Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This is my point.  I don't want to miss.  I've had a prowler the last few nights.  Luckily, the dogs scared him off.  But he came back.  So I begged to get the .25.  Long story.  At what distance is a .25 effective? Effectiveness is a subjective term.  It could drop someone 30 yards away or it could take 6 rounds from 5 feet.  A .25 shouldn't be considered a good selfdefense round.  An AR in the home is the best way to go.  A .38 revolver or a midsize 9mm with hot ammo would be second choices for a female. Is that what it is?  I just have to be able to get them in the right spot to be effective?  I'm not sure I can do that in the heat of the moment.  At this moment in time, all I have is the .25.  Maybe after Christmas I can change that.  I don't want to be limited to a "girly" gun.  I have no problem learning how to properly shoot a "manly" gun.  I did fairly well with the .45.  I had been told that the recoil would kill me, and it didn't.  Same with a , 20 gauge.  I just have to find the gun that fits me and practice with it.  But in the meantime, I was looking for tips from ya'll pros.   FYI I looked at the ballistics of a .25 auto.  At the muzzle a .25 auto 45gr Hollow point will have 65 ft-lbs of energy.  A 9mm 120gr hollow point will have around 320.  A .45 depending on what load you use will have about 370 ft-lbs of energy.  This should give you an idea of what kind of round a .25 is.

So I want a .45!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This is my point.  I don't want to miss.  I've had a prowler the last few nights.  Luckily, the dogs scared him off.  But he came back.  So I begged to get the .25.  Long story.  At what distance is a .25 effective? Effectiveness is a subjective term.  It could drop someone 30 yards away or it could take 6 rounds from 5 feet.  A .25 shouldn't be considered a good selfdefense round.  An AR in the home is the best way to go.  A .38 revolver or a midsize 9mm with hot ammo would be second choices for a female. Is that what it is?  I just have to be able to get them in the right spot to be effective?  I'm not sure I can do that in the heat of the moment.  At this moment in time, all I have is the .25.  Maybe after Christmas I can change that.  I don't want to be limited to a "girly" gun.  I have no problem learning how to properly shoot a "manly" gun.  I did fairly well with the .45.  I had been told that the recoil would kill me, and it didn't.  Same with a , 20 gauge.  I just have to find the gun that fits me and practice with it.  But in the meantime, I was looking for tips from ya'll pros.   FYI I looked at the ballistics of a .25 auto.  At the muzzle a .25 auto 45gr Hollow point will have 65 ft-lbs of energy.  A 9mm 120gr hollow point will have around 320.  A .45 depending on what load you use will have about 370 ft-lbs of energy.  This should give you an idea of what kind of round a .25 is. So I want a .45!

Keep in mind that nearly all defensive handguns have muzzle energy in the 280-400 range.  Pick one that you can shoot well, not the one with the most stopping power.  370 ft-lbs of .45 won't do anything if you miss or hit them in non-vital areas.  My advice is for you to shoot something that you can hit with that is reliable.  If that is a .45 then that is great, but don't overlook others.

Quoted: Quoted: Seriously, Goobers.  I was wondering if there was some TIP or something you could offer.... Buy this www.womenshooters.com/newprods/gilabooklg.jpg then hie thee to some training, all you learn from yourself is bad habits, those are the hardest to unlearn. www.tdsa.net/ www.learn2shoot.net/ chl-texas.com/ www.gunhoo.com/gunhoo/r.u.texas.htm

That looks like a wig, but I'll check it out anyway.

Hummm, you've gotten some good advice, some so-so advice, and a fair amount of totally useless advice. Here's my long winded contribution...put it in any of the above categories. I'm a long time competition shooter and (as many are on this site) a NRA certified instructor.

