How do you practice?

[PatriotnMore]

Dry fire, quick reload, drawing and point shooting at home, developing muscle memory.

[l_Z_l]

I dry fire more nowadays, lack of funds. I also take my snap caps to the range, so when I feel like I'm off I'll just practice a bit w/ the snap cap before getting back on it.

I like angeles pistol range, hitting all the smaller steels all out to 100 consistantly is where I want to be.

[Vacaville]

I dry fire and handle my guns almost daily - usually just pick one and sit with it watching TV. Gets you used to your guns. I carried this over from playing guitar. When I started 30+ years ago, I had an experienced musician tell me to carry the guitar with me everywhere, and play it whenever I felt like it. You become one with the tool of your trade, whether guitar or gun.

At the range (indoor):

I shoot a mag or cylinder (for revolvers) at 7, 10, and 15 yards using a two handed grip taking my time for accuracy. I then shoot again at 7 with the right hand only, then load again and do the left. Then I back the target out to 10 and, using the targets that have one circle in the middle and four smaller circles around the outside, I shoot various patterns around the sheet emphasizing getting my sights on target quickly - top/bottom, diagonals, right-left. That's about all I can do at the range. There's no holster draw or rapid fire allowed, so I'm kind of limited on what I can do.

Rinse and repeat for each gun I brought to the range that day.

I usually go through about 100 centerfire and 200 .22 rounds each outing.

[DaveFJ80]

IMO, if you're practicing at the range (indoor for example), I would place the silhouette target at a distance that would be a real-world possiblity with a HD scenario... if that's what you're training for. No point putting the target 15-25 yards out, unless you live on a huge ranch and live inside a huge mansion where you need to shoot a great distance. I see no point shooting a handgun 50-100 yards and hitting the paper or steel targets. No point other than to look cool doing it or what not. I'll usually put my targets at approx 7-10 yards out if I do these types of drills at indoor ranges.

When I say drills at an indoor range, I'll usually hold the firearm downward at a 45 degree angle & pointed towards the ground (pointed down range & finger off the trigger), and then bring it up quickly and aim & shoot once or twice right away to see where I'm putting the shots. I'll move my stance around in the booth, as there's only so much you can do in a small booth. I'll also keep my eyes off the target until I have the gun pointed at it and ready to shoot. Basically, you're trying to give yourself a scenario where somebody is out ahead of you and you need to draw your weapon and fire. IMO, it works well with shot placements, and decision making. Shooting at stationary paper targets is nice to improve on your gun control and aim, but in a real-world situation you probably won't have the luxury of sitting there and waiting to aim your gun at somebody who's about to endanger your life.

This will only do so much for you. If you really want to be versed and better trained with more practice, take some handgun classes. I've taken a couple of different ones so far. Both taught different methods, but I took the things from each that worked the best for me and incorporate those into my own practice & use now. Plus, a class will give you better HD scenarios where you can actually move on your feet and make live decisions while moving and shooting at stationary and/or moving targets.

[illuminate10]

1. Dry firing
- I hate doing it, but no reason to be wasting good ammo when the problem can be fixed with other methods. Video tape yourself and play it back, watching for a smooth trigger press and how much the barrel moves.

2. Schools/Classes
- Have you been to any formal shooting schools or classes lately? Even though someone may be a great shot or one of those "know it all" shooters, everyone can take some lessons away or have good habits reenforced at a good shooting school or class.

3. Rangetime
- Short and effective is what I prefer (50-100rds per gun). I watch some guys go to the range with 500+ rounds and proceed to just blow paper away with no rhyme or reason. While this might be a great stress reliever, it does little to maxmize the rounds from a training aspect.


Just one man's 2 cents....

Wow, excellent advice on the video of dry firing. If there was A THANK YOU OPTION I would apply it for your post there sir/ms.

Dry fire, quick reload, drawing and point shooting at home, developing muscle memory.

Short and to the point.....I was going to emphasize not only the sights when shooting but POINT SHOOTING out to 7 yds or so. I found that I was just as accurate point shooting up close as using my sights on rapid fire.


Also if you can, practice some hip shooting up to 3 yds or so and drawing from a holster......just in case it comes the time when you might have to fire fast from that position.
Might not be neccessary but it's fun

[HighLander51]

This is how I practice

http://nrg.jvdynamics.com/nrg/

[FieldsofFire]

For trigger control, I like to mix in some rounds with no powder or primers in them with my other loaded ammunition. I make it so I don't know where in the magazines they are. When that firing pin strikes a round with no primer, you will see just how much you are flinching and how much your front sight is moving off of your intended impact location. I handload so I can do this easily. If you don't, mixing in some Snap Caps would accomplish the same purpose. Just hide a few in different magazines and mix the magazines around without looking at them so you don't know where you've loaded the Snap Caps. Focus on zero movement in that front sight when you pull the trigger all the way through.

Do this enough and it will start to become a part of how you naturally fire your gun. I find that I can practice a lot of this dry fire stuff, but if I don't do it enough to make it second nature, the second I start doing a scenario training day and I'm firing my weapon under stress, all that dry-fire goes out the window.

[BamBam-31]

Has anyone mentioned the dime balancing thing for practicing trigger pull? Balance a dime on top of your slide, and squeeeeeeze the trigger smoothly til it breaks W/O dropping the dime. Helps you concentrate on a smooth, flinch-free pull.

Also, just aim at a small point on the wall when dry firing. The front sight should stay on the small aim point during the entire pull, smooth and steady, from beginning to break, or you're doing it wrong.

And invest in a Mk. III or Buckmark for tons of excellent and inexpensive live practice at the range.

[NorCalMama]

I'm wondering if anyone might share their practice routine with the group. Specifically, what range (distance not location) you like to practice at, amount of ammo per session, exercise or other things you might do in preparation, stuff like that. I'd like to maximize my learning/skill with minimum ammo. I have a 1911 and several polymer pistols, and I can hit the targets OK but I want to get to the next level. I seem to have plateau'd out, I practice 2-3 days a month, but I don't feel like I'm getting better. I still catch myself flinching quite noticably now and again, I really need to stop that. I'd be especially interested in any trigger control routines that might help.

Have you taken lessons? Seriously, that is the biggest help. Having someone who knows what they're doing not only instructing you but also watching what you're doing so you can get knowledgable input. Then, once you are given basics, I'd say dry fire at home, go to the range 2-4 times each month, get involved in IDPA, and just keep on... over time you'll improve, it's just a matter of sticking with it and being willing to get help.

[gorenut]

I found dry firing to be of greatest help. You focus on just one thing and that's it, your trigger pull. I had a .22lr conversion kit, but it didn't work for me as a practice tool. It was definitely fun, but I think the sights on my .22lr differed too much from my original sites. Also, you NEED specific ammo or a third of your time is spent fiddling with FTF ammo.

[viet4lifeOC]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. eNuff said

[Donk310]

I don't really practice. I just put a magazine in and go for the real deal. I guess you can say I practice by doing it for real.

[Flouncer]

Dry Fire Ruger P95 ?

http://www.ruger.com/service/FAQs.html

Can I dry fire my Ruger P-Series and .22 pistols?
Yes. All Ruger pistols can be dry fired without damage, and dry firing can be useful to familiarize the owner with the firearm. However, be sure any firearm is completely unloaded before dry firing!

I put snap caps in anyways. 4 for less than a twelver of good beer

[SuperSet]

Check out Ben Stoeger's dry fire program here:

http://benstoeger.com/

15 minutes a day will measurably improve your gun handling and shooting abilities.

[eccvets]

i like to pratice with live ammo and aim at my wall.
snap caps are for wimps