Shooting one handed and why am I wrong?

[contender1]

Well, I'm a firearm instructor, and up front, I'll say that if YOU are happy with what you shoot & how,, FINE!!!!!

But let's look at things from a few different points.
As noted,,, Bullseye shooters are shooting a specific discipline at specific distances, a specific way. And as noted above, look at the steel silhouette shooters. A totally different discipline with different ways.

Those are (2) excellent examples of ways to look at things.

But as an instructor, I break down ACCURATE shooting as follows.
The human body is the base platform. When standing we only have our feet touching a solid surface. If we sit, or kneel, we increase body contact with a solid surface. We stabilize the platform. Go prone & we stabilize the platform even more.
Next, the firearm.
One hand is the least contact with the body, while 2 hands have more contact. If shooting a rifle or shotgun, we also have the shoulder, & maybe a sling to add stability to the platform.

The steadier the platform along with the maximum contact available allows for better accuracy. It's noticed more at longer distances. When distance increases, and the targets get smaller, and accuracy is the desire, so you need the maximize the ability to be stable.

I taught a class this past weekend.
I always start new shooters at close distances & larger targets. Well, due to one student asking a question, I demonstrated a few different methods & added distance & smaller targets. They were quite impressed. And yes, one method I demonstrated was the 'Hollywood hip shooting" done by TV actors. I used a SA handgun, one handed, in .44 mag. But once I demonstrated all that,,, I also showed them what happens when you add distance. I used a one handed hold at 100 yds, & missed 3 times. I then switched to a 2 handed hold, at 100 yds, and hit all 3. I was shooting 8" diameter steel plates.

So, are you wrong?
NO.
Can it be better?
YES.

I like to call it all; "The variables!"

[MT Gianni]

I think we all should practice defensive pistol with a single hand hold, both strong and weak hand. For targets I use two as it works for me.

[MrWolf]

Please take this the right way but if you are happy and comfortable with how you shoot, why do you care what anyone else thinks? I couldn't care less except for a very few people what they think.

[lotech]

Please take this the right way but if you are happy and comfortable with how you shoot, why do you care what anyone else thinks? I couldn't care less except for a very few people what they think.

It's not that anyone really "cares" what others think, it's different perspectives on the same or a similar topic that others may find interesting.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have shot hundreds of thousands of handgun rounds. Shot ppc and bullseye leagues. Like was said bullseye shooter dont shoot one hand because the want to they do it because its the rule. IF it was more accurate id think the military would still be teaching it. I can shoot fairly well one handed IF i have a 2lb crisp trigger. But if not your about always going to shoot better with two hands if you shoot 2 handed properly. I still do practice shooting one handed and one handed weak side just in case an arm gets injured. But its like comparing a bipod to a monopod two are always more steady. If not your doing something wrong. That said its your gun shoot it the way you want. I know some who could probably outshoot me one handed.

[Kyle M.]

Thanks for all the replies. It's not so much I care what the people telling me I'm wrong are saying as it is irritating to be told that something that works and isn't having a negative effect on anything is wrong. But I'm going to go with it's what works for me and keep shooting one handed. Now there are a few handguns I own and have owned that are heavy enough like the Desert Eagle or have a grip where a two handed hold work for me. But for most pistols I just do better one handed. For those who say there's something wrong with my two handed stance, grip, etc if I shoot better one handed I'm not buying it. I see absolutely no written in stone reason that two hands is automatically steadier than one. Suppose my left hand which is my strong hand is perfectly steady, but my right and weak hand is a bit shaky. To me using that right hand as a support hand is going to throw my two handed shooting off, but I don't think that's the issue as I shoot just as well with my strong or weak hand one handed. I've never tried weak handed with a two hand hold.

