Wanted: large barn door required as pistol target

[Nikkormat]

I've just had a short shooting session, one handed, 50 shots at six metres using my TAU 7 on a 10M rifle target, and I am wondering whether anybody else is as dreadful a shot as I am. Target here. Anyone?

How did you come to terms with this? Sell up and buy a fishing rod? Turn to drink? Get married?

I've read Warren Potter's excellent Hitchhikers Guide to Shooting Glory, P.C. Freeman's Modern Pistol Shooting and the US Army Marksmanship Unit Guide and still I can't hold a pistol on target to save my life.

I don't practice as much as I should, so there's the obvious way to improve. I know the pistol and pellets are capable, so does anyone have any other tips?

[Powderfinger]

Concentrate on sight picture. I just repeat to myself "Sight Picture, sight picture, sight picture" as I am on aim. Don't hold it to long. No more than a few seconds.

[Adam77K]

Having read all that, you will know about "area aim". Accept you're going to wobble and accept that the area you're happy with is on the large side at this stage. Once the sight picture is right (i.e. sights properly aligned and inside your area but not necessarily bang centre) gradually increase the trigger pressure until the gun fires as a "surprise break". It doesn't matter where in your area the trigger breaks as long as it is in your area. Statistically, the largest number of shots should go into the middle part of your area.

Try some dry fire practice against a totally blank wall so you're not bothered about wobbling off the black.

I'm reasonably good but I've gone off a bit recently. I've been taking far too long in the aim, searching for a ten each time with the effect that I've been getting some bad fliers. I need to go back to first principles.

[essjay]

I found the thing that made the biggest improvement to my shooting was to follow through after each shot.
Deliberately try to hold the sight picture on the target for at least a second after firing - it's all too easy to move the pistol too soon.
Hope this helps.

[BobSki]

It seems to me that there are reasons for you to take ENCOURAGEMENT from your results. Top Left, centre and bottom Right targets have the majority of hits IN THE BLACK. Also top Left, top Right and centre targets all seem to have good 10's so IT'S NOT ALL BAD and give it the proper amount of practice and concentration it looks to me like you have a GOOD BASE TO BUILD FROM.

The most important question you should ask is DID I ENJOY SHOOTING? If the answer is YES you've got it cracked.

Keep smiling, keep practicing and keep enjoying it, you'll soon see those groups tighten up.

All the best
Bob

[derekm]

Sight picture - concentrate hard on the FRONT SIGHT ONLY.

Set the front sight from just below the black to the bottom edge of target. Area aim- your preference.

Squeeze the trigger slowly whilst concentrating on the front sight.

Shoot at blank cards or reversed targets, so you don't have to contend with the "distraction bull". You'll be surprised how small and centred your groups become.

Don't just keep shooting, hoping for it to get better; analyse each shot to find where you went wrong (or right!).

Your problems are likely to be 50/50 trigger control (snatching not squeezing) and your eye leaving the front sight.

The INSTANT your eye goes from sight to target, the shot is lost; believe it!!

Edit: Oh and follow through after each shot, holding aim for at least a second or two.

[Nikkormat]

Concentrate on sight picture.

I think this is the key. I'll work on it.

Having read all that, you will know about "area aim".

Ah yes. I remember this. I'll bear it in mind.

Thanks for the advice, all. I know sometimes I release the shot when I know the sight picture is incorrect. I can sometimes feel myself snatching at the trigger, anticipating the shot, too. More practice, bearing in mind your collective advice, is the thing I think.

My FWB65 should be arriving back from a service tomorrow, so I'll see if I'm any better or worse with that. Any excuse for a shoot.

[ikarma70]

Bench rest the pistol to check the accuracy,chrono the pistol to check the consistency,if these are all ok then its down to you.

Not wishing to depress you or to rub salt in but my .177 crosman co2 groups better.....pee's me off as i have the same when i use my FWB 80 against the crosman so I know how you feel mate

[Nikkormat]

Bench rest the pistol to check the accuracy,chrono the pistol to check the consistency,if these are all ok then its down to you.

I wish I could say it was the pistol, but rested I can hit 1" spinners at 20 yards no problem. It's fiendishly accurate.

Practice practice practice, then maybe I'll enter a UBC comp.

Matt

[Adam77K]

Enter it anyway! It doesn't matter how well you score; the more the merrier.

[Jim McArthur]

Enter it anyway! It doesn't matter how well you score; the more the merrier.

Yes!

Concentrate on the front sight only!

Concentrate on timing and trigger squeeze: don't hold too long.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

If you're still not improving, get a knowledgeable pistol shooter to observe you while you shoot, and make suggestions as to what you may be doing wrong.

Further practice, if no improvement is shown after awhile, is a BAD thing, because it ingrains the very bad habit(s) that are holding you back.

Jim

[sol1821]

wheres Paddy? perhaps he could sell you his, its as good as new







...tumbleweed......







because he cant even hit that.







ohhhh i get it lol

[Jonathan333]

I suspect that the problem might be lack of practice. I faced exactly this problem and discovered that it was remarkably difficult to hold the target in sight for long enough before squeezing the trigger. And when I did squeeze the trigger that small movement of the forefinger made the gun move. As a result my shots went all over the place. The only way to cure it was consistent practice over a number of days in order to build up the muscle in my arm and improve muscle memory. Even now I find that if I don't feel particularly calm or am distracted, it will affect my reliability and I go back to square one again.

My advice is to practice when you feel calm and for the sake of consistency, use the same gun and pellets.

Finally, the targets you are using are very small, even at six metres, so you might find that your confidence is being knocked every time you go out of the black. It might sound daft, but try shooting the 10 metre pistol target at ten metres and compare your scores with the UBC lads in order to gauge how you're doing.

Regards,

Jonathan

PS You seem to have the knack of starting the most interesting threads! Thank you.

[magicniner]

Sol,
You is for it, innit!

Nick

[Jim McArthur]

wheres Paddy? perhaps he could sell you his, its as good as new







...tumbleweed......







because he cant even hit that.







ohhhh i get it lol

Sol, you're lucky Paddy doesn't score the Police Pistol competition.

Jim