I've been shooting for a long time but just can't seem to get it where I would say I'm a good shot with pistols. I've developed a flinch and can't seem to over come it. MY shots group most of the time, but not where they need to be, and I know the gun isn't the issue because it happens with any gun I shoot besides my 22. I shoot with 2 hands (southpaw :biggrin) and look at the front sight when I aim. I tried something I saw in a video, which was to squeaze the trigger a little and release, and squeaze a little more every time until the gun fires so I don't know exactly when it will go off which helped a little. Can anyone give me some tips, perferably law enforcement or someone who has spent alot of time shooting guns.

Ajugy,

Try some simple dry fire (empty gun, NO MAGAZINES OR AMMO ANYWHERE NEAR YOU, please,for safety sake) excercises, then combine with live fire at the range. During dry fire, try and conciously keep stable sight picture while pressing trigger without moving muzzle. You flinch because your body is subconciously preparing you for the pain of recoil.

Next, get some "snap caps" or dummy rounds and have a friend load one or two in the middle of a magazine. This way you will not know when they are chambered and when you "fire" you will notice your flinch as pistol will move even though it did not fire.
Again, practice holding site picture and keeping weapon stable as you pull trigger, while waiting for the click of the snap cap/dummy round in weapon's chamber.

Dry fire along with dummy rounds that you are unaware of, can greatly help reduce a flinch.

HTH,

DH

Can anyone give me some tips, perferably law enforcement or someone who has spent alot of time shooting guns.

Just a quick tip: Just because someone has a badge doesn't mean they were born with a gun in their hands.

Just a quick tip: Just because someone has a badge doesn't mean they were born with a gun in their hands.

Yeah I know, I just figured with the training they have to go through thet may have some good tips to give. I just didn't want someone to give me ideas and have it turn out to be a bad habit they developed.

Ajugy,

Try some simple dry fire (empty gun, NO MAGAZINES OR AMMO ANYWHERE NEAR YOU, please,for safety sake) excercises, then combine with live fire at the range. During dry fire, try and conciously keep stable sight picture while pressing trigger without moving muzzle. You flinch because your body is subconciously preparing you for the pain of recoil.

Next, get some "snap caps" or dummy rounds and have a friend load one or two in the middle of a magazine. This way you will not know when they are chambered and when you "fire" you will notice your flinch as pistol will move even though it did not fire.
Again, practice holding site picture and keeping weapon stable as you pull trigger, while waiting for the click of the snap cap/dummy round in weapon's chamber.

Dry fire along with dummy rounds that you are unaware of, can greatly help reduce a flinch.

HTH,

DH

Thanks, I'm going to have to try that. It sounds like a real good idea.

I know that I dry fired my glock a lot before I ever shot it. Smooth is good. I would agree Delta Hotel on the dry firing. Again you want to align the front sight square between the rear sight, and keep it straight across the top of both sights. Smooth press of the trigger until you here the trigger click. You don't want the front sight to move. Practice this every night, or as often as you can. Do it for a while and I bet your groups will become better. It will take time.

Just a quick tip: Just because someone has a badge doesn't mean they were born with a gun in their hands.

No, but hopefully they've got a good deal of experience and formal training with handguns, and have addressed and overcome any issues they may have had, such as the aforementioned flinching, problems with form, etc.

I know there's definitely police out there that are pretty slack when it comes to training, but I don't think they'd be the type to answer up in a thread such as thing.

As to the question at hand, I agree with the dry fire and random snap caps at the range. If the muzzle dips when you pull the trigger on the inert round, you're definitely flinching.

Dry firing will help a lot. But take a look at where your groups are on your target...generally if your shots are ending in a particular area of the target (mostly lower right, mostly middle left, etc...) your finger placement on the trigger needs adjustment (you are pulling or pushing your shots by flinching/helping the handgun). If your shots are all over the fucking place, remind yourself on each shot to concentrate on that front sight. A mental image that I was taught to avoid flinching was when you are taking the slack out of the trigger, envision an analog clock with a second hand and as you are taking the slack out and trying to time it with the second hand reaching 12 on the face of the clock, the gun will go off and surprise you...greatly reducing the habit of anticipating the gun going off(flinching/helping). Now by no means am I an expert, hopefully some of the tips that have proved useful to me will help you in some way.

Dry firing will help a lot. But take a look at where your groups are on your target...generally if your shots are ending in a particular area of the target (mostly lower right, mostly middle left, etc...) your finger placement on the trigger needs adjustment (you are pulling or pushing your shots by flinching/helping the handgun). If your shots are all over the fucking place, remind yourself on each shot to concentrate on that front sight. A mental image that I was taught to avoid flinching was when you are taking the slack out of the trigger, envision an analog clock with a second hand and as you are taking the slack out and trying to time it with the second hand reaching 12 on the face of the clock, the gun will go off and surprise you...greatly reducing the habit of anticipating the gun going off(flinching/helping). Now by no means am I an expert, hopefully some of the tips that have proved useful to me will help you in some way.

I never gave finger placement a thought. They are grouping just not where they need to be. I'll have to try the clock thing as well. Anything that will make me suprised by the shot will help alot, I know I am anticipating it.

I never gave finger placement a thought. They are grouping just not where they need to be. I'll have to try the clock thing as well. Anything that will make me suprised by the shot will help alot, I know I am anticipating it.

Well, DH explained it right on the button. On trigger finger placement..Your finger tip has to be on the trigger in such a way, that when you pull, pressure is coming straight to the rear. Any sideward movements will throw you off.

In addition, you don't grip with all fingers..My thumb just lays on the weapon. I am gripping three fingers. Not gripping with the trigger finger either.. The trigger pull has to be independent of the grip.. The grip should be tight, but not too tight. Along with the dry firing,( I dry fire at a blank wall, as not to be concerned with holding that much, everything is gear toward sight picture and sight alignment. Super important.

Holding out 5 lbs dumbells help your ability to hold closely. 98% of the time, I am shooting the pistol with one hand. Any misalighnment,jerk, flinch, whatever, is a miss!!

Shooting is just like the sportbike, you gotta love the sportbike to ride it good, ya gotta love shooting the pistol in order to shoot it well! :cheers

I hope this doesn't start anything but shooting a pistol is 10 times harder than shooting a rifle!! http://www.cehoward.net/badteeth%5b1%5d.gif

Not only that, having a "good trigger" helps too. The trigger on my 1911 is about as sweet as they get. Breaks clean at 3 1/2 lbs. Supposed to be 4 lbs. :) Same on my Hi Standard 22, the trigger breaks clean at 2 lbs. Very, very crisp. You got a bad trigger, that doesn't help you..