I also don't think anyone in this thread is B.S.'ing me with how well they shoot I didn't see any outlandish accuracy claims myself. I've seen plenty of 1911's in a Ransom rest shoot sub 2" 25 yard groups, I've also seen and read about Sig P210's shooting 1" 50 yard groups, there's a video of a P210 on YouTube by Ransom and they got some sub 2" 50 yard groups with off the shelf ammo. I've always read that a pistol/revolver that shoots 2.5" or less at 25 yards is giving match grade accuracy, then again today when people think a cheap hunting rifle should shoot 1/4 MOA I guess nothing is good enough. I imagine even the cheapest pocket pistol groups better than the average shooter can shoot.

[jimb16]

I find that I'm more accurate shooting single hand. I shot a 99 3x the other day with the contender pistol in .45 colt. Not bad for a 72 year old dude. I figure that If I can shoot that well with a single shot, I don't have to worry unless I have more than one opponent....*LOL*

[Earlwb]

One handed is not a problem. if you shoot well like that go for it. When you look at the past everyone was shooting one handed. The old SAA revolvers and others were designed for one handed shooting too. The US military used to teach one handed shooting for ages. At least up until they started to switch over to the 9mm rounds. Heck they still do one handed shooting in the Olympics with pistols like the ISSF 50 meter pistols. They still do so in the Worlds contests even though it was dropped from the Olympics recently. If it was a bad way to shoot, they would have quit doing it years ago.

[NSB]

When it’s all said and done, if the object is to hit the target with a greater degree of precision, shooting two hands will always do better than one. If you disagree, go to a shoot where everyone is shooting two handed and compete one handed. You’ll never win.

[Kyle M.]

When it’s all said and done, if the object is to hit the target with a greater degree of precision, shooting two hands will always do better than one. If you disagree, go to a shoot where everyone is shooting two handed and compete one handed. You’ll never win.

That may be true but I'd say that's based more on two hands being more controllable for quick follow up shots. If it was slow fire surely there's someone out there that could win shooting one handed. I'm nearly perfectly steady with one hand and feel the same when using a two hand hold, but I simply do not shoot as tight of groups shooting with a two hand hold. I'm not sure why some people find it so hard to believe that there are people who shoot better one handed.

[M-Tecs]

That may be true but I'd say that's based more on two hands being more controllable for quick follow up shots. If it was slow fire surely there's someone out there that could win shooting one handed. I'm nearly perfectly steady with one hand and feel the same when using a two hand hold, but I simply do not shoot as tight of groups shooting with a two hand hold. I'm not sure why some people find it so hard to believe that there are people who shoot better one handed.

A 72 year old buddy of mine just shot a 10X clean at 50 yards with his 1911 at a Bullseye league. In his 30 years of shooting bullseye he has has shot many clean scores but never a 10X. He is a High Master. At my best I was a low end Master. Most consider me well above average handgun shooter. Personally I do shoot better with both hands but I have a couple of HM buddies that I can't come close to out shooting even with both hands.

[Kyle M.]

A 72 year old buddy of mine just shot a 10X clean at 50 yards with his 1911 at a Bullseye league. In his 30 years of shooting bullseye he has has shot many clean scores but never a 10X. He is a High Master. At my best I was a low end Master. Most consider me well above average handgun shooter. Personally I do shoot better with both hands but I have a couple of HM buddies that I can't come close to out shooting even with both hands.

That's kind of what I'm trying to say. Those who shoot Bullseye shoot better one handed than most shooters including myself will ever achieve two handed. But I'm happy with the skill level I shoot at, and practice only makes you better. The whole point of this thread was so I could reassure myself that I wasn't doing something fundamentally wrong by continuing to shoot the way that works for me. I guess it wouldn't have really mattered if I was wrong considering it works for me. But I somehow feel better about it now. There are some replies here that definitely strengthen my confidence in what I'm doing. There are always going to be the naysayers who don't possibly think I could be holding tighter groups one handed than two and if I do it must be my technique. But I say technique be danged if after 20 years of shooting my two handed ability isn't improving but my one handed is I may as well shoot one handed.

