Shooting a Handgun - 101

[Brent]

Howdy All!

I’d like to share my process for shooting that I’ve learned through instructor guidance and my own personal success. Not much beats training, nothing beats training with a licensed instructor. I hope this information helps some. I
DO anticipate roughly 3% thread drift. I’ve watched my success on target and do know that this works.

Thanks!

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Pistol Shooting
Strong Hand
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Firm grip with pinky and ring finger. This drives the beaver tail firmly into the web of your thumb.

Remember to check the space between top of hand and bottom of beaver tail on pistol. You do not want to see any space there.

Keep middle finger more loose than pinky and ring.

Leave trigger finger loose. This provides dexterity and ease of movement to run your trigger.

Remember when first placing the pistol into your strong hand and applying pressure to your fingers as written above, let your strong hand thumb point slightly upwards to reveal the real estate for your support hand.

Support Hand
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Take the pad of thumb / palm and firmly “weld” this to the open grip area revealed while pistol is firmly grasped in the Strong Hand.

Your Support Hand thumb should be pointing forward, down the muzzle. Do not be afraid to have your thumb touching the slide. The slide will still cycle.

All fingers of your Support Hand grasp your Strong Hand’s fingers. Allow them to fall into their natural location between your Strong Hand fingers.

You want the two fists now created to have your middle knuckles of the support hand pointing straight down in line with the muzzle.

The Support Hand is to be FIRM in grip strength.

Take your Strong Hand thumb and press it into the fatty pad of your Support Hand thumb.
The pressure for both thumbs is to be strong.
Strong Hand thumb pressure is down on Support Hand thumb and into the frame of the pistol.
Support Hand thumb pressure should be directly into the frame of the pistol.

The index finger of your Support Hand should be pressed into your Strong Hand middle finger while also firmly pressed upwards into the bottom of the trigger guard.

At this point the grip is established.


Stance
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Adopt an Isosceles style or Gun Fighter stance. This is -

Feet shoulder width apart, hips squared to target. Both feet flat and below you. Toes on the same “line”. No foot behind another. Squared.

Bend slightly at the knees.

Press your rear end behind you as you raise the pistol.

The most important part of this stance is to maintain your sights level with each other and level with your eye-line. Press your rear end further out to accommodate the pistol to be level with itself and your eye-line.

Press to your target, reach as if you wish to touch the target with your muzzle.

Allow elbows to be extended, yet not hyper extended. DO NOT LOCK ELBOWS. The elbows should not be parallel with the floor but rather slightly pointed downwards.


Breaking the Shot
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Relax and slow down. With both eyes open, catch your front sight and focus solely on it.

Your rear sights should be relevant, but only in the fact that we make sure our pistol is square to the target. Your primary focus must be the front sight, your rear sight will be a little more blurry, while your actual target is the blurriest image your eyes processes.

With a hard focus on the front sight, while maintaining the gun level to the target and level to your eyes, begin applying slight pressure to the trigger.

All the way through the trigger breaking process you are focusing on the front sight, and also your breathing. Remember, go slow.

When you hit the wall of the trigger, and your front sight is on your target, exhale and press the trigger straight to the rear.

- Brent

 

[Mark75H]

Yup

 

[Old-School Mark]

Thank you for sharing. I appreciate the photos in addition to the description. They were well done.

 

[Brychan]

That's the way I was shown in my carry class, and I shot that way in practice and qualification. My shooting wasn't as good as my usual shooting, and it left my shoulders tired. Basically I felt too stiff and tight. Part of that may have been being watched, that's something I'm not use to.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Well explained and illustrated .

That said , that's * a * method . not The method .

 

[4g64loser]

That's the way I was shown in my carry class, and I shot that way in practice and qualification. My shooting wasn't as good as my usual shooting, and it left my shoulders tired. Basically I felt too stiff and tight. Part of that may have been being watched, that's something I'm not use to.

Trying a new thing for a qual (with someone experienced in a different method) doesn't speak well of the instructor. Teaching a new thing and offering time for students to practice it, then allowing them to choose how they shoot for score is, in my biased opinion, a better play.

