Alittle advice on needing a lot of help

[ART338WM]

I have finally taken the plunge equipment wise and are going to graduate myself from spectator to active participant are going to join the IDPA at chapter my gun club. All I have left to buy is a IWB holster for my newly acquired 4.25" M&P Pro 9mm. No I am not going to ask for suggestions on a IWB holster because I'm going to buy another Alien Gear 3.0 Cloak Tuck, I have and use one for my Shield and I am so happy with its performance I am going to buy another one for my M&P Pro. I will be alternating between the two M&P's.

The advice I seek is on how to best increase my trigger finger control and therefore maximize my shooting abilities. I shot my newly acquired M&P Pro today and put 300+ rounds through it. I instantly was amazed at the accuracy the M&P and was equally amazed at how easily I would be off my intended POA. When I was hitting off target, I was still shooting nice tight (for me at this stage of my limited abilities) groups only their POI would always impact one of two areas and these two areas only. I would be off target to the left or low and to the left. In firing over 300 rounds not a single miss went any were else. Not one. As those more experienced than I have undoubtedly surmised I am a right handed shooter. When I arrived home I dug out my pistol correction charts for RT handed shooters and they diagnosed the cause my missing to the left problem as Too little trigger finger, and my misses low and left to tightening fingers or jerking or slapping the trigger. I understand fully what is meant by the statement "Jerking or Slapping Trigger" but I' not as clear on what I think the chart is describing when it states "Tightening fingers"? Does this mean I am constantly holding the gun to tightly or only when I am about to shoot? or something else all together? Like I said I need some help, well a lot of help.

Now before anyone graciously suggests the obvious and tells me to shoot as much as I can as often as I can combined with dry fire practice at home, thank you I am fully aware that I must do both of these things. What I am looking for in experience based advice is how do I know I am practicing correctly when at home doing my dry fire drills? Can anyone suggest a good video I can use to teach myself? A good book would also be helpful as well, as I am good at self instruction. I realize I have a considerable distance to go before becoming skilled enough to be able to compete for good scores instead of good laughs, but I OK with that. I guess I'm in search of the "For Dummies" version of mastering trigger control as well as over all control abilities in the way I hold my pistols while shooting.

I feel considering I have recently developed a stigmatism which makes aiming more difficult, and it was the first time I ever shot I shot a full sized M&P, add in this was the first time I had shot any HG in 6-7 months and was the most I had shot any HG in several years, and I was very pleased with my groups at 15, yards, very pleased indeed. Shooting today really gave me the bug to shoot hand guns once again. I have included two targets both shot at 15 yards as examples.
Thanks to any who can help me out,
Arthur.

 

[ART338WM]

I forgot to add the grip I am using incorporate both thumbs being held straight with the thumb of my left hand resting on the take down lever area of the slide and the thumb of my right hand resting basically between the second knuckle of my left thumb and on both the frame and slide of the HG. Both the above target were examples of slow carefully aimed shots, both at 15 yards the pink target was the first 10 rounds I fired from the gun.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Assuming you are right handed, I would have to say based on the targets you may be jerking the trigger a bit. Try a steady squeeze. But without watching you shoot, I couldnt say for sure. This is the corrective target, but as you will see in the article, there can be more than one thing happening.

pistol-training.com » Blog Archive » Do?s and Don?ts of the ?Correction Target?

I'd see if there is an instructor that can give you an hour of their time up there in the Hammond area to spend a little time with you. Sometimes that first hour of instruction to correct the basics is worth 3 hours of advanced instruction.


Oh, and dont sweat it. Those would all be acceptable "down zero" hits in IDPA. Only sweat that level of accuracy if you are competing in bullseye.

 

[ART338WM]

C-Monkey thank you. I think a instructor would be a great idea, I was thinking about Sand Burr Gun ranch as its not terribly far from my home, I just need to make sure the instruction offered there is for me.

 

[downrange72]

Less trigger finger

 

[downrange72]

Find Coach on here. He also works at Parabellum

 

[rvb]

Now before anyone graciously suggests the obvious and tells me to shoot as much as I can as often as I can combined with dry fire practice at home, thank you I am fully aware that I must do both of these things. What I am looking for in experience based advice is how do I know I am practicing correctly when at home doing my dry fire drills? Can anyone suggest a good video I can use to teach myself? A good book would also be helpful as well, as I am good at self instruction. I realize I have a considerable distance to go before becoming skilled enough to be able to compete for good scores instead of good laughs, but I OK with that. I guess I'm in search of the "For Dummies" version of mastering trigger control as well as over all control abilities in the way I hold my pistols while shooting.

As others said some good instruction jump starts the process. Brian Enos' book is still my favorite for learning what to see, both in live and dryfire. Anderson's and stoeger's dryfire books are great for developing the mechanics for getting fast.

but in the end, it comes down to you taking the mechanics you'll be taught or read about or watch in a video and adapting/adjusting to get results. You ask how you know you're practicing correctly... you'll know when you improve on the range. If you spend an hour per night for a month in dryfire and go back to the range and don't improve or even shoot worse, you're not doing something right.

Largely, be honest with yourself, and be aware of what's going on in your practice. For instance, Just because you can draw under a certain par time in dryfire doesn't mean squat if your not able to find the sights or get a decent trigger press...

for accuracy, aiming at nothing and intently focusing on the front sight will help you SEE what the sights are doing when you break the shot. Balancing a dime on the front sight is a good drill requiring good trigger control.

