While it may sound absurd, it is possible to be very accurate with a gun. It takes patience, a little talent, dexterity and a lot of practice. This article will give you tips on how to shoot well at ranges of 90, 180 meters and beyond. Remember that (especially with guns) your outcome depends on the trigger and your patience.
Steps
Step 1. Choose a good gun
Even if any pistol can be used, the weapon definitely determines the final success of the shooter; here are the characteristics of a good gun. We talk about single shot and accuracy over long distances; self-defense, durability and price are not part of the features. In any case, there is no general rule, and the best choice is a gun that suits you personally.
- Larger guns are more accurate than small ones.
- Larger guns fit better in hands than small ones.
- Long barrels result in a higher initial velocity and therefore a straighter trajectory of the bullet.
- Light, high-velocity bullets are best suited for common ranges (45+ meters).
- Heavy bullets are best suited for long distances (90+ meters).
- Small calibers are easier to shoot, so you can practice more.
- Small calibers have less recoil, which allows for a more accurate and easier to control next shot for most people.
- For semi-automatic pistols, only double-action (DAO) (aka Quick Action) pistols are less accurate than double / single-action (DA / SA) or single-action (SA) pistols.
- The most expensive guns are not always the most accurate or the best: it is often due to the practicality of those who use them.
- Your gun is more accurate than you.
Step 2. So, as listed above, a large long-barreled SA (or DA / SA) pistol would be the best choice
Some related examples: H&K USP Elite, Desert Eagle with 14 inch barrel, Hammerli pistols and other high quality pistols. These guns are very expensive, but being competition firearms they will be great for your purposes.
Step 3. While a public place is a good place to start shooting, it's not necessarily the best place to practice long-range shots
A friend with their own land and a safe place is often the best place to start. This allows you to shoot at different distances and practice with different targets and distances.
Step 4. Start with some stretching
It sounds weird, but it will help relax your muscles and allow you to have a firmer grip.
Step 5. Do some warm-up throws (about 13 meters)
Find a place where you (and your gun) can shoot. If you can't aim well, try very slowly and be patient until you can aim at the target. After seeing where the scope is relative to the target (normally, the bullet should be aligned with the front sight but slightly higher - if you understand the margin for error, a technician can fix the scope), you can keep trying.
Step 6. It is best to start shooting closely and then walk away
A good start distance is 13 meters. While long distances are less common, if you want to learn how to shoot well from a distance, you have to train from a distance. At first you won't often be able to hit the shapes, but over time you will be able to hit the cans 90% of the time, at that distance.
Step 7. Position yourself as comfortable as possible
It is always best (if using the right) to place the left foot forward and the right foot behind the opening of the shoulders. Bring your right hand forward, as if trying to touch the target, elbow relaxed but almost outstretched; this is the hand that will hold the gun. The left arm will be bent 120 °. Your right arm controls the vertical angle of the gun; the left one controls the horizontal position. Your left elbow must point straight to the ground.
- Lying down: you have to shoot lying on the ground. Position yourself on your stomach, then turn slightly to the side of the firing arm. Place your knee and elbow on the ground for support. You will be a little to the side, but the firing arm will be completely on the ground with the head above looking in the viewfinder. This will prevent you from wheezing and have a stable platform.
- Kneeling: You will have a very stable platform. Bring the shooting side leg back and sit on the heel. Both the shooting knee and the big toe will be on the ground. Rest the elbow on the knee. You are in a tripod position (support foot, big toe and shooting knee) and in a situation where you can move quickly (try repeating the movement to the squatting position over and over).
Step 8. Move your head slightly to the right to align the right eye with the gun sight
Move your right wrist to adjust the viewfinder forward. To aim, move your body (in this position) until the gun lines up with the target.
Step 9. Breathe slowly, relax and try to align the crosshairs with the target
For shooting, it is often best to overlap the crosshair over the target while focusing on the crosshair or between the crosshair and the target (just in case you have enough time to aim). Don't focus on the target; focus fully on the front sight to create a 'target image' with the rear and front sights aligned. The target must be out of focus. If speed is an issue, 99% of the time it's best to focus on the front viewfinder.
Step 10. You will find when you try that breathing and the ability to remain calm are the most important thing when aiming at the target
This takes a lot of practice. Inhale and exhale before firing, then take a deep breath and relax your lungs as you exhale. Right at this point (Not forcing the air out, but relaxing) you have to shoot.
Step 11. The target image should be III-shaped in traditional pistols, with the front sight in the middle of the rear sight edges
Horizontally and vertically! This image must be below the target (and not superimposed) to fire.
Step 12. A pistol must be "zeroed" (adjusted) to aim accurately when the aiming image is below the target
This is how you avoid making mistakes (for example by aiming to the left or above) and by aligning the gun perfectly with the image that you will hit the desired target.
Step 13. Different ammunition fires differently (and more or less accurately) with different pistols
Try different types and decide which ones are best for you.
Step 14. Beginner shooters often feel proud when they hit the bull's-eye
Even balls thrown at the target would hit him; this shows no skill, just luck. Concentrate by grouping the shots all together; this is the first sign of a real shooter and demonstrates consistency in shooting.
Step 15. Once you have aligned the front sight and placed a perfect aiming image on the target, you must press the trigger, placing it under the index finger (press slowly and continuously between shots)
With a DA / SA pistol, you have to push the hammer backwards (now in SA mode). Depending on the gun, you may have between 900g and 3.6kg of force to exert. The lighter the trigger, the easier it is to be accurate (although with DAO pistols there is a "sweet spot" that can be located to reduce the trigger travel: find it by firing a shot without releasing the trigger, then move your fingers forward until the trigger clicks and then you can fire again).
