Bad day at the range
 

Went to the range the other day with the Glock 34 9mm, and I was hopeless. I just seemed to be chasing the bullseye all the time. I hadn't been for about 3 weeks.

Here are some of my better targets, shot at 12 yards or 11 metres. I'm capable of pretty good accuracy, why do I have these off days, and how can I prepare before a shoot to shoot better?

One thing I kind of suspect was my grip and sighting, my grip just felt rubbish, I was flinching quite a bit, and I didn't close my left properly as I usually do.

How can I achieve some consistency in my shooting?? Is range time the only solution?

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Breathe before each shot. Breathing is HUGE, IMO....
Play around with which eye is kept closed.
Focus on front sight.
Practice "squeezing" dry-fire and live rounds.
("Anticipation" was a huge hurdle for me.)

Those are some things I work on.

Just shooting more helps. It's hard to get much better just occasionally going to the range.

Believe it or not, you're probably on par with most cops I know. Going to the range is like a chore to most of them.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

You're probably right about the breathing, it's not really the breathing itself I find, so much as the fact that you are focused at that point for each shot, and concentrating on all the other factors, and prepared to accept the noise and recoil.

The other day I kind of felt myself doing everything wrong, so I left the range early as I realised it probably wasn't going to get much better that day, and I don't believe in encouraging a bad shooting habit.

I think I need to fully run through my checklist before shooting. Stance, breathing, grip, arm position, left eye squint, looking down the sight and not crouching, focusing on front sight when taking the shot, using just finger tip, holding gun steady while squeezing the trigger, and not anticipating the bang/recoil.

I try to shoot slow fire, but sometimes I challenge myself to speed up a bit and accuracy suffers.

When I see the pros shooting those metal targets rapidly I'm just amazed, but I guess they have shot thousands upon thousands of rounds to get to that ability, as there is just no way you could sight every shot up.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

If you are shooting large two legged mammals, that's accurate enough.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Sure, but I also plan to compete eventually, as I'm a target shooter and this is one of my sports. Those targets are from a 'good day', not my bad day's targets which I was
so disgusted with, that I didn't keep.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

I will try to shoot in my own abilities. What this means to me is when I start to fade or make mistakes that I know I shouldn't I quit for the day.

The reason I stop for the session when I deteriorate is I do not want to ingrain bad habits.

I think you did the right thing after you saw what was happening.

Last month I got my first Pistol and have been shooting only the closer distances. I want to get all shoots in the bulls eye before going back another 5 yards. I think this will take me thousands of rounds. But, by the time I'm shooting at targets far back I should be able to hit them.

The thing that surprises me is the difference in my friends Clock and my M&P. I shoot his better but my elbow and hand take a jarring so I am unable to shoot his as long before deterioration begins.

Electric-Amish

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Are these .40's or .45s?

I found the 1911A1 .45 would definiately jar your hand, leave a twinge and of course always tried to muzzle flip lots. Steel frame will do that, polymer frames are meant to be better at reducing felt or transferred recoil.

They have spent a bit of time examining the Glock, and have designed good interchangeable grips for the M&P, so I'm not too surprised that felt recoil is better handled. The grips although functional, do look ugly though.

I found the Glock .40 with +P would muzzle flip a lot, and was a challenge to control.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

All have given good advice. Dry firing at home sure helps. Especially with a Glock - a small slide pull is all that is required to reset the trigger. Have a person spot you while you are shooting. A .22 rf pistol helped me greatly (inexpensively) before I purchased a centerfire pistol.
Take care,
Mod1

Re: Bad day at the range
 

wil is right, dry fire. get some snap caps so you dont worry about your firing pin wearing down. load them up and snap snap snap. Its easier to practice this with a revolver, since you can do it over and over and over again.

for a glock here is a good exercise since its got a square slide: put a coin on the end and dry fire it with your eyes closed a few times. that will get you squeezing the trigger evenly. then open up and do it a few hundred times more.

back when I was in grad school, instead of studying I used to sit dry firing a revolver with snap caps in it watching tv, for hours. instead of studying that is. good practice but you cant do this if you live with somebody or they will think you are crazy. LOL back then I was an aimless youth and a "bachelor"

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Those low hits look like flinch off, I'll support the dryfire suggestion. Some days it just doesn't come together though.

