The firearm thread

[Sniper]

Anyone got a Ruger mini 14 they may want to part ways with sometime?

[Mr Merde]

Trying to think of where to start.

As I said I am not a coach.

There are as far as I can see 4 basic areas to pistol shooting.

1) The grip (including trigger control)
2) The sighting picture
3) The stance
4) Breathing.

You asked about stability. That comes about as a result of perfecting all four areas. What use having the perfect grip when your body is unbalanced and creating fatigue? Or you dont have a sight picture? Or you arent breathing properly.

What did I do to assist in attaining a good grip? I stopped, listened, read and applied what I learnt. Hopefully I can be of benifit to you.

FIRSTLY BEFORE ALL ELSE. MAKE SURE THE PISTOL IS NOT LOADED AND IS IN A SAFE CONDITION TO TRAIN WITH.

1) The Grip.
Strange as it may seem, just holding a pistol in the correct manner needs to be learnt. It isnt a matter of picking up the pistol and pulling the trigger, not if you want to get any good at it anyway.

To attain the correct grip. Take the pistol with your non shooting hand, by the barrel and seat it in the shooting hang by pushing the grip into the V between the thumb and the forefinger. Your fingers placed around the grip so that pressure on the hand is felt on the fleshy part at the base of the thumb and the second joints of the 3rd and 4th finger. Your trigger finger should be free of the pistol except where it comes into contact with the trigger. Your little finger shouldnt apply any pressure at all.

Spend some time just placing the pistol into your shooting hand. It doesnt take long until it feels right and becomes instinctual.

As with all aspects in this game it is about muscle memory. Your body will come to know when everything is right.

Fish, you said that you go to the range once a week and rattle off about 200-300 rounds. Thats fine for a bit of fun but as a traning aid it is way too much. If you read books by the top shooters you will find that they spend about 80% of their time just dry firing their pistols. Getting all the actions needed honed to as perfect as possible.

Take your time. Each shot should take no more than 7 seconds from raising the pistol to actually firing the shot. Dont hold the pistol and just fire off the mag. lower it between shots. Speed will come once you can place your shots. Make sure you have a good sight picture. Your body is in a comfortable position and not straining. Relax and take your time.

If you want to build up your grip a little get hold of a squash ball and just squeeze it in your shooting hand. Thinking of it, bike riding builds up the correct grip also.

Let me know if this is the sort of info you wanted and I will continue.

All you others feel free to jump in with comments, critiques, questions etc.


Mr

[Mr Merde]

I've heard good things about the Taurus PT92, it's more than just a Beretta copy these days - they've made their own improvements to the design. Relatively inexpensive, too, I hear.

Yes they are very good guns. The finish on them both externally and internally is excellent ands as you say they are not expensive.

They also shoot very well, accurate and reliable.



Mr

[scumdog]

Anyone got a Ruger mini 14 they may want to part ways with sometime?

USE to have one, I just hope you're not expecting top accuracy with it.

[Mr Merde]

USE to have one, I just hope you're not expecting top accuracy with it.

Have to a lot of work to one to get it anywhere near accurate. Still fun to use though.

My idea of a nice semi if I could ever afford one would be the M1A1 chambered in .308. 20 round mag and with a little work accurate further than my old eyes are capable of discerning.


Mr

[Sniper]

USE to have one, I just hope you're not expecting top accuracy with it.

Yup, not planning on it being accurate. Just a bit of fun

Have to a lot of work to one to get it anywhere near accurate. Still fun to use though.

My idea of a nice semi if I could ever afford one would be the M1A1 chambered in .308. 20 round mag and with a little work accurate further than my old eyes are capable of discerning.

Mr

Nice choice Mr Yup, like I mentioned, not really wanting one for accuracy reasons, more sentimental reasons

S

[Mr Merde]

Something I just remembered, short term going.


I had a problem when I first started pistol shooting with raising the pistol to shooting level. I usually raised it too high or too low.


An old time shooter put a string around my wrist and to my ankle. It was just long enough to go to the correct level for me. If I over raised the pistol I felt a tug on the string. trick was to get it just taut. Took a few weeks but it became second nature to only raise the pistol so far.

The same can be done for sweeping targets. Teach youirself to swing your body not just move your shooting arm

[Sniper]

If I may add to the grip blurb while shooting a pistol. As once told to me, a good firm grip, much the same as a good handshake is enough to ensure you don't tire your hands out and that the slide inertia will return the barrel to roughly the same area as it was pointing.

