# New to hand gunning



## knutson24 (Feb 16, 2009)

So I just recently pruchased my first ever hand gun (Springfield 1911 Milspec).I am left handed however i am right eye dominate and shoot rifle/shotgun righthanded ad fairly well at that. But when I hold my pistol it feels more comfortable to shoot it left handed. It takes a lot of concentration to used my left eye to focus on the sight picture alking like a 10 in group at 25 yds. However when I shoot it right handed it feel awkward as all get go but I get a good sight picture a lot faster and shoot about a 2.3-3 in group at 25yds. Granted I'e only been shooting it for about a month or so and I'm still improving. But My question is there anyone who as this same problem and how did they overcome it. Second does anyone have any advice on how to shoot equally well with either hand besides practice,practice, practice. The biggest problem is switching focus from one eye to the other. Any help or advice is must appreciated
Thanks,

Knutson


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## wish2hunt (Apr 3, 2009)

I'd help you if i could, but I shoot my handgun with both eyes open. Ive tried to close one eye, but then i shoot like crap.


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## knutson24 (Feb 16, 2009)

I've tried both eyes open and I didnt even hit the target :-? But when I shoot shotgun i use both eyes and I hit about 75-80 %


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## doublereed (Mar 27, 2009)

I don't necessarily agree 100% with this article but it's a start.

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What are the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship?
Thank you MakeMineA10mm for contributing this excellent article.

Pistol Marksmanship Fundamentals

1. Stance
Your stance must be steady and comfortable so that you do not become fatigued too easily. There are several popular styles including isosceles and Weaver, but any stable, comfortable position will do. You should use both hands. In the Weaver stance, you can use your weak hand to pull back while pushing forward with your strong hand. This is called isometric tension and greatly aids in rapid shooting, shooting a heavy-recoiling handgun, and proper stability. You should practice your stance at home with an unloaded pistol during dry-fire practice.

2. Grip
Believe it or not, many people do not think about how to grip a handgun. For an auto pistol especially, the grip makes a big difference.

With your fingers and thumb making an "L", place your strong hand as high up on the grip as is comfortably possible. The apex of the web of your hand should be centered at the rearmost point of the curve in the gun's backstrap. This makes sure you are not gripping the gun too far, or not far enough, around the grip. The forefinger should rest naturally along the side of the frame above the trigger and the other three fingers should wrap easily around the frontstrap of the grip. The strong-hand thumb may either be in a "high" or "low" position. Caution must be used in both of these positions. Too low a position may actuate the magazine release, dumping your mag unintentionally. Too high a position may induce stoppages by unintentionally dragging your thumb on the slide as it cycles.

Your weak hand, in the Weaver position, should wrap naturally around your strong hand with all of the fingers below the trigger guard. Your weak hand thumb should lay over the top of your strong hand thumb to form a cross ("+").

Both elbows should be slightly bent, but both wrists must be locked. The strong hand should be pushing forward slightly, and the weak hand should be pulling back slightly.

3. Sight alignment
Sights on most auto pistols consist of a square front post or ramp and a rear "U" notch. Simply centering the front post in the rear U with an even amount of light on both sides of the front post inside the rear notch and with their tops level, will give you all the accuracy you need out to 100 yds or so. At closer ranges (25 yards and less), perfect sight alignment is not necessary. If the front sight is on target and the rear sight is within close alignment, you will hit very close to the front sight's position. Do not make the common mistake of watching the target. The focus of your eyes should be entirely on the front sight. You will get a chance to look at your target later.

When shooting the target, if other conditions are within your acceptable limits, imperfect sight alignment should not stop you from taking a shot. When we get to trigger control, you will see that the moment, when the trigger "breaks" and the weapon fires, should be a surprise to you. If everyone was expected to hold a pistol in absolutely perfect sight alignment throughout the entire trigger squeeze in order to hit the target, no one would ever pull the trigger. So, know what the sights are supposed to look like when in proper alignment, and strive to keep them lined up as close as possible to that "perfect" sight picture, but, more importantly, watch the front sight and keep it on the target you want to hit.

