I have always had to work very hard to shoot a handgun accurately. As smooth and second nature as shotgunning has always been for me, pistol accuracy has always been difficult for me. It's almost hard to admit as much ammo as I've spent over the years. I don't get it either. I'm a pretty sharp guy. I understand the dynamic very well. It's just not happening.

 

We went to the gun range my next door neighbor belongs to in Indiana yesterday. He is an instructor with the state police, and just really solid with a handgun, of course. My youngest is a better shot. And it was evident from the first trigger pull. It's literally second nature for him. We shot at a line of metal plates, 8 in a row. So, as it came more apparent that they were gonna have a "shoot off", it was really fun to watch. Now, my neighbor is extremely competitive. My son is very humble but enjoys being better than me at something, and really better than a guy who does it for a living. They did it 3 times, and each time my neighbor shot his glock .40cal and my son shot his Sig 1911 .45ACP. Each time, my son shot 5 of the 8 plates as they raced. Heck, I never even knocked all 8 down with all the time in the world, let alone racing a pro.

 

I just don't get it, I've tried to watch and learn, accepted instruction, everything. I guess my sight picture just ain't the same. Frustrating.:idunno:

In earlier career times, I had access to unlimited ammo and a target range. In my case, I was very accurate with a .38 cal and below. At .357 and above, I cannot seem to keep myself from pre-compensating for the recoil, and I pull a little downward on the trigger pull. Is your issue similar?

In earlier career times, I had access to unlimited ammo and a target range. In my case, I was very accurate with a .38 cal and below. At .357 and above, I cannot seem to keep myself from pre-compensating for the recoil, and I pull a little downward on the trigger pull. Is your issue similar?

Nope. It's totally my sight picture. My son tells me how he does it, he never looks at the rear sights, ever. How in the world does he do that? I'm an old long range rifle shooter, back to even iron sights. So, I can't break my habit of where the front sight and the rear sight should align. And I have a multitude of pistols and none are where I think they should be on target according to my view of "dead on". It's astonishing really that I can't get that to be second nature. Recoil has never been an issue for me.

I have none, my son on the other hand can make a 2 liter bounce across a pasture from numerous lengths at different calibers. Thanks to PS1, 2, and 3…

 

:lol2:

The past few years I have used the Israeli instinctive combat shooting method. Also, in Israel, they teach head shots only, never body shots.

Nope. It's totally my sight picture. My son tells me how he does it, he never looks at the rear sights, ever. How in the world does he do that? I'm an old long range rifle shooter, back to even iron sights. So, I can't break my habit of where the front sight and the rear sight should align. And I have a multitude of pistols and none are where I think they should be on target according to my view of "dead on". It's astonishing really that I can't get that to be second nature. Recoil has never been an issue for me.

 

Hum. Well, the way your son does it is the way one would do it under combat conditions or quick target acquisition situations...using front site only and pulling the trigger. However, using the rear site, especially when taking your time in aiming at the target...you should be more accurate in those situations, everything else being equal.

Hum. Well, the way your son does it is the way one would do it under combat conditions or quick target acquisition situations...using front site only and pulling the trigger. However, using the rear site, especially when taking your time in aiming at the target...you should be more accurate in those situations, everything else being equal.

Same here. I don't get it. And it doesn't matter the gun or the caliber, he does it the same with the same accuracy.

 

When shooting open sights with a rifle, I was always taught about a "thin bead or a thick bead" when aligning the rear and front sights. I just haven't got that down with a pistol. I don't know if I ever will. And for some reason, I'm more accurate with a longer barrel revolver than any of my semi autos. I'm about to say crap on it and just use lasers on them all and just make sure my batteries are fresh.:taz:

When I first started shooting, my targets would be a mess, you could not even call it a grouping, bullet holes were all over the place and I was always shooting high, I once clipped the edge of the clamps that hold the target - opps. The best advice I was given is hold off going to the range and start dry practicing at home. Basically unload the gun, remove all live ammo from the room, double check AGAIN that the gun is unloaded, find something on the wall to aim at, and focus on keeping the sights fixed on whatever you are aiming at while pulling the trigger. When I did this, I noticed the sights would "twitch" while pulling the trigger which explains why my shooting was so wild. With continued practice, I have been doing much better at keeping the sights fixed on the target and when I go to the range, my groupings are getting much better.

 

Another recommendation I was given is that to be even safer while dry practicing, guy buy a metal plate about 1/4 inch thick (I think it was a 1/4 inch) and hang it on the wall while dry practicing. You may need to hit a stud to hold the weight of a metal plate. Should that one in a million instance occur where you had a brain fart and a round was in the chamber, the bullet will not puncture the metal plate. You may damage the dry wall due to the impact and the dent in the plate which will hit the dry wall but the round will not penetrate the wall. I have also heard of people using large books such as old phone books (of larger cities obviously) on shelves. You will have shredded paper on the floor but assuming you are not shooting a .50 BMG, no normal round should be able to penetrate an entire phone book.

