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Thread: Improving accuracy

  1. #81
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    1,071
    Dry fire against a white background. No target.

    Just focus on the front sight and getting the shot to break without disturbing alignment.

  2. #82
    Boolit Grand Master

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Northwest Ohio
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    I used to tell people starting out buy a 22 rimfire that you like and shoot it weekly for a year. Every time you finish a box of ammo put $20.00 in the coffee can ( basically difference between 22 and most centerfire ammo) At the end of the year you have sight picture hold and trigger control down and are ready for the centerfire. Now open the coffee can and theres the money for the centerfire you want and some starter ammo.

    Starting out with the big boomers seldom works well, our nervous systems arnt able to handle the booms, flash and recoil flinches result. Lhe ild mannered 22 gets the nervous system up to this. A lot can be accomplished thru dry fire better if combined with live fire sessions to confirm. Use a big target to start it might not be your a very poor shot but the ammo gun combination may not be sighted in. Some sighting in may be required

    Last and most target shooters do this routinely. Learn to call your shots when shooting. Knowing you drifted off into the 8 ring area when the shot broke explains a lot when the shot is in the 8 ring there. Being able to "call shots" is a big help in shooting.

    Agun sighted in from a solid rest and bench position may have a slightly different poi/poa due to the differences in how hold and recoil affect the firearm

  3. #83
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    760
    I shoot primer propelled wax bullets.
    They can be shot from an automatic but they must be single loaded.
    Shooting these at paper will really help.
    Also if you reload.
    You can load up some minimum loads using lighter weight recommended bullets.

  4. #84
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Posts
    23
    This one of the better threads I have yet to come across. Even though i started shooting handguns competitively when I was a teenager, all these years later this advice is invaluable. Ingrained bad habits are much harder to fix in your sixties than your twenties, but I guess I'm pigheaded enough to still try and shake them off. If nothing else, handguns keep you honest; one handed shooting with iron sights require far more skill than shooting a bull barrelled 7.62 prone from fully adjustable rests using a $3,000.00 scope with a range finder.

  5. #85
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    760
    Try a 50/50 mix of household vinegar and hydrogen peroxide on the bore and see if anything comes out on a patch after it sits for awhile in there.
    You will find out if the gun bore is really clean.

  6. #86
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    west central Illinois
    Posts
    7,699
    A couple of things I have found over the last 7 years is----
    1-- Learning to shoot accurately with a handgun takes a lot of time and proper practice. Particularly when you start with a bunch of poor habits and bad technique like I did. Being old with unsteady hands and poor eyesight does not help.

    2--- My impact point has changed markedly over the years. As my trigger squeeze gets better and my hold improves, my sights have required some adjustment to allow for my improved form. It is amazing how far bad technique will throw a bullet.

    When I first began to really learn this skill, If I could hold all my rounds on an sheet of copy paper I felt like I was doing well. Then I saw some really good shooters firing at the range and found out just how bad I was. I asked questions and paid attention and worked at getting the bugs out of my form. I still have a ways to go but things are getting better. Now my poor groups are better than the best groups from years ago.

    I finally got good enough to tell when I have a poor load for any particular gun. Until now, anything that would shoot into 4 inches at 10-12 yards was a good load. Now, if it doesn't shoot under three inches at that distance, I know it is the load and not me.
    I still can't do well at longer distances yet.
    If I live long enough, I may actually become a passable shot with a handgun.
    Last edited by tazman; 01-13-2022 at 12:02 AM.

  7. #87
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Central Texas
    Posts
    1,910
    An older friend of mine (late 80’s), used to be a member of the Army pistol team and he gave me a couple of tips on offhand shooting.

    He said nobody can remain still due to our human physiology but we can control movement to a degree so he would transcribe very small circles with the sights moving in a regular rhythm. The sights should circle in either direction then the shooter starts slowing the pace and pressing the trigger. If everything is good, the gun goes bang when it all lines up. If not, make another circle.

    He also recommended holding a 10 lb dumbbell at arm’s length to condition the muscles. Do that daily and most any pistol will be easier to hold.

    He is fortunate to live in a rural area and also built a simple hinged target that was a piece of steel plate with a 1” hole cut in the center. A steel paddle was hung behind on a hinge so hits could be easily seen. The front plate was painted white and the paddle black, similar to a conventional paper target. He hung this on a fence post 25 yards from his front porch so he walk outside to shoot. He would only use a .22 so the target lasted a long time.

  8. #88
    Boolit Bub Longfellow's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
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    PA
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    Read The Pistol Shooters Treasury.

  9. #89
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    1,013
    I started using my chest muscles to press my support hand and my trigger hand together, kinda like sandwhiching the pistol grip between my two hands. Do the normal grip stuff too.

  10. #90
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    1,071
    Two words: dry fire. A lot.

    I call it “white wall” practice. No target, just a bright background that lets you clearly see your front sight. The goal is to get the imaginary shot off without the sights moving out of alignment.

    This saves a ton of time & money learning trigger control.

  11. #91
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Posts
    111
    Sorry, I haven't taken the time to read through each and every post. You've been given some great advise here, as is the usual.

    Regarding dry firing: My son's high school wrestling coach was on the US Army High Power Rifle team. One of the exercises they did was dry firing, working on trigger control. They worked in teams of two. One on the firing line in prone position. The other would balance a nickel on the front sight. Shooter would dry fire. Goal was 100 shots without dropping the nickel. Drop the nickel, start over. Shooter could not leave the firing line until the 100 shot goal was attained.

    Another point that I was taught is this: Natural point of aim. Get yourself into shooting position, align sights on target. Close your eyes and relax. You should still be on target. If not, you were "muscling" the sight onto the target.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check