I shoot left

[1Carguy]

Thanks for all the input. Good stuff but now I'm totally confused....no, really, you guys make it sound so easy...I can't wait for my next trip to the range to try out some of this stuff. I don't expect to master this overnight but any improvement will be great. I'm out of town next week but will be at the range the following week.

[r739]

Left handed, Left eye dominate.....lucky

[russ69]

Rob Leatham says to grip so hard you squeeze the oil out of the gun...

The technique for precision shooting does not have you squeezing the gun that hard, it's too tiring over a long match and will produce tremors.

[EvoXguy]

"Center mass" is a lullaby told by poor shooters to other poor shooters so they can sleep at night.

The triangle formed by the nipples and aortic notch is "center mass". That's about a 6 inch circle if the target is facing you directly.

Except your target probably won't be standing still, facing you directly.

Turn at a 45 degree angle in front of the mirror. That 6 inch circle just shrank in half. Now imagine hitting that, while moving, in low light. Where did your big center of mass go?

Some ******* is shooting up a school or supermarket, he's 25 yards away. You going to run up to 5 yards to shoot him?

Judging by all the real world shooting videos out there now, the most advantageous thing you can have is magazine capacity

[timeexposure]

Great thread (except the part where target shooting turned into tactical defensive shooting and prompted a pissing match).

Many good references here. Not all advice returns better results, but it certainly gives you points of reference to consider and explore.

[EvoXguy]

FIFY



This belongs in the Hall Of Fame Of Dumb Stuff I've Read On Calguns.

Hey bro no need to get all sour on me. I'd like to think we're all on the same team here and each one of us can respect each others opinions

[orangeusa]

After getting a few lessons from a pro, the thing that helped me the most was pushing with the dominant hand and pulling with the other.

[Mister Coffee]

Rob Leatham says to grip so hard you squeeze the oil out of the gun.

In the last video of his that I saw, he argued that it doesn't matter what you do, as long as the barrel doesn't move off the target when the gun goes off. He said that you can jerk the trigger, stand on your head or whistle "Dixie," as long as the gun doesn't move when the shot is fired. As per the above, a firm grip allows him to steady the gun. Us, too, probably.

[bigmike82]

"The technique for precision shooting does not have you squeezing the gun that hand, it's too tiring over a long match and will produce tremors."

This! A big part of the reasoning behind the superman grip is that in times of stress, that's your natural inclination. So from what I've seen, that forms a large basis of law enforcement training (training for those very rare cases when the normal officer will discharge his weapon in anger).

Which...now that I think about it, makes sense for your average gun owner to train for too. We (thank god) won't need to use that weapon in anger ever, but if that day ever comes, you need to be prepared with all the tools including being able to reflexively shoot properly. Taking the body's natural reaction into account is a big part of that.

That said, for shooting accurately, I find a firm but not super tight grip to work the best. If you grip it too hard, you start trembling and muscle fatigue sets in really fast. You keep your primary arm bent just a little bit. Have a solid wrap around on the supporting hand, but again, don't grip it too tightly because now you start pulling or you start trembling again. Good, solid stance with your knees bent.

Don't try to shoot big calibers accurately just to be macho. There's not a damn thing wrong with the 9mm. Lighter pistols are not always better...that added mass helps dampen some of the effects of the recoil and makes it controllable.

Above all, go out and shoot. Then shoot some more.

Have fun!

[theLBC]

confidence is part of shooting...like it is with golf
i would start with the target much closer, build confidence, move it farther out...repeat.

[russ69]

Great thread (except the part where target shooting turned into tactical defensive shooting and prompted a pissing match)....

Yes there are opposing thoughts here. I'm a target shooter so I come from that background. There is nothing wrong with learning more than one technique just make sure you know the whys and why nots.

[mansysinatra]

I haven't heard that before, could you provide a link?






What is "that" hard? If your hand is convulsing, then yeah, you're gripping too hard.

Ask a Grand Master to shake your hand with the amount of pressure he uses to grip the gun.

Pretty much every guy I've seen that's been in at least one gun fight recommends a tight/Superman grip. The guys I linked earlier all have said basically the same thing.

Fine motor skills are one of the first things to go under duress. Ever watch (or been of them) untrained people fight? They tense up very quickly.

[One in the pipe]

Were an MAGA or NRA hat. Those will make you come back to the right.

[Wordupmybrotha]

Perhaps your vision has deteriorated. Or you need to learn how to line up your sights. You might be aimed left when you think you're aimed to the center.

[bigmike82]

I haven't heard that before, could you provide a link?

What is "that" hard? If your hand is convulsing, then yeah, you're gripping too hard.

Ask a Grand Master to shake your hand with the amount of pressure he uses to grip the gun.

Yup! Here you go:

http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2010/07/perfecting-your-handgun-grip.aspx

To your second question though, for me a 'death grip' is when my hand trembles. So in my experience, that's way too tight.