The best tools for pistol training

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’ve been working on my pistol shooting to try to extend my ethical hunting range out to 75 yards or so. That’s going to take quite a bit of work. Right now I would not take a shot if the range exceeds 50 yards

To that end, I’m working on practical accuracy with a good .22 and a dueling tree that I will keep moving back as my hits get more and more consistent.

Any other suggestions?

[Bill in Oregon]

Scott, not many take this challenge seriously enough to put in the work. Congratulations on your determination.

[JimT]

Scott .. a case of .22's probably is one of the first tools. I am sure you have that covered.
You know the basics of shot placement. You can't beat time on the trigger. I have been lacking that ... trying to make up for it now.

[Streetstar]

Despite having a couple other platforms (double action revolvers and 1911’s) I’ve settled on the Glocks for potential “social purposes”

A model 44 (.22 version of the G19) is on my short list to procure, mainly after I started using a red dot on one of my full size pistols and right off the bat noticed how long it takes to find the dot due to naturally having to compensate for the Glock grip angle.

Was a bit alarming

[Scott Tschirhart]

Scott .. a case of .22's probably is one of the first tools. I am sure you have that covered.
You know the basics of shot placement. You can't beat time on the trigger. I have been lacking that ... trying to make up for it now.

Part of it is being really deliberate in breaking the sear loose and dropping the hammer while the sights are on. Shooting single action revolvers has been great for my follow through as well.

[LeverGunner]

Doesn't get any better than trigger time. The Single Six gets the nod from me.

[JimT]

ME TOO!!

old_model_single_six.jpg

[Scott Tschirhart]

Mine has old fashioned grips.

[Bill in Oregon]

Doug, you will enjoy the Glock 44. I bought one a few years ago and one of the fellow range officers and I enjoyed shooting up many hundreds of rounds of .22 ammo dropped around the shooting tables and firing lines in it. Great stand-in for the centerfire Glocks.
Thread reminds me that I haven't put many rounds through the Super Wrangler yet. Need to address that.

[Grizz]

Scott, i never knew the range to an animal . . . A buck at 75 might look like yearling in size that is closer in. i used to walk the beaches shooting sea shells at any and all ranges and dispositions. When doing this i rarely made 2 consecutive shots at the same range. I almost never shot at paper once i knew the gun was consistant. Plenty of rocks around the ranch. ... I think target shooting can be counter productive at some point. You are an excelent shot already. Maybe you could try something different like a golf course of small gongs or balloons or rocks or cans with a different range on consecutive shots. Does this make any sense?

[Walt]

It seems to me that if you're going to self-impose a limit of 75 yards for hunting with a handgun, setting gongs of various sizes out at that distance would be an excellent exercise.

[rock-steady]

I wore out a couple of Ruger MkII 22LR semi-autos in my youth.

My favorite practice was to dump 500 rounds in my pockets and walk around in an old gravel pit.

When a target of opportunity such as a tin can, dirt clod etc. caught my eye, I would draw, aim and fire.

Over the many 1000's of rounds, I got pretty fast and accurate. Not bragging, but a tin can at 150 yards was in danger.

There was an old gas tank from an automobile at about 600 yards that i could plunk one off of every now and then.

[AJMD429]

.
I have found the 'analytic' part of the Mantis-X (or whatever it is now called) to be vey helpful. It can be used on handgun, rifle, shotgun, or bow. It tracks the minute motions just before, during, and after trigger pull, and can be used in 'dry-fire' mode or for live-fire. I was surprised at the subtle things it picked up, and sure enough when I corrected the grip as suggested, got tangible improvement not just on the graphics sent to my phone (by the Mantis), but in actual hits-on-paper. As you can see it is TINY. I had their previous version which was about twice as big, but after several years the battery charge would only last for about a week, and when I inquired about a new battery they said just send it in and we'll send you the newer version; hard to beat that.



https://mantisx.com/

It easily attaches to anything with a rail, but there are adapters allowing mounting to the bottom of the grips, and a bunch of magazine baseplate replacements it attaches to (https://mantisx.com/collections/rail-adapters), and I just have use one of these type gizmos for mounting it to barrels on various guns as well. Note it doesn't have to be mounted anywhere near the 'line-of-sight' - it is just sensing motion. (Amazing it can pick up anything much beyond your pulse, yet it is also rugged enough to withstand heavy recoil of handgun or compound bow.)



The above mount was $11.99 at Amazon. I also use one of them plus a little cheapie laser sight for one-shot sighting-in on pretty much all long guns now.

[KeithNyst]

Strengthen your shooting hand by squeezing a tennis ball 50 times a day.

[Steve in MO]

Scott, a bunch of .22 ammo, then maybe ten or twenty rounds out of your primary pistol. Make sure you end on a positive note, while you're still doing good. Something I learned at the USAMU. Nothing beats time on the trigger. I'm with Jim, I've been lacking in this department. Time to get back on the wagon.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Getting dirty!

[mickbr]

Scott, i never knew the range to an animal . . . A buck at 75 might look like yearling in size that is closer in. i used to walk the beaches shooting sea shells at any and all ranges and dispositions. When doing this i rarely made 2 consecutive shots at the same range. I almost never shot at paper once i knew the gun was consistant. Plenty of rocks around the ranch. ... I think target shooting can be counter productive at some point. You are an excelent shot already. Maybe you could try something different like a golf course of small gongs or balloons or rocks or cans with a different range on consecutive shots. Does this make any sense?

