Of course, firing a pistol may seem like it is easy, but that does not mean that you will be able to fire it accurately. There are several factors that play a role in how accurate you will be able to fire your pistol and this is why it is important to understand some techniques and tips that can assist you to hit your target dead center every time.
How to Hold a Pistol With Two Hands?
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced marksman, there are several advantages that come with holding your pistol with both hands. The most important of these is that it provides the greatest amount of stability, helping to improve your accuracy. When the need for the perfect shot matters most, it pays to do the kinds of things that help you to hit dead center every time.
To begin, you want to place your dominant hand around the grip of the pistol so that it is your index finger of your dominant hand that will be pulling on the trigger. No matter whether you decide to shoot with one hand or two, it is always important to use your dominant hand to hold the pistol as this gives you the greatest amount of stability and strength.
Once you have your fingers grip around the pistol grip and your thumb around the back end of the pistol, place your other hand over the top of your thumb and fingers around the pistol grip. This will ensure that you add that additional strength and stability that will help to keep your pistol aimed accurately at the target. The index finger of your other hand should be directly underneath the trigger housing loop.
What you will find is that holding your pistol in this way will not only provide greater stability, but enable you to be able to hold that position for a longer period of time. If you are in a situation where you need to continue to aim but are not ready to fire yet, holding a position for a long time can get taxing. Using a two-handed grip will help to allow you to accomplish this.
As an important safety tip, when using the two handed grip, do not place the thumb of your offhand around the back of the pistol creating a crisscross with your thoughts. This may seem like it is a good idea, but you are actually putting your thumb at risk of being injured when you fire the weapon. The hammer may hit against your thumb or catch a piece of your thumb in it, where you can get hurt.
How to Aim a Pistol?
Most people assume that aiming and firing a pistol is really easy because they have washed far too many movies or television shows. It is true that it is fairly easy to fire. All you have to do is pointed in the direction you wanted to go, and pull the trigger. Easy peasy.
But that does not mean that you are going to get an accurate shot every time. You want to get the most out of your shot, especially in a life-threatening situation, and this is why it is important to learn how to aim your pistol to hit dead center each and every time.
The first thing to understand is that you are not going to be able to use both eyes to get an accurate shot. You want to aim your firearm and use your dominant eye as the choice to determine where you want to hit. You should hold the pistol so that it is aimed in the direction of where you want to shoot in a direct line from your dominant eye to the target.
On your pistol you are going to find that there is a front and rear site. Both of these sites should be directly in line with the target according to the way that things look through your dominant eye. The top of the front sight should be flush with the top of the back sight post. This is an important part of how you are holding the firearm. If you find that the top of one site is higher than the other then you are holding your weapon wrong.
Once you have your pistol perfectly positioned so that the top of each site is directly on the target, you are ready to fire. Before you do, make sure that you are concentrating the entire way so that you follow these steps. Understand that the slightest variation can cause you to miss, something you may not be able to afford to do.
You also want to breathe naturally. Firing a pistol can be stressful, especially if you are a beginner or are in a life-threatening situation. Breathing regularly and naturally will help you to prevent mistakes.
How to Sight in a Pistol?
Sighting your pistol can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have never done this before. However, if you take a little time to do it right, you can get the perfect sighting every time so that you get the accurate shot you desire.
First, you want to go to a target range or set up some kind of range at an out-of-the-way place where you can fire from about 25 yards away. What you will want to do is to shoot two or three rounds in succession at the target. If you find that the place you are aiming you hit directly every time, then your sighting is perfect.
If not, then you will need to start making some adjustments. Adjust the sighting of your pistol based upon whether you were slightly to the left, right, top, or bottom. Each time you have made an adjustment, practice shooting three additional rounds. If you are still finding that the sighting is off, then keep trying.
If you have tried for six or seven times and are still not having success, maybe it is time to take a brief break. Sometimes we allow ourselves to get a little stressed or we just don’t have it at that particular time. Taking an hour break before trying again may be what you need to do to ensure that your pistol is sighted properly.
What are the Common Mistakes People Make During Shooting?
To tell you how to shoot your pistol better, it starts by telling you about the things you should not do. Avoiding common mistakes will instantly help you to be a better shot.
- Ensure Your Sights Are Aligned. An improperly sighted weapon is the most common reason why a person is not shooting accurately. This is most often caused by the fact that the front and rear sights are at different angles than one another. If you find that this is because, go back out to the range and spend some time properly sighting your weapon again.
- Parallel Shift. If you are finding that you have sighted your weapon properly, another common mistake is referred to as parallel shift. In this kind of error, a person will shift in their hand slightly whenever they fire. This is another reason why it makes good sense to hold your pistol with both hands. You are less likely to allow this to happen under that circumstance.
- Your Hands. There are several other problems that can result because of the way your hands are moving. For example, you may find that as you pull on the trigger that you start to push in with your thumb to the side of the handgun. This will cause the pistols to shift slightly to the opposite direction of where your thumb is located. There are many who get caught up in the TV or movie way that people fire. You will notice that a lot of actors will pull the weapon slightly up or down as they fire, and some kind of dramatic fashion. This is a terrible idea, and will often cause you to miss your target because you may get lazy and start going up or down as you are pulling the trigger. Also, you want to pull back on the trigger naturally. Squeeze it instead of pull. This will avoid jerking.
How to Shoot a Pistol Better?
The whole purpose of having a pistol is so that you can accurately shoot it. Whether you are using it for protection, as part of your job, or simply for target practice, if you do not know how to shoot your weapon well it is going to be useless to you. You want to make sure you are taking the proper steps to enable you to be accurate with your firearm every time.
- Hand Strengtheners. Improving your hand strength is an exceptional idea. You can buy these at almost any fitness store or find them at the gym as well. Not only will this help you to hold your weapon for longer periods of time, but it will assist you with any kind of jerking motion that you may encounter when you pull the trigger.
- Practice. Like anything, if you want to get better at firing your pistol then practice is essential. You should expect to spend at least 20 hours out at a range practicing if you are going to get quite proficient with your pistol. You should not only practice at one distance, but should try several distances. This should include 20 yards away, 25, 50, and 100 yards for sure. You can try other ranges as well, but these are essential.
- Ammunition. If you are finding that you are practicing and doing everything right but you are still not shooting better, it could be your ammunition. Not all ammunition is built with the same quality.
- Changing Targets. Also, try shooting in different kinds of targets. This should include moving, small, maybe even calling sized, and other kinds of targets that enable you to practice hitting different things. You should practice shooting quickly, drawing your pistol from the holster and firing like an emergency situation, and should practice scenarios that could arise.
The better you prepare yourself for any eventuality, the more likely you are to hit your target dead center every time. It is to your advantage to take the time and practice correctly so that you can get the most out of your pistol.
