pistol accuracy for a beginner

[sixminus1 0]

I'm new to pistols, and just recently bought a browning buck mark. After a couple of thousand rounds of different brand and style 22LR ammo have been through the BM, I now trust that it will be reliable with almost any kind of ammo.

 

My attention is now starting to turn toward accuracy. The best groups of 10 I'm able to get right now are 1" at 5yds, 2-3" at 10yds, and 5" at 25 yds. Really not as bad as I thought I would be, but I know I can do better. There's a lot of information out there. Some of the technique feels unnatural, and sometimes I get better results by not even thinking and just firing.

 

Keep in mind that my rambling has nothing to do with "tactical" situations -- I'm concentrating on getting better groups on the target, so there's no time limit, and it's a quiet, controlled environmnet.

 

1.) I know that I need some warm-up time before I settle in and my shots start coming together. Does the gun need to be warmed up as well? The first two mags are always WAY off the mark, and I'm wondering if that's me and the gun, or just me?

 

2.) Both eyes open, or just one eye open? I'm right-handed/right-eye dominant. I'm keeping my left eye closed, and trying like hell not to tilt my head. Should I be keeping both eyes open?

 

3.) "Comfortable" grip, or "tight" grip? I've read that one should grip the gun as tightly as possible, but I've gotten better groups by gripping it securely and just letting it do its thing.

 

4.) Squeezing the trigger was an immediate improvement over "slapping" it, but I'm not sure what to do with the trigger after the shot. Should I hold the trigger in, or let it go right away?

 

5.) I have long fingers. The grip of the gun is comfortable, but to give myself another half-inch so I don't feel like my hand is getting crunched up, I've been raking my index finger along the bottom-inside of the trigger guard, and catching the trigger at its bottom point. This also allows me to use the friction of my finger against the guard to pull more slowly. Is this wrong? Should the index finger fall into the "pocket" of the trigger?

 

6.) Finally, what is a good group with a buck mark at 25 yds?

[tbtrout 141]

I am not one for long typing, better in person, but here we go.

 

1. What is way off mark? Most likely it is you getting the feel for the gun. The more you shoot it the more consistent you will become. Even after I clean my Luger 22 it hits where I aim on the first shot. Opinions vary on cleaning 22's

 

2.One or two eyes depends on you. Try each out. once I go past 10 yds I shoot better with one eye shut.

 

3.Consistent grip. A big mistake by new shooters is tightening your grip as you squeeze the trigger. You don't have to try and crush the frame, just hold it secure enough so it does not loosen up during recoil.

 

4.You have to get the feel for the trigger and not think about it. It is called muscle memory and the more you shoot the more natural it will become. Slow and steady

 

5.You will find the sweet spot on your finger over time.

 

6.Sorry, don't own a Buckmark.

 

 

Hope this helps a little. I am sure there will be opinions and experiences to follow.

 

Next time I go to the range I will post it. You are welcome to meet me and I can do a much better job in person watching how you shoot. It is a little easier to correct a problem while watching it vs reading it.

[Mauser88 0]

Only thing I'll offer is train yourself to shoot with both eyes open. Why limit yourself to only 50% of your vision?

 

That's how I was taught many years ago.

[Maksim 1,504]

and make sure you print out those nifty NJGF trigger correction chart.

[XDJohn 0]

 

6.) Finally, what is a good group with a buck mark at 25 yds?

 

There's a great mod for the buckmark, you can flip the sear spring around and it makes the trigger unbelievable. Lots of information on rimfirecentral.com about it....

 

At 10 yards I can keep all the shots from mine < 1". From a rest I'm sure it would do the same at 25 yards.

[Dewhitewolf 8]

Well, with regard to the eye issue, I've been told by NRA instructors that you are "supposed" to shoot with both eyes open, with the hand on the same side as the dominant eye. I'm cross dominant, so I ignore that and simply close my left eye as I shoot with my right hand. Sometimes I'll use both eyes and simply move my arms slightly to the left to get a better natural alignment.

