Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Handgun accuracy?

I've always liked handguns but I never really got serious about shooting them until recently.

Being retired with nothing but time on my hands and living where I can shoot right out my back door I've decided to try and learn myself how to shoot handguns with at least a degree of accuracy so I picked up a MK IV 22/45 and a butt load of ammo and started reading up and watching video's. I'm definitely improving but I've still got a long ways to go so I thought I'd ask ya'll what single thing helped you the most.
For me it's been wearing my readers so I can see the sights better. The readers make the target blurry but the trade out seem to be worth it. I use 2.5 power so I'm thinking about getting a pair of 1.5 powers and see if the compromise works out but that's just something I'll have to experiment with.

Anyhooooo....what helped you the most....grip....stance....trigger control (my weak point)....all of the above?

Practice good habits. I just don't get out enough anymore and it shows. When I had a set up like you, out the back door I was a lot better.

The best advice I can give you is here, Field Grade.

http://www.thesixgunjournal.net/back-to-marksmanship-basics-offhand-shooting/

dry firing with snap caps until you know exactly what reaction the gun has in the split second before it goes off is what helped me a lot.

Field I am no great hand gunner, but Skeeter and Elmer I believe both mentioned opening up the back sight a bit to let light in on both sides.. I forget the exact amount, I have done it with mine, and it kets these 70 year old eyes aim a bit better.. Talk to others before trying this see what they say!!!

The new Ruger 22/45 has a good bit of daylight. I'm not sure I'd want a lot more.
My 1911's another story....little to no daylight but it has the three dot thing that I get along pretty well with.

I haven't done any one handed shooting but Sarge's link has my attention.
I plan to give it a try tomorrow just for something different.

You can do everything right, but if you screw up your trigger control, the rest is all for nothing.

Boy am I learning that.

Charlie,
You just bring all the fundamentals together and you'll break an accurate shot. For me, the front sight and the trigger press are the most critical elements to focus on. Stance, grip and breathing are important but the front sight and trigger are essential to hitting.

Here you go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0rGtXh23I

I was told this by a friend of my father, who would take me shooting sometimes. He could hit an apple off hand, one handed, every time at 100 yards. I didn't believe it until I saw it done on numerous occasions.

Mentors...

A few years back I couldn't hit a barn standing inside of it.

Then a New Mex get together happened and got a weekend long learnings from Ed toomanyletters and Paladin.

Those two guys are both incredible shots and great teachers that were willing to help out an ol'fardt novice.

A good mentor can go a long way for improving skillsets...

Thanks Field I hope you have fun with it. I'm no great pistolero either but I got early coaching from bullseye shooters seasoned by few years of taxpayer funded training, back when it was deemed unacceptable to miss the 8 ring of a B27 at 50 yards.

Good hits come from a proper zero, a perfect as possible sight picture and a surprise break of the trigger. My perspective on these is that they are three legs of a tripod- all critical for a solid platform.

Proper zero gets little press but it's importance cannot be overstated. http://www.thesixgunjournal.net/the-importance-of-zero/

GC......your excellent advise is similar to that of the author of a very helpful article I stumbled on.
He say's "shooting a handgun accurately is simple but it isn't easy".

http://www.backwoodshome.com/how-to-shoot-a-handgun-accurately/

I struggle with trigger control the most. I think some of the problem is the sloppy trigger that came with the 22/45. (edit; in fairness to Ruger I should say it actually breaks pretty good but has a loooot of take up) I do better with my 1911 but the cost of practice ammo and recoil is the reason I bought the Ruger. I should look into getting that trigger worked on. I'm pretty sure I've read about replacement triggers or kits for it.

Thanks Sarge......I'll report back tomorrow.

This ^^^^^^^^^^

Dry firing is a good practice for trigger control.

Inconsistent triggers are the Devil's curse. I can deal with a 12 pound trigger, if I know when it's going to break every time.

This in bold makes a little flag go up IME. But don't think I'm being a critical ass hole, I just want to make sure we're on the same page.

Trigger is important but first and foremost is fully wrapping your head around the front sight. That target should be indistinguishable when you switch focus to the front sight. I try and tell people they shouldn't just bring the front sight into focus. The focus should be so intense that they're picking out the machine marks or small pieces of dust on the front sight. Even a man size target should blur to a point that you don't even really know it is there.

This is often evidenced with rifles also. A guy will shoot so-so at the 300, and go 10 for 10 at the 500 or 600. Why? Because he's still trying to maintain some level of half ass focus of the target at the closer distances, so his shooting suffers. But when he moves back 2 or 300 yds, he achieves perfection. This is because he gives up trying to maintain any focus on the target at all. It is simply too far for his eyes to achieve it. So his brain subconsciously tells him "Fugk it" and all his focus goes to the front sight. It is also very common for shooters to remove their script contacts or glasses entirely. Because it forces them to focus on the front sight and nothing else. Their vision simply won't allow them to do anything but.

I can always tell if people are truly focusing on the front sight if I take them to the three yard line with no bullseye, just a blank sheet and have them do nothing but slow fire with 100% focus on the front sight and nothing else. The ones that are fully grasping the concept will leave one small hole in the paper with five shots through it. The ones that aren't will be a 50 cent piece or bigger grouping.

When teaching fundamentals I am a believer that the trigger control will naturally fall into place once a person fully grasps the front sight focus because our brain doesn't allow that trigger finger to interrupt what we are so desperately trying to achieve and maintain before the shot breaks. So when going back to basics I try and tell people FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT, FRONT SIGHT and let everything else fall into place.

BUT, the biggest problem a coach has is convincing people they aren't focusing on the front sight. I'd say 95% of pistoleros just nod their head and say "yeah, i'm on the front sight" but they really aren't. They just think they are. And once that thing in their brain clicks and they start making those one caliber holes with five shots at the 3yd line, they take off from there.



Travis

Thanks Travis, I am going to try that. Seems my abilities have hit a wall and cant seem to get past it. I think this will help.

The thing that has helped me most is the advice that you need your finger positioned on the trigger the same every time. That goes for rifle as well as a handgun.