Is it me or is it the gun??
- Thread starter GarDian
- Start date
Dear Gar Dian,
Just to let you know where I'm coming from.
I started shooting bullseye handgun in Switzerland in '82 with a brand spanking new civilian version Sigsauer 220 9mm, at 50m only. We didn't have a 25m range at that time. 50 m was the official military distance. No double handed shooting.
Up to that time, Lugers, and Sig210's , dominated the center fire scene, the Hammerlis and Walther Gsp's where the hot item in the rimfire competitions.
I went to the local gun club and asked if I could shoot. One of the members showed me the range and do' s and don't s and since I had no ammo, he gave me a box. Everybody with centerfire guns was shooting military ball ammo. Hand loads where not allowed. On about the 4th or 5th evening I showed up, one of the shooters, of whom turned out to be a very proficient free pistol shooter, asked me: "Would you like to learn how to hit the center?" "Of course", I said. Then he took a sheet of letter size paper, and glued it over top of the 8" black on a target for me. He said: "W W, that's your only target, as long as you keep missing that sheet of paper. Once you get all your holes on that sheet, 50m downrange that is, you can start shooting on a target with the bullseye on it."
He had a whole stack of white paper.
After about 2 month of shooting about 60 to 80 rounds twice a week, the sheet came off and I started to shoot at the rings. I even won a medal by the end of that season. You had to hit 85 points out of 100 to get that.
For a start, forget the laser pointer and bullseye. Bullseyes are there, to point you in the right direction of the back stops. Concentrate on the sights, and sights only. For your homework aim at a bright wall or tape a white sheet of paper at a convenient place, close your eyes for 5 seconds, open again, and see where the front sight went. Correct your aim and do it over and over. Do this until the front sight stays in the notch of the rear sight. As you build muscle memory you can extend that time infinite. Also aim at a white wall, and watch that front sight move as you squeeze the trigger. The less the front sight moves the more you gained control of the trigger. And you will see that sight for as long you concentrate on it.
For your range work, shoot at a blank piece of paper. Your focus on the sight, and you will see what the front sight is doing. If you hit a snag doing this, and things just don't seem to work right, you then can ask a proficient fellow shooter, to help with your problem. Because you know exactly what you and the gun are doing, but don't know why, you will be able to explain the problem. Your fellow shooter may have a remedy for your problem. Over time you will find your groups get smaller and smaller. You also will be able to tell where the shot went, before you see the target up close. Because, when the firing pin hit the primer, you did see the frontsight in the notch, being in the center, to the left, low... and so on. Once you got that far, you don't have to worry about the sights on your M & P. You are so dedicated, to your shooting game of choice, you will be in the market for a good quality, 3to5lb. trigger all metal gun.
Shooting is always fun. But it starts to be gratifying when you can hit a 10ring at 25m, or when you start taking the eyes out first, on a zombie target at 5m.
Practice practice practice.
WW
Just to let you know where I'm coming from.
I started shooting bullseye handgun in Switzerland in '82 with a brand spanking new civilian version Sigsauer 220 9mm, at 50m only. We didn't have a 25m range at that time. 50 m was the official military distance. No double handed shooting.
Up to that time, Lugers, and Sig210's , dominated the center fire scene, the Hammerlis and Walther Gsp's where the hot item in the rimfire competitions.
I went to the local gun club and asked if I could shoot. One of the members showed me the range and do' s and don't s and since I had no ammo, he gave me a box. Everybody with centerfire guns was shooting military ball ammo. Hand loads where not allowed. On about the 4th or 5th evening I showed up, one of the shooters, of whom turned out to be a very proficient free pistol shooter, asked me: "Would you like to learn how to hit the center?" "Of course", I said. Then he took a sheet of letter size paper, and glued it over top of the 8" black on a target for me. He said: "W W, that's your only target, as long as you keep missing that sheet of paper. Once you get all your holes on that sheet, 50m downrange that is, you can start shooting on a target with the bullseye on it."
He had a whole stack of white paper.
After about 2 month of shooting about 60 to 80 rounds twice a week, the sheet came off and I started to shoot at the rings. I even won a medal by the end of that season. You had to hit 85 points out of 100 to get that.
For a start, forget the laser pointer and bullseye. Bullseyes are there, to point you in the right direction of the back stops. Concentrate on the sights, and sights only. For your homework aim at a bright wall or tape a white sheet of paper at a convenient place, close your eyes for 5 seconds, open again, and see where the front sight went. Correct your aim and do it over and over. Do this until the front sight stays in the notch of the rear sight. As you build muscle memory you can extend that time infinite. Also aim at a white wall, and watch that front sight move as you squeeze the trigger. The less the front sight moves the more you gained control of the trigger. And you will see that sight for as long you concentrate on it.
For your range work, shoot at a blank piece of paper. Your focus on the sight, and you will see what the front sight is doing. If you hit a snag doing this, and things just don't seem to work right, you then can ask a proficient fellow shooter, to help with your problem. Because you know exactly what you and the gun are doing, but don't know why, you will be able to explain the problem. Your fellow shooter may have a remedy for your problem. Over time you will find your groups get smaller and smaller. You also will be able to tell where the shot went, before you see the target up close. Because, when the firing pin hit the primer, you did see the frontsight in the notch, being in the center, to the left, low... and so on. Once you got that far, you don't have to worry about the sights on your M & P. You are so dedicated, to your shooting game of choice, you will be in the market for a good quality, 3to5lb. trigger all metal gun.
Shooting is always fun. But it starts to be gratifying when you can hit a 10ring at 25m, or when you start taking the eyes out first, on a zombie target at 5m.
Practice practice practice.
WW