Let me throw mine into the fray and you decide where to go with it. You have several areas to work on. 1) arm/hand stamina...not strength, your endurance. I'd suggest this as a quick fix...don't linger as long breaking the shot...I know, it sounds simplistic but most  new pistol shooters spend 10-30 seconds trying for that 'perfect shot', (I know, some blast off a dozen in 3 seconds but we're talking aimed shots here), your eyes will only hold a sharp focus for 6-10 seconds at a time, try to bring up the gun and break the shot in 3-5 seconds. This will give you plenty of time for the most important  SECOND area you need to work on. FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT and let the target blur. In handguns, even more so than with rifles, this is essential to accurate shooting...you can shoot an excellent group with a handgun if you do this. I know it sounds like magic but it reallly does work. Theres other stuff like trigger control but I don't want to overload you. You can email me if you want me to get into it more.

NOW for the most essential issue to work on. You evidently have an active threat (the prowler you mentioned). Most likely if you have a confrontation it will be very quick and very closeup. At close distances I recommend using the back of the gun to index off of. What I mean by this is hold the gun up between you and your attacker, get it pretty much aligned so that you can't see either side of the gun (in other words it's more-or-less straight in line with his chest) and pull the trigger. This is only reasonable inside of maybe 7yds for me and the people I've worked with on this so you'll have to just try it for yourself)...At VERY close distances (bad breath distance), keep the weapon down at your side as close to you as you can, otherwise you risk it being taken away from you, this isn't a slam on your gender, YOU could take away a gun from a 300lb weight lifter with the right technique.

If all you have is a .25 then that's all you have. It's a deadly weapon in the eyes of the law but it's accepted that it's NOT a 'manstopper' in the real world. The sight of it MAY be enough to run your assailant off but don't count on it. I recommend the approach of 2-3 rounds in the center of the chest and then move up to try head shots...they won't be easy but if the first few haven't stopped your BG it's the next best option. imho

There ARE no 'girly-guns' on the range...well, maybe airsoft LOL...women can shoot just as potient a weapon as any guy does. .25's are tough to shoot accurately and have low power, but you use what you have available to you. I upgraded my wifes carry gun asap from a little 25 to an airweight 38, she hated the recoil but agreed that the increase in stopping power was worth it. When she wanted the 'ultimate' stopper, I got her a .357 and let her run first .38's and then the boomers...hated the darn thing...but she took to the .45 1911 right off and now it's her go-to gun for things that go bump in the night.

Hope this long-winded mess helps.

Like hsvhobbit said, there has been some good advice and some poor advice....here is mine...maybe a bit of both....but it works for me....

The main things to think about TARGET shooting.  I say this because it is much different than "tactical", but it will help increase proficiency in that department as well.

1.  Focus on the front sight.  you have to be diciplined to do this, even after you have shot....keep that focus on the front sight, and squeeze off another round.

2.  Target sighting:  Use an NRA black circle target.  Adjust your sights so you are shooting 6:00.  In other words level your front post between the rear notch and let the target, the black circle portion of it float flush with the "flat" top of your sights.  What I mean is when your sights are properly aligned they will be flat on the top and the tager should be a dark blurry cicrle sitting on top of your sights.  Get that sight picture every time before you shoot.

3.  Squeeze the trigger:  simple, concentrating on the front post will help take your mind off the trigger and recoil.  Also, think about touching the tip of your nose with the pad of your index finger when you start to take up trigger slack.  This will also help you so you don't milk it.

Note:  You commented on holding still.  No one, I repeat no one, can hold perfectly still while holding a firearm on a target.  It is impossible.  What will happen is your sights will float around the target, with more practice the floating is reduced.  As this is occuring start your squeeze and refrain from jumping on the trigger when you see the "perfect" sight picture.

4.  Trigger reset:  Next time you are at the range or dry firing, squeeze off a shot and hold the trigger back. then, very slowly start letting it out.  You will hear and feel and faint click.  You have just reset the trigger and can now take another shot without letting the trigger come all the way out.  So less trigger slack to take up on the next shot and less to think about.

5.  Grip:  Push slightly with the right hand and pull back slightly with the left.  I could give you percentages of pressure but do what feels comfortable and won't fatigue your arms.

