Pistol training aids
- Thread starter Bull_it
- Start date
This! Don't over think handgun shooting. To me it starts with the grip, which leads to a decent trigger pull that leads..... If it was easy nobody would bother with the sport. Lastly, set realistic objectives and when you go to the range, have a plan as to what you want to accomplish. Standing if in front of a target and pulling the trigger 100 times as fast as you can is not going to accomplish much.
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Barring a massive flinch, the people I see missing such a large target are shooting with two eyes open, seeing two target images, (like double vision), and shooting at the wrong one.
Close one eye - your non-dominant one, if you know which one that is. That will eliminate double vision issues. Then line up your sights, keep the front sight post in focus, (a slightly blurry target is fine), and slowly build pressure on the trigger in a smooth manner.
Let the gun decide when it goes off, not you. By that I mean I don’t want you to say to yourself, ‘I want to shoot..... NOW!’ If you do, you’ll probably really yank the gun off target as your whole body ‘helps’ you pull the trigger.
Just keep the sights on target as you slowly, and smoothly, build pressure on the trigger.
....and aiming at a 5x5 target at 15yds is way too small to start with. I start new shooters off at 5 yds, and focus on technique until they group well. Then move back to 7-10 yds, and repeat.
Always good to see these guys post. Good advice here.
As a new handgun shooter, definitely resist the urge to mag dump. If you already can’t hit anything slow fire, even one mag dump will cost you more than you will know. Anyone can shoot fast. Not anyone can hit what they aim at.
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And also this guy!
I hear you on the small hands, lol, but even that shouldn't make you miss such a large target. Besides, it doesn't get too much better than an M&P for shooters with small hands. Was it a steel Jericho? Generally new shooters find heavier guns easier to shoot, especially those with a SA trigger option.
Start closing your weak eye and see what happens (determining your ocular dominance: https://youtu.be/4Gbkca4RM-4). You can always go back to shooting with both eyes (preferred) once we know it's not the reason for the misses. Your front sight should be crystal clear and everything else blurred, including the target: https://i.postimg.cc/SKgCNSGP/noir-training-dont-focus-on-front-sight-660x434.jpg. Almost every first time shooter I've taken to the range can initially hit a 10" steel plate at 10 yards by aligning the sights properly, pulling the trigger slowly and using their dominant eye only. After a magazine or two the flinch takes over and they can hit $hit, lol. You should also use the ball and dummy drill while at the range: http://pistol-training.com/drills/ball-dummy-drill
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I had a dud the other day. When I loaded the mag for the next time, I took a handful of ammo, added the dud, shook the loose ammo around a bit then loaded the mag.
I knew I would come to the dud. I wanted to make sure there was no tell-tale flinch move when I did. As a result, all the shots were squeezed better.
I knew I would come to the dud. I wanted to make sure there was no tell-tale flinch move when I did. As a result, all the shots were squeezed better.
I'm reviving this thread with a bit of an update. Using the advice many provided here, my sight picture has gotten much better. However, I still struggle with the grip. When I come up from holster or ready position and get on target, 9 times out of 10 I need to twist the gun to the left a little bit to line the sights up. It's as if my grip is having the gun point to the right.
The palm swell on the backstrap seems to be the culprit. Out of sheer curiosity, I removed the backstrap completely and ran through the same drills. Instant improvement with the sights aligning correctly almost every time. Just holding the gun feels way more comfortable and natural. Next time I get to the range, I'm going to try shooting without the backstrap.
So, assuming that my backstrap theory is correct I need a solution. I apparently need a backstrap smaller than the size small that comes with the M&P9. Is there such a thing? If not, is it stupid to wrap my grip in hockey tape?
Worst case scenario, I need to find a gun with an even smaller grip. Maybe something with a single stack magazine.
The palm swell on the backstrap seems to be the culprit. Out of sheer curiosity, I removed the backstrap completely and ran through the same drills. Instant improvement with the sights aligning correctly almost every time. Just holding the gun feels way more comfortable and natural. Next time I get to the range, I'm going to try shooting without the backstrap.
So, assuming that my backstrap theory is correct I need a solution. I apparently need a backstrap smaller than the size small that comes with the M&P9. Is there such a thing? If not, is it stupid to wrap my grip in hockey tape?
Worst case scenario, I need to find a gun with an even smaller grip. Maybe something with a single stack magazine.
Thing with dry firing for hours and hours and hours....it has benefit, no question. It can also get monumentally dull. I had stepped away from Glocks for a decade, and when I bought my first after a long drought I had difficulty adjusting to the grip angle. I bought an iTarget to start working some drills. I have a shot timer, and I use the two together, and can shoot different drills & keep track of progress. It helps, quite a bit. I’ve regained a lot of speed & accuracy that I once had, I don’t get bored and if I don’t get bored, I can stay at it longer an see more improvement. I think they’re very worthwhile
Congrats on the progression!
It looks like Bowmac Gunpar is the distributer in Canada. You could call them and see if you can order different back straps. You could also contact smith and wesson directly and ask but companies generally refer you to their distributers. I know the 2.0 comes with 4 sizes of backstraps. Not sure about the original M&P9.
If not you can look at a Glock 48. Single stack with thin grips.
It looks like Bowmac Gunpar is the distributer in Canada. You could call them and see if you can order different back straps. You could also contact smith and wesson directly and ask but companies generally refer you to their distributers. I know the 2.0 comes with 4 sizes of backstraps. Not sure about the original M&P9.
If not you can look at a Glock 48. Single stack with thin grips.
I posted without reading your last comment; I had a very similar problem with my Glock 19X. When the 43X and 48 were released last year, I ordered a 48...a single stack; the type of firearm that got me started shooting handguns back in the 70’s. It is perfect for my hand. I shoot it much better, it’s more comfortable and most importantly, my grip falls on it very naturally. No twisting my hand or adjusting the weapon after drawing it; I have an RDS on the gun, and I can concentrate on my aim, and the dot is there, no hunting around for dot acquisition
The Glock 48 is one I'm seriously looking at. I handled one in a shop back in November and it felt really good. I'm debating with myself if it's worth trying to chase down this grip issue on the MP9 when I can sell it with only 100 rounds through it. Maybe one more range trip to experiment by shooting with no backstrap.
Barring a massive flinch, the people I see missing such a large target are shooting with two eyes open, seeing two target images, (like double vision), and shooting at the wrong one.
Close one eye - your non-dominant one, if you know which one that is. That will eliminate double vision issues. Then line up your sights, keep the front sight post in focus, (a slightly blurry target is fine), and slowly build pressure on the trigger in a smooth manner.
Let the gun decide when it goes off, not you. By that I mean I don’t want you to say to yourself, ‘I want to shoot..... NOW!’ If you do, you’ll probably really yank the gun off target as your whole body ‘helps’ you pull the trigger.
Just keep the sights on target as you slowly, and smoothly, build pressure on the trigger.
....and aiming at a 5x5 target at 15yds is way too small to start with. I start new shooters off at 5 yds, and focus on technique until they group well. Then move back to 7-10 yds, and repeat.
This is very poor advice for the majority of shooters. Whenever possible you should be shooting with both eyes open. If you have a dominant eye, the sight picture will always go with the dominant eye, and therefore no double vision. Truly the biggest problems are shooting too far away at the beginning, using too small of a target to see what they are doing, and not changing the target often enough so that the shooter can seen where the shots are going. Smooth trigger pull is created by lots of dry firing.
