The cliché "practice makes perfect" is true but is only half of the story when it comes to firearms. The second part is focused on technique. After all, you could spend all day at the range target shooting, but if you don't have good technique, many of your targets' bullseyes will go unhit. When this happens, don't become frustrated or blame the equipment. Instead, work on a few shooting drills that will teach you the fundamentals.
These six tips will help you grow — and stay sharp — as a shooter.
1) Perfect Your Grip
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One of the most important aspects of improving accuracy is learning how to grip your weapon correctly. To help reduce recoil and get the muzzle of the rifle back on aim as quickly as possible after shooting a bullet, grasp your gun tightly.
Fortunately, practicing your grip at home is simple. It will become second nature to you every time you pick up your rifle as a result of this.
2) Breathe Slowly and Deliberately
While shooting, there are four methods to breathe.
- When your lungs are full, inhale, pause, and fire.
- When your lungs are empty, exhale, pause, and fire.
- Inhale, half-exhale, wait, and fire.
- Do not take a breather. Shoot while taking a deep breath.
Because the movement of your chest causes the sights to move when on target, breathing while shooting might affect accuracy. Inhaling (expanding the diaphragm) and exhaling (contracting the diaphragm) follow a natural and regular cycle (relaxing the diaphragm). As a result, it can be managed. The greatest time to control breathing for many shooters is during the natural pause at the end of exhaling. When you force air out of your lungs, your chest contracts, and your muscles relax. Don't try to force it. You want to unwind. Exhaling makes it easier to stop breathing than inhaling since the muscles are relaxed. This is a recommended method.
One strategy may not be appropriate for everyone. You should try several things until you find what works best for you.
3) Make Sure You’re in the Right Stance
A good shooting form is required for fast and precise shooting. A good shooting stance will help you with sight alignment, shooting in a straight line, trigger control, and recoil management, among other things.
The Isosceles, Weaver, and Chapman are the most prevalent postures. Experiment with different positions to find the one that feels most natural to you.
Isosceles Stance
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Isosceles stance gets its name from the triangle produced by the chest and arms. The arms of a shooter will be pushed straight out from the chest, forming the triangle's equal legs.
The shooter's body should be parallel to the target, and his feet should be somewhat broader than shoulder-width apart. Traditionally, the feet should be directly next to each other, although a half-step back for the powerful foot is perfectly okay.
Weaver Stance
Credit: Winchester Ammunition
The Weaver stance is a shooting stance in which the gun is subjected to a "push-pull" force in order to create opposing forces that limit recoil.
This stance entails 'blading' the body away from the target, so reducing the amount of 'frontage' exposed to the bad guy. This stance closely matches a boxer's stance in the lower body.
The support leg will be forward and the strong leg (shooting foot) will be back. The shooter's knees should be bent slightly and their weight should be shifted forward onto the support leg. The shooter's midsection, chest, and shoulders will be turned at an angle to the left or right of the target, depending on which hand is dominant.
With only a small bend in the elbow, the strong arm (shooting hand) will be mostly extended. The support arm (or weak hand) will have a distinct bend in the elbow, and the elbow will be almost directly pointed at the ground.
Chapman Stance
Credit: Armory Life
The Chapman stance is a "modified Weaver posture". With the exception of arm location, the Chapman stance is identical to the Weaver stance.
For this stance, the strong arm will be locked straight out in front of the shooter. The shooter can bend their head down and make a 'cheek weld' with the upper arm while this arm is locked. The support arm will be bent-elbow in the same way as the Weaver, and the 'push-pull' grip method will be used.
4) Practice Pulling Your Trigger
You may not realize it, but the way you pull the trigger has a big influence on your ability to fire straight. You'll want to study, learn, and absorb the best tactics for pulling the trigger until you can do it instinctively.
Generally speaking, you should pull the trigger solidly and avoid flinching or jerking your firearm while doing so. Quick wrist movements will throw your aim off, resulting in diminished accuracy. Once you've perfected pulling the trigger, it will become part of your muscle memory.
5) Dry Fire
Credit: Target Barn
According to popular belief, the only way to improve your accuracy is to use live fire-tactics, which is false. Keeping your pistol empty and dry firing while exercising good form and shooting abilities is beneficial in a number of ways. Because ammo is expensive, practicing dry firing will save you money while also allowing you to improve your skills.
There is no recoil when practicing dry firing, unlike when practicing live firing. This will tell you if you're shooting with appropriate posture and form.
6) Familiarize Yourself With Your Firearm
When it comes to increasing your accuracy, you need to become as comfortable as possible with your firearms. This is especially true for those who haven't had much experience with firearms.
Empty your weapons, spend time holding them, learn how to break them down and clean them, and practice aiming at home.
When it comes time to load your weapon and point it at a target, the more comfortable you become with handling your firearm, the better. This will also assist you in not being afraid of your firearm when shooting at the shooting range.
Summary
Your accuracy isn't going to improve on its own. Of course, practicing is essential, but there are other things you can do to improve your performance. It's crucial to remember that improving takes time and work, just like anything else. This isn't meant to discourage you; rather, it's meant to remind you that you may increase your accuracy with dedication, patience, and a clear objective in mind.