Why am I such a horrible shot?

[HCz]

I assume this is the 9 o'clock "Too little trigger finger"?

yes.

[gemini1]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. The instructor did mention that I should not be holding the gun too tightly, I guess thats what I forgot when I was at the range the last week. I dont go much shooting my pistol after I got my AR, si nce I shoot better with the rifle, but I'll remember this next time I shoot the pistol. Thanks for the advices guys.

[Sinixstar]

This article helped me more then anything. When I started shooting handguns - I didn't know many other people who shot, and didn't really have easy access to anyone to get lessons. Had to learn a lot myself - which meant I did a lot of reading. This article kinda cleared a lot up for me and really got me going down the right path.

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

Practice some of this dry firing - until you think you 'get it'. Then go to the range and try. When your body starts to get it - you'll know.

The other thing I would suggest - is try shooting another gun sometime too. Nothing against glocks - i absolutely love mine. However, what I've found (others may disagree) is that glocks tend to be a little picky. What I mean by that is they're perfectly accurate guns if you're doing everything right. If you have proper grip, good trigger control, know how to get your sights lined up, etc - they are an absolute joy to shoot. If not - they will make you want to quit shooting all together. Again - that's just my opinion, your results may vary.

[IrishPirate]

just print out the picture and use it as a target to get a real visual about what you're doing. If you're left handed, then look at the opposite side of your shot to see what you're doing wrong.

and i definitely agree with dry fire practice...good way to build muscle memory and control without running your bank account dry!

[esskay]

Most common beginner errors:
1. Flinching/Trigger Mashing/Jerking ... already explained above. You'd probably be surprised how often you might be doing unconsciously. There are numerous drills you can do with dummy rounds to remedy this. Let me know if you need descriptions.
You want to practice at first with a slow smooth trigger press with a "surprise break."
2. Proper grip/stance - Modified Weaver's is most common. Push/pull with shooting/support hands. Described many times elsewhere.
3. Muscle fatigue - most beginners at the range just aren't used to having their arms out for as long as they need. Their arms simply get tired. Repetition will remedy this.
4. Proper sight picture - described already.

I would just add that pretty much everyone (other than Front Sight) teaches modern isosceles grip/stance now, not weaver. Also, to the third point, the isometric tension in weaver stance will also fatigue shooters faster than modern isosceles (which benefits from utilizing body mechanics & physics to manage recoil more so than push/pull muscle tension as in Weaver).

[jlh95811]

just print out the picture and use it as a target to get a real visual about what you're doing. If you're left handed, then look at the opposite side of your shot to see what you're doing wrong.

and i definitely agree with dry fire practice...good way to build muscle memory and control without running your bank account dry!

As I suggested earlier it is quite simple to just turn the target backward and shoot it then get your readings from the other side. I prefer a very simple target anyway. Shooting something this cluttered is not preferred. Turn it around and mark a small circle or dot in the center.

[tast101]

I like to shoot at these. It'll help you a little and let you know whats going on.






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My bad IrishPirate posted a similar target before me.

[santacruzstefan]

Thanks for the tips everyone... I'm going to try them on my own tomorrow, and we'll see if I have any improvement. An interesting piece a couple people mentioned was the arm fatigue... after about 50 rounds, my arms do get pretty tired. Of course, I'm not in the best shape, so thats a factor, but it doesn't seem to be bad enough to affect my accuracy. I dunno, I'll try some of the techniques and the training targets, and report back with my results.

Great thread BTW, this kind of help and information is one of the reasons why I love this forum