Dry fire tips

[theLBC]

get a laserlyte or similar device. you want to relearn muscle memory and the laserlyte will help both in speed and to reveal fundamental problems.

[j1133s]

Before starting the dry fire exercise make sure to unload the gun.

Absolutely!

Of course, also make sure you don't point it at anything you do want destroyed (or anything that's behind in case of penetration/over penetration). Sorry for this extra, I want other readers to see it.

[j1133s]

Are the fundamentals of shooting different between HD and competitive pistol shooting?


You can try sticking a thin piece of paper in ejection port on the right side where the barrel and slide meet near the extractor. This will make the trigger "reset" for dry fire. It will not feel like a regular Glock trigger, but it will allow you to be able to practice a draw or multiple trigger presses with a trigger that doesn't feel dead.

I agree with you. I don't think the fundamentals are different.

WRT trigger reset. I don't think the trigger needs to reset to have good dry fire practice. A press of the trigger is a press of the trigger. However, I think what I just mentioned applies to more experienced shooters. For somebody new who's jerking the trigger, etc. having a real trigger press is useful.

[j1133s]

TIPS I WAS GIVEN WHEN I ASKED THIS QUESTION YEARS AGO

Make sure not only is the gun unloaded, that there is no ammo in the same room. Some recommend having a designated room in the house where you do your dry fire practice, which makes it easier to make sure ammo never enters that room.

Do not leave a target up on the wall. If you want to shoot at a target, put it up when using it, take it down when not? Why? People will get the habit of shooting at that target when dry firing. Then, spaced out, do it accidentally when loaded. Or so I've been told.

Make sure the wall you are aiming at, doesn't have anyone behind it. Remember, all guns are loaded even when they are not. So if you're wrong, you want to be sure nobody gets hurt.

Basically, follow all the safety rules even though you think it's empty.

Oh...Don't dry fire a rim fire gun without a snap cap.

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION

If the goal is to practice trigger control and sight alignment then a SIRT gun is good. Especially if it is the same model as the gun you have. I was given a SIRT gun patterned after a Glock. The slide doesn't rack. But the trigger is darn close, and the sights are the same. Using this to practice trigger control and sight alignment is good because the laser instantly tells you if you jerked the trigger. It bounces and moves when you bounce and move. That alone is extremely useful. It is also useful when practicing your draw. The weight is about the same and shape is about the same. So it will fit in your holster and feel like the real thing. The magazine is removeable and weighted so you can do mag changes if you buy more than one mag. They have reactive targets for them. That buzz, lightup, and or pop and drop when you shoot them. It's expensive, but useful. It is also fun. Feels a bit like the carnival games at the fair. Except you're learning something useful.

Here is the website to the company that makes these: https://nextleveltraining.com/

Good safety tips.

SIRT looks interesting. A bit expensive for me as I don't need a trigger reset to do dry fire. I'm not really concerned with trigger pulls; more into getting the motions correct on presentation, malfunctions, sight alignment. This thread has generated a lot of valuable info for me (things that I forgot).

I'll try to post a summary later to this thread to help the next guy.

[j1133s]

get a laserlyte or similar device. you want to relearn muscle memory and the laserlyte will help both in speed and to reveal fundamental problems.

Thanks for the tip.

What's the difference between laserlyte and BB on spinners? BB on spinners are more fun but laserlyte lets you shoot darts without needing to go retrieve them. Ok, I just came up with a joke. Ok, lame.

I, personally, don't think systems like laserlyte helps much in dry fire practice. They can make shooting into a fun game, but for dry fire, they add little value.

[rodralig]

I, personally, don't think systems like laserlyte helps much in dry fire practice. They can make shooting into a fun game, but for dry fire, they add little value.

Someone gets it!

In dry practice - you need to be intently and honestly focusing at the sights. It is what is going to tell you where the hits should be going...

Here is a clip from Vogel - demonstrating a DryFireMag (which I still use) and what to look for in trigger control/sight picture in dry fire.




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[IVC]

The most important part of any dry fire routine is to confirm it in live fire.

While mechanics such as draw, consistent presentation, movement, reloading and alike are self-sufficient and you can judge whether you're doing them correctly without going to the range, the primary fundamental of shooting, the trigger press, is something that you have to validate in live fire. If you don't, you can be hurting your shooting by ingraining bad habits.

[IVC]

What are we supposed to focus on?

We're supposed to focus on the front sight.

This is sort of a cheat for the beginners, but as you get better it changes quite a bit and you focus on "calling the shots" as you shoot.

Once you have good mechanics, you need minimal focus on the front sight whether you're into action shooting or bullseye. Of course, the sights have to be lined up, but they are not the primary focus - in action shooting you want a subconscious recognition of location and alignment of sights as the shot fires ("calling the shot"; notice that sights will not be perfectly aligned), and in bullseye you want to minimize all movement of the sights through the trigger pull.

