disinformation fly, myths persist, and bad information get passed around than a gun range.
Observe people shooting at a range..you will likely see each shooter set up a target, shoot a bunch of holes in it, take it down, review, and dispose. This is a usual trip to the range. No marking, no grading, no drills, no off hand shooting, no logbook, no reloads, no timers..you name it..there is no structure to an average shooting session with a recreational shooter. At the end of the session..how does that shooter know if they have shown any improvement? How have they challenged themselves? Have they reinforced proper technique or are they one week deeper into their bad habits and poor technique?
95% of shooters think they are in the top 5%. I did too..because I was better than everyone around me and anyone I brought out to shoot with me. Then I took an actual course, with an actual Instructor, and basically went back to day one. It was humbling getting my long developed technique get broken down by a Provinvial Champion IPSC instructor. He likely made me a worse shooter in the 20hr course..my accuracy and speed went to pieces the first morning. But he set me straight..and I did it 'his way' from then on. I used the fundamentals from then on, and used drills and scoring and timers..instead of just throwing lead and hoping it would go in the middle.
Short version..I wouldn't trust anyone without actual instructor credentials or competition experience to show me how to shoot. Not to say you can't pick something up here and there..but the fact is without actual instruction, from actual instructors, and without comparing yourself in real time to well trained and experienced shooters..everything else is just guesswork. I spend alot of time on a gun range, and alot of time observing shooters of all skill and commitment levels, and generally, a Sunday target shooter and social shooter has no idea of how good or bad they are, has had no instruction past getting their license/ATT..and learned everything they know from the guy beside them, who learned from the guy beside him, etc.
If you can, or are comfortable, find an IPSC Black Badge course. IMO, its the most likely place to run into an experienced and well trained instructor, and get 2 days and 500+ rounds of experience and oversight. Compete or not, take away the lessons and the drills from that weekend and build on them/ practice them. Having taken PPC, IDPA and IPSC courses (all of which were valuable) by far the IPSC course developed skills best, provided useful drills to take forward, and opened the most doors to compete, practice and continue learning from very competent practical shooters.
This isn't a shot at recreational shooters..the sport is about having fun, and everyone has fun at different levels of skill and commitment. However, if you want to get serious, here are some thoughts.
Handgun shooting is not unlike golf. You can make yourself 'better'at golf or shooting but you will never make yourself 'great' at either without learning fundamentals first and not developing bad habits early. I watch a new shooter or golfer do something wrong right off the bat, and then correct that by doing something equally wrong that 'works for them'.
IF you choose to get advice from a shooting partner I would watch them shoot for a good while first, and I would subtlely inquire who taught them to shoot? There is no faster place to watch disinformation fly, myths persist, and bad information get passed around than a gun range.
Observe people shooting at a range..you will likely see each shooter set up a target, shoot a bunch of holes in it, take it down, review, and dispose. This is a usual trip to the range. No marking, no grading, no drills, no off hand shooting, no logbook, no reloads, no timers..you name it..there is no structure to an average shooting session with a recreational shooter. At the end of the session..how does that shooter know if they have shown any improvement? How have they challenged themselves? Have they reinforced proper technique or are they one week deeper into their bad habits and poor technique?
95% of shooters think they are in the top 5%. I did too..because I was better than everyone around me and anyone I brought out to shoot with me. Then I took an actual course, with an actual Instructor, and basically went back to day one. It was humbling getting my long developed technique get broken down by a Provinvial Champion IPSC instructor. He likely made me a worse shooter in the 20hr course..my accuracy and speed went to pieces the first morning. But he set me straight..and I did it 'his way' from then on. I used the fundamentals from then on, and used drills and scoring and timers..instead of just throwing lead and hoping it would go in the middle.
Short version..I wouldn't trust anyone without actual instructor credentials or competition experience to show me how to shoot. Not to say you can't pick something up here and there..but the fact is without actual instruction, from actual instructors, and without comparing yourself in real time to well trained and experienced shooters..everything else is just guesswork. I spend alot of time on a gun range, and alot of time observing shooters of all skill and commitment levels, and generally, a Sunday target shooter and social shooter has no idea of how good or bad they are, has had no instruction past getting their license/ATT..and learned everything they know from the guy beside them, who learned from the guy beside him, etc.
If you can, or are comfortable, find an IPSC Black Badge course. IMO, its the most likely place to run into an experienced and well trained instructor, and get 2 days and 500+ rounds of experience and oversight. Compete or not, take away the lessons and the drills from that weekend and build on them/ practice them. Having taken PPC, IDPA and IPSC courses (all of which were valuable) by far the IPSC course developed skills best, provided useful drills to take forward, and opened the most doors to compete, practice and continue learning from very competent practical shooters.
Last edited:
dry fire training
https://laserlyte.com/laser-training
https://laserlyte.com/laser-training
Pistols are neither terribly accurate or easy to shoot. TV and movies give a horrible impression about shooting pistols.
Like multiple people have said above, focus on fundamentals, consistency, and basic marksmanship skills. Give it time and a lot of practice.
20 meters is way too far to start with. Hell I carry a gun, I've put thousands and thousands, couldn't even count, of rounds through it over the years, avoided buying pistols of my own so as to not mess with muscle memory, know the trigger break like the back of my finger, but you want a headshot at 25 meters? Maybe. Not the perfect example of gun, but you get the idea.
Like multiple people have said above, focus on fundamentals, consistency, and basic marksmanship skills. Give it time and a lot of practice.
20 meters is way too far to start with. Hell I carry a gun, I've put thousands and thousands, couldn't even count, of rounds through it over the years, avoided buying pistols of my own so as to not mess with muscle memory, know the trigger break like the back of my finger, but you want a headshot at 25 meters? Maybe. Not the perfect example of gun, but you get the idea.
no point shooting alone when you suck at it....you need a coach/instructor to watch you shoot and see what you are doing well and what needs improvement...bad habits are easy to pick up when you are new and shoot alone...there are a few fundamentals to learn and practice....practice without supervision can lead to cementing bad habits....
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
There’s no substitute for having some that knows what they’re doing stand beside you to watch and correct you on what your doing wrong, watching YouTube videos only gets you so far lol.
I took a handgun fundamentals after about a year of buying my first pistol, a week before the course I took pics of my last targets from the range and then took pics of targets from the course. Was night and day difference in groups, it’s pretty funny actually. I should’ve taken the course right away instead of buying ammo for a year and trying to learn on my own.
Get a coach for sure. See if your range has any competiton shooters.
Offer $$$ or booze etc...
I had the opportunity to take a class with a 3x IPSC Canadian National Champion and it made a world of difference.
Turned out my grip was wrong. working on it made a huge difference!
Offer $$$ or booze etc...
I had the opportunity to take a class with a 3x IPSC Canadian National Champion and it made a world of difference.
Turned out my grip was wrong. working on it made a huge difference!