Same here. I don't get it. And it doesn't matter the gun or the caliber, he does it the same with the same accuracy.

 

When shooting open sights with a rifle, I was always taught about a "thin bead or a thick bead" when aligning the rear and front sights. I just haven't got that down with a pistol. I don't know if I ever will. And for some reason, I'm more accurate with a longer barrel revolver than any of my semi autos. I'm about to say crap on it and just use lasers on them all and just make sure my batteries are fresh.:taz:

 

You may want to think about getting that kid into competitive shooting. Sounds like he is loaded with raw talent and with some formal instruction, he may be getting a full ride scholarship on UK's shooting team. In some years I have been told UK cannot fill the entire team and scholarships go unused.

 

The fact that you are more accurate with a longer barrel is not surprising. I shoot better with my S&W 686 when I pull back the hammer to be in single action mode. The long site radius makes lining up the sites easier. I don't see how people shoot snubbies accurately. When the sites are that close, it can be difficult to line them up. Granted I think most snubbies and other pocket pistol type guns are not designed to by shot further than 20 feet so accuracy comes second to size I guess.

Edited May 27, 201412 yr by Bert

When I first started shooting, my targets would be a mess, you could not even call it a grouping, bullet holes were all over the place and I was always shooting high, I once clipped the edge of the clamps that hold the target - opps. The best advice I was given is hold off going to the range and start dry practicing at home. Basically unload the gun, remove all live ammo from the room, double check AGAIN that the gun is unloaded, find something on the wall to aim at, and focus on keeping the sights fixed on whatever you are aiming at while pulling the trigger. When I did this, I noticed the sights would "twitch" while pulling the trigger which explains why my shooting was so wild. With continued practice, I have been doing much better at keeping the sights fixed on the target and when I go to the range, my groupings are getting much better.

 

Another recommendation I was given is that to be even safer while dry practicing, guy buy a metal plate about 1/4 inch thick (I think it was a 1/4 inch) and hang it on the wall while dry practicing. You may need to hit a stud to hold the weight of a metal plate. Should that one in a million instance occur where you had a brain fart and a round was in the chamber, the bullet will not puncture the metal plate. You may damage the dry wall due to the impact and the dent in the plate which will hit the dry wall but the round will not penetrate the wall. I have also heard of people using large books such as old phone books (of larger cities obviously) on shelves. You will have shredded paper on the floor but assuming you are not shooting a .50 BMG, no normal round should be able to penetrate an entire phone book.

 

Terrific advice. But my problem is, nor never has been, a flinch or pull. As a matter of fact, all of my triggers have had some TLC and are very light with not a lot of travel. If nothing else, especially in my line of work, my hands are very steady and I have been blessed to have zero shake. It's all in the eyeball for me. It's 100% alignment. If I ever get that figured out, I have no doubt I can't duplicate it. I guess I need more range time. It's kinda funny, I have gone in spurts where I'll shoot very well, other times where I look like I just bought a gun.

A lot of people extend their trigger finger too far over the trigger, which can cause you to pull to the right or left, depending which hand your shooting with. Some handguns just aren't accurate though. The most accurate I have shot is a FNH 5.7 and a Walther PPQ.

I need to go to the range myself.

A lot of people extend their trigger finger too far over the trigger, which can cause you to pull to the right or left, depending which hand your shooting with. Some handguns just aren't accurate though. The most accurate I have shot is a FNH 5.7 and a Walther PPQ.

 

It ain't the arrows, it's the indian. My son shot each weapon with terrific accuracy. I don't pull left or right, my problem is ALWAYS up and down with an semi-auto pistol.

It ain't the arrows, it's the indian. My son shot each weapon with terrific accuracy. I don't pull left or right, my problem is ALWAYS up and down with an semi-auto pistol.

 

You need to work with someone experienced at correcting problematic shooters.

 

Off the top of my head since your problems are up and down I think you have an anticipation issue. I would do more dry shooting but more importantly do some shooting with dummy rounds mixed in (you can't know where the dummy rounds are in the magazine). Just shooting dry is not enough. Dummy and live rounds mixed together is very telling.

The past few years I have used the Israeli instinctive combat shooting method. Also, in Israel, they teach head shots only, never body shots.

 

Instinctive shooting is the best training option for handgun accuracy. Once you master instinctive shooting, you can incorporate rear sight picture into the mix.

 

Think of instinctive shooting as an extension of your eyeball to the target, your eye will tell you were to aim, not the barrel end.

 

I learned instinctive shooting with a bow. I learned rear sight incorporation while in the military where my rating depended on it.