Step 16. When firing, look at where the bullet ends up (up, down, left, right, or any of these combinations)
It will take some practice, but then you will be able to tell if you were wrong because the sight was not aligned, or because your arm moved and / or because your timing was wrong or because you fired early.
- When a shot goes to the left for a person using the right, it means that you are pushing the whole gun instead of just pulling the trigger when firing.
- When a blow ends to the right for a person using the right, it means that you have badly positioned your finger over the trigger or that you are pushing with the other fingers of the same hand.
- Shots rarely go high, but when they do it means the shooter is firing before the recoil is over.
- If a shot goes low, it is often because the shooter is pulling the trigger too hard (grabbing the gun and pulling the trigger too fast) or because they are anticipating recoil by pushing down before firing.
- The anticipated recoil is often the reason for an inaccurate shot. Recoil is expected so, before firing, you move your wrist by pointing the gun up or down, depending on the shooter. One way to verify this is to give a shooter a pistol they are familiar with. Make sure it's empty, but tell it it's charged. When he lines up the shot and pulls the trigger, he himself will move the gun.
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Here are some techniques to correct this bad habit.
- The easiest thing is to focus on the trigger. Aim at the target and slowly pull the trigger. Press calmly and evenly; it may take 10 seconds to fire. The goal is to have a "surprise run", because you don't know when the gun will fire, so you won't be able to compensate. A pistol with a smooth trigger and accurate stroke prevents this problem by not being able to predict when the pistol will fire.
- The second technique is essentially the same, except it eliminates the possibility of anticipating the recoil. Aim at the target with the front sight. Ask a friend to put their fingers on the trigger guard and press it for you (your finger on the tip of the index, or your friend's on the trigger). Make sure your friend is pulling the trigger very slowly and keep his hands (especially the thumb) away from the back of the gun (where the slide can hit them). This method is very strange, but it will prove that pulling the trigger is one of the most important things when shooting.
- Many shooters, even with a lot of experience, do not realize this. Anticipating the recoil manifests itself as a minimal movement that is hidden by the recoil of the pistol itself and therefore is not noticed by the shooter or those watching. You can test it using the snap cap. As the link says, “The snap cap is a cartridge-like device but without bullets and is used for firing without ammunition. The snap cap allows you to test the gun without damaging the components ".
- Ask a friend to load your pistol by replacing a shot with a snap cap of the same caliber, randomly placing it in the cartridge (for pistol) or cylinder (for drum pistol). By firing, you will arrive at the snap cap which you will not notice until you pull the trigger. At that point, it will be clear to you: if your aiming image is solid, you have learned to control recoil. If the gun comes back like a real shot, then you'll need more practice. This is a small inexpensive test that gives amazing results.
Become a Marksman (Snipe) With a Pistol Step 17 Step 17. Train at this distance until you can hit a torso-sized target (about half a meter in diameter)
Move the target back 30 feet. Repeat the procedure. Maintain even breathing. If the viewfinder is out of phase, fit a new one or have it repaired by a technician. The 3-dot system is very good, but some people prefer a different one. An adjustable front sight makes it easier to change the zero point on the pistol at any point.
- After moving the target back a couple of times, you will realize that you can train - and eventually hit the target - further and further away.
- Sometimes get close to the target and be surprised to see how good you will be at firing close and accurate shots. So you will gain confidence and see your improvements.
Become a Marksman (Snipe) With a Pistol Step 18 Step 18. If the scope hits well (not high or low) at 35 or 45 meters (this is optimal), you will find that at 55 or 65 meters you will have to compensate for the bullet drop by firing higher; it might just be a few inches, but you'll have to get used to it
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At 90 meters the drop of the bullet is significant (about 35 centimeters for a.45) and the wind also becomes a factor to consider. While standing, you could go over 90 meters. Find your limits. Lying down or kneeling you will see that you can shoot over 180 meters.
The terminal ballistic ability of a gun at 180 meters or more is questionable. Heavier bullets tend to be more accurate over long distances due to the aerodynamic coefficients
Advice
- As mentioned before, your gun is more accurate than you (in the case of large guns of different calibers). So, if you keep making mistakes, it's probably your fault. Practice hard to make sure you don't anticipate the recoil or move the gun.
- Safety first! Always make sure the gun is unloaded with an empty slide before transporting it anywhere.
- Try, try again and try again. Even if "knowing how it works is halfway there", you need to be able to apply what you know.
- Clean the gun after using it. Moisture and dirt could damage it.
- Clean the inside of the barrel often (with oil or solvent). You will see that it will already be dirty after a hundred hits, even if you don't see it.
- One reason the gun is not accurate could be the ratio of the chosen bullet to the barrel. While this is more important for a shotgun, it is good to try out different types of bullets and grits. But when you find something that shoots well, don't change it. Train with the same ammo and stock up on it.
- Before shooting, do not drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. While alcohol reduces reflexive abilities, caffeine reduces the control of motor skills (for example, shaking).
- hand shaking is common, it comes and goes, but is often associated with caffeine, stress, nervousness or agitation. If your hands are shaking, sit down for a while, drink some water and think of something that doesn't have to do with guns (don't think about your hands!). Afterward, try holding the gun again.
- When you're not firing, always put the safety on (if your gun has one).
Warnings
- Firearms are dangerous. Only use pistols or firearms if you have experience or are in the company of an expert.
- A gunshot can cause serious injury or even death. Always point your gun in a safe direction and never at someone or something you don't want to shoot at.
- Make sure you know the area. Bullets travel for miles and can bounce off objects while continuing their journey in different directions.
- Shooting should only be done in safe and legally approved locations. Make sure you know your country's laws on the use and transport of firearms and respect them. Laws change drastically between different countries and often even between different cities.
