Dry Fire - Seeing the A-Zone

[Dkrad1935]

OK - I started shooting last summer and dry fire training last fall. I quickly improved, then got tennis elbow and my shooting has suffered every since then. I can shoot really fast - but just not getting quality hits, and then i started slowing down but still getting crappy hits.

We had the state match here locally and I really stunk up a standards stage ( like the IDPA classifier but longer distance). I know I am a better shooter than that - so I blamed my gun. And this turned out to be a good thing.

I was shooting my G34. In the name of redemption for those long range shots i started practicing with a custom 1911 I won in my first match. he gun is almost twice the weight of the Glock and it took a few nights to figure out how to mount the gun on my draws - still working on that. But I have had a significant breakthrough in the last couple of nights - that I can only attribute to the weight of the gun???

Maybe I was seeing the alphas when I first started dry firing but after coming back from elbow probelms i was just shooting an indistinct sight picture. With the NightHawk - i started seeing the target again - and i know it is an alpha when i pull the trigger.

Of course - need to validate that in live fire, but that is the most confident I have felt pulling the trigger in a long time. I had to slow down with a new gun to actually re-learn how to see...

Does that make any sense! How do I keep that sensation? I felt like I was getting better everytime i did a drill. Unfortunately, i had to stop and take care of kids! But that was an amazing break through that I hope translates to actual shooting!

Im also afraid to go back to the Glock as it might go away!!!!

[ZackJones]

I think there's a reason we're seeing more CZ's and Tanfolio's in production these days - they are heavier than our Glocks and M&P's and that additional weight does make a difference. I don't want to discount your break through but some of it could be attributed to working with new equipment. Given that you're shooting a different gun you are probably doing things a little differently and that may be what's making the difference. It would be interesting to try some live fire drill back to back with the two guns and see which one you run better. If you do shoot the 1911 better than perhaps moving to Single Stack would be an option to consider.

[Moltke]

Benchrest shoot your pistol at a certain distance to determine your zero & group size.

Test your standing freestyle accuracy to compare, ideally the groups should be close to the same.

Glock triggers are harder to learn than 1911 triggers since they function differently, generally require more pressure to break, and aren't as crisp - therefore alot of people have an easier time with 1911's.

Is this new information?

[Endurokids]

I'm better with the 1911 platforms than my XDm in competition.

I thought it might be going from a 9mm in XDm to .45 in my 1911, but I recently purchased a 9mm 1911 and i'm just as accurate with it, as I am with my .45.

[Dkrad1935]

Benchrest shoot your pistol at a certain distance to determine your zero & group size.

Test your standing freestyle accuracy to compare, ideally the groups should be close to the same.

Glock triggers are harder to learn than 1911 triggers since they function differently, generally require more pressure to break, and aren't as crisp - therefore alot of people have an easier time with 1911's.

Is this new information?

Not new info. I think my trigger control is ok. Although a lot of folks suggest this is the area to improve. I will always work to improve my trigger mechanics, but I am certain that my "main" problem was patience. I was shooting before I had sights lined up.

To wit, here is some freestyle shooting at 30 yards. Not great but not bad considering I can't really make out the a zone at that distance so am not necessarily aiming at a spot??

[SilverBolt]

Weight and possibly the grip angle. The 1911 may point more naturally for you.

[SISIG]

I was in same boat, shooting before sights are up, I felt like I just need to go fast.

Finding the balance between speed, slowing down look at the front sights and trigger with out moving the gun on the move is a work in progress for me.

[Kibster3]

I was in same boat, shooting before sights are up, I felt like I just need to go fast.

Finding the balance between speed, slowing down look at the front sights and trigger with out moving the gun on the move is a work in progress for me.

This has been my continuing struggle. When I started, I was pretty accurate (for a noob), but I was slow. So I sped up to max speed and ignorantly thought that there would be little drop off with my accuracy. I was wrong. I played sports most my life and played full-throttle. I haven't been shooting for very long, so I have to make a conscious effort to go slow at times, because my instincts says go fast. Some of the best advice that I have been given is to know which targets you can go fast. So when you walk the stage, say to yourself "fast, fast, slow, slow, fast, fast" for each target depending on how you should shoot it.