Pistol shooting ability: Article

Semi automatic and single shot handguns, revolvers and other pistols

Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Aster » 08 Oct 2014, 7:04 pm

Aster wrote:The following article, originally written for Recoil Magazine, Sydney, has been contributed by forum member Cavok. My thanks to her for the extensive contribution. I hope everyone appreciates her efforts.


Part 1:
Your time has come, you have completed all that is required for you to get your first pistol, your very own, the decision has been made. You are beaming, the money paid, the PTA sent in and the day has arrived to collect that very new, never fired semi you always wanted. Yes you have tried all the club guns, listened to everyone who had ideas that never matched yours, but as the new kid on the block you listened intently and acknowledge all of their wisdom.

The other club members do not share your love of the new Gen 4 Glock, used by the British Army, or the fantastic Beretta 92fs as used by the US army, what could be better than that. Or the stainless steel Kimber, what more could you want. All the money paid, nearly $ 2000 and now is the moment of truth, getting it home and telling the world what you have just purchased, this is you day, no more borrowing the crappy club gun and crappy reload ammunition, your new gun your new loads. You are keen to try your new pistol in the 25 and 50 metre service match, you might even try your hand at other events, IPSC even, but that can wait, ISSF is great for 25 & 50 metre shooting.

So there you are, just cleaned the pistol for the 5th time, tried the magazines, they all fit, the holster works great and you need to get some rounds down range. Finally you have loaded the ammunition using the best copper projectiles, yes they cost more than the clubs, but they are the best, as is your imported powder, you will show them. In the past 6 months your scores have been average, some slight improvement as the months moved along but you know you are better than that, you just need your own pistol. Anyway you aren’t shooting for sheep stations.

You get to the range early, only a few other shooters there and you find a quite range, set up your target at 25 metres and need to get your gun sighted in, you need to be making holes in the paper, you need to be better with your own more expensive pistol than the crappy club guns you have been using for the past year. You load your magazines, load the pistol and fire you’re first shot through you own pistol that has never fired a shot before. A second shot, a third, then more, from various positions, sitting, from right side of post, then the left side. Then it is time to go as it is still quite and see how much better your own new pistol shoots than the old, used crappy pistols from the club.

As you approach your target you begin to see the same pattern of hits using your own pistol as that when using the crappy club guns, you stare in disbelief at the target, but the holes are as you had shot weeks ago at your last session. What has gone wrong, was it your ammunition, you were possibly to excited, not concentrating enough, then the truth dawns upon you, it never was about the gun, no matter what brand you purchased, it was always about you, your skills, your ability. Not the shiny cooper coated projectiles, not the imported powder, plain, and simple the shooters ability.
See you on the firing line.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Aster » 08 Oct 2014, 7:24 pm

Part 2:
On returning home from the range you are disappointed, but you know a very good friend of yours in another state, just across the border who has been shooting for years, your really aren’t sure at what level, or what matches but you decide to drive down and see him, he might have a few suggestions, it’s worth a try and you have worked hard so there is money, and you like your new pistol, the best for you.
You arrive at your friends’ house and show him your new toy, less than a month old and begin to tell him it made little impact on his recent score. Your best friend looks at your ammunition and pistol and nods with approval, then starts to outline some options you have. Your friend explains semi autos and revolvers can all be improved with some gun work. He also mentions if you ever get on an elite level, people spend more on their guns than others earn in a month, all for the minute edge, not for you just a few options.

  • Better custom grips.
  • A trigger job as your trigger is too heavy, too much travel.
  • As you own a 1911 a Combat ambidextrous safety, must have during a match.
  • Extended magazine release.
  • Competition hammer.
  • A magazine well for ease of loading and faster.
  • Possibly a lighter recoil spring, a lighter hammer spring.
  • A fibre optic front sight for clearer target acquisition.
  • A better rear fully adjustable sight.
  • Get the grip safety pinned, one less thing to get in the way.
  • Also the option of an expensive pair of shooting shoes for better stability.

