Center target

[PhenX]

I am a new shooter (about 4 months) and everytime a aim at a small center target I usually have to aim really carefully or I miss. Any ideas why this might be?

[Jake Di Vita]

There are many possible things you could be doing to pull a shot. The key thing to remember here is that you must see your sights lift out of the notch and return. Blinking is a big no-no. In the saying you must crawl before you can walk, not blinking is considered crawling in the world of shooting. You should also not put any force on the gun besides what is needed to hold it level. The gun is a machine, which operates best when it is not interfered with. Just remember, if your sights are on the target when the bullet leaves the barrel, it is impossible to miss.

[mcoliver]

Instead of trying to hit your target, feel your body while you're squeezing the trigger.  You'll be amazed how many "unseen" things your body does the moment the shot is about to go off distorting your aim.  Be aware of your heart rate, your hand tension, what your face is doing, etc. Oh, btw, how far is the target and how small? You're not trying to shoot an 8" plate at 500 yards, are you?

(Edited by mcoliver at 11:30 pm on Dec. 12, 2002)

[Loves2Shoot]

2 big things on shooting acurately (besides proper stance (huge) and grip (huge) go the Matt Burkett's site for those)

#1 make sure you are not stuffing your finger into the trigger (unless you have  a DA only and it is the ONLY way you can get enough leverage to make the gun go boom) The pad of your finger is what pulls the trigger, I prefer to use just the tip, it pushes the gun around less (light triggers help but are not a cure)

#2 BIG TRICK Feel yourself take up the trigger on each shot, focus on that, you will experiece weird things if you do (like hitting where you are aiming at) With a 1911 this is easy, the trigger moves a bit until it hits the spot where when you add more pressure the gun goes bang.

Do it as much as you can in practice, and in a match when you have a tough shot, you won't have any fear, because by knowing exactly when the gun is going to go bang, and knowing you have a good sight picture there is no need to worry because you have just called your shot and you will hit your target.

BTW ~ I learned this from Frank Garcia and he swears he "feels" the take up on the trigger on 80% of his shots during a match when he is is serious shooting shape. It seems to work very well for me.

Let me know how it works for you, I think you will be amazed.

[Million Mom]

I've always thought that the reason that most misses do not occur on the first or last of a string of targets is that you have a tendency to shoot such targets with the  gun moving, or to be looking at the last or the next target, instead of the one you are actually engaging. It's very noticable on bowling pins. You have to almost perfectly center those things, when using lrn or hardball, or they will not get cleanly off of the table. The actual target size that works, with such ammo,is about 2"x 4".  At 25 ft,  Once you realize this, you will make yourself slow down enough to get the well-centered hits.

(Edited by Pat Harrison at 11:01 pm on Dec. 16, 2002)

[38supPat]

Its a visual response usually keyed to the desire to move the gun to the bigger easy target to the side. Or it can be that after shooting a big target you get impatient and get on the trigger too early. Read the sights and let them tell you when its good to pull the trigger. A good drill is to set up 3 targets. Shoot the A/C/D portion (mainly the A) on the outside targets then the A/B on the middle. Then change it up and shoot the A/B on the outside and the A/C/D on the middle. Let the sights dictate the speed of shooting

[benos]

Definitely study all the excellent posts so far, and then (put them into) practice.

be