The real problem with "concentrate on the front sight" is that beginners will miss, then believe it's because they didn't aim well enough. It wastes tremendous amount of time when the shooter is trying to fix something that isn't the problem. They miss, then try to "aim harder," then flinch again, try to "aim even harder" and it's a vicious cycle of frustration and failure.

Back to dry fire. For practice on the blank wall you indeed look for sight movement, but you're not really focusing too hard on the front sight. It's not the purpose of the drill. The purpose is to refine the trigger pull, first by very slow and incremental pressure change, where you feel the trigger movement, reaching the wall, slight constant pressure increase, then break. You're learning that shooting is not "aim, shoot," but "smooth trigger pull while the gun is pointed at the target." After you can do the "slow trigger press," you move on to the "fast trigger pull." It's the same concept of keeping sights sufficiently aligned while the trigger finger works very fast.

Trigger control is about 80-85% of shooting. Aiming and front sight are a distant second that gets relegated to third or fourth as you get better. I am not aware of any pistol discipline where aiming or front sight are the limiting factor and I am not aware of a single drill that helps develop sight alignment or helps with the hard front sight focus.

[DaveInOroValley]

They made a big point in our current CCW class after watching some videos of actual police shootings that the officers can become too reliant on laser sights as evident in many of the videos shown.

He pointed out circumstances where he felt that was the case. I guess you had to be there.

[One in the pipe]

Don't forget the "ziptie" trick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3KI-9etYA

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I've found that I get more improvement refining and concentration more on dialing in my draw and presentation to the target practicing at home over just going to the range and shooting. Going to the range just seems to reinforce whatever you're doing, even if you're doing it wrong. Practicing drawing from the holster and slowing things down to really do it right, then slowly speeding up had REALLY helped me improve. Also practicing my trigger control, making sure the gun does not more even a mm pulling the trigger when dry practicing at home. I also practice pointing in while concentrating on the front sight and getting my finger on the trigger so by the time I'm extended I'm ready to pull the trigger and not fishing around to find that front sight. Then putting it all together and drawing from the holster, pointing in and taking a shot. Also don't forget to practice all of your malfunctions and different types of reloads. Using a timer when doing reloads and malfunction drills adds some pressure to it.

[rodralig]

Don't forget the "ziptie" trick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3KI-9etYA

More elegant

https://www.andersonshooting.com/product-page/dvc-technologies-glock-dry-fire-cubes

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[Elgatodeacero]

Here is a useful safety product for dry fire practice.

https://ravelingroup.com/product/safe-direction-academy-pad/

[rodralig]

Here is a useful safety product for dry fire practice.

https://ravelingroup.com/product/saf...n-academy-pad/

Sweet!

I actually have a spare backpack armor that I use as a backstop when I do my unload/clear/etc.


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[tacticalcity]

What are we supposed to focus on?

We're supposed to focus on the front sight.

What are you focusing on with your laser gun?

The target.

How do we know if we jerked the trigger?

We see our front sight move.

No laser gun needed or wanted.

I thought these SIRT guns were nonsense too, until I was given one. As with so many things in life, experience changed my mind.

You're not getting it because you likely have not experienced it. Which is perfectly understandable. Yes, you are still looking/focusing on your front sight. If you see (out of focus) any red laser not being blocked by that front sight. You jerked your trigger. Your front sight can move and you can kid yourself that it didn't. With the laser in the SIRT pistol you know for certain if you did or didn't. No lying to yourself. If your sight moves half the width of a hair, you're gonna know it because that bright ___ laser is gonna tell on you.

You also have absolutely, positively, no chance of having an ND with a fake gun. No safer way to practice drawing from a holster, pressing in and firing in your home.

Another huge plus to these things is you don't have to reset your trigger in between each and every shot. You can't do that with your real gun. With the SIRT you spend the bulk of your training time actually training rather than racking slide every other second.

No you're not getting recoil with a SIRT. But there is a company out there that makes a laser insert with a CO2 cartridge that does cause muzzle flip and racks the slide. Used those a few times. Not perfect, but damn close to recoil. Gets expensive as you burn through a ton of CO2 cartridges.

As time goes on, and your budget and commitment grow, you can upgrade from the very fun arcade style targets to things like a video simulator. Do shoot/no shoot drills. There are some really cool inexpensive ones out there, and some really awesome pricey as hell ones out there too. No arguing about the value of those.

But any complaint or criticism you're going to lodge, I probably once held - and experience discounted it for me.

Now, if I had to go out and buy one? I wouldn't have. Like you I didn't think they were worth it before I owned one. Even still, I realize these are a luxury not a necessity. But I would have been missing out. These SIRT pistols are pretty awesome. Tons of potential for fun, and learning. Or a waste of money on something that collects dust in a drawer. All depends on the owner.