I'm a really bad shot. New Pistol owner. Can anyone relate?

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Boostgod

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Hey fellas,

I'm a new PAL holder and I own a glock 17.
I've had it for about two weeks and put maybe 200 rounds down range.
Here is the thing... I suck pretty bad and my shots are everywhere and mostly left.
I want to be good at this hobby so I'm sticking with it, but can you guys give me tips?

Also for those of you like me that are good now, can you tell me about your progression from crap shot to decent shot? It's seeming a little hopeless right now. Not easy at all. Is there a certain number of rounds it takes to get better?
 
Boostgod said:
Is there a certain number of rounds it takes to get better?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's 3,453.5. You'll be terrible until half way through that last shot, and then it will all come together.

Okay, I'm done being a jerk. I strongly suggest you spend a lot of time at home handling the pistol (good choice btw, I popped my hangun-owning cherry with a Glock 17), work on your grip, dry fire and practice keeping your sights aligned as you draw the trigger smoothly back. Go slowly, do not rush the break. Speed comes through slow repetitions with perfect form.

Snap caps are also very useful. Have someone load your mags, mixing a few snap caps in with live rounds. It's very surprising when you draw the trigger back and it doesn't go bang - you'll probably see that you're pulling the gun down anticipating the recoil.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of help here. Good luck and safe shooting.
 
Balancing a penny on your front sight when dry firing helps too. Start close to your target and work your way back. Just like anything else it takes practice.
 
Would it be possible for you to find a real coach?
There are things that you can do yourself, but a few hours with a pro can make a huge difference.
 
Slow down and be very conscious of your grip making sure you hold the pistol the same way every time, thumbs are in the same position, etc. Penny on the front sight works well for dry firing, but if your pistol has a rail you can also get a laser (cheap one will do). During dry firing point the laser at a small point on the wall. Concentrate on keeping the laser from moving while pulling the trigger. As you improve, increase the distance. I have used this with a couple of new shooters and it seems to help. The laser will show which way the gun is moving during trigger and if it is moving the same way consistently.
 
Take your IPSC Black badge. Couple days with an instructor a lot of lead downrange will have you shooting alot better. Glocks are harder to learn to shoot than some platforms, but once you get it, everything else will seem easy.
 
I would start with some literature and some videos. Youtube has ArmscorPrecision's Armscor nation with some good pointers, and look up videos on Todd Jarrett. The Brian Enos forums has a ton of information from very good shooters with regards to techniques, etc... I would start there. After you know what you should be doing with regards to grip, stance, sight picture, both eyes open and proper trigger pull. Then I would start with dry fire practice.

Don't worry it takes time and practice. You will get there. Putting it all that information and technique together takes time as well. Don't get discouraged, sometimes people just have their bad days on the range as well.
 
armycat said:
Slow down and be very conscious of your grip making sure you hold the pistol the same way every time, thumbs are in the same position, etc. Penny on the front sight works well for dry firing, but if your pistol has a rail you can also get a laser (cheap one will do). During dry firing point the laser at a small point on the wall. Concentrate on keeping the laser from moving while pulling the trigger. As you improve, increase the distance. I have used this with a couple of new shooters and it seems to help. The laser will show which way the gun is moving during trigger and if it is moving the same way consistently.
Click to expand...

a bit of tape works if he does not have a rail. I just tape a cheap, no pressure pad laser pointer under the barrel.
 
take a course or get some 1:1 coaching. It's harder than it looks (but it's not that hard ;) ). Perhaps a RO at your club can recommend someone?

IMO, doing a Black Badge before you have some basic skills in accuracy won't help.
 
I am a lousy shoot as well. I find that a revolver is much easier to shoot than a semi. I have a Glock and it is the worst gun I own to shoot close to accurate. Having a .22LR gun to practice with will save a lot of money. I find that the space between the rear sight, if too large, is a big issue for me. What I'm trying to say is if there is a lot of air between the uprights on the rear sight and the front sight I have issues repeating the shot. The guns I have that have next to no air space between the rear sight I shoot well. A heavy steel revolver is much easier to control than a light tupperware gun. I find that the 9mm round kicks different than say the .45ACP round as well. At least for me this is true. It is amazing the difference a great trigger will make in your shooting as well. I have no complaints with the Glock trigger but there are people that do complain about it. Guns like a certain type of ammo, once you figure out what ammo your gun likes stick with that ammo.
 
jparent said:
Take your IPSC Black badge. Couple days with an instructor a lot of lead downrange will have you shooting alot better. Glocks are harder to learn to shoot than some platforms, but once you get it, everything else will seem easy.
Click to expand...

i dont suggest a black badge course. Its oriented towards rules and safety and you are almost expected to shoot decent and relatively fast for a beginner to pass the necessary drills. Pay someone reputable to teach you. 200-300 bucks is waay better than spending 1000 bucks on ammo and not seeing much improvement.
 
martinjozwa said:
i dont suggest a black badge course. Its oriented towards rules and safety and you are almost expected to shoot decent and relatively fast for a beginner to pass the necessary drills. Pay someone reputable to teach you. 200-300 bucks is waay better than spending 1000 bucks on ammo and not seeing much improvement.
Click to expand...