Don't hesitate to get started in competition shooting. There's no minimum skill, so long as you can follow basic safety rules. You might as well learn by doing rather than make a lot of false assumptions and learn bad mechanics you'll have a hard time fixing later.

-rvb

 

[Twangbanger]

For not having shot in 6-7 months as you say, I would not worry overly much about this. No worse than you're shooting, I bet just paying a little more attention to what's going on will make a difference.Try alternating dry fire and live fire while at the range, to work on your trigger press. Dry fire on the target a few times, then fire a live mag, then dry fire some more, etc. Back and forth, watch that front sight, pay attention to what's happening, make small adjustments, and see what happens. You talk like you're still looking for the ballpark, when in reality you're already in your seat and now it's just time to find some hot dogs.

Sand Burr is a good place, by the way. Denny is an excellent S&W 'smith, and he can help you plenty with your shooting. Let him know you're coming, pick a day when he's not too busy (weekdays in winter are usually pretty slow), and I'm betting if you buy a little range time and show him your targets during/afterward, you will come away with some good info and a worthwhile day trip.

 

[alopez96]

+1 for having Coach help you. They also have introduction to competition classes

 

[Grelber]

If you spend an hour per night for a month in dryfire and go back to the range and don't improve or even shoot worse, you're not doing something right.

An hour?
It seems like after half that or a little less I am losing focus & whatever muscle group I am using ain't working as well as when I started.
Perhaps you were thinking of 2 sessions, or maybe I just need to man up a little bit or learn how to mix things up more to keep it sort of fun, figured I'd ask though. Stoeger's book talks about 1/2 hour sessions which is something that I perhaps grabbed onto because it said what I wanted to hear.

 

[Grelber]

+1 for having Coach help you. They also have introduction to competition classes

And BFT tee shirts look cool.

 

[Coach]

And BFT tee shirts look cool.

Yes they do.

 

[downrange72]

And BFT tee shirts look cool.

Indeed

 

[rvb]

An hour?
It seems like after half that or a little less I am losing focus & whatever muscle group I am using ain't working as well as when I started.
Perhaps you were thinking of 2 sessions, or maybe I just need to man up a little bit or learn how to mix things up more to keep it sort of fun, figured I'd ask though. Stoeger's book talks about 1/2 hour sessions which is something that I perhaps grabbed onto because it said what I wanted to hear.

by the time I worked on draws, reloads, movement, transitions, etc .... doing multiple reps of each, multiple pars, etc, 30 minutes just wasn't enough. I could never keep my practices under 60 minutes, even rotating drills through multiple nights. there were some things I wanted to work on every night (reloads) that took time. that never included trigger control practice, that was always separate when just sitting around. 30 min is a starting point, less than that you'd be lucky to see improvement; but it's not a lot of time to work on a variety of stuff or get the required reps in.

pushing through some tired muscles builds strength/endurance that pays off on match day, imo. I remember getting frustrated one night and got determined to not quit until I hit 2.0s draw-2-R-2 ten times in a row. I couldn't pick anything up the next day that weighed more than a couple ounces. haha...

I need to get back into it... my arms are turning into noodles, I haven't done a lick of dryfire in many months. I'll probably have to set my draw and reload pars back to 3s. Who do I talk to to get my class set back to A or B?

-rvb

 

[Jackson]

30 min is a starting point, less than that you'd be lucky to see improvement; but it's not a lot of time to work on a variety of stuff or get the required reps in.

I think this might depend on where you're starting from. For someone at RVB's level, additional gains probably come harder. I'm not nearly at his level. For where I'm at, I've seen measurable improvements with a half-hour or less, say three or four times a week. As I said, though, he's a much better shooter. So I would definitely take his advice seriously.

 

[ART338WM]

Than you so vary, vary much one and all for your suggestions of help. I am quite humbled by the level of information I received. I am at the moment side lined as a result of a injury (tore my right quadracep 85-90%) sustained at home. Although I am post surgery and now can get around good, by the time my Doctor releases me back to work I will have been off for just shy of 3 months. So understandably my wife might look upon spending at this given time several hundred dollars on firearms instruction as being a little financially irresponsible. BUT, I should be back to work in 3 weeks or less. Once I am back at work I will post here once again for suggestions on a good shooting coach.

To be honest I always felt that getting some professional instruction would literally shave months of self instruction off my learning curve and at worst the cost would be a break even proposition inn the ammo costs such instruction would undoubtedly save me.

Again thanks to all for your help.
Arthur.

 

[rvb]

I think this might depend on where you're starting from. For someone at RVB's level, additional gains probably come harder. I'm not nearly at his level. For where I'm at, I've seen measurable improvements with a half-hour or less, say three or four times a week. As I said, though, he's a much better shooter. So I would definitely take his advice seriously.

Didnt we all start at about the same level?
if someone gets decent at anything, shooting, music, golf, whatever, does it make sense they got good and then needed to practice more, or that they practiced more and then got good?

You'll see improvements w. 30min a few times per week. But I feel that's about the bare minimum. Repitition is key and it's hard to work on the number of things important in our sport (draws, reloads, trigger control, transitions) and get enough reps per week to be worth it if your doing much less. I think it was lanny bassham that says less than that can actually hurt your progress, and my experience agrees with that.

-rvb