Range experience

[tlfreek]

Well i went to the range by myself yesterday and took a few glocks to get more intimate with them since when I typically shoot, I only shoot around 50 rounds, but never really, for me, figure anything out like am I a good shot or not. So I took around 400 rounds, most all of which I loaded, with me and shot them all. This is what I discovered:

1. I am a horrible shot.
2. I am a horrible shot.
3. I am a good reloader.
4. I am not consistent in how I shoot, I jerk the trigger, and basically move alot before the gun goes bang.
5. Realize I need lessons. Although I can put them on paper - the group is spread around 12 inches at 25 yards
6. This was a good experience and I should have done this earlier.

The kicker which brings it all home....Just before I left some gal shows up and has a beautiful 1911. well she shot just as good as the gun looked. anyway when I went to get my target that looked like I shot it with a shot gun she pulls off paper with a 3 inch grouping. I am like WOW. I said something to her as I passed her like "way to go show off" and she says yea, well its really cheating at the 25 yard mark I should move it back to 50 which is exactly what she did. She was awesome.

could be differences in gun and ammo, but the truth is skill. I need some..

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[MA Duce]

Sounds like your trigger technique is perhaps a little sloppy...but there are so many factors that go into placing your shots,(grip, sight picture etc), it is impossible to tell without watching. I make no claims about super skills, but I have been responsible for training recruits in their initial weapon courses. You might want to download one of the many diagnostic targets online such as at Sportshooter.com. They are basically a pie chart and detail the conditions that create the misses you have such as heeling, pushing, tightening your grip while pulling the trigger...etc. You don't mention how often you shoot or how long you have been at it, nor what your background is, but getting some one on one time with a knowledgeable instructor can't hurt. Pistol shooting isn't rocket science, it just takes consistency of method and practice.

 

[orygun]

Buy a decent .22 semi auto, a couple of bricks of ammo and go practice. Then practice some more. It's much easier to identify your issues when the gun has very little blast and recoil. Dry firing is also a great training tool. Once you've spent some time with the .22, then pick up one of the Glocks and give it another go, paying attention to the basics you just figured out by shooting that .22 a bunch.
Whenever I started to develop bad habits from shooting magnum handguns, out would come the Ruger .22. It wouldn't take long to see what stupid mistakes I was making.

I have no experience with the Browning Buckmark, a small amount of experience with the Colt .22 and a BUNCH of time spent with the Ruger Standard .22. All of these will have a grip angle somewhat like the Glock and would be a great companion/training aid. Plus .22s are just a hoot to shoot that don't break the bank.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Often the ladies do better because it's just a matter of fact thing for them vs a male ego thing. My gal has dropped a few jaws into "fly catching" mode at the range with her .357 magnums

 

[Dennis316]

are you sure it was the 25 YARD mark not 25 FEET? all of my handguns cover up the target and then some with the regular blade sights at 50ft+. my 1911's front dot is as big as the whole target from 75 feet. and both ranges i go to dont even go to 75 feet! the one i typically shoot at "sams in everett" only goes to 70ft and its hard to hit decently even with my scoped revolver

who knows, maybe i just suck and have to get smaller sights or get longer arms

 

[elsullo]

Random thoughts: Do your hands hurt? When the hand expects pain it flinches at the last second and jerks the trigger to get it over with. An old trick is to load some dummy rounds mixed randomly in the magazine and see if you jerk the gun when it does not go boom. Pistol lasers are great for dry-fire practice, as you can SEE the effect of trigger flinch.

Another issue is eyesight. Maybe you are jerking the trigger to try to stop the sights oscillating in your vision. Try shooting with reading glasses on to see the sights clearly?

Excessive recoil might have the hand fearful. Try a lighter load, or a smaller caliber, and see if the results are still disappointing. Hands age faster than the rest of our bodies, and can have a mind of their own!..........................elsullo

 

[tlfreek]

thanks guys - lots of good feedback.

Dennis you might very well be right. I was thinking about that as I was typing. I bet it is 25 feet not yards - its the hand gun range at tri county. thanks....right when I have my humbling experience here comes Dennis with the 25 feet comment. ha ha ha ha.

I like the mixing of the duds with live ammo as well as practicing with a 22 hand gun. both are good. I think I will sign up for a shooting class as well. I need the basics.

rock on.

 

[yskippy]

Handgun range at tri-county is 25 and 50 YARDS

 

[teflon6string]

Did you get her number?

 

[ron]

I second what Orygun said. Get yourself a target 22 like the Ruger with a 5.5 inch bull barrel. It is a natural tendency to flinch. You have to train yourself not to flinch. Yes a good 1911 with a crisp single action trigger is easier to learn to shoot. But the Glock action you can master. Trigger control is the essential part of shooting.

