FOUR GUN SHOOTING FUNDAMENTALS

There are many fundamental factors involved in shooting a handgun well- stance, grip, aim, sight alignment, trigger control, follow through and keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. Here, we focus on 4 key fundamentals of shooting.

• Stance

A good shooting stance provides a strong, stable platform, which is crucial for accuracy. There are two main upright shooting stances—the Isosceles and the Weaver—from which other stances have evolved. While the Weaver is probably better known, the Isosceles is more commonly taught to beginners.

Both the Isosceles and Weaver stances have proponents, and both have certain benefits depending on the shooting situation.

The Isosceles stance is the first two-handed stance taught in most basic firearms classes and is a naturally defensive stance that is strong, simple and easy to remember under stress.

• Stand facing the target with your feet shoulder width apart.

• Bend your knees slightly.
• Extend the handgun fully toward the target keeping your arms straight and locked.
• With your shoulders squared, your arms form the perfect isosceles triangle from which the stance receives its name.

The Weaver stance is often used by police, military and self-defense advocates because it allows accuracy while presenting a smaller profile. This is the stance you usually see in movies and TV shows.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your strong-side leg slightly back in what is often called a boxer’s stance.
• Angle your support arm’s shoulder toward the target.
• Bend your knees while keeping your body weight slightly forward.
• Grasp the gun using opposite pressure with both hands.
• Keep both elbows bent with the support elbow pointing downward.

• Grip

The two handed grip is one of the most popular, commonly used methods for holding a pistol. Hold the pistol with the weak hand while making a Y out of the thumb and fingers of the strong hand.

Then place the back strap of the gun against the middle of the intersection of the thumb and forefinger, allowing your fingers to wrap around the grip. Next, bring the support hand around the front of the strong hand grip over lapping the fingers of the strong hand grip, aligning the knuckles of both hands on each side of the grip. When done correctly, the grip will provide plenty of holding power for aiming and shooting the gun while allowing it to remain relatively stable and in the same position after the recoil process has completed.

Note that the thumbs on a semi-automatic pistol are position with the weak thumb positioned slightly in from or the strong hand thumb and below the guns slide to protect them from the sliding action during discharge. For the revolver, the weak hand thumb rests over top of the strong hand thumb for added stability.

Grip consistency is important for accurate shooting results. Because grips are slightly different between makes and models, some will be smaller or larger than others, which means there will be slight adjustments depending on the model gun you are using. It’s always recommended to practice with the pistol you will use most often, such as a carry pistol to ensure consistent positioning.

• Sight Alignment

Sight alignment is the relationship between the shooter’s eye,

the rear sight aperture, and the front sight. The front sight blade is centered and flush with the rear sight aperture.

In order for the bullet to hit the center of the target, the shooter must aim the pistol and give the barrel a definite direction relative to the target. In theory, accurate aiming is achieved when the shooter places, in exact alignment, the rear sight with the top and sides of the front sight and holds them in alignment in the aiming area. A requisite for correct aiming is the ability to maintain the relationship between the front and rear sights.

When aiming, the front sight is positioned in the middle of the rear sight notch with an equal light space on each side. The horizontal top surface of the front sight is on the same level as the top horizontal surface of the rear sight notch. It is necessary to be acutely aware of the relationship of the rear sight to the clearly defined front sight. Normal vision is such that the rear sight of the pistol will be as nearly in focus as the front sight. Some shooters may be able to see only the notch of the rear sight in sharp focus; the outer extremities may become slightly blurred.

• Trigger Control

Trigger control is the skillful manipulation of the trigger which causes the pistol or rifle to fire while maintaining sight alignment and sight picture.

• Even, crisp pressure applied to move the trigger straight to the rear of the pistol, isolating the movement of the trigger finger.
• Maintaining sight alignment and sight picture, do not stop, hesitate or pause. Make one smooth press. Let the shot surprise you.
• When the shot is fired immediately, regain sight alignment and sight picture and prepare for the next shot in precisely the same way.

 Not only is the trigger press itself crucial, but also the placement of the trigger finger as well. For the semi-auto, about the middle of your finger print on the index finger should be about where your finger placement should rest on the trigger.

When you are shooting, if you notice shots off to one side or the other check where your trigger finger is resting on the trigger. Too much trigger finger on the trigger (Trigger finger too far inside the trigger guard) can pull shots toward your strong side. Too little trigger finger on the trigger can cause shots to be pushed to your weak side.

If you practice and perfect these four fundamental , you should be able to pick up any handgun and shoot.