I've written a lot about the finer points of shooting technique. But I haven't talked much about the foundation that all the techniques are built on. The mastery of this is the one thing that all of the top shooters in every discipline have in common. You guessed it, I'm talking about the fundamentals. All of these apply to each of the major categories of pistol shooting: duelist, gunfighter, and traditional. They should also be extrapolated to apply to rifle and shotgun. The fundamentals consist of:
- Grip
- Stance
- Sight picture
- Trigger squeeze
- Follow through
If you don't have a solid foundation (the fundamentals), there is nothing to build on. You won't be able to shoot fast and accurately. You might be able to shoot fast, but you'll have no idea where you're hitting or why you're missing. All the speed in the world won't make up for  a poor foundation.
If you have a solid foundation, you'll be able to shoot nice tight groups. The one pictured here is 10 shots, offhand, at 25 yards. Each shot started as a draw on the beep from a timer. It took a long time for me to shoot that group. But if I had a poor foundation, I wouldn't have been able to shoot that group.
So I'm going to borrow some pictures from other stuff that I've written to illustrate the principles outlined above. They are all important and each one needs to be correct to build upon.
Grip:
 You need a firm grip on the pistol. Too loose a grip and the gun will recoil hard, too tight a grip and you can't make a clean squeeze on the trigger. If you are using a 2-hand grip, the off hand is used to provide a platform to cock the hammer. It is not used to grip the gun as it would be with a DA revolver or slide action pistol.
In this picture, you see the hands of Three Fingered Jake. He has a solid, firm grip on his pistol and the off hand is positioned in a way that faciliatates working the action of his revolver. The exact placement for the off hand will vary from shooter to shooter. I encourage you to experiment a little and find out what works best for you.
Stance:
 An athletic stance is essential to redirecting and absorbing recoil. The exact foot placement will vary from shooter to shooter, but in general your feet should be about shoulder length apart. They should be placed so that the foot on your weak side (left foot for righty's) is slightly ahead of your other foot (D and GF'ers may find it best to stand square to the line). Some of you will prefer more of a Weaver style stance where you are standing oblique to the firing line.
In any event, your knees should be slightly bent and you should have a slight tilt forward at the waist. Your weight should be centered between your feet and roughly between your arch and the balls of your feet.
Your stance should promote quick and efficient movement from one firing position to another.
In this picture you see Dang It's Darlin in an athletic stance and standing square to the line. This is an excellent stance.
If you are shooting duelist, your off hand should be anchored. On your chest, on the next gun, on your side, anywhere. If that hand is hanging free it will upset your balance.
Grip and stance are integral in controlling recoil.
Sight Picture:
Before we start on this, I am going to assume that your sights have been adjusted to shoot to point of aim.
In short:
- The front post will be centered in the rear sight notch.
- The top of the front sight will be level with the top of the rear sight.
- The center of the target will be directly on top of the front sight.
- Your eye will be focused on the front sight. As a result, both the rear sight and the target will be blurry.
Trigger Squeeze:
The pad of your finger will be on the trigger and positioned vertically such that when you squeeze the trigger the pull is straight back. Your trigger squeeze will be smooth, without disturbing your sight picture. This is very important. It's really easy to pull the gun off target with a jerky or angular trigger squeeze. Some folks tend to slap the trigger and this can cause it as well.
Stay focused on the front sight as you squeeze the trigger to ensure that the sights remain undisturbed. Let the gun go off when it will. Don't rush it.
You can practice this at home (with an empty gun) by sighting on a small dot taped to the wall and maintaining that sight picture throughout the entire trigger squeeze.
Follow Through:
The lock time of the guns we use is very slow. The lighter your mainspring, the slower it will be. It's easy to move the gun off target after the sear trips but before the bullet has left the barrel. This is why the follow through is so important.
Maintain your sight picture until the front sight "paints a line" moving up from the target center. The point at which the sight started moving is where the bullet struck the target. Once the sight gets moving, the bullet will have left the barrel and it'll be time to move on to the next shot.
In order to see the front sight rise, you will have to be aware of what's going on without actually thinking about it. It may take quite a bit of practice to be able to see that sight rise. When you do, you'll be well on your way to mastering these fundamentals.
Now Practice!
Get out to the range and shoot some groups, paying attention to these fundamentals. Use very small, brightly colored dots so that you can easily see your target. The smaller the target you shoot at, the tighter your groups will be. I like the 1 inch orange dots you can find at most gun shops and outdoor stores. Shooting groups should be a regular part of your practice routine.
|