Feel free to correct me on this

[Mr Merde]

If I may add to the grip blurb while shooting a pistol. As once told to me, a good firm grip, much the same as a good handshake is enough to ensure you don't tire your hands out and that the slide inertia will return the barrel to roughly the same area as it was pointing.

Feel free to correct me on this

No correction needed.

Jump in with any comments. Fish asked for help and I am trying to do so but I tend to run away with my thoughts and dont quite explain myself.

I shoot SAA and the pistols are designed to roll in the hand. The little finger controls this roll and aids in retutning the revolver to shooting position. If the grip were too tight then there is no way this could happen.

[Sniper]

No correction needed.

Jump in with any comments. Fish asked for help and I am trying to do so but I tend to run away with my thoughts and dont quite explain myself.

I shoot SAA and the pistols are designed to roll in the hand. The little finger controls this roll and aids in retutning the revolver to shooting position. If the grip were too tight then there is no way this could happen.

Cheers mate.

Yup, most pistols after 1985 (I believe) were designed to fit in the palm of an average hand and the little and ring fingers are used to pull it back in alingment. This is from what the tinternet told me...

S

[jrandom]

I shoot SAA and the pistols are designed to roll in the hand. The little finger controls this roll and aids in retutning the revolver to shooting position.

I would imagine that a somewhat different grip might be necessary for, say, double-taps in IPSC, but I wouldn't know precisely what.

I've found that a lightish grip, allowing the pistol to surprise me with the trigger break and then roll back through the recoil gives much better accuracy when shooting centerfire bullseye-style.

It feels better to me not to lock any joints, but I'm really not sure about appropriate stance. The cops I've seen shooting their G17s at the range seem to have the whole deathgrip Weaver stance thing going on. If you could shred a paper target by glaring at it and gritting your teeth, they'd be getting full marks every time...

And just for the record, I don't like the PT92's ergonomics. The grip feels too short and narrow, and my trigger finger wants to curl around too far. The SIG P226 has the best ergonomics and trigger feel of any centerfire auto that I've shot to date, but in that price range I'd rather look for a good 1911.

Anyone out there got a Kimber or STI they're willing to let me have a play with?

[Sniper]

And just for the record, I don't like the PT92's ergonomics. The grip feels too short and narrow, and my trigger finger wants to curl around too far. The SIG P226 has the best ergonomics and trigger feel of any centerfire auto that I've shot to date, but in that price range I'd rather look for a good 1911.

Anyone out there got a Kimber or STI they're willing to let me have a play with?

Shoot a P99, fantastic pistol, comfortable and ergonomic (As hard as a deadly thing can be) I wasn't allowed to fire it but fairly accurate too from what Ive been told.

[Sniper]

As I've mentioned. Pistol shooting is still a new concept on me, feel free to offer any corrections and advice please

[Drunken Monkey]

My idea of a nice semi if I could ever afford one would be the M1A1 chambered in .308. 20 round mag and with a little work accurate further than my old eyes are capable of discerning.

Haven't you just described an M14??

[Mr Merde]

I would imagine that a somewhat different grip might be necessary for, say, double-taps in IPSC, but I wouldn't know precisely what.

I've found that a lightish grip, allowing the pistol to surprise me with the trigger break and then roll back through the recoil gives much better accuracy when shooting centerfire bullseye-style.

It feels better to me not to lock any joints, but I'm really not sure about appropriate stance. The cops I've seen shooting their G17s at the range seem to have the whole deathgrip Weaver stance thing going on. If you could shred a paper target by glaring at it and gritting your teeth, they'd be getting full marks every time...

And just for the record, I don't like the PT92's ergonomics. The grip feels too short and narrow, and my trigger finger wants to curl around too far. The SIG P226 has the best ergonomics and trigger feel of any centerfire auto that I've shot to date, but in that price range I'd rather look for a good 1911.

Anyone out there got a Kimber or STI they're willing to let me have a play with?

I've never really gotten on with the 9mm. I prefer the heavier calibers. Norinco make a good copy of the 1911. The P226 is an exception. a lovely pistol to shoot. They make a .22 version now that is 90% the size of the 226. It is called the Mosquito and sells for about $900. As to grip again. I also depends on the size of your hand. Best to find what you feel comforatble with. You can always buy aftermarket versions.

I quite like the double stack 1911 clones. 12 .45 rounds is nice. Price tag of 2500 though.