Pistol technique question

[Noz]

I shoot 1860 Armys, duelist in Frontiersman.

 

I can shoot them faster than I do but as the speed increases so does the in accuracy. The problem is mine, not the gun.

All errant shots tend to be to the left of the target.

I feel like it is my grip on the gun but I cannot decide whether I should "loosen up" or "tighten up". When I concentrate on each shot as an individual event they all go where I want them to. It is only in the "heat of battle" that they begin to stray.

Thoughts?

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

A quick run down of some of the basics on shooting the revolver:

Shots by a right-handed shooter going left are often due to jerking the trigger and getting too much finger (the first joint) into the trigger. Both of those errors pull the muzzle to the left. Make sure you are using only the pad of the tip of the finger. Keep reminding yourself that "smooth is fast" and avoid jerking the trigger. Good fast shooters are ALWAYS still smooth on the trigger.

 

As I have increased my speed as a duelist, I have had to tighten the grip to a "very firm handshake", but not to the point of inducing muscle tremors.

 

And, as always, don't shoot until front sight is on the target. Going faster leaves less time for sight alignment. A firm grip reduces the amount of realignment of rear sight and front sight needed after each shot. If you can get to the point where you can move the revolver "as an aligned unit" from one target to the next, you shave off time. Make sure your grip is not being changed by reaching for the hammer (one of the reasons duelists like lowered hammers).

 

And, practice more and more.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Kiowa Kid, SASS #69870L]

I shoot 1860 Armys, duelist in Frontiersman.

 

I can shoot them faster than I do but as the speed increases so does the in accuracy. The problem is mine, not the gun.

All errant shots tend to be to the left of the target.

I feel like it is my grip on the gun but I cannot decide whether I should "loosen up" or "tighten up". When I concentrate on each shot as an individual event they all go where I want them to. It is only in the "heat of battle" that they begin to stray.

Thoughts?

 

If you right handed and your pulling left the typical problem is trigger pull your pulling your shots IMHO.

 

KK

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

Noz, not able to help with your particular problem BUT will say that the same happens with my desires to improve technique. I think I am rushing to speed up a process that seems long and gruelling for me. Just when I think I am improving with dry fire practice, I go to a match and no matter how hard I try to stay on focus, WHAM, a bunch of real fast misses and/or glitches from outrunning myself!

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Good Morning,

 

Speed and pulling left for a right handed shooter. This is usually due to having too much gun in your hand.

 

Lets see if I can explain. Do you wrap your fingures all the way around the grips?

 

Try turning the grips in your hand until the left grip seam on the frame is located in the crease on your fingers firsts from the tips.

 

Hold the grip so that your little finger is below the grips so that your ring finger is flush with the grip frame bottom.

 

I take the time when gripping my revolvers to make sure I have this hold before pulling the gun from the holster.

 

It will feel as though you do not have a good hold on the gun. You may feel like you're going to drop it. Remember, you only have to hold on for 5 to 8 seconds.

 

I also shoot standing in a strong stance. This is how you would shoot your rifle. I do not change my footing placement from revolver to rifle or shotgun. I do not square of to the firing line.

 

There will be more suggestions. I do not believe there is one correct way. Try them all at speed and choose the way that works best for you.

[Rowdy Yates, SASS #141]

Noz,

Everyone has their own thing and beyond the basics of marksmanship I can really only tell you what works for me.

I also shoot 1860 in Frontiersman and use the following method:

My grip is more what I’d call relaxed than anything else. I use a 30 grain powder spout and with that much 3f there is no reason to try to get too firm a grip on the gun. For those shootists using a small charge of smokeless holding the gun firm with as little motion as possible makes sense but for a full charge of BP what you need is for the gun to drop down into position the same each time. When the gun recoils just make sure you are getting a good purchase on the hammer to pull it back and then make sure when you regrip the gun it is in the same position as the last time you squeezed the trigger. Drag the front sight across the bottom third of the target and carry it a little high over the rear sight. As you already know just make sure the front sight is on the target no matter how fast you are going. Also as you know you can’t go fast enough to make up a 5 second miss.

[J-BAR #18287]

Noz, your mailbox is too full.

[Shooting Bull]

I used to have this exact problem when I competed in the 1911 world. Unfortunately I've found it creeping into my cowboy shooting. What fixed in for the bottom feeder also fixed it for my wheel guns; Bills Drill.

 

I use small targets, aproximately 4" squares at 5 yards. Shoot five shots at whatever time it takes to make five good hits. If you don't get five hits, do it again. Record that time. Now do it again, but this time allow youself only half your original time. If you miss, start again with your original time. Only after getting five good hits with your original time AND with your halved time do you move on to the third sequence which is your halved time halved again. As an example:

 

You start out and get five good hits in ten seconds. Now do it again except only allow yourself five seconds. If you miss, go back to ten seconds. Once you do it in ten, then try five again. Once you get five good hits in five seconds, then you try to do it in 2.5 seconds. If you miss, you start all over again at ten seconds. By going back and starting at ten seconds every time you miss, you're allowing yourself to concentrate on fundamentals instead of time.

 

 

P.S. An easy way to make a LOT of targets is to use MS Paint or Power Point to draw three equal size squares on a single page and then print as many copies as you want or print one and use a Xerox machine to make copies.

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

As an example:

 

You start out and get five good hits in ten seconds. Now do it again except only allow yourself five seconds. If you miss, go back to ten seconds. Once you do it in ten, then try five again. Once you get five good hits in five seconds, then you try to do it in 2.5 seconds. If you miss, you start all over again at ten seconds. By going back and starting at ten seconds every time you miss, you're allowing yourself to concentrate on fundamentals instead of time.

 

 

 

 

Sounds like a good drill..

Rance

[Irish Rambler]

I used to have this exact problem when I competed in the 1911 world. Unfortunately I've found it creeping into my cowboy shooting. What fixed in for the bottom feeder also fixed it for my wheel guns; Bills Drill.

 

I use small targets, aproximately 4" squares at 5 yards. Shoot five shots at whatever time it takes to make five good hits. If you don't get five hits, do it again. Record that time. Now do it again, but this time allow youself only half your original time. If you miss, start again with your original time. Only after getting five good hits with your original time AND with your halved time do you move on to the third sequence which is your halved time halved again. As an example:

 

You start out and get five good hits in ten seconds. Now do it again except only allow yourself five seconds. If you miss, go back to ten seconds. Once you do it in ten, then try five again. Once you get five good hits in five seconds, then you try to do it in 2.5 seconds. If you miss, you start all over again at ten seconds. By going back and starting at ten seconds every time you miss, you're allowing yourself to concentrate on fundamentals instead of time.

 

 

P.S. An easy way to make a LOT of targets is to use MS Paint or Power Point to draw three equal size squares on a single page and then print as many copies as you want or print one and use a Xerox machine to make copies.

 

Philly,

 

Are you shooting one shot each at five targets each cycle or five shots at one target each cycle?

 

Irish Rambler

[Shooting Bull]

Philly,

 

Are you shooting one shot each at five targets each cycle or five shots at one target each cycle?

 

Irish Rambler

 

Good question. No, five shots on one target. Remember, this drill is purely to work on the fundamentals of sight alignment, breathing and trigger control. Once you have that down you can move on to other drills. And speaking of other drills, I REALLY like your idea of doing it on five different targets. As long as you can maintain the fundamentals it would be great target transition practice.