4. Breath Control
Breathing control is much less important in pistol shooting than in rifle, however, it is still important enough to cause a miss, especially at long range (25 yards or more). Proper breath control is often difficult to accomplish when shooting pistol, because there is a greater demand for oxygen by our bodies. Usually we are standing up and holding a pistol up at almost the end of arm's reach, and sometimes we've been running/moving, etc., etc. All these activities demand more oxygen, so we breathe heavier. Proper breath control is to take several (usually 3) deep breaths and then take in a fourth and hold it or slightly let it out while squeezing the trigger. This is usually not possible when shooting a pistol. Due to the movement of the shooter's arms and body, a perfect sight picture that would be disturbed by improper breath control is impossible anyway. Therefore, the best method in pistol shooting is to keep breathing, but to control the breaths so that chest movements do not aggravate the amount of movement already created by the arms. I advocate taking deep controlled breaths while moving, drawing, getting behind cover, etc., and then going to "baby breaths" while actually aiming and squeezing the trigger.

5. Trigger Squeeze
There is a wide variety of trigger "feels" available today, from traditional double/single action to double-action only, and Glock's "safe-action". Each of these requires a slightly different trigger technique. The most difficult to master is the traditional double/single action. The transition from the first shot's double-action to the remaining shots' single-action requires the shooter to learn and master two different trigger techniques and to transition between them after the first shot. The easiest trigger to learn and master is the Glock's. It is the lightest version of the double-action-only trigger, and the lack of levers and buttons makes transitioning revolver shooters to autos easiest on the Glock.

The key to trigger control is a steady press of the trigger. The trigger finger should slip into the trigger guard from its "safety" position on the frame only when you are ready to shoot. Otherwise, it stays out of the trigger guard along the side of the frame. One must guard against "slapping" the trigger, however. Once you notice contact with the trigger, go to the smooth rolling motion described below. Once inside the trigger guard, the area on the pad of the forefinger between the center of the pad and the first knuckle should touch the trigger. Having the trigger touched by the center of the pad or down in the crevice of the first joint of the finger will cause the gun to pull to the left or right and slightly down instead of staying exactly where the sights were aligned. (Other than flinching, this is the most common cause of misses.) The trigger press should be a smooth rearward steady rolling motion. Watch the front sight and align it with the target while the trigger is being pressed. One must guard against squeezing with the entire hand. The action of your finger against the trigger should be totally independent of the movement of the rest of your hand. When the trigger reaches the point where the trigger releases the firing mechanism, the shooter will feel a sudden release of tension on the trigger. This is the trigger's "break". This moment should come as a surprise, especially on single-action mode. You should be able to "call" your shot by remembering where the front sight was on the target, the moment the trigger breaks.

Practice your trigger control by dry-firing your pistol at home. Use a target on the wall. Make sure the pistol is unloaded (check it three times after you've put all ammunition in another room)!! Then, practice all of these points while aiming at your "target". Never dry-fire more than 50 to 100 times in each session. Take a break and relax, then go back to dry-firing. Re-read this instruction sheet during your break, and try to recognize any mistakes you are making. Concentrate on fixing them when you do the next session, but keep in mind all these points. 300 dry-fires a day will get you ready to shoot at the end of the week... (Yes, that's 1500 dry-fires!) You cannot dry-fire too much. Just make sure to concentrate on these fundamentals, and as soon as you feel fatigued or recognize that you can't do each one of these fundamentals every time you dry-fire, stop and take a break!

Summary
There are a lot of details of marksmanship fundamentals here, but the entire list can be boiled down to: "Front Sight, Press." Focusing on the front sight and good trigger control are the essentials that are absolutely required to shoot well. The others are needed to make you into a great shot, but to even begin to be a good/passable shot, you MUST master, front sight, and trigger press.

Safety Rules to always keep in mind:
1. All guns are always loaded. Even when you just unloaded them, treat them as if they're loaded.
2. Never point a gun at something that you're not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger except when ready to shoot.
4. Watch what is in the background of your target in case you miss, and what is going to stop the bullet if you fire?
[MakeMineA10mm]

http://www.glockfaq.com/shooting.htm


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## knutson24 (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanks for the great article doublereed. Does anyone know any advice to help with my dominant eye issues?


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## Wyomingpredator (Oct 16, 2007)

As a Hunter education and 4-H shooting sports instructor, I teach people to shoot with their dominant eye, even if it feels awkward at firstif you do it enouh it will become more natural with time. if you shoot left handed with right eye being dominant, it can affect accuracy. so in short my advice is to keep practicing right handed and eventually it will feel more comfortable. Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

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Eye domination shouldn't matter with a handgun. Just shoot left handed and aim with your right eye. Its just a matter of shifting the gun over a bit.

LEO's and competitive shooters do it all the time (weak hand shooting).


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## Stone Fence (Apr 21, 2009)

I'm right handed, left eye dominant.

You just need to practice a lot.


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