[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Aim 101 (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/20/2007 7:12:48 PM EDT
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Alright, so I've been having a bit of trouble with my aim. I'm pretty good with the AR, only because we have a nice scope on it, but when it comes to the 40, I need some work. I feel like I have my flinch under control, however, nothing I seem to try has helped my aim at all. I would really like to compete in a few 3 gun, or maybe a handgun competition this summer, but I really dont feel confident. Im a south paw, not like that should matter, but anyone have any suggestions or ideas? |
| I hate to sound like a ditzy girl here, but what does breathing have to do with shooting? I mean, I do try and concentrate on the target, so much so, that it some times blurs, and I find that those are the time that I seem to hit the target the most. However, if Im competing, I won’t have the time to sit back, relax and fire at the target at my own pace. |
Dry fire practice more. Set up on the range with the rifle unloaded, get your sight picture and focus right, place finger on trigger once you are ready, squeeze the trigger as you exhale slowly. Don't hold your breath, if you take too long and run out of breath start over. Your aim should not move at all after the trigger has been pulled. If it is, you are anticipating the recoil. Work on relaxing your body and controlling your heart rate through breathing exorcises. Practice, practice, practice.  |
| Check how much creep you have in the trigger and possibly have it re-worked by a gunsmith to smooth it out. I have not had any of my others done yet, but purchased a Colt 1911 custom shop special. No creep smooth break and I can group with it better than with any of my others. My other toys range from Sig, Walther, Smith, and Ruger. |
| I've used a piece of paper (circular) with a thin black line dividing the circle in two. I aim at the the white dot with the front sights on the black line. I pull the trigger and watch where the front sight goes. You should see the sights move off of the line if you are jerking the trigger. |
Either you're getting tired, or you're not breathing enough. If you're getting tired, you need to exercise and increase your endurance - lift weights as well as aerobic exercise. Partly it's the effort of holding a weight steady at arms length, partly it's the recoil. When I bought my glock 36 (subcompact .45) I couldn't shoot more than bout 25 rounds before I got tired because it kicks more than I'm used to. Now that I've gotten used to it, I can put a hundred rounds down range without a break without getting tired. It's also helped me shoot my other pistols better because my arms don't get tired a soon. If it's your breathing, you need to take a breath, let a little out while you set up your sight alignment/sight picture, hold it, squeeze the trigger until it goes off, let your breath out, and take a fresh one. If you are taking too long to acquire the target and shoot, then the picture gets blurry and you get shaky. When that happens, let up on the trigger, let your breath out, take another breath and start again. Breathe regularly between shots, you need to keep your blood oxygenated. |
what if my shots are just all over the damn target? 
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Thank you, I will try that when Im out next. |
Mine tend to be that way... hehe |
lol with a lil moan added for extra measure? |
Lefties need to reverse the info on that chart. |
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Watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48 What he says about proper grip and what part of your finger should be on the trigger is right on point. Helped me loads with my pistol shooting. |
Thanks for the input! 
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I love that video (seen it before), and man that Todd can shoot! 
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I think he goes over it in that video posted, but one of the things that helps me a lot is making sure I am holding the pistol so that it lines up with my forearm. If you were to draw a line from the end of the barrel to your elbow it should go straight down the barrel and straight up your forearm to the elbow. Sounds confusing, but if you grab the pistol (unloaded of course) and try you should figure it out. If you do that then when aiming you aren't using your wrist at all and because of that your aim will be a lot more steady. Once you get that down... Relax. Take a deep breath...then just relax and breath normally. Take aim. Focus on the front sight. It should be clear and the target slightly blurry. Use the pad of your finger, not the joint to pull the trigger. Squeeze gently...the shot should be a surprise when it happens. Also practicing by dry firing is always a good idea. |
I worry that my grip is a little too tight, or maybe my arm is a little to tense. |
That video is helpful for nothing but shooting a 1911. If you've got smaller hands, you'll never be able to reach the trigger on a DA SIG gripping the way he suggests, just like pulling a 9lb trigger with my fingertip is fucking impossible. I'm a jaded lefty. Sight picture, FIRM consistent grip, pull the trigger in one motion while maintaining these things. X-RING. |
The only gun Im having a problem with is my springfield xd-40. Im good with the AR, and am not willing to try a shotgun. |
That's why it is important to relax. Hold the weapon securely, but no need for a death grip. You'll never hit anything white-knuckling your pistol . The tighter you hold it, the more you'll shake.Unload it, practice drying firing, get comfortable with it. With practice you'll get rid of any nervousness and your shooting will improve. |
Hehe... Sooo... thats the front sight, right? |
Did I stutter? 
