Big Epiphany Today!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Today while dry firing my SBH I had a big Epiphany!

As all of you surely know,,, With any iron sighted Handgun or Rifle the biggest challenge is to focus on the Front Sight.

As I was drawing the gun and presenting it I noticed that if I raised my head up that I could get my progressive lens glasses to focus ONLY on the front sight.

This was a big deal.

It goes hand in hand with my new thrust to convert from a Weaver stance to an Isosceles Stance. I watched a Jerry Miculek video on You Tube where he explains how and why and since he is the best there is,,, We'll do it his way from now on.

One of the points on the video is that your gun should be directly up even with your eye line. IE not dropping your head down to meet the gun. This is necessary with the Weaver stance.

As such I immediately found that when I stood square to the target that I automatically stood up strait and when the gun came up to my eye line, my head tilted back a slight amount and the only thing in focus was the front sight! No diddling around it was all right there!

I would highly recommend that all of you pistoleros watch his videos on You Tube and subscribe to them so you will get updated regularly.

http://youtu.be/gEHNZFTfSD8 (http://youtu.be/gEHNZFTfSD8)

http://youtu.be/ChSazF41q-s (http://youtu.be/ChSazF41q-s)

Randy

[TXGunNut]

Jerry can probably outshoot me standing on his head in a fireant bed, lol. I use a variation of the Isosceles stance and it has served me well for years but can use the Weaver to good effect when the situation calls for it. I also enjoy the classic one-handed "bullseye" stance. The key is indeed to keep your head upright, it keeps stress down and actually improves blood flow to the brain. Progressive lenses have added a layer of complexity to the game for me as well but I've found that if I relax my eye and brain will subconsciously find the part of the lens that allows me to focus where I want. It's a bit more difficult with a rifle so I have to cheat with peep sights.
Glad you found something that works for you, hope it works as well on the range.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tx: like anything else it will take some practice to make the necessary changes, but I am lucky that I already have much of the foundation work solidly in place.

The draw will be exactly the same up to position 4 where my hands come together, at that point there is a new position for the support hand which has to be drilled in. Luckily I don't have to drill positions 1,2&3. So I have something to build on.

Support Hand index finger on the front of the trigger guard and then locking the wrists forward to counteract recoil is where the majority of work will be concentrated.

I have already started with the SIRT pistol and you can tell by the laser just how much steadier the gun is thru trigger pull.

More on this as I progress.

I have found that if you feel you really think you know what is going on, you're probably FOS.

I have also found that it is better to freely admit you're a Dumbarse, than be proven so by your actions.

I order to learn you must have the desire to be taught. You can only be taught if you are willing to admit that you don't know.

Randy

[bedbugbilly]

I made this same change a while back. I'm an old fart - have had cataract surgery and lens implants but my vision is not the best due to 48 years of diabetes. The central vision in my right eye (my dominant) eye is not good so I have to use the left eye. At a class I took last year, the instructors (LE and former military special ops) worked with me in regards to this and suggested I change from the Weaver. As they pointed out, most "shootings" involving LE end up with the LEO using the isosceles stance. I don't know where they got their statistics from but after changing, my shooting quickly improved. I shoot a lot of revolver - only have one 9mm semi They also watched me and suggested some changes in my grip (I was shooting the 9mm) in regards to the position of my left hand. I worked on that through about 50 rounds and couldn't believe the difference I was getting in groups and quick follow up shots on my SD shooting.

I used to have progressive lenses before I had lens implants during the cataract surgery and they drove me nuts at times. Glad you found something that helps and I bet you'll see a great improvement over time.

[TXGunNut]

Even the best shooters have to stop now and then and re-assess. Better yet have someone watch you shoot because they will see you do things you don't know you're doing. Comp shooters do it all the time, coaching is an integral part of the sport for all levels of shooters. I learned quite a bit by learning to shoot with my off (left) hand. When things don't feel "normal" you watch everything more carefully. I still shoot with my off hand today, especially on the rare occasion I break in a new carry gun. Being open-minded enough to look at your technique critically or listen to someone else is a necessary step towards shooting better. IMHO even the best shooting position will need to be adjusted to the individual shooter, especially when you get into kneeling and sitting positions. Once your technique is solid practice makes it even better. A handgun requires regular practice and quite frankly it takes more than I care to dedicate to it since I quit shooting competitively.
Getting too hot to shoot rifles around here these days, I think you've inspired me to dig out some ammo for my carry guns. I do the draw and presentation drills on a regular basis but some live fire will do me good. I'd rather shoot my SAA's and C&B revolvers but carry guns need shooting too. A good cleaning wouldn't hurt, either.

[ReloaderFred]

I learned that the Isosceles, or point shoulder as we used to call it, was the easiest position to shoot accurately when I was range master for our department back in the late 1970's. I tried all the positions available, and I was shooting PPC matches on our pistol team at the time, so I had lots of opportunities to try most every position. Another shooter from the LASD pistol team and I convinced the instructors at the FBI Academy that point shoulder was a better position to shoot from than the one they were teaching, especially from the barricades. After we left the Academy, the FBI changed their training bulletins about 6 months later to the position we demonstrated to them.

It's a simple matter of mechanics. The skeleton will always go into the same position when the elbows are locked, but the muscles have to rely on memory, and unless you're willing to spend many hundreds of hours practicing, you'll never go into the exact shooting position each time relying on muscle memory. You may think you do, but you don't.

To prove this to yourself, pick a target and close your eyes. Bring the pistol up to where you believe the target is and open your eyes. If relying on muscle memory, and you haven't spent those hundreds of hours practicing, I doubt you'll be on target. However, if you use the Isosceles position, my bet is you'll be on target. If you're left or right of the target, but level with it, move your feet to bring the sights on target and then try the exercise again. You'll find it easier to get on target quickly with this method.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tx: Gunsite does a course for using a SA for Self Defense. They teach Draw, Cocking the gun between positions 4&5 with your left thumb, and reloading as a matter of necessity. Surprisingly all that is really different is the cocking of the hammer during the presentation and the "Tactical Reloading" which is simply done more often than you would with a pistol.

All the rest of your normal presentation is basically the same.

The segments I have seen on this subject have been real impressive.

So you can have fun with that now too.

Randy

[44man]

Why I use line-less bifocals. You would laugh at how I need to tip my head back to see sights.

[TXGunNut]

Tx: Gunsite does a course for using a SA for Self Defense. -W.R.Buchanan

I've read about them and the idea intrigues me but the SAA I carry for social equipment is a 1911. ;-) I've toyed with the idea of a bird's-head 45 Colt 1873 clone in a crossdraw rig for road trips but concealment would be an issue out of the car. I've used a RBH as a backup for many years while hunting so I do a few draw and presentation drills with it every fall. When a target presents itself the front sight enters my field of view with very little conscious effort on my part thanks to these drills.
I like the Weaver for long distance shots, especially with a Contender, and it's an easy transition to a very solid kneeling position by just dropping your strong side knee and using your weak side knee to support your weak arm. The Isosceles gives you more flexibility to address close-in targets slighty to your right and left simply by pivoting at the midsection. Another reason LE instructors teach the Isosceles stance is better utilization of body armour.