The soreness is you driving the gun in a different way and using more shoulder muscle than is familiar to you.

 

[Mark75H]

Trying a new thing for a qual (with someone experienced in a different method) doesn't speak well of the instructor. Teaching a new thing and offering time for students to practice it, then allowing them to choose how they shoot for score is, in my biased opinion, a better play.

The soreness is you driving the gun in a different way and using more shoulder muscle than is familiar to you.

Agreed. I don’t penalize or criticize students who already know what their best is.

 

[Brent]

Re : Shoulder Fatigue

Make sure you are consciously rolling your shoulders back to a relaxed position. Make sure you’re not hunching your neck to get the sights in line with your eyes. Take some videos of yourself drawing and presenting. Check to see if you have any hunch in those locations. After time, you’ll naturally begin presenting with your shoulders back and relaxed. YMMV!

As mentioned, yes, A method, not THE method. But one that does work a lot, at least in my experience. I also prefer isosceles as it gives you more than a two hundred degree swing without having to shift feet to accommodate a target say at your 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock.

Appreciate the kinds words fellas!

- Brent


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[outrider58]

Agreed. I don’t penalize or criticize students who already know what their best is.

I could not agree more.

 

[4g64loser]

Agreed. I don’t penalize or criticize students who already know what their best is.

If it's a test, let em shoot how they want unless it's somehow unsafe. Success or failure is on them.

I was at an advanced instructor cert class last year and the instructor was a prig about all manipulation and firing being done exactly his way, including on the shooting qual. He issued penalties for anything else. His class I guess, but I can't say I'd go back to or recommend it unless you needed the cert. Unfortunately, few options for that locally.

 

[Mark75H]

I had the same experience

 

[Tungsten]

Thanks for posting. One day I'll figure out what I need to do.

 

[whiskey3]

Thanks for this. Clear, concise and in one place. Copied and saved.

 

[4g64loser]

I had the same experience

One reason why I don't teach any nra curriculum classes even though I am credentialed to do so. PM me if you need contact info for a more reasonable (and very skilled/experienced TC) guy for your quals.

I can't help on the DCJS side; there's really only a couple places for that. And they know it.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The soreness is you driving the gun in a different way and using more shoulder muscle than is familiar to you.

Even with a familar stance , 3-400 rounds with a strong dynamic stance can leave you feeling it , if that's not your usual routine .

 

[Brent]

Thanks for posting. One day I'll figure out what I need to do.

Glad to have maybe provided some clarification!! Dry fire a plenty, and that’s free! 9mm is about as cheap as it’s going to be. I run through 300 rounds a week roughly. Practice practice!

Thanks for this. Clear, concise and in one place. Copied and saved.

I’m glad to help! I hope it helps!!


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[Brent]

Even with a familar stance , 3-400 rounds with a strong dynamic stance can leave you feeling it , if that's not your usual routine .

I usually feel it in my legs!


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[Biggfoot44]

Actually Yes ! ( At least if your doing it right ) .

Digression Warning !

The single most common physical conditioning issue is lack of finger (& related hand) strength/ endurance .

IF they have a baseline of being being somewhat able to shoot . it will often show up in the legs .

 

[4g64loser]

Even with a familar stance , 3-400 rounds with a strong dynamic stance can leave you feeling it , if that's not your usual routine .

Yeah. 400 is a pretty heavy day. Especially if it's under par times or in match.

Driving hard for tight par times up close, where shoulder hunch and death grip on pistol are my go-to, 300 in a short time will definitely leave me with a taste for bourbon and Aleve.

 

[outrider58]

Stance is one of the last things I consider or practice. Sure, a good solid stance will help you through a 300-400 round session, but I'd suggest mixing things up a bit in your training regime and practice shooting from awkward, non standard positions if allowable where you(anyone) shoot. Everything from squatting to standing on tippy-toes. Leaning from side to side and even standing on a single foot. Don't forget prone.