As your jaw drops at his suggestions to improve your new shiny fantastic semi-automatic, a pistol you have dreamed of owning all your life you do not even ask what all the above would cost, but quickly realize it may well be much more than you paid for the new pistol, including gunsmithing. Will this make a difference, this you cannot ask your friend as you look along his trophy laden wall, trophies from years and years ago and then the current ones, you don’t want to sound stupid so you thank him and leave. As you leave your friend says to you, as I have given you options of what is possible on your gun, the decision as to what you actually do is yours and your decision alone to make. You also have not asked for my advice, as I agree with you, all manner of people have advice, some good, some not so. When you make whatever changes to your gun you decide I will visit you the week following your shoot and we can go over what I have learnt over so many years shooting, then possibly you will have learnt your first lesson.

As you take shooting seriously and you have the money you decide on all of the available options from your friends list that are possible on your 1911. You visit your local gun shop and use his gunsmith to fit these items and a few weeks later go and collect your pistol. You test the trigger, yes, crisp and firm, the front sight easy to line up, the mag well such a great idea as the new better extended magazine release, all in all you are extremely happy, to the range.

As you have not shot for the past month, as your pistol was undergoing transformation, you again get to the range early, even more excited than last month. You nervously load the magazines, set your target, and begin firing from the correct shooting position. You follow your training, sighting, squeezing the trigger, all form different shooting positions. You are relaxed as you move to your target, then again as you approach, you again see almost the same pattern of hits on target as you had last month, what went wrong, you stare at disbelief at your target and ring your best friend and he agrees to see you the following week. During the conversation he tells you he may have some information that may well help your shooting skills, you can’t wait to see him. So much money spent on improvements, yet so small a gain in score points on the target.
See you on the firing line.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Aster » 08 Oct 2014, 7:43 pm

Part 3:
When your friend arrives you sit down with him and begin to discuss all that had transpired over the past month, new gun, a great deal of gun improvements, and little to show for the very costly dollar exercise in regards to points on the target. Yes you had diligently followed your training in shooting, yes it was also all about having fun, but you consider a good score as part of the exercise. It’s not that you had just started shooting, this was almost a full year since you began, almost 12 matches and then some practice, you ask your friend, where am I going wrong, what else do I need to do, you said my gun was great, so?

Your friend looks you straight in the eye and says, “practice” you explain to him of the 12 matches, almost 100 rounds per match, then some practice on other days, a few more rounds. Your friend has a smile on his lips, which he says in not even close to what is considered practice, then he qualified his statement, “it’s about good practice” not repeating bad mistakes while shooting. Looking at what it is you are actually practicing, grip, trigger control, sigh picture, breathing, being relaxed, then taking your time to get the best shot off while completing the shoot, then doing it all over again, 300 to 400 hundred rounds per training day, or less spread over more days. The more competitions the better, learn to control your anxiety. He explained that once I had mastered the practice, shooting at least twice per week, good solid practice, 600 rounds per week within he thought 6 months I would begin to see some much better results. He explained once the muscle memory of my style of shooting was there, shooting would almost become second nature, draw, sight, squeeze and bang. He explained about taking all the time available in ISSF 25 & 50 metre service match and not to rush it. He told me to avoid information overload from to many coaches.

My friend explained to me that I now owned the best holster a great pistol, capable of shooting scores I had yet to master, but I had the right tools, however without the right practice and regular shooting this can fall off again, so he said, keep at it and don’t expect to be an expert overnight. He explained about asking those in our club who actually could shoot for tips, or just to look at my shooting technique and see what can be improved upon. He also said there were many a good book on shooting techniques that are a benefit.

