Good group wrong place

[Metalbasher]

Just shot 5 targets for our 10m air pistol competition with the result of good groups (for me ) but in different places within the black. I kept my feet in the same place for all cards. Can I use the change of group position to tell me what doing wrong? I've lost all confidence in altering my sights.

[tufty]

Try leaving a backing card behind your comp cards for the whole session,it will give you a better idea of where you are grouping and more confidence that you are aligning your sights correctly

Neale

[silvershooter]

I find this analysis very helpful

http://www.targetshooting.ca/docs/Pi...t_Analysis.pdf

[Metalbasher]

Thanks guys, there's a lot of potential faults there, forgot to mention I put my pistol down between groups, so another problem is going to be gripping the same every time. Any tips on getting repeatable hand position, although I could try holding the pistol for the whole round, only 20 shots.

[RobinC]

Many pistol shooters do not take enough care over getting their "zero" position, this is generaly because as pistol involves muscle control to hold and direct the gun it is easier to correct a positional error with out realising you are doing so. No good rifle shooter would shoot with out considerable care in getting the correct un tensioned zero position, but to shoot well in pistol you must do the same. Your group changes are most likely caused by your stance position being wrong, even though it was the same wrong for the whole shoot, by muscling the pistol to the middle you will not always do it the same.
To correct it you need to train by adjusting your stance angle and feet position until you get a natural zero that suits you. A good start is to aim blind, relaxed and untension, open your eyes and see where you are aiming, I suspect it will be well off the target. Then adjust the angle of stance until its on target. Most good rifle shooters will use a fold up ruler on the floor to set their position up, there is no reason why you should not do the same it is permitted in the rules. Always find the target centre ( i.e. the shortest line to the target centre) at the firing point and set your position from that, you must have a constant reference to adjust from, and your arm should lift on that centre, any deviation from centre and the brain's internal "straight line" control will try and correct against your muscle control.
You can realease the pistol between shots, you can walk away from the point between shots (its good for practice) but you must return to the exact position and the same grip.
Good Shooting and have fun.
Robin

[Metalbasher]

Had a good go at aiming blind, certainly shows how far from a natural pointing position I can be. Seem to end up holding the pistol at an angle to the target. I am right handed but use my left eye because the front sight is in better focus.
Things are better lined up if I stand square on to the target but this is not the recomended way to stand.

[RobinC]

Forget the recommended way! 35 years of coaching have taught me there is no right or wrong way, just different ways! Just look down the line at any World Cup, you will see every position under the sun in both rifle and pistol!
Ragnar Skanaker, one of the greats of all time pistol shooters did every thing wrong according to the text books, Sergei Martynov won the prone in the Olympics with a new world record in a position that would make a coach cry!
You shoot cross dominant eyed, your position will be different.
Good shooting
Robin

[Metalbasher]

Regards all. Going to put some practice time in, but not so much that shooting ceases to be a fun challenge.