By massively concentrating on the front sight.
My current shooting project is to improve my 10m pistol performance with a view to entering some comps without making an arse of myself.
I get my best shots when the trigger releases and i have a feeling of "oh I didn't expect that". Best results seem to be when I concentrate least on the trigger. How do others clear their heads to make this happen more often?
By massively concentrating on the front sight.
^^^^ I suspect this may be short thread
I find it all too easy to get distracted by concentrating on other things, such as a straight trigger pull (not pushing or pulling to the side), couple that with the limited time before fatigue sets in with single handed shooting. All the various skills need to be practiced, but concentration on the front sight is paramount during the shot and follow through.
Wot he said.....having done the shot preparation, concentration, breathing, up on aim, hold breath halfway out, really look at that foresight, ease up the pressure on the trigger, hold it just before the point of release, concentrate more on the foresight.....and the gun will fire itself.
True freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes or do foolish things and bear the consequences.
TANSTAAFL
BigEars,
As an aside, in the late 1970s, early 1980s, I could be counted on to make an arse out of myself at matches
Somebody has to come last
Never bothered me and I often got the sympathy vote from some very cute women shooters, which cheered me up no end
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
When ive been practising i am bringing my sight pictute down to sub 6 and im on the very cusp of the trigger breaking.. i dont hang about and when the sight picture looks good i let it go... ive noticed that with more and more dry firing sessions.. this whole process sometimes comes autonimously and when shooting live i get a surprise when it goes without me thinking - it usually results in a 10. The problem is the ratio of these shots to the 'others'!! Its definitely increasing and i know i should put more time into my dry firing.
Funny thing is even with a dry fire i know it would have been a 10. Practise makes bullseyes!!
Donald
In addition to the tips and information already supplied you need to ensure that not too much time up is spent trying to achieve a perfect trigger release.
If the shot has not gone within 10 seconds or so the hold will become increasingly unsteady and when eventually released it will probably result in a snatch resulting in an 8 or 7 or worse.
If a good shot release has not been achieved then lower the pistol to the bench and start the sequence all over again paying special attention to the sight
picture, as has already been stated, and more particularly a clear foresight image.
Funnily enough as the evening goes on it gets progressively more difficult to focus on the front sight even with the right specs. I'm already getting good at knowing when to can the shot and try again. I'm sure I'll get there, I have increased the proportion of good releases.
Part of my problem stems from the fact that when I joined the club pistols were all about turning targets and am having to unlearn bad trigger technique acquired then.
Wot he said.
I would suggest you contact the NSRA and ask if their is any coaching available in your area. More immediately buy a decent book on the subject, I highly recommend Pistol Shooting As a Sport by Hans Standl. Published in 1976 but still current.
The trigger should be a motored responce, i.e a message to your brain to move your finger in responce to you seeing as good a sight picture as you can get within the capabilities of your hold.
The best way you can achieve that is to totally concentrate on the aim, that is the sight picture, the correct alignment of the foresight in the rear sight, as central and the tops level, with that picture placed in your ideal place on the card, often just under the aiming mark, or lower if you wish. Your visual focus should be on the foresight whilst judging that picture and its allignment. The more you concentrate on that the less available concentration there is to be diverted to unwanted trigger thought.
You should never even think about the trigger, just let it happen, when you train, dry firing or shooting, work on hold and aiming, if you wish to train trigger, separate it from either dry or live firing. Just sit with your trigger on dry, and continually operate it in the process you would take with a shot, take first stage, hold, and increase to take the trigger. When you shoot or dry fire, take the first stage as you first cross the aiming mark on your lower, then as you finalise the aim its ready to go, and it more likely to be a motored responce. If you take the first stage after you have refined the aim you are A) wasting valuble hold time, B) redirecting concentration back to the trigger.
From the settling of the aim the shot should go in 6 to 8 secs or reject and start again, it will not get better.
Have fun,
Good shooting
Walther KK500 Alutec expert special - Barnard .223 "wilde" in a Walther KK500 Alutec stock, mmm...tasty!! - Keppeler 6 mmBR with Walther grip and wood! I may be a Walther-phile?
Thank you all, lots of good advice.
Theres a great resource here if you have not already seen it.
I wouldnt like to regurgitate information, only whats been working for me... I start my first stage as soon as I see the target card as Im lowering. That way Im ready to fire immediately if the correct picture presents itself.. like previously said, sometimes this happens by itself and that is my goal.. if all my shots come automatically when everything is right, the training is paying off
Donald
You might like to try a training technique to help develop motored responce.
Hold on aim, concentrate on sight picture, and with the trigger uncocked continualy and repeatedly take the trigger. The first objective is to demonstrate to yourself that you can take the trigger with out unduly moving the gun. If you can't, then return to just sitting, no aim, with the pistol rested in your lap, on dry or uncocked and practice the controled movement.
If you can hold reasonably still when its taken, continue, you must concentrate on the sight picture, and continue repeatedly taking the uncocked trigger, you should get 6 to 8 in sensible hold, but this time say "ten" to yourself when it is on the ten. One a hold is enough, more is better, none is back to holding and stability exercises.
The next step should happen subconsciously, continue with the cocentration on the sight picture and the same with repeated uncocked trigger takes, and say ten when it is, what will happen is you will gradually find that you will subconciously stop the repeated trigger takes and only take it on a ten. That is the brain taking over the action in responce to the sight picture. You are now on the way to a motored responce. The more work you put into it, the better the result.
Have Fun, and good shooting.
Robin
Walther KK500 Alutec expert special - Barnard .223 "wilde" in a Walther KK500 Alutec stock, mmm...tasty!! - Keppeler 6 mmBR with Walther grip and wood! I may be a Walther-phile?
Thanks for posting this Robin.
Question
Do you mean 6 to 8 X trigger presses ?, you should get 6 to 8 in sensible hold, but this time say "ten" to yourself when it is on the ten. One a hold is enough, more is better, none is back to holding and stability exercises.
Thanks
Dave
Last edited by silvershooter; 10-06-2016 at 01:42 PM.
Evo 10 Compact.