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In this article I'll teach you a simple technique that will allow you to shoot your handgun accurately. We'll start with the steps you need to take, I'll explain what happens when you fire a handgun and how
it affects you, and then I'll give you a few simple tips to reinforce your new shooting technique. If you follow my steps and tips, and invest a few hours working on this technique at home, you'll be able to shoot your handgun much more accurately. In fact, if you practice for as little as a week, you'll even surprise yourself with much improved accuracy!
The technique comprises of four simple steps: You get into a proper stance, you grip your handgun efficiently, while acquiring a decent sight picture, and then applying your full attention on trigger control. Combine these simple steps with discipline to practice, and basic understanding of what happens when you fire a handgun, and you'll be shooting like a pro in no time.
Let's look at what happens when you fire a handgun. It's important to understand because the forces you unleash affect your ability to shoot well. When you pull the trigger and fire your handgun, you initiate a small, controlled explosion. That in turn generates pressure which propels your bullet, through your handguns' barrel toward the target. The explosion and subsequent travel of the bullet through the barrels' rifling, generates noise, recoil and a twisting motion. Our technique takes this into account, and teaches you how to manage this process with professional ease.
Before you begin check, and then check again, that your firearm is unloaded. Review the four safety rules and leave all ammunition out of reach. This is critical and can't be overlooked or ignored.
Your stance provides a solid platform for your upper body. Face the target, stand with your feet at shoulder width apart, and place one foot slightly forward. Slightly bend the knee of the forward facing foot, and
straighten the other one. Keep your upper body straight and relaxed. You want a steady platform that can absorb recoil, and maintain the firearm in a close to fixed position. Tip: ask someone to push you back with a bit of force. If you remain steady in your stance, you have it right. Otherwise, adjust it until you can resist a moderate shove.
Take your unloaded firearm and hold it with your strong hand. Grip it as high as you can, and point your thumb up, to make room for the support hand. Place the support hand, covering as much handgun grip space as possible, to give you the best possible grip. Your support hand finger, when pointed forward, ought to point to the ground at a 45 degree angle. Grip the handgun with both hands, pointing both thumbs forward and applying good, equal pressure to the handgun. Squeeze it as hard as you can, without generating any sort of shaking. Why do you need such a firm and solid grip? Because your handgun is going to be pushed up from the recoil and it will also twist in the direction of the rifling, typically toward the right. Your job is simple--keep the handgun steady and straight. You won't be able to control the recoil and overcome it, but you will manage it by letting the handgun go up and down, in a predictable and steady manner. Tip: don't be afraid of the recoil--understand and manage it. If the noise bothers you, get better hearing protection, and focus on the process of hitting the target.
In your stance, raise the handgun and stretch both arms forward, pushing the handgun away from your face. Don't lock the elbows, just point forward and maintain a positive grip. Continue to raise the handgun until your dominant eye can see the front sight and the target. When your front sight is aligned with the target, your sight picture is set. Remember to lean forward just a bit, and to keep the front sight aligned with imaginary center of your dominant eye ball. Tip: practice while facing a while wall, and the front sight will be easier to focus on.
Now, the most difficult part--trigger control. While pointing the unloaded firearm in a safe direction, cock the hammer back, place the first pad of your shooting finger firmly on the trigger. Gently squeeze the
trigger. Apply slow, continues pressure toward the rear of the trigger, slowly pulling until the trigger breaks, and the hammer falls on the empty chamber. This is where most shooters fail to exercise control. They jerk the trigger, send the barrel up and sideways, and therefore miss their intended target. You must control your trigger and you must build muscle memory by doing this many hundreds of times. Tip: keep your finger pad on the center of the trigger. The lower the finger in relation to the trigger, the more pressure you'll need to apply.
The technique is easy to learn but hard to master. It took me hundreds of hours and countless sessions to develop my trigger control. If you persist, you will get better, and the great part is that you can greatly improve your shooting with a fraction of the ammunition you currently use to miss your target. Try getting into an empty, quite room, practicing this technique for 30 minutes each day for a week. Tip: Focus on automating the process of shooting and pay attention to breaking the trigger.
The more you practice, the better you'll shoot at the range, and the more fun you'll have. Study the technique, focus on the tips and give it a try for a week. I'm pretty sure that you, as many of my students, will even surprise yourself with the results!
Dan S. Defense Dan is an expert on small arms, counter-terrorism, self-defense and wilderness survival. He writes to encourage law abiding citizens to take responsibility for their safety. He's a 'Top 500' contributor thanks to you. I decided to start writing to promote the idea of self-defense. I believe that man has the right to defend himself and loved ones. I cover topics that enable good, law abiding citizens to remain safe, by underscoring the need and importance of firearms as tools for self-defense. We can't wish violence, or criminals away, but we can do our best to keep them at bay. I hope my articles will help you achieve that goal. I'm a man who believes in turning ideas into action. In the early 90's, after serving four years in the IDF, as an officer in a combat unit, I traveled to South America, and spent seven months backpacking and adventuring. During my travels, I saw beautiful places and met interesting folks, building memories for a lifetime. I often think of the beauty of that vast, diverse and wild continent. After my travels, it was time to settle down, and I chose to live in the US, a country that offered freedom and endless opportunities. I worked very hard, met the most wonderful woman, and together we built a good and happy life. While loving my work, I never discuss it online. I focus only on my passion for shooting, outdoors and at times, politics. I'm also well versed in Middle East politics, military analysis of various conflicts, military tactics and strategic thinking, and I enjoy playing out "what if" military scenarios in my mind. At one point I'll expand my writing to cover these topics, as well as other areas of interest such as world & military history, focusing on WWII and early US history, motorcycles, astronomy, philosophy and my volunteer work in Search & Rescue (SAR) ... Read More » 