6.  Stance:  I prefer the modified weaver with feet shoulder width right toes about even with the left heal.  Do what is comfortable but have a stance that can accept the recoil

Lastly, you mentioned the .45 witch is great especially in 1911, great target pistol.  I would highly recommend buying a .22, a Browning buckmark or Ruger (can't think of the model) tend to be very reasonably priced and very accurate.    Get one of these and put 500 rounds through it before you touch the .45 again.

This will get your body and mind used to the reduced recoil and help reduce your anticipation of the shot.  You can develop good habits, noted about number 1-6, easier with shooting smaller caliber handguns than with larger ones.


Hope that helps and makes some sense....good luck.

Quoted: Practice ... All I can tell you.

I "practiced" for 6 years on my own.   I learned more in a 3 day professional firearms course than I did in 6 years on my own.


TAKE A PROFESSIONAL FIREARMS COURSE

Quoted: Not you neccesarily, but all the other non sensical responses I'll get.  I felt today as if it was not my strong hand, but my support hand.  I'm working push ups into my work out.  I agree, I probably should seek out someone to show me proper technique.  Not just, here shoot this.  I'm serious about doing this well.

If you are serious - why not come to one of our local shoots?

The Fundamentals of Marksmanship

"THE FUNDAMENTALS MARKSMANSHIP  
(Excerpt from - TACTICAL PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP)

Getting hits on a target is easy to do once you know how to do it.  Like any other control and dexterity dependent skill, there is a proven and correct way to shoot a pistol.  I am not talking about Bullseye Shooting, although some of the skill involved in that discipline also corresponds to tactical shooting.  We are primarily interested in self-defense shooting.  This means that we want the ability to place solid hits on an adversary from a condition of unreadiness under urgent time limits.

Before you can expect to hit anything, there are some “hardware” issues that must be seen to.  The ammunition must be capable of an acceptable level of accuracy.  This is not as much of a concern when using quality defensive ammunition, but it may is using more economical “training ammunition”.  Primarily, you must make certain that the pistol is zeroed correctly.  This simply means that the sights must be arranged in a way that they will coincide (visually) with the physical impact of the bullet strike on target.  There are hundreds of different types of sights, and to explain how to zero every particular weapon would take a volume.  For zeroing procedures, please refer to your weapon’s training or owner’s manual.  Don’t dismiss this part of the equation.  Doing so will only lead to frustration.  

There are several fundamentals to marksmanship, they include Sight Alignment, Sight Picture, Trigger Control, Grip on the Pistol, Shooting Stance, Breath Control, and Follow-through.  Of these Seven, FOUR are most important.  It is these four which must be focused on by the tactical shooter.  They are Sight Alignment, Sight Picture, Trigger Control, and Follow Through.  

Sight Alignment is the relation between the front sight, the rear sight, and the shooter’s eye.  Sight alignment is established by placing your visual focus on the front sight and aligning it with the rear sight (irrespective of any target).  The top of the front sight must be seen as level with the top of the rear sight.  Additionally, you must see equal amounts of light visible on both sides of the front sight as viewed through the rear sight notch.  This describes perfect  vertical and horizontal alignment of the sights.  

This is the sight alignment that we always would like to have.  Sometimes we will settle for less if the target is close enough.  Generally, the closer the target is, the bigger it appears, and the less perfect your sight alignment must be.  Conversely, the more distant target, or the smaller target at close range, requires greater precision in the alignment of the sights. In practice, however, we must always strive for perfect alignment.  

Sight Picture is the existing sight alignment as it is seen super-imposed on the target’s center of mass.  Center of Mass describes the central portion of the visible target.  Now let me ask you something.  How many things can the human eye focus on at any one time?  The human eye is similar to a camera and it can only focus on ONE thing at a time.  With regards to the sight picture, there are three things that we want to keep in alignment - the target, the front sight, and the rear sight.  Now imagine looking at these three points through a camera.  If you focus the lens on the front sight, you can still see the target well enough, although it appears somewhat out of focus in comparison to the front sight.  Additionally, you can still see the rear sight well enough, although it too appears slightly out of focus in comparison to the front sight.

