Looking for tips for shooting pistols

First off, where are you located? It shouldn't be too hard to find a mentor/coach on here if we know where you are, I cannot stress enough how important it is to get some proper coaching right from the start, learn proper technique so you don't spend the next year fixing the bad habits you gave yourself.
Secondly, start learning to shoot at 3-5 yards, that way you can actually see where you are shooting, distance is not your friend at the start and far too many new shooters start at 10-25 yards which is WAY too much distance for a new shooter. Work on getting good groups at 3-5 yards and move it out from there once you see some consistency.
Dry fire at home constantly, watch your front sight only and practice pulling the trigger until that front sight doesn't move when your trigger breaks.
Get snap caps/dummy rounds. When you are at the range have a buddy load your mags with one or two snap caps randomly mixed in so you don't know where they are. When you get to a dummy round observe what your front sight did? Did it move when you pulled the trigger on the dummy round, if it did you need more practice lol, the goal is to pull the trigger without the front sight moving at all.
Good luck!
 
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edgy said:
First off, where are you located? It shouldn't be too hard to find a mentor/coach on here if we know where you are, I cannot stress enough how important it is to get some proper coaching right from the start, learn proper technique so you don't spend the next year fixing the bad habits you gave yourself.
Secondly, start learning to shoot at 3-5 yards, that way you can actually see where you are shooting, distance is not your friend at the start and far too many new shooters start at 10-25 yards which is WAY too much distance for a new shooter. Work on getting good groups at 3-5 yards and move it out from there once you see some consistency.
Dry fire at home constantly, watch your front sight only and practice pulling the trigger until that front sight doesn't move when your trigger breaks.
Get snap caps/dummy rounds. When you are at the range have a buddy load your mags with one or two snap caps randomly mixed in so you don't know where they are. When you get to a dummy round observe what your front sight did? Did it move when you pulled the trigger on the dummy round, if it did you need more practice lol, the goal is to pull the trigger without the front sight moving at all.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

A variation on this "Live and Dry". Work with a partner. The partner takes your pistol, turns his back, and may or may not load a live round. He returns the pistol, and the shot is taken. At least five dry shots should be taken before a live round. Repeat until 5 live have been fired, total at least 25 including dry. The partner watches the shooter, not the target. A live round is never loaded after shooter has flinched on a dry shot. This is an excellent drill for both new and experienced shooters. The shooter learns that there is no difference between firing a dry shot and a live shot.
 
Thanks everybody for the wealth of experience and information. I am definitely flinching in anticipation. When I dry fire at home, I feel like I can grip it a lot lighter and I'm not pushing down on the muzzle.

And thanks to you guys here, someone locally is going to help coach me a soon as the COVID restrictions are over. For the time being, i'm going to try the tips you all have provided.

On another note, when using post sights, do most people use both eyes or just the one eye to look down the sights?

Brownie talked about keeping both eyes open but when I do that I see either two front posts or I see two targets when focusing on the front post. What am i doing wrong? Maybe I just need to train my dominant eye to be more dominant?
 
Redeyes said:
Thanks everybody for the wealth of experience and information. I am definitely flinching in anticipation. When I dry fire at home, I feel like I can grip it a lot lighter and I'm not pushing down on the muzzle.

And thanks to you guys here, someone locally is going to help coach me a soon as the COVID restrictions are over. For the time being, i'm going to try the tips you all have provided.

On another note, when using post sights, do most people use both eyes or just the one eye to look down the sights?

Brownie talked about keeping both eyes open but when I do that I see either two front posts or I see two targets when focusing on the front post. What am i doing wrong? Maybe I just need to train my dominant eye to be more dominant?
Click to expand...

You can also add a touch of translucent tape on the lens of the non-dominant eye or hold it only partially open to make the dominant target image more prominent.
 
Buggle said:
Also, what calibre are you using? I'm fairly new as well, and when I went into the gun shot he suggested I start with a .22 so I don't pick up a flinch due to not being used to the recoil. So I got a .22 to start, and a 9mm. So if you're starting with >9mm that may be something to think about?
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I'm using a 9mm now, but will be working my way up to .45. Maybe if I can find a cheap .22, i'll try that as well. At least the ammo for .22 will be a lot cheaper than the 9mm.
 
jzz30tt said:
You can also add a touch of translucent tape on the lens of the non-dominant eye or hold it only partially open to make the dominant target image more prominent.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Just tried the squinting tip. That seems to help with minimizing the double vision issue for me.
 
Glad to hear you're getting a coach. That's the fastest way to learn how to shoot properly.

You don't need to shoot with two eyes open. I don't, and I shoot very well. It's easier when I have at least one eye open. lol! Seriously though, my vision bites and the eye dominance issue I have makes me close my right eye. Hopefully the squinting thing helps you, or just simply close that eye to start. There is a lot to learn, and shooting at the "wrong" target, as I've seen people do, gets frustrating for them.

Edgy's advice including the ball & dummy drill, or the variant Tiriaq mentioned is great. The advice I give shooters in person, is each time they screw up, and send a shot clearly off target, is to pause immediately. Take that mental break and refocus yourself on what you are doing. Consistent "Goldilocks" grip, (not too loose, not too tight), slow & smooth trigger pull, (a great coach in the USA equates it to dragging your finger through peanut butter), focus on the FSP, and keep the top of the FSP aligned with the top of the RSP, with equal light gaps, (she also says: "equal height, equal light", and maintain that sight picture while slowly pulling that trigger STRAIGHT back.

With that mental break to refocus, you should never have 2 bad shots in a row. That's the goal, anyhow. Ultimately, by focusing on correcting your shooting early on, you are trying to train your brain to shoot the right way, and not reinforce the bad habits. Those will be hard to break.
 
jimbo14 said:
Glad to hear you're getting a coach. That's the fastest way to learn how to shoot properly.

You don't need to shoot with two eyes open. I don't, and I shoot very well. It's easier when I have at least one eye open. lol! Seriously though, my vision bites and the eye dominance issue I have makes me close my right eye. Hopefully the squinting thing helps you, or just simply close that eye to start. There is a lot to learn, and shooting at the "wrong" target, as I've seen people do, gets frustrating for them.

Edgy's advice including the ball & dummy drill, or the variant Tiriaq mentioned is great. The advice I give shooters in person, is each time they screw up, and send a shot clearly off target, is to pause immediately. Take that mental break and refocus yourself on what you are doing. Consistent "Goldilocks" grip, (not too loose, not too tight), slow & smooth trigger pull, (a great coach in the USA equates it to dragging your finger through peanut butter), focus on the FSP, and keep the top of the FSP aligned with the top of the RSP, with equal light gaps, (she also says: "equal height, equal light", and maintain that sight picture while slowly pulling that trigger STRAIGHT back.

With that mental break to refocus, you should never have 2 bad shots in a row. That's the goal, anyhow. Ultimately, by focusing on correcting your shooting early on, you are trying to train your brain to shoot the right way, and not reinforce the bad habits. Those will be hard to break.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jimbo for the sage advice. I was starting to see myself develop bad habits and I really needed to stop and reset before the bad habits become a permanent part of me. All of the advice above will hopefully help me reset.
 
Nobody has posted this video yet, but I think Shannon does a great job of explaining many aspects of the grip here. Check it out:


Grip styles can vary, but this one will take you far.
 
It's probably been said, but stack some dimes on the end of your pistol, if you can. Dry fire (obviously) to practice that trigger control. That's what got me through my initial..... let's call it poor shooting.
 
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