 

[MA Duce]

Did you get her number?

 

[Phillyfan]

One thing that helped me improve quite a bit was watching a video someone on this site sent me regarding proper grip. I watched it and concentrated on setting up that good consistant base everytime and could not believe the difference it made for me. I'll go through my past posts and see if I can find it for you.

 

[B-Towner]

who knows, maybe i just suck...

I'm a late starter at this, plus I have trouble seeing the front sight with or without glasses. My goal is to get all my shots, fired in a deliberate manner, on a target about a foot in diameter at 7 yards. And to have fun doing it. And afterwards.

 

[CapnCurry]

I should probably get myself a .22 for practice, but all I've got is my .40. I spent a day at the range with about 200 rounds, and just started shooting different quarters of my target at about 21 feet. Did that four weekends in a row, until the recoil was simply no longer a surprise. That's probably not the most economical way of doing things (At $15 a box of 50, that's what... $240 of ammo in four weeks?), but I'll tell you it worked.

I haven't been to the range in a while, but a couple weeks ago the missus heard a "bump in the night" and I got to go investigate. Of course, it was nothing - but I'll tell you, my pistol felt very natural and very "right" in my hands, and I felt confident that if I needed to pull the trigger, I knew exactly what the gun would do and how it would feel.

 

[Riot]

Buy a decent .22 semi auto, a couple of bricks of ammo and go practice. Then practice some more. It's much easier to identify your issues when the gun has very little blast and recoil. Dry firing is also a great training tool. Once you've spent some time with the .22, then pick up one of the Glocks and give it another go, paying attention to the basics you just figured out by shooting that .22 a bunch.
Whenever I started to develop bad habits from shooting magnum handguns, out would come the Ruger .22. It wouldn't take long to see what stupid mistakes I was making.

I have no experience with the Browning Buckmark, a small amount of experience with the Colt .22 and a BUNCH of time spent with the Ruger Standard .22. All of these will have a grip angle somewhat like the Glock and would be a great companion/training aid. Plus .22s are just a hoot to shoot that don't break the bank.

I actually recommend against this advice...I think the first thing he should do is find out what his bad habbits are and eliminate them before he reinforces them with thousands of rounds of .22lr.

After he finds out his issues- THEN he should plink out bricks of bullets.

Females do tend to shoot better than men when it comes to pistols...mostly (I think) it's because us guys like to put muscle in everything to try to fix it. We overgrip, anticipate recoil and mash the trigger...all no-nos when it comes to guns. Women tend to focus on the fundamentls taught to them (trigger press, sight allignment, body possition, etc.).



tlfreek....this is speaking from a little experience here; get some type of training from someone who can see what you are doing wrong and fix it. Ever see those shooting shows like Top Shot? You've got guys shooting with cup and saucer grips who have decades of shooting experience but cannot get out of those poor techniques. It always makes me wonder how much better someone might be able to shoot or engage targets faster if they were taught correct techniques than adapting to their own bad habbits.

 

[NoOne]

If you are intelligent enough to know you need practice (that alone puts you ahead of lots of guys) find a coach and learn. Most ranges, gun clubs, will have people that will be willing to help you. Or, you can always just pay for individual coaching until you learn the basics.

I used to teach quite a bit, and your problems are not at all unique. Nor is it difficult to recognize what you are doing wrong and fix it. Just start out with some basic marksmanship. Buy some dummy cartridges and do ball and dummy drills.

 

[Throckmorton]

one thing that for sure will mess up your shooting is lifting your head at the last mili second to see where the bullet impacted.Don't even think of looking at the shot placement until you are out of ammo in the mag.
Fatigue can alos mess with you,try loading just 5 rounds instead of a full mag.,
aim small,miss small.use a small target on white paper so u can see it plainly and have to really aim at it,then press the trigger gently,it should be a surprise when the gun goes off.
I"m not an expert by any means,but I think these ideas may help.

 

[tlfreek]

thanks everyone. Aside from the spread of opinions, the one thing consistent in this thread is taking lessons which I plan on doing.

Thanks again -

 

[evltwn]

Well, just when you thought you had heard enough...you might think about getting a .22 and find a local Bullseye group to shoot with. I shoot in Medford every Monday night (90 rounds) and since it is one handed at 50 feet, its ALL about technique, and its affordable to boot! You can ask others to critique your technique, and you will find yourself surrounded by kindred spirits who suffer the same issues you do!

My Browning Buckmark is perfectly at home with the Rugers, S&W Model 41's and even the over the top Pardini's! Just relax, learn, enjoy...

 

[pogi]

Perfect practice makes perfect. You just need to keep at it, it will come.