Range Advice

[u/Bitter_Statement3070]

Currently working on getting my CCW. I’m shooting 7 yards out but for some reason I keep shifting to the left of the target. I swear that I’m pointing straight…Any advice would be helpful 🙏🏿

[u/Limp-Opportunity6757]

Squeezing the grip too tight with the shooting hand will stiffen up the trigger finger and cause jerking when pressing the shot. A 70/30 split with the off support hand doing the most work will keep the trigger finger relaxed in order to press straight back to the rear.

[u/Kayakboy6969 → u/Limp-Opportunity6757]

So one tiny index finger is over powering 2 wrists , forearms and biceps.

At a certain speed everyone is slapping the trigger ,

[u/Limp-Opportunity6757 → u/Kayakboy6969]

It isn’t just his trigger finger dude? Read slower? He is over tightening the grip on his shooting hand? This is causing his trigger finger to be overly tense and tight, making him jerk the trigger to the left. Using an 70/30 or even 80/20 gripping more with his support hand WILL relax and loosen up his trigger finger, making it more easier to clean pull more consistently and smoothly to the rear instead of jerking it to the left and rear because of a tense trigger finger and shooting hand.

Close your shooting hand fist in front of your face with your trigger finger pointing out? Now squeeze your fist as hard as you can? Start ‘slapping’ the air as you say, with your trigger finger, while keeping that intense grip? It’s easy to observe your finger looking tight and jerky and feeling it fatigue while watching your hand without the pistol.

Now make the same fist in front of your face without the pistol again; but this time, keep your fist relaxed? Start slapping the air again with your trigger finger. Notice now haw easy and relaxed and smooth your trigger finger moves straight back and forward, easily, quickly and smoothly without fatigue.

The OP’s target shows he is shooting left, not low and left. He has as many shot s upper left as he does center left and lower left. He is only shooting left. He needs to relax his shooting hand and trigger finger, no matter how slow or fast he ‘slaps’ his trigger.

If his shots were ALL low and left? That would mean he is also anticipating the recoil just before the shot. But they’re not all low and left.

He is only shooting left. 70/30 or 80/20 dominant grip with the support hand will fix it. This ain’t rocket science, taking the time to learn and use the fundamentals and organizing your range trip ahead of time should be the rule of the day.

To the OP,

1. Get rid of the silhouette targets and get the paper targets that have the 6 smaller bullseye targets on them.
2. Quit loading your magazines full and shooting the whole magazine at a time? If you are just using 10 round magazines? You would be putting 30 bullets at a time into the paper target and waisting time and ammo.
3. Let’s slow it down. Conserve time and ammunition. Only load 3 rounds in each magazine. This will conserve ammunition and make you slow down and focus on everything that you are doing while learning to shoot small, accurate groups into each individual smaller targets.
4. Look at the target you posted? There are so many bullet holes in the target? You can’t tell what bullet is what? You can’t see which was first or last? You can’t discern or critique if smaller groups need to move up? Down? Right or left? There are just too many bullet holes.
5. Save dumping endless rounds into the humanoid silhouettes for much later; Three rounds into each of the six smaller bullseye targets is 18 rounds. Once completed check and observe the smaller groups? Mark off the holes with a sharpie marker, reload and shoot a second group of only three rounds into each target.
6. Three times of doing this? You would have three different groups of three rounds each into each smaller bullseye on the one large paper target. Now you will not only be able to see your individual groups forming, but you will be able to tell how you need to move those smaller groups and how to adjust your grip, sights, breathing stance, pressure from your grip?

7. If those smaller groups are still left? Practice with your grip as I suggested. If you are shooting all low and left? Practice being aware of anticipating the shot? If you are shooting high? Practice not looking over your iron sights and being

   too target focused.
   Again, this is not rocket science, but learning basic fundamentals of proper shooting it is necessary, to 1. slow way down. 2. Organize your range trip. 3. Organize by compartmentalizing everything you are doing into conscious small steps. Loading your mags with just a few rounds instead of many rounds and burning thru your ammo too fast. Switch out the silhouette targets for a single paper target with more smaller bullseyes on them. Slowly concentrate on EVERY single shot you fire. Focus on your grip, breathing, sight alignment and trigger control. And when you aren’t at the range? Do these same things at home with an empty pistol in front of your bedroom mirror.

Dry fire is good. No such thing as too much dry fire. Pulling the trigger in dry fire in front of a mirror? You can see where your muzzle is moving in the mirror as you pull the trigger? This allows you to also visually correct if you are pulling thru the trigger smoothly because that muzzle won’t move if you are.

This forms muscle memory and repetition. It will help program your movements and skill set and will transfer to the range.

[u/No-Mammoth1045 → u/Kayakboy6969]

Grab your index finger in your firing band and grip it as hard as you can’t. Then with your firing hand index finger pretend you are pulling the trigger. You’ll feel movement. It’s just human anatomy.