My friend explained he had been shooting for many years, years of practice, drills, speaking with other good shooters about different techniques, he said some were very helpful in this, others just ignored him, he said some have the attitude, “if I help you, one day you might beat me”. He advised to get a friend, great shooter to watch you during your shooting, then he could film and point out your actual weaknesses, things you could improve on, little faults in technique, actual shooting exercise skills to practice. He said going to a range and shooting off 200 rounds at a target, just for the fun, is a waste of practice time and ammunition.

My friend explained to me, if you want to shoot with the best, Olympics, World Shoots, Bianchi Cup, he said those shooters eat, sleep and shoot almost every day, some are rewarded, others are yet to be. He said it all came down to how far, and how much effort I wanted to put into my new sport. Yes, all the time having fun, being with friends, being relaxed, but also practicing to win, listening to those who know, not those who think they know. Also once having learnt to be prepared to pass on skills that you will learn in time.

So, grip, stance, attitude, sight picture, trigger control, then follow through, simple but possibly there is more. Golfers and Tennis players play for sheep stations, we don’t, hence don’t over complicate pistol shooting.

I then mentioned to my friend about things he has learnt about models and makes of firearms, what is best pistol or revolver for what shooting style, modification to make or not make, he said that depended on finances, style of shooting and whatever level one wanted to go to. Some revolvers are better for one style and some semi-automatics better for another style, he said eventually each shooters as they progress get the firearm that is best for them, there is no one magic gun. He said all have a front sight, then use that, rear sights are great for complex difficult shots, in some matches rear sight usage is a luxuary you do not have.

So practice it is, having fun and shooting with friends, always try and beat your last score in a match, look at where you can improve by getting someone from your club to watch you shoot and give pointers. Finally I find that a GOOD shooter can fire a shot and having done so can call the placement, learn to do this, you had the sight picture, you squeezed the trigger, hence you already know where it landed. Many a time I have called a score to a top shooter, they had a miss or other, they call back, I don’t need to see it, I KNOW.
See you on the firing line.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Aster » 09 Oct 2014, 7:43 am

Part 4: The moral to the story:
Shooting is our sport and using firearms as our tools of the sport requires knowledge on how to best use these tools. Others from our sport even use the same pistols in there trade. Hence we need to practice with our tools, whatever brand we have chosen or been provided with. A carpenter is not really much good if he has a hammer but no idea on how or when best to use it. Hence with us its practice, whatever you feel you need to practice or just to retain your skill set and muscle memory. Golf basically is, swing, the struck ball goes exactly in line with the swing, not to complex, same in tennis, there is no need to be a Rhodes scholar to work out the basic principal for us, stance, grip, draw, sight alignment, shoot (trigger control), very fast (if required), this comes with practice.

I have watched in amazement at the skill set of ISSF shooters using an air pistol at 10 metres, to place a pellet into the middle of a small square target repeatedly requires a great many techniques we all use, grip, trigger control and then some. In Service match and Free Pistol/Centre fire possibly the same skill set but again the intensity with which these people, “fellow shooters” use their revolvers and semis’, I just do not have their patience, i also hate .32 and .177.

To watch some of the best shooters I still enjoy Action Match shooting, that is absolute control and consistency, none of this happens overnight, use the best and then practice. I have learnt a great deal from this style of shooting. For any of our shooting styles I will say one thing, a good trigger job on a revolver or a semi auto is worth a million dollars, still love the S&W 686 with refinements, hard to beat.
Metallic Silhouette is another fantastic and disciplined shooting style, at 200 yards and to see the Pig drop, outstanding, again to get there, thousands of rounds and a great gun, great concentration and discipline.

ICORE, another shooting sport that has many followers, using revolvers only, these guys, and girls can shoot. Their trigger control and the speed with which they shoot shames many a semi-automatic pistol shooter, well worth a try whenever you can, skills worth mastering. A must try for all revolver shooters.
Several times over the past few years I have been lucky to be invited to shoot Western Action. These people are the friendliest and generous of their time and equipment, also the skills they have developed in their sport can only be acquired over years of shooting. This style everyone should/must try, you may just love it.