[Lloyd Smale]

i think it was during the viet nam war that two handed shooting took favor in the military. I know in the early 70s i went through boot and then trained with the navy and marines and they all taught 2 handed handgun shooting. Keep in mind that before that handguns were considered up close and personal weapons. It was before people hunted with them or even dreamed of hitting something at a 100 yards with on. They were for up close and personal. The perception of a handgun that was instilled in us in quick draw cowboy movies. I guess it can be justfied like this. if you had to hold a 2 lb weight out in front of you for 3 minutes would you rather hold up that weight with one hand or two. What if find is at least for me when i shoot a da revolver one handed ive got a tendency to shoot to the right because it takes ALOT of consentration to keep from torqueing the gun to the right when i pull the trigger. Id think under the stress of combat that would be amplified. Shooting bullseye or target shooting when you are not under pressure and can concentrate on not doing it is one thing but try to shoot 3 shots fast with a long fairly heavy trigger pull and most will pull to the right. We had a charging bear target at one of the linebaugh seminars that would come at you and you had to draw and shoot as fast as you could and most who shot one handed put there shots in the dirt low and to the right with DA guns and these were some of the best handgun shooters ive ever met. Conclusion we came to is the guy who shot a single action two handed did better every time then the one hand shooter and especially the one handed DA shooters under stress. We also did some LONG range shooting out to 800 yards and doing that one handed usually had bullet in the next county.

One handed is not a problem. if you shoot well like that go for it. When you look at the past everyone was shooting one handed. The old SAA revolvers and others were designed for one handed shooting too. The US military used to teach one handed shooting for ages. At least up until they started to switch over to the 9mm rounds. Heck they still do one handed shooting in the Olympics with pistols like the ISSF 50 meter pistols. They still do so in the Worlds contests even though it was dropped from the Olympics recently. If it was a bad way to shoot, they would have quit doing it years ago.

military taught two handed shooting way before they started using 9mms. When i went though even coast guard boot in 74 they taught two handed shooting and so did the training courses i too with the Navy marines and army.

[Sasquatch-1]

The range I belong to has a dedicated steel plate range for hand guns. All users of the range must qualify. The qualification is 9 out of 10 shots on a 6" paper plate at 15 yards.

Now with that said, we have about a 20% success rate for qualifications. That is with one or two hands any sighting system and with any handgun up to 45 colt/44 mag. (No super magnums aloud.)

The big problem today is that most shooters, for their first handgun, run out and buy a wonder nine and believe in the spray and pray method. And most conceal carry courses only require you to shoot from 7 yards and from what I have observed at the range, that is as far as any of them ever practice at.

Here again if you are comfortable one handed, shoot one handed. If you need two hands shoot, two handed. If you need to shoot from a bench with a support of some kind to have fun, do so.

[NSB]

That may be true but I'd say that's based more on two hands being more controllable for quick follow up shots. If it was slow fire surely there's someone out there that could win shooting one handed. I'm nearly perfectly steady with one hand and feel the same when using a two hand hold, but I simply do not shoot as tight of groups shooting with a two hand hold. I'm not sure why some people find it so hard to believe that there are people who shoot better one handed.

Because I shot competition all my life. I’ve competed in major shoots all over the country. I have shot with literally the best precision hand gunners in world. You’re measuring success to your own standards, and if that makes you happy that’s all OK. However, if you think you’re good, go and compete at some bigger shoots (probably something in your area somewhere) and get that rude awakening. I’ve seen people show up, pay their entry fees, and walk away with their butt in their hands wondering “how can this be”?. You’re simply naive about how good people can shoot handguns for precision, at distance, and none of them win shooting one handed. It’s just reality.
Kyle M. : Going back and re-reading your comments I might be persuaded to change my thoughts on what you’re saying. It’s possible that YOU shoot better one handed than you do two handed. That’s believable, but if it’s true (in your case I’ll say it’s true), I will add that with some training you’d shoot better with two hands is taught to do so. On your own it’s just not happening. In the big picture, the top shooters use two hands for a reason.....it’s better if practiced and with training.