By focusing in on the front sight, you can see both the target and the rear sight well enough in the peripheral vision, (although not as clear and focused as the front sight) to keep all three points in alignment.  That is the “secret” of sight picture.  The more difficult the shot is (i.e. distant target or small target), then the more precise that sight picture must be.  The visual and mental focus must always remain on the front sight.

Another very important aspect of the sight picture is whether you should close the non-dominant eye or keep both eyes open.  The simple fact of the matter is that most students I’ve seen cannot focus on the front sight as well if both eyes are kept open.  If it’s not an issue for you, then don’t worry about it.  If you find it difficult to focus on the front sight with both eyes, you must close one eye.  But which one?  We all have one eye that is more “dominant” than the other.  That eye is the one you want to use for sighting.  For most shooters, their dominant eye is on the same side as their dominant hand.   In other words a right handed shooter will most likely have his dominant eye on his right side, and so on.  Some shooters are cross eye dominant, i.e. right handed and left eye dominant, or vise versa.  

Here is how you find out which eye is dominant -  Make a small “OK” signal with your primary hand, and look at a target through the opening with both eyes open.  Now close the eye that is opposite to your primary hand.  If the target disappeared from view, your support side eye is dominant.  If it did not disappear from view, your primary side eye is dominant.  

If your primary side eye is dominant, you simply close the support side eye when focusing on the front sight.  If your dominant eye is on the support side, you have two options.  Either close the eye that is opposite of your primary side and learn to sight with the non-dominant eye, or close that non-dominant eye and modify the shooting position slightly by angling the head slightly to allow the support side eye access to the sights.

Some of you who may have been schooled to keep both eyes open, take notice.  The non-dominant eye is only shut off for fractions of  seconds while the shots are fired.  Therefore, you are not missing anything of your immediate surroundings.  Secondly, the reason given for not closing one eye is that you may need it to see things around you.  This is hardly a combat reality.  If a hostile man is standing in front of you, intent on killing you – then to survive and win, you must do him before he does you.  In such instances, do you really think you will be looking around with your non-dominant eye for other adversaries?  Of course not!  You will be busy enough with the problem at hand to worry about other potential problems out there somewhere.

This is the Sequence of Events - Your eyes are initially focused on the target, specifically, on the center of mass.  The pistol is raised up into the line of sight between the eye and the target.  The non-dominant eye is closed to allow the dominant eye to focus better on the front sight.  The Sight Alignment is verified by bringing the visual focus to the front sight, as seen through the rear sight notch, and as the two points of reference are aligned on the target’s center of mass.  As the eye focuses clearly on the front sight, the rear sight and the target will be visible in the foreground and background, but will be slightly out of focus.  You must see the front sight with crystal clarity and sharp enough focus to be able to count the serrations on it.  Moreover, you must concentrate your  mental focus on that front sight to exclusion of all else around you (more on this later, grasshopper!).  This keeps the pistol on target.

The third fundamental, and probably the most important, is Trigger Control.  Proper trigger control allows the shooter to fire a shot without disturbing the sight picture.  The trigger must be pressed smoothly to the rear, without any disturbance of the sight picture, until the pressure suffices and the pistol discharges.  Two key elements to this are Finger Placement and the “Surprise Break”.

Correct Finger Placement on the trigger is dependent on the type of trigger you are operating.  The placement should allow you to press straight to the rear without any lateral divergence in pressure.  Placing too much of the finger, or conversely, not placing enough finger on the trigger will cause your shots to string laterally on the target.  Such extremes in placement will cause you to exert pressure to the side as well as the rear, with poor results on target.

Now, naturally, some triggers are easier to operate than others, but all can be managed with enough training.  With Colt/Browning single action triggers the area of the first pad of the finger seems to work best.  When using a Glock pistol, the area between the pad and the first joint will allow you the best control.  Finally, if you are using a double-action pistol, you must place much more finger on the trigger in order to provide the leverage necessary to operate the heavier trigger.  For these shooters the area just above the first joint will work best.  