I have also been lucky enough to try Black Powder and muzzle loading pistol shooting; again these participants have so much skill and dedication, and yet again a different skill set. Or do they, or do any of the styles have different skills. Skills that don’t require a lot of training, stance, grip, sight picture, trigger control, that is what the shooter must learn. What skills are required, how far do I want to get involved in this style, and what are the best firearms I need to own. LOOK in the used gun section, all firearms come second hand, pre-owned by dedicated shooters who moved on to another style, you don’t really need a new shinny pistol, some second hand pistols are so near new it is impossible to tell the difference, except in price.

Finally I come to a large group of shooters whom I have encountered over many years, they arrive on quite days at clubs, three or four car loads, place numerous guns on a table from .22 to .45, place targets down range, and begin shooting, all safe, all legal, this is their competition. These shooters are enjoying themselves, at times one gun each hand. They have all manner of firearms from a Lugers, Mauser C96, Walther P38 to an old army Colt .45, to name a few, fun and being with friends. Yes, they even enjoy shooting some .357 magnum loads, don’t know why, there is very little gun control after firing, still all in the name of “fun”.

If you are going to take shoot seriously, establish if you are left or right eye dominant, you need to know.

In closing may I say we are all shooters, long arm, shotgun or pistol. I would like to think we are united under one shooting banner, united in our passion and to ensure the survival and continuation of the total of our styles, all, not just some, so working collectively to ensure this eventuates is all our goal, in all our collective interests.

Committees of pistol clubs and all shooting bodies have their full member ship to consider, including the catering for juniors, for without them we have no sport. Also please ensure all ranges are fully utilized by all shooting disciplines if possible, not just you particular discipline. So I look forward to seeing you on the range one day and till then, Good Shooting whatever your chosen style. The only style of shooting I missed is IPSC, worth a look. DVC.

Aster wrote:Thanks again to Cavok for contributing the article.
See you on the firing line.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by cavok » 09 Oct 2014, 7:46 am

Bloody thing is longer than War and Peace.
“When all about you have lost their heads and you remain calm, perhaps you do not understand the problem”.
Per ardua ad astra.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by agentzero » 09 Oct 2014, 7:46 am

Gunna be here a while reading this........ Back to the top.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by feedr » 09 Oct 2014, 7:47 am

2 parts down. Have to read the rest after work :lol:
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Fry » 09 Oct 2014, 7:50 am

cavok wrote:Bloody thing is longer than War and Peace.


Took a while to get to the end but thanks for the read :D
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by huccl » 10 Oct 2014, 1:12 pm

Finally finished :lol:
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Patrol66 » 10 Oct 2014, 4:44 pm

Well done Cavok, grats ;)
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by dustin » 12 Oct 2014, 11:44 am

huccl wrote:Finally finished :lol:


Ditto.

I come here to waste time! Not read a novel!

Nah jokes, it's good :)
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by cavok » 12 Oct 2014, 3:35 pm

dustin wrote:
huccl wrote:Finally finished :lol:


Ditto.

I come here to waste time! Not read a novel!

Nah jokes, it's good :)


Thanks, you are lucky, that was the abridged version, a complete volume of 5 , 6 & 7, full length is available, with steak knives, wait there is more. :) No not really only the addendum and, not really.
“When all about you have lost their heads and you remain calm, perhaps you do not understand the problem”.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Lyam » 13 Oct 2014, 6:33 pm

Thanks for the read Cavok :)
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by cavok » 13 Oct 2014, 7:17 pm

Thanks to those who read this, I appreciate the feed back. I hope it is of some benefit to many. Also thank you to Aster for posting it.
“When all about you have lost their heads and you remain calm, perhaps you do not understand the problem”.
Per ardua ad astra.
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Re: Pistol shooting ability: Article

Post by Wes » 14 Oct 2014, 12:11 pm

I had to look up what the hell "playing for sheep stations" meant :lol:

But other than that :D
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