If you want to reduce recoil look at a heavier recoil spring or a gun with a lower bore axis and better ergonomics. Compared to my friend's Glock 17 my steel frame CZ has a third less recoil.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

and lay off the coffee and diet pills. LOL

CZ has fantastic ergonomics, just love to hold em.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Thanks. The 9mm recoil is manageable, the problem is the bit between me aiming and pulling the trigger. :D

Looks like a lot of dry-firing is in order. :/ Boring!

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Yeah, coffee/caffeine gives me the shakes bad, and the withdrawl symptoms.. ugh... I only drink the stuff in emergencies, and even then, it often has the opposite effect, and can send me off to sleep!

I find it is also usually good to also go to the range after having a light lunch, and hydrated, my subconcious is not also thinking about food in the background which allows for more focus on task.

I'm not usually a creature of habit and precise preparation, but I think I'll have to change that a bit if I want accurate range time.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Good advice, thanks! I might get someone else to load for me, as I often have a shooting buddy along.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Look at the bright side....the bad guy would still be dead even on your worst day....

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Perhaps... but in the real world, the bad guy is moving around, ducking behind cover and shooting back... if he has any sense...

That is a totally different kind of shooting drill, than on a stationary paper target.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Thanks sam.

I think in addition to dry-firing, I might also try the up close shooting method, then gradually move the target back. That might be a very good drill for accuracy too.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

shades2-

Glock 34 huh?

Well, I don't know if Hogue makes full size
soft rubber grips for that gun, prolly not.

At least try a slip-on grip. I'll bet it helps a lot.

dtnwn

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Sounds more like you need to work on your grip and stance.
Weight forward, (if right handed) putting forward pressure with your right hand/arm, pulling in with your left.

Jeff Cooper wrote many articles about proper stance and grip for controlling a handgun. Have to learn to go with the guns movement to some degree. A .45acp should not be difficult to control once you shoot it a bit.

Try shooting mid-range or target loads and then move up to full-power. Try some indoor ranges and see if they have range-reloads for sale.


Then again, unless you aspire to be a true pistolero, spend some time with your shotgun and rifle, they will hit with more authority and allow you to be well removed from the action.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

My friends Glock 22 in .40 and my MP in .40. Two different experiences after about 75 rounds.

I shoot with the biggest back strap. It isn't because of huge hands though. I have heard how snappy the 40s recoil is and I wanted to spread out the impact over a bigger surface.

I have become used to the feel of it and like it more now than the medium or thin back straps.

So after shooting and getting jarred of recoild for about 75 with his I quit.
My MP I shoot 150 without that same feeling and no impact wear to speak of.

I still shoot his better though and it makes me kind of crazy!

E-A

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Re: Bad day at the range
 

Shades,

Remember to lock your wrist and pull not stab trigger.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

You are not practicing breathing when defending yourself, it is a highly stressfull situation, you need to keep shooting freeform, without the eye closed, use your instinct, point and shoot, that is what the real action is, you dont have time to breath and close one eye to aim, if you do your dead.

Re: Bad day at the range
 

YOU THINK YOU HAD A BAD DAY AT THE RANGE???

Read before watching video

This is incredible. It almost made the Darwin Awards.

The guy is shooting an AR-50. Watch the dust when he fires. The target, a steel plate, was 100 yards away. You can hear the ping of the hit, then the bullet comes back and hits his earmuffs on his head.

The footage is amazing. You can hear the bullet as it tumbles through the air on its course back toward the shooter.

He's lucky it hit the dirt first. He is okay, and obviously very lucky. The bullet grazed his temple. What a difference a half an inch makes!

YouTube - Guy hit in head with .50 caliber ricochet

YouTube - Guy hit in head with .50 caliber ricochet

Re: Bad day at the range
 

I'm just wondering how many +P rounds it will take, before my Glock barrel burns out. :D

Re: Bad day at the range
 

ha, a lot is the answer to that. fan freakin tastic those barrels are

Re: Bad day at the range
 

holy crap, I guess 100 is close with a fifty. LOL thanks, if I ever hear that sound I will grab the grass fast

if it had hit him in the eyeball it would have blown it out or embedded in his socket