when shooting a pistol: arms fully extended or w/ slight bend?

[Barang]

i'm a casual shooter, never been in competition or taken any advanced class. i see people with seems like fully extended arms when shooting. my arms are slightly bent so my question is, is there a correct form or this is a preference thing?

[Citadelgrad87]

Honestly, I see a more practical approach to "technique" for someone who already shoots decently. Most coaches will play with your support hand, etc, but if slightly bent works, its fine. I shoot IDPA and I am pretty sure I shoot with a slight bend.

ETA, I shoot competitions, I am NOT a competitive shooter. I just happened to have video of myself shooting and not thinking about my arms to answer your question.

[Tank 57]

Personally prefer slightly bent. Also find it less fatiguing.

[Barang]

Honestly, I see a more practical approach to "technique" for someone who already shoots decently. Most coaches will play with your support hand, etc, but if slightly bent works, its fine. I shoot IDPA and I am pretty sure I shoot with a slight bend.

ETA, I shoot competitions, I am NOT a competitive shooter. I just happened to have video of myself shooting and not thinking about my arms to answer your question.

that's fast shooting and it's what i'm practicing now. i noticed your gun has little muzzle flip, what kind of gun is that? i'm shooting .40 sig p226.

Personally prefer slightly bent. Also find it less fatiguing.

good to be in the same company and thank goodness i don't have to re-learn with locked elbows.

thank you both.

[9Cal_OC]

Honestly, I see a more practical approach to "technique" for someone who already shoots decently. Most coaches will play with your support hand, etc, but if slightly bent works, its fine. I shoot IDPA and I am pretty sure I shoot with a slight bend.

ETA, I shoot competitions, I am NOT a competitive shooter. I just happened to have video of myself shooting and not thinking about my arms to answer your question.

That 10 gallon hat might have slowed you down

Good shootin’!

[eaglemike]

Slightly bent is better for "practical" shooting IMHO. Guys used to shoot stiff armed, but it became apparent that bent allowed better manipulation and quicker transition.
Lots of practice makes everything better, years ago Jojo walked (so it looked) through a stage I was CRO on, looked slow, had the best time by about 2 seconds and a great hit factor. It was obvious he had done a lot of practice to get so efficient in movement. Another guy in the same squad had sand flying around, working really hard, looked fast, but took a couple of seconds longer to get through the stage, and actually had more C's.

[ar15robert]

I have found I shoot better with arms straight out. I use to shoot right arm straight left one bent still did pretty good just not as good straight.

but I find in a defensive situation my body will be turned sideways and shoot with arm bent. I just find it good for me to shoot both ways and adapt to situation.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

...thank goodness i don't have to re-learn with locked elbows...

Your elbows should never be 'fully' locked, regardless of the shooting stance you take. A 'soft elbow' stance helps absorb recoil and reduces instability. One way or another, 'locked' elbows is generally, though not exclusively, considered a no-go.

With that said, it's an highly individualized thing and comes down to whatever works best for you. I shot/shoot with a very slight bend in my dominant arm and utilized my non-dominant arm with a greater bend to help control recoil. Even after the stroke and the brain bleed, the non-dominant arm still adds a sense of stability, even if the steadiness isn't what it used to be. Juxtapose that to my Grandfather who shot pistols the way he was taught in the Navy; i.e., one-handed. (I 'trained' to do that when shooting Bullseye competition and there are ways to do so effectively; but, the idea was to go from relaxed and steady rather than 'locked' and rigid.)

Of course, other factors also come into play. Are you wearing body armor? Do you need to use your non-dominant arm/hand for other things, such as grappling or blocking? Are you having to fire the pistol around, over, or under an object?

Let's just say there are reasons why 'diversity' is often advised when it comes to training/practice. You might take a look at this 2022 piece from the NRA... Handgun Shooting Stances: History & Development... (bold emphasis mine)...

...The Weaver stance has become very popular and is a cornerstone of modern defensive pistolcraft. Today, it is widely taught in both civilian and military schools. A right-handed Weaver shooter faces the target with feet about shoulder width apart, and the left foot slightly forward of the right, which angles the pectoral girdle slightly away from the target. As he presents the pistol with the right hand, he simultaneously raises his left hand and grasps the right, wrapping the fingers around the right hand as it holds the butt. Positive pressure forward with the right hand mated to pressure rearward with the left stabilizes the gun in place. It is at eye level and the sights are in use. The right arm is straight or nearly so, while the left arm is bent rather sharply at the elbow. Over the years we have been going at it Weaver-style, a number of sensible variations on this position have evolved. None of them vary far from this powerful stance, which is remarkably like that of a boxer, judo player or skeet shooter. The Weaver stance combines the twin virtues of strength—for recoil recovery and accuracy—and flexibility to engage multiple targets and changing positions.

Other instructors approach defensive shooting with a two-handed hold, but from another stance. Much of the use of the Isosceles position came from shooting sports (IPSC, PPC, and NRA Action Pistol), but it is beginning to find favor with a number of police and defensive instructors. In the Isosceles, the shooter squares to the target with the gun in a hard two-handed grip. He pushes the gun straight out from the shoulders with both elbows locked, thereby forming a triangle that gives the stance its name. Unless the handgunner leans aggressively into the position, he may be unsteady in the fore and aft vector. Some trainers now teach dropping the strong side foot back slightly, while keeping the shoulders square to the target. This is more stable, but it is also rather rigid and inflexible...

[neouser]

Slightly bent, elbows pointed out instead of down. At least that's how I was taught to shoot fast. When the elbows are locked, the pivot point of your arms tend to be the shoulders and recoil drives the muzzle up. Same with elbows slightly bent with elbows pointing down. The elbows are the pivot point and since they're pointing down, the muzzle tents to tilt up on recoil. Elbows slightly bent and pointed out to the sides tends to drive the pistol back and reduces muzzle flip. I've found that it works and I get faster follow up shots into COM.

[Citadelgrad87]

that's fast shooting and it's what i'm practicing now. i noticed your gun has little muzzle flip, what kind of gun is that? i'm shooting .40 sig p226.



good to be in the same company and thank goodness i don't have to re-learn with locked elbows.

thank you both.

That is a Fusion XP Pro Comp model. It's a 2011, basically a 9mm 1911 that takes glock 17 magazines. It is very flat shooting, and I reload pretty mild loads but well above power factor. If interested, single shot exemption, about $1800 OTD here in orange county.

[Citadelgrad87]

That 10 gallon hat might have slowed you down

Good shootin’!

HAHA!

Thanks. Actually, I would prefer a cowboy hat, mine is like a giant floppy boonie hat. I look like the vacation dad from hell, but at least I am not taking Chino sun to the face and neck.

[Scotty]

Both arms slightly bent, like just short of fully extended. Grip the gun like you would a hammer. Death grip isn't going to make you shoot faster. Stand upright, you don't need to be crouched down, just stay relaxed.

[jarhead714]

Arms bent, Weaver stance,….finger on the trigger guard!!!

[GOEX FFF]

Arms bent, Weaver stance,….finger on the trigger guard!!!

^^

The Weaver stance is how I've been shooting for decades. All my life actually. It works well for me.
I keep my right arm straight and a slight bend in the left elbow and lean into it.

weaver-489.webp

[jarhead714]

^Textbook perfection.👌🏻