 

When aiming, line up your sights on the target, but focus on the front sight. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, briefly hold, then press the trigger. Keep aiming after you fire (don't check to see if you hit your target yet).

 

Keep a firm, but not tight grip. Tight grip leads to "mashing," which throws off accuracy. The tension in your hands and wrists tends to turn your aim as you fire.

 

Keep your finger in contact with the trigger--don't release it like game controller button. Hold the trigger to in the rear position after you fire (called trapping the trigger), then slowly release it forward, till you feel and hear a click. Don't let it all the way forward, and once you feel and hear that click, gently take out any slack in the trigger (this is called resetting the trigger).

 

Try practicing "dry" at home (definitely make sure it is unloaded before you do so). Dry fire practice can help you perfect your techniques, and you'll see the results of your practice at the range.

 

Consider training from a certified instructor. An instructor can better counsel you on improvement, and watch and determine what it is that is that you might be doing wrong.

[rscalzo 3]

Dry fire practice

 

Do not dry fire a rim fire unless you are using a suitable sbapcap to cushion the firing pin strike. you will damage the firearm if you fail to do so.

 

Keeping both eyes open is preferable but it take time and effort to learn. Those that can do so without extended effort are way ahead of the curve.

[Dewhitewolf 8]

 

Do not dry fire a rim fire unless you are using a suitable sbapcap to cushion the firing pin strike. you will damage the firearm if you fail to do so.

 

 

Yes, I forgot about that. Thank you rscalzo. You should always use snapcaps when dry firing a .22.

[rscalzo 3]

They are a worthy addition to a tool kit. Just do yourself a favor and done waste your money on the plastic ones. They are garbage. Now to clear it up, thre are plastic bodied ones with a metal rim used for centerfire handguns.. They are fine. All plastic (usually 22lr) are jumk and don't last. We use all metal one and they last for some time until the rims are all dinged up. They aren't expensive but for the life of me I can't remember the brand.

 

One warning is that they look a lot like live ammo so caution is needed. We use them during our Basic Pistol couerses and i have everyone double and triple check. I also do not allow any live ammo on the benches when we have our trigger and sight control drills. Fortunatly we have a one to one ratio for student to instructor along with two or more Range Officers.

[sixminus1 0]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

"Way off the mark" is usually 12" groups at 10-15yds.

 

Trapping and resetting the trigger helped right away. I was able to pace myself, and I felt like I had more control after each pull of the trigger.

 

I also worked on keeping both eyes open. I noticed that when I'm focused ("in the zone", etc), the shots just seem to go where they're supposed to, and I can just squint my left eye without throwing off my view of the front sight. Keeping the left eye open completely is distracting, but I'll see if that can be worked on.

 

I think that a lot of my extra unwanted movement is fatigue. I have three magazines. My GF and I take turns going through all three. We're both seeing that the first and second are much better than the third. Over time, I think we'll both develop the strength to keep the gun steady through the last ten rounds. It's interesting that even though the gun doesn't weigh much at all, holding it steady at arm's length (or close to it) is really a challenge!

 

I have to keep practicing, even if it's just dry-firing. Snap-caps are cheap, but I don't have any yet. Can I use spent casings to dry-fire?

 

I thought about doing the spring-flip, but I'm going to wait a while before I take the gun apart. The procedure is bookmarked, though :-)

[rscalzo 3]

Can I use spent casings to dry-fire

 

We do quite often but be aware of the safety rules and keep distrations at a minimum. Keep any live ammo out of the room. One slipup is one too many.

 

What may be a problem with spent cases is chambering. We use them for revolver use in the early stages of basic.

[tbtrout 141]

Is this it http://www.njgunforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=492&hilit=trigger+control

[DirtyDigz 1,812]

I consider myself a beginner and thought this article encompassed more good info than any other I've seen:

 

Massad Ayoob: How to shoot a handgun accurately

 

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob85.html

[XDJohn 0]

 

I thought about doing the spring-flip, but I'm going to wait a while before I take the gun apart. The procedure is bookmarked, though :-)

 

 

You'll have to try my Buckmark sometime.... the difference is night and day.