How To Improve Shooting Accuracy, Old or Young
For the last several years I have been on a personal quest to unlock the code for how to improve shooting accuracy and competency for the ‘average Joe’. Pros like Jerry Miculek or Rob Leatham (pictured above) have obviously worked very hard yet also obviously were born with some inherent talent that escapes most of us.
When I saw this video the other day – yes, the title ‘Aiming us useless’ did grab my attention – I thought “wow, he nailed it”. While on the one hand the points he makes are crucial, yet on the other hand he really didn’t give any advice on how to actually accomplish what he was suggesting.
One cautionary word here…
If you don’t already know the basic fundamentals of shooting then I suggest you take a look at my IFR 4X Pistol Shooting Accurizer System™ – developed by an ‘average Joe’ for the ‘average Joe (or Jane)’. The information in this article builds upon that knowledge base.
3 Secrets Every Shooter Needs To Know
In the video, Rob Leatham gives 3 tips for better shooting that I have been working to implement on my own after discovering pretty much the same thing he did over the past few years.
Here are the 3 tips from Rob in the video:
- Hold the gun really tight – I teach this in my course mentioned above, yet caution against holding so tightly that you cause a ‘quivering’
- Point the gun at the target – Yes, please do…
- Pull the trigger without moving (the rest of the gun) – Let’s not go off [sorry, pun] on ‘pull’ vs ‘squeeze’ vs ‘press’ at this point. I personally prefer the term ‘press’ but I’ve covered that elsewhere and I’m NOT going to beat up a master shooter like Rob 🙂 .
Awesome advice, right?
Or not necessarily?
Are you wondering HOW do you do what he suggests? Thought so…
How To Implement The 3 Secrets
I don’t know about you, but #2 is kinda weak in my mind. Let’s leave that one alone for today and concentrate on the other two.
The observations that led to the “3 secrets” mentioned are spot on, I’ve seen them too. I’ve seen it when I coached young shooters and when I have been at the range – most notably getting my Concealed Handgun License.
A shooter is pointing the gun at the target (‘secret’ #2), then when they actuate (how do like that skillful avoidance of the ‘pull vs squeeze vs press’ conundrum?) the trigger the muzzle is yanked downward resulting in the bullet hitting the ground about 7 feet in front of the shooter (target at 3 yards!).
Yes, that’s scary. Attacker 3 yards in front of you and your first shot kicks dust up on his shoes…
[1] Hold The Gun Really Tight
I was forced to learn this secret early on in my quest for improved shooting accuracy on the farm because I carried an old Glock 21 in .45ACP. This is the Glock frame that is the largest and actually a full handful for even someone with hands as big as mine.
What I discovered is that, while I was certainly not relaxed, my ‘tight’ grip was insufficient on that firearm.
What could the problem be? Why would a healthy guy in his 40’s, over 6 feet tall and no stranger to a shovel and chainsaw have issues with grip strength?
Right here…
There’s the culprit for me.
Being a weekend warrior on the farm is not enough to overcome all of the hours spent on a computer week after week, year after year, combined with the effects of age.
Even an hour per day 4 or 5 days a week on a fitness machine working leg, arm and back muscles does not keep your grip strength from atrophy.
So this is the simple device I have turned to for renewing and increasing grip strength so that it’s less apparent effort to hold the gun really tightly.
This adjustable grip strengthener (simply turn the dial on the front to adjust tension) can be used with all fingers or minus the trigger finger as in the images above. I switch off between the two methods.
This has helped me to get a stronger grip on my handguns and improved my shooting accuracy considerable over time. You can start at the lower end of the tension adjustment and work your way up if need be.
So, skipping #2 (point the gun at the target)…
[3] Pull the Trigger Without Moving (the rest of the gun)
Ok, so we want to actuate the trigger without moving the aim-point of the gun in doing so. Easier said than done. This is why (as mentioned in my IFR 4X Pistol Shooting Accurizer System™) I don’t like the term “squeeze the trigger”.
How do you squeeze something with just a finger? Don’t you usually use opposing forces to squeeze? If so, that implies movement of the hand, something to oppose the finger – which we DON’T want!
So what I have done is re-purpose a device originally intended for guitar players to strengthen their fingers and utilize it for improving the independent movement of just the trigger finger. Sure, you can use it for other hand/grip strengthening but it’s not adjustable like the other device above.
Note: My thumb is not normally pointing up like this, I wanted it out of the way so you could see the trigger finger movement more clearly.
Again, this is a more intricate device and can be used more ways than just shown – this is just what I happened to find useful for training the trigger finger to act independently.
And getting that trigger finger to move independently of the rest of your hand is what ‘secret’ #3 is all about.
Conclusion
While there is more to putting your shots in the ‘X’ than just the 3 tips mentioned in Rob’s video (also an ad for the upcoming Springfield Armory SAINT™ rifle), there is a LOT of truth in what he says: If you can’t keep the gun firmly in your hand and avoid moving it when you ‘pull’ the trigger, it really does not matter where you are aiming.
Check out the links for the two devices above and see if you can’t improve your shooting accuracy!
Thanks for the advice. My shot groups are typically pretty good, 3 to an average can lid.the problem is the group isn’t really where I want. Your how to implement the 3 tips seems helpful. I’ll try them.