Before we discuss the actual operation of the trigger, I want to discuss our physiology.  We are still hard wired like our caveman ancestors.  They were fairly good at caving heads in with stones and such, and our brains don’t work any different today.  The result is that it’s unnatural to us to experience a small explosion out there at the end of our hand.  That is precisely what happens when we shoot, right.  Invariably, our subconscious mind wants us to flinch, close our eyes, and do all manner of silly things in anticipation of the forthcoming BIG BANG.  This creates all manner of problems with marksmanship.  Not to worry, however, as we can easily get around this by allowing the shot to “surprise” us.

When operating the trigger, the shooter applies smooth and constant pressure to the trigger, until eventually and almost unintentionally, the pressure is sufficient to “break” the trigger.  This is called a Surprise Break.  Pressing the trigger in this manner may be likened to using an eyedropper.  Think of the process involved.  You “align” the dropper above your eye, you get the proper “sight picture” by focusing on the end of the eyedropper, and finally you gradually begin increasing pressure until one drop forms and falls into the eye, by surprise.  If you force the drop out by mashing the eyedropper, you will flinch, close the eye, and get the eyedrops everywhere except in your eye.   The same process applies to operating the trigger on a pistol.  First, align the sights with the target and establish an appropriate sight picture.  Next, focus visually on the front sight while building constant smooth pressure on the trigger until, eventually the pistol fires, by surprise.

Of paramount importance is that the “break” of the trigger is not specifically expected by the shooter.  He knows that it is going to go, and is continuing constant pressure on the trigger, but he does not know the exact precise instant when it will “break”.  The trigger must break almost unintentionally.  If the shooter anticipates the break, or forces it to occur, he will invariably bear down reflexively on the weapon and flinch at the final moment.  This will cause the shot to go errant.

Remember when I said that the human eye could only focus on one specific thing at a time?  Well, under stress, the human mind is much the same way.  If you mentally focus your attention (as well as your visual attention) to the top edge of the front sight while you operate the trigger, where will your thoughts be when that trigger pressure is enough to cause the gun to fire?   They will be on the front sight, and not on the small explosion that just happened.  That is how you experience a surprise break, but most people do not understand this.

In a combative situation, you will not have an open ended time interval in which to press the trigger so very c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y.  This does not, however, invalidate or change the process.  Going back to the eyedropper analogy.  Those of you who put drops in your eyes on a daily basis know that it becomes quite easy as you get used to the procedure.  As you become accomplished at using the eyedropper, you do not require the lengthy time interval to “align”, “focus”, and “p-r-e-s-s”.  On the contrary, in happens very quickly due to practice.  Operating the trigger on a pistol is the same.  Through perfect practice and programming, you will operate the trigger in the same fashion as with the surprise break, but you will do it less time.  This called the Compressed Surprise Break.  

The fourth fundamental, which is often ignored is Follow Through.  Follow Through is controlling the pistol and the trigger after the trigger breaks (shot is fired) in order to avoid disturbing the alignment of the pistol.  When the trigger breaks, maintain your focus on the front sight, and keep finger contact on the trigger as you hold it to the rear.  When actually firing a shot, you will visually lose the front sight momentarily on recoil.  Regain front sight focus immediately as soon as the recoils dissipates.  Additionally, do not release the trigger until the recoil cycle is complete.  Maintain finger contact on the trigger and hold it to the rear as the shot is fired.  Release it only after you have reacquired the front sight.  Even then, only release the trigger far enough to “reset” it.  When the trigger release is begun, you will eventually notice a  slight “click”.  This is the disconnector resetting the trigger.  This is as far as you need to go in order to fire a second shot.  Allowing the trigger to move any further forward  increases the recovery time between shots.  

The ability to fire an additional controlled shot is extremely important in a tactical situation.  Except for special circumstances, such as single precise head shots, you will usually fire twice.  The reasons for this are to enhance the damage on the target as well as to insure at least one hit in stressful situations that may cause missed shots.