Hmm, i must have had a different instructor than most. Mine spent a lot of time coaching and critiquing shooting fundamentals and accuracy throughout the course. I think my total cost for the weekend was $350-$400 including ammo.

Regardless, an instructor is the way to go, that and lots of practice.
 
Boostgod said:
Hey fellas,

I'm a new PAL holder and I own a glock 17.
I've had it for about two weeks and put maybe 200 rounds down range.
Here is the thing... I suck pretty bad and my shots are everywhere and mostly left.
I want to be good at this hobby so I'm sticking with it, but can you guys give me tips?

Also for those of you like me that are good now, can you tell me about your progression from crap shot to decent shot? It's seeming a little hopeless right now. Not easy at all. Is there a certain number of rounds it takes to get better?
Click to expand...
go to the range and shoot than shoot again and again..thousands of rounds later ur grouping will get better...than go for ur black badge
 
If you have a garage or basement to shoot it, a $50 air pistol will give you lots of affordable practise. Wear ear muffs; make your backstop twice as big as your worst group to date. Remember trigger squeeze; not pull. No matter what you do the gun will occillate around the aiming point. As you develop the (new) muscle patterns to control the gun, your groups will shrink. Worry about WHERE the shots go after your group is small enough. Then adjust the sights.

Hand strength is a big factor. This link to rice excercises might be helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ3HeshC7ls
 
I practice at home with snap-caps. I very carefully observe the front sight, the relationship between the rear sight and my point of aim. After thousands of cycles I could see how my muscles effected the front site and I worked towards correcting it. I still pull the muzzle around a bit with double action, but with single action I'm ok.
 
dry fire dry fire dry fire.
work on keeping the front sight in the same spot
front site front site front site
after
balance a empty casing at the top and see if it moves when you dry fire.

Dry fire some more.

You'll eventually get it.

if you want to shoot live rounds, start at 5 meters.
 
There's no magical solution. But don't expect to become a Jerry Miculek over night.

The only difference between a novice shooter and a proficient shooter is the amount of trigger time behind your piece.

Lots of great advice here, such as starting out with rimfire and trying revolvers too.
My kids were started at 10 meters and they didn't know the difference and they had loads of fun, so obvious with big smiles!
Doesn't hurt to cruise youtube for instructional videos by Nance, Smith, Miculek, and a host of others.
For the basics in bullseye competition, many match pistol shooters read the 1977 reference book: "Pistol Shooting as a Sport" you can learn a lot from this as you branch out to other shooting styles.
When I take a new pistol shooter to the range and we've gone through everything possible, the very last thing I tell them is to verbally repeat the mantra; straight back, straight back, straight back, just for trigger press/release.
This seems to help somewhat.

Keep shooting and don't forget to have some fun friend!
 
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Boostgod said:
Hey fellas,

I'm a new PAL holder and I own a glock 17.
I've had it for about two weeks and put maybe 200 rounds down range.
Here is the thing... I suck pretty bad and my shots are everywhere and mostly left.
I want to be good at this hobby so I'm sticking with it, but can you guys give me tips?

Also for those of you like me that are good now, can you tell me about your progression from crap shot to decent shot? It's seeming a little hopeless right now. Not easy at all. Is there a certain number of rounds it takes to get better?
Click to expand...

Some good advice in this thread about practice, so I'll just focus on your shots:
Pulling left is most likely the position of your trigger finger. A good tip I was once given, feel the corner of a desk or table with your trigger finger, the part you used to touch it should be the part you put on the trigger (unless you're some weirdo who touches it with the tip or middle of your finger. Lol)
All over could and most likely is an anticipation problem. My friend cured his with a laser as has been stated, or having someone switch in some snap caps can help as well.
Another way without any other aids is to focus on pulling the trigger as slow as you can (I mean SLOW) and focus on easing up (ALMOST limp wristing it) and letting each round surprise you. This will do 2 things, it will throw off your reaction timing and you'll catch yourself anticipating a few times, helping you focus on it......AND it'll ease your mind of it's flinch showing you that that little pea shooter isn't going to jump out of your hands.
Once you've got that down, start firming your grip and most of all be patient and practice, practice, practice.

And most of all welcome to an addicting, expensive, and sometimes frustrating hobby! You will always find someone willing to lend a hand and give tips.
 
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