[44MAG#1]

Everyone shoot anyway you want to as long as it is SAFE. It doesn't matter if you hold it with your feet and pull, press, squeeze, snatch or grab the trigger with your pinky finger.
Goodness, it doesn't matter as long as the individual is safe and is satisfied with their shooting.

[yeahbub]

Well, the way I look at it is, if I'm in a grocery match or something and you're shooting with one hand better than than I am, then yeah, you're doing it wrong. Ahem. . . .

Full speed ahead with what works best for you.

[Kyle M.]

Because I shot competition all my life. I’ve competed in major shoots all over the country. I have shot with literally the best precision hand gunners in world. You’re measuring success to your own standards, and if that makes you happy that’s all OK. However, if you think you’re good, go and compete at some bigger shoots (probably something in your area somewhere) and get that rude awakening. I’ve seen people show up, pay their entry fees, and walk away with their butt in their hands wondering “how can this be”?. You’re simply naive about how good people can shoot handguns for precision, at distance, and none of them win shooting one handed. It’s just reality.
Kyle M. : Going back and re-reading your comments I might be persuaded to change my thoughts on what you’re saying. It’s possible that YOU shoot better one handed than you do two handed. That’s believable, but if it’s true (in your case I’ll say it’s true), I will add that with some training you’d shoot better with two hands is taught to do so. On your own it’s just not happening. In the big picture, the top shooters use two hands for a reason.....it’s better if practiced and with training.

Yes I'm saying I shoot better one handed than I shoot two handed. Not that I shoot better one handed than others can shoot two handed. But at the same time most of my friends who shoot and most of the guys I run into at the range cannot hit a 6" plate at 15 yards with a handgun. That's why I said at some point that I shoot better one handed than most of the people I've met shoot two handed. I have no illusions to being any kind of "marksman" at least not with a handgun. I don't know how they can't hit that plate, but the fact that none of them shoot often probably has something to do with it.

[M-Tecs]

One of the most brutal lessons that I learned in NRA Highpower Match and Service Rifle/NRA Bullseye/registered trap competition was my eyes weren't good enough and I was about 6" to 8" too tall to be THE national champion.

Even when I finished first at the State or Reginal levels I was not the best nor would I ever be the best in the nation or the world. In the end it didn't matter because I got out of competition what I wanted. That was to be the best I could be.

To the OP if your goal is to be the best you can be one handed that's your goal and no one else's. There is no right or wrong in that. If you were trying to convince others one handed is normally superior compared to two hand (for most shooters) that would be open to lots of discussion and disagreement. Since you are not doing that I truly don't understand how tight some of the folks get their undies over YOU and ONLY YOU shooting one handed.

Personally I don't like shooting one handed that much. That doesn't mean that the years of Bullseye didn't teach me some about shooting one handed. When I am at the range and the blasters a going crazy at 15' & 21' spraying the target I truly enjoy shooting one hand at 25 or 50 yards. Some never notice but I do get some fun and interesting reactions when they see my target verse theirs.

The only time it MAY make a meaningful difference is in self defense handgun usage since two handed normally allows for quicker follow-up shots (unless you have a medical issue).

[gwpercle]

No wrong ... you shoot the way you want to shoot !
Tell all them inter web experts and shooting range know-it-alls to kiss your shiney behiney ...
Do It Your Way .
I'm gonna tell you here and now ... I shoot a lot of revolvers ... one handed and ...yes the biggest Sin of all ... I cock the hammer back and shoot single action ....
I don't feel handicapped one bit by it ... Wyatt Earp , James B. Hickcock , John Henry (Doc) Holliday and Bat Masterson ...all did quite well shooting their way !
Gary