The way to fire that second shot quickly, is to release the trigger only far enough to “reset” it via the disconnector device in each pistol.  The trigger will be reset when you hear the audible (and feel the tactile) “click” as you begin to release.  At this point, refocus on the front sight as you did for the first shot.  Simply begin the pressure build-up with the trigger finger again.  You must experience a second surprise break for the second shot.  This is called a Controlled Pair.  Each of the two shots is a controlled, individual shot.  Each of the two shots requires a separate sight picture, and a separate surprise break...even if executed very quickly.

These are the Secrets of Marksmanship. Study them well as they are the keys to hitting.  In the end, they are the keys to your survival.

Gabe Suarez
Suarez International, Inc."

Any tips on shooting a handgun?

Aim for the slide or magwell.

Quoted: Quoted: At what distance is a .25 effective? -7 ft...... seriously unload it if you have to shoot it!

The recently deceased NYC officer was shooting a .25 of some sort...by reports he put an entire magazine into the centers of mass of his two opponents. He is dead from one round of .357mag to the chest and the two scumbags are still breathing.

Quoted: Quoted: Practice ... All I can tell you. I "practiced" for 6 years on my own.   I learned more in a 3 day professional firearms course than I did in 6 years on my own. TAKE A PROFESSIONAL FIREARMS COURSE

While I totally agree with you - practice - coupled with *knowledge* will make you an excellent pistol shooter.

I agree - you can go to the range every week and shoot a box of ammo... and while you will improve.... without knowledge, you will only get so far.  However, this is the internet, and there is LOTS of really, really good information here.  I was a glock shooter, and practiced once a week with 100-150 rounds.  I got on GLocktalk - and read a HUGE thread on trigger control.  I printed it out and read it over and over.  The next week, my shooting massively improved.  It was night and day.  

So you dont *have* to take a course.... but it helps.  Also - some instructors arent all that great - so get recommendations from someone who knows their sh*t before you sign up for "joe's handgun training"

When it comes to carbine tactics.... I have never seen enough well documented information here.... that you can get in a one day class from a qualified instructor....  The same goes for dynamic pistol shooting - moving, failure drills, team shooting, proper use of high speed shooting, etc.  There is a HUGE difference in improving your target shooting capability, and improving your defensive use of a weapon.  For range/target skill improvement - read all you can and impement.  For defensive weapon skills, take classes from a qualified and skilled instructor.

Quoted: Maintain finger contact on the trigger and hold it to the rear as the shot is fired.  Release it only after you have reacquired the front sight.  Even then, only release the trigger far enough to “reset” it.  When the trigger release is begun, you will eventually notice a  slight “click”.  This is the disconnector resetting the trigger.  This is as far as you need to go in order to fire a second shot.  Allowing the trigger to move any further forward  increases the recovery time between shots.

Absolutely true - except on the Keltec P32 and P3AT.  Performing this motion on those pistols will cause you to have a dead pistol, and force you to rack the slide, ejecting a live round, to get it back in action.  You must fully extend the trigger for a second "click" on these, in order to get full trigger reset.

It is my absolute biggest complaint on these weapons....  I picked up a brand new one last week, and the latest models still do this.  Pisses me off.

Quoted: The recently deceased NYC officer was shooting a .25 of some sort...by reports he put an entire magazine into the centers of mass of his two opponents. He is dead from one round of .357mag to the chest and the two scumbags are still breathing.

Were these reports confirmed?  Did he really hit vital areas?  Was he shot before or after he emptied his magazine?

Quoted: Maybe I should define this a little better.  I totally can't beleve a word my dad tells me.  He's just trying to make himself look like the "man".  I can't  trust my soon to be ex, because he just doen't know jack.  But I do recognize that I need to be able to defend myself.  So I'd appreciate you all pointing out some tips for me.

Thanks for that....