I like the idea of randomly walking about shooting also, if you can do so. I recall reading WDM bell who shot elephant with 6.5mm. What is less remarked is he used to shoot birds on the wing...also with his rifle. lots of practice, lots of rounds down range. I believe he said it takes about 10,000 shots to be a master of your firearm.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I like the idea of randomly walking about shooting also, if you can do so. I recall reading WDM bell who shot elephant with 6.5mm. What is less remarked is he used to shoot birds on the wing...also with his rifle. lots of practice, lots of rounds down range. I believe he said it takes about 10,000 shots to be a master of your firearm.

Imagine what 10,000 rounds of any centerfire rifle ammunition costs in today’s terms.

The cheapest .30-30 ammunition at Academy costs $26.99 per box of 20.

500 boxes is 10,000 rounds.

500 x $27 (not including taxes) is $13,500.

That’s why I shoot a great deal of .22 rimfire.

[4t5]

I’m surprised it still functions.

[Woodsloafer2]

A red dot and dry fire has taught me the most. I can see exactly how different ways I grip the pistol affect shots. Trigger finger placement has a big effect for me too. For me focusing my grip on the little and ring finger and pushing my trigger finger first knuckle far forward is the latest thing that has improved my shooting. Always something to change and learn though.

[samsi]

I'm a fan of the "pockets-full-of-ammo and wandering" while taking random shots from varying distances and angles, though finding a suitable place for that isn't easy these days. It used to be my go-to for wringing out/learning a new gun. I do like plate racks, dueling trees, all that stuff - so long as a guy is pulling the trigger with purpose and intent it's all valuable practice.

[samsi]

A red dot and dry fire has taught me the most. I can see exactly how different ways I grip the pistol affect shots. Trigger finger placement has a big effect for me too. For me focusing my grip on the little and ring finger and pushing my trigger finger first knuckle far forward is the latest thing that has improved my shooting. Always something to change and learn though.

I went down the rabbit hole with refining my grip years ago and found that there isn't a lot written on it, maybe because everyone is built differently and there's no one size fits all method. Add to that the fact that one has to alter their grip for different guns (the grip used on a 1911 doesn't apply to a SAA, etc.) and it turns into a complex topic with a lot of nuance. Someone with more teaching ability than me should write a book on it.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m really not so sure that different handles make that much difference.

I shot these groups this morning and I’ve gotten to where I shoot a 1911 or a single action about the same.

The .22 shooting is really paying off.

[mickbr]

I like the idea of randomly walking about shooting also, if you can do so. I recall reading WDM bell who shot elephant with 6.5mm. What is less remarked is he used to shoot birds on the wing...also with his rifle. lots of practice, lots of rounds down range. I believe he said it takes about 10,000 shots to be a master of your firearm.

Imagine what 10,000 rounds of any centerfire rifle ammunition costs in today’s terms.

The cheapest .30-30 ammunition at Academy costs $26.99 per box of 20.

500 boxes is 10,000 rounds.

500 x $27 (not including taxes) is $13,500.

That’s why I shoot a great deal of .22 rimfire.

Whats $13k for a hobby compared to boats and harley davisons . But Im with you Scott, I reload anything of volume and shoot a lot of 22Lr also

[Scott Tschirhart]

Whats $13k for a hobby compared to boats and harley davisons .

When you put it that way, I agree either way you.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m surprised it still functions.

Oh it runs fine dirtier than that.

I did clean it this morning though.

[samsi]

I’m really not so sure that different handles make that much difference.

I shot these groups this morning and I’ve gotten to where I shoot a 1911 or a single action about the same.

The .22 shooting is really paying off.

I agree that any accurate gun can do good work, regardless of the configuration. My point is that there's less similarity between how one grasps a K38 or 1911 vs. a SAA. For myself, I have more days where I struggle with fine accuracy shooting a traditional SA plow-handled gun than a 1911 or DA S&W.

[Grizz]

I’m really not so sure that different handles make that much difference.

I shot these groups this morning and I’ve gotten to where I shoot a 1911 or a single action about the same.

The .22 shooting is really paying off.

I agree that any accurate gun can do good work, regardless of the configuration. My point is that there's less similarity between how one grasps a K38 or 1911 vs. a SAA. For myself, I have more days where I struggle with fine accuracy shooting a traditional SA plow-handled gun than a 1911 or DA S&W.

I recently had some walking-around time in the Republic, and cheered myself up by patterning the 20 Ga shorty, and playing kick the cans with the Ruger 22. I can shoot this pistol about 10 times better than I can shoot the Ruger Wrangler. The center can was opened by a 3 Buck load in the 20 and all the cans got some snake shot, or a little 45 ACP, but the majority of the perforations were 22 lr from the 22 auto. Just walking around and sending them to the fence. It's the pistol I've trained with the most AND the one I do the best with. The sights? Brilliant. Don't have to hunt for them, they are just There. It is an old friend . . . If I'm shooting the others at paper or steel I warm up with the 22, it settles my eyesight somehow, and makes seeing the 1911 sights a little easier. Similar to Scott's practice . . .
.

Ruger Automatic.jpeg

.