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"Concentrate" on the front sight, not the target. Sounds weird, but that's what you do. Also you may be left hand, right eye dominant (I'm the reverse). If so you may have to cock your head a little to bring your weak left eye into play. Squeezing the sides of the grip may be there, lefties are reverse on the chart? Squeeze the front and rear of the grip about like what you would with a hammer. You may be flinching without knowing it sometimes. Mix some snap caps in your mag and when your pistol doesn't fire see if you are still on target. |
Hehe... Is that a way to put me in my place?
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The wisest move you could make right now is to get some professional training. Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Go find an NRA basic pistol course or some other reputable instruction. You will never regret it. The thing is, you can spend years talking about shooting online, and there are a whole lot of very important fundamental things you will never learn. Posting on ARFCOM doesn't make one a shooter. You can get tips and advice but these should only be supplements to a solid grounding in the basics. With a minimal amount of pro training you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your ability to shoot, and to train yourself further. You will make gains much faster, and not have to unlearn so many bad habits. That can be a real bitch. Continue familiarizing yourself with your pistol, learn the manual of arms and how it functions. And then get some training. I can't emphasize the importance of training enough. It sounds like you have some definite goals in mind, and to reach these goals with minimum frustration you should set yourself up to succeed. I wish you the best of luck, and I know you'll enjoy every minute of it. I sure do. |
Thats very good advice, I will look into that. Thank you! |
I actually think I'm left eye dominant. |
I would agree that if you have little girl hands, it might be more difficult. OTOH (no pun intended), I can do the DA trigger on my 92FS with little difficulty, and have no problem at all with my G19. So it's not just for 1911's; the theory is sound for any pistol. Doesn't mean it'll work for everyone, but it's worth a shot. |
Which I do.
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Seriously, here’s what to do… “Sight Alignment” is where the front sight is in relationship to the rear sight when you are shooting. Sight Alignment is critical, especially on a pistol. (The shorter the distance between the front and rear sights the more important perfect alignment is.) The top of the front sight should be centered in the rear notch and the top of the front site should be exactly even with the top of the notches in the rear sight. “Sight Picture” is the relationship between your sights and target. Don’t worry about this too much. It’s obviously important, but it’s so obvious that you don’t have to think about it much unless you are going for serious precision. If the sights are adjusted right the bullet should go right where the front sight is located. (Keep in mind that sights aren’t always adjusted right. If this happens you will shoot a nice tight group somewhere different than where you are aiming.) Your eye can’t focus on everything at once, so focus on your front sight. So, there you are. Sights are aligned and pointed at the target. Squeeze the trigger while concentrating on keeping the sight alignment perfect and watch for the muzzle flash. Seeing the muzzle flash is the key to good shooting. Sometimes you won’t see the actual flash because of the powders being used. That’s OK as long as you see the slide cycling and a puff of smoke exiting the barrel. People tend to blink when they pull the trigger and this can cause the sights to become unaligned right before you fire. If you see the flash this didn’t happen and odds are it was a good shot. |
Im 95% sure that I blink, any ideas how to correct that? |
Toothpicks under your eyelids. It worked in Looney Tunes. |