Quoted: Quoted: The recently deceased NYC officer was shooting a .25 of some sort...by reports he put an entire magazine into the centers of mass of his two opponents. He is dead from one round of .357mag to the chest and the two scumbags are still breathing. Were these reports confirmed?  Did he really hit vital areas?  Was he shot before or after he emptied his magazine?

If he caught a 357 magnum to the chest, there wouldn't be much in the way action...of any sort.

Quoted: Quoted: Practice ... All I can tell you. +1 many many many many many many many rounds.

It becomes cheaper and easier to practice MANY rounds if you have a decent 22 revolver with good sights.  The revolver action will slow you down enough to make you think about aiming.

Quoted: Quoted: The recently deceased NYC officer was shooting a .25 of some sort...by reports he put an entire magazine into the centers of mass of his two opponents. He is dead from one round of .357mag to the chest and the two scumbags are still breathing. Were these reports confirmed?  Did he really hit vital areas?  Was he shot before or after he emptied his magazine?

Latest report from MSNBC (12/15/05) indicated that the officer was shot immediately after ID'ing himself and issuing commands. He was struck once in the chest by a shot from the friend of the exSopranos actor and the bullet transected his aorta, causing internal exsanguination in mere seconds. After being shot, the officer returned fire with his backup weapon wounding the shooter with mutliple hits to the chest and then wounding the accomplice (ex Sopranos actor) with three rounds to the chest. Both assailants remain in ICU, but are expected to survive.

(not a quote, but from my pretty durned good memory)

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Practice dry firing, watch what the front site does when you squeeze the trigger.  If it moves to the right you have your finger too for on the trigger (pulling it).  If it goes to the left then you need to put more finger on the trigger (pushing it) Keep both eyes open as well.  Keep shooting, it is the only way to get better. This is where I have problems.  I do keep both eyes open.  I'm so focused on aiming, I don't always see where I hit.  So I don't see where dry firing will help much.  Well, it would keep me from jerking, I suppose.  But isn't dry firing bad? On rimfires yes, not for centerfire handguns.  Dry firing lets you practice a smooth trigger pull and lets you see how the gun moves when you pull the trigger.  Competitive shooters dry fire 10,000 a year or more.

Dryfiring rimfires is only bad if the firing pin will only hit the breech face.  On all of my rimfires it will NOT happen, so dry firing is fine.


Edit.  Front sight focus is important.

Do yourself a BIG favor and move to a 38 or 9mm or 40 or 45 that is comfortable.  

front sight.


when you squeeze the trigger you should be thinking front sight.

Focus on the front sight, while sqeezing the trigger.

One last thing.  Front sight.

TXL

Quoted: Keep your eyes open when you squeeze the trigger. It helps.

That actually may SOUND like sarcastic "advice," but it's really not.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The recently deceased NYC officer was shooting a .25 of some sort...by reports he put an entire magazine into the centers of mass of his two opponents. He is dead from one round of .357mag to the chest and the two scumbags are still breathing. Were these reports confirmed?  Did he really hit vital areas?  Was he shot before or after he emptied his magazine? If he caught a 357 magnum to the chest, there wouldn't be much in the way action...of any sort.

With the aorta transected and significantly leaking. the brain is receiving much less oxygenated blood and glucose and will be significantly impaired. It will still be operating...many of the individuals involved in 'near-death' experiences recall the sense of hearing continuing and of thinking continuing long after they had been pronounced dead.

All anecdotal evidence I admit, but there is a demonstrated ability to continue to function in some capacity for many seconds after blood flow to the brain is slowed or stopped. Factors such as age, general health, and physical strength would determine just how long and to what capacity a person could continue to function.

As far as the amount of time needed to continue firing a handgun at short ranges at COM targets, I would think that 8-10 aimed rounds could be fired in as many seconds, or at worst one round every 2-3 seconds. In the worst case scenario, this action would take 30 seconds and would result in every round on target even as the shooter was dying.

(preceeding based in part on 12 years on the streets as a Paramedic, witnessing many deaths and the descent into death)

Wow....  there was probably a thread - but obviously I missed it.

The officer was hit in the chest. Though fatally wounded, he managed to empty his eight-shot pistol, hitting Armento six times and Brancato twice, police said. Backup officers caught a bloodied Brancato trying to get into his car. Armento had collapsed nearby.

6 shots.  Of course, didnt say where they were placed, but still 6 hits.....   They did say he was a big guy, he did collapse, it was cold so he was likely wearing heavy clothing.

I dont think shot placement would have made much difference though.  This definitely called for something that had more penetration.  Still, hard to pass judgement unless you know where he was hit.

ETA - I just found this:

It appears that he got off all 8 rds from his Kahr K9 , he fired 6 rds at perp with the gun / hit all 6 rds . 3/R leg , 1/groin , 1/stomach , 1 shoulder. He also fired two rds at perp 2 (actor fag boy) and hit him with both rds , 1/groin , 1/chest.

So of the 6 hits - none were in vitals.

As has been stated, practice, without proper instruction, will only make you worse.

You need to get instruction from a qualified instructor.

One of the easiest improvements can be an improved grip on a handgun.  See this:

www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu12.htm

You might contact the NRA for local Handgun Instructors.  Good luck.

My .02s. Your strong hand does 2 important and independant things. #1 it grips the grip and holds the pistol steady while you line up your sights. #2 your trigger finger pulls the trigger.

The problem: most new people let pulling the trigger alter their grip, throwing the sight alignment off.

The answer...with your strong hand empty, form your fingers as if you were holding your pistol.
Can you pull your trigger finger without moving any of your other fingers? You have to train yourself to move your trigger finger independant from the rest of your grip. Practice this until you get good at keeping your grip steady as you puuuull the trigger.

Now try dryfiring, focusing on not changing your grip or moving your hand other than pulling the trigger. It is harder than you might expect. Hand strength is critical in doing this...but you could be super strong and it will not do you any good if you do not keep your trigger finger independant from your grip.

Hope that helps

Thanks all for some really great tips!  I learned alot and saw that some of what I was doing was wrong.  I know what to work on now.  I do plan on taking a course, but just can't afford it right now.  And I'll check out a local gathering when I can work it in my schedule.  The .45 I shot was a "here try this thing".  It was very dirty and the trigger felt sticky.  Not icky sticky, but wasn't very smooth.  I was aligning the sites right and focusing on the front site.  But I wasn't hitting my target anyway.  I asked how to use the sites because I thought I was doing it wrong.  And I was told the completely wrong way to use them.  Anyway, you all confirmed that I was doing it right initially.  I'm not settling for this .45.  I'm still shopping around for "my" pistol.  The .25 is all I have right now, and it'll just have to do.  So, I'll practice with that.  

Here's what I always heard, you can try it.
I was told long ago to when you squeeze the trigger,. think of squeezing a nipple.  I hope this don't offend anyone, and I'm not tring to be a smart ass. But it helped me...  I wish I knew who told me this...

I just came back from trap shooting tonight. Wife's sound asleep, and I just squeezed off a 125 nipples! God I love shooting! I better go and clean my gun!    

Quoted: Quoted: Practice ... All I can tell you. Professional instruction. Practice with no direction or correction of errors in technique is nothing more than ballistic masterbation.

Man you are a silver tounged devil. Seriously, though you are at the perfect stage for professional instruction, your new to handguns and you haven't "learned" any bad habits.  You don't have to go to some high speed tactical swat b.s. but you would be a great candidate for a basic class. It would make shooting more fun for you. Good luck.

Quoted: Here's what I always heard, you can try it. I was told long ago to when you squeeze the trigger,. think of squeezing a nipple.  I hope this don't offend anyone, and I'm not tring to be a smart ass. But it helped me...  I wish I knew who told me this... I just came back from trap shooting tonight. Wife's sound asleep, and I just squeezed off a 125 nipples! God I love shooting! I better go and clean my gun!

That raised my eyebrows!  I don't know the first thing about squeezing nipples.  Well, not on a woman anyway.  But we won't go there.  Could someone come up with a better analogy?