XII. Accuracy
     A. Pistol
        1. General Accuracy Tips

by Aaron ? (aaron@halcyon.com)

My goal is to be able to hit where I think I'm aiming with overwhelming
consistency.

Where do I look for effective techniques to improve and maintain my
ability?  Books?  Classes?  Competition?  Other?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
What follows is a cut-and-paste summary of the usenet and email
response I received in answer to my accuracy question.  I have also
include two or three posts responding to other questions, which I
arbitrarily decided were relevant to my question.

I have tried to remove clues to people's identities to respect their privacy,
since most responses were through email.

Responses have been sliced and diced and put into categories.

The categories are identified by "=CATEGORYNAME" at the beginning of
the line.  The BASICS category entries also have sub categories,
since this was by far the largest category.

The categories (and their order) are:
=QUESTION
=BASICS
	-EXPECTATIONS
	-THE SHOT
	-TARGET DISTANCE
	-THE GUN
	-YOUR BODY
	-PRACTICE
	-EXERCISES
=BOOK
=VIDEO
=COMPETITION
=HANDLING
=INSTRUCTION
=SUPPLIES       (if you're gonna practice, you'll need supplies, right?)

I have included every response in this file, leaving it to the reader
to judge the usefullness and correctness of the information.  If
you don't find your particular string of words, though you know you
responded to me, it's because I tried to edit redundant information.

To summarize the summary: get good instruction early,
and practice practice practice for the rest of your life.

To all who responded, thank you for your generosity.
                                                          aaron@halcyon.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------

=BASICS
Have fun!

=BASICS
It's definitely better to start out teaching your body the right techniques.

=BASICS
It's harder to break bad habits than to avoid forming them..

=BASICS
Practice, practive, practice! But don't waste ammunition if you don't know
what you're looking at. 

=BASICS
Only the actions that you have practiced
repeatedly will be there when you need them.

=BASICS
The key to accuracy is keeping all factors identical for each shot.
Of course, practice goes a long way in this regard,
but only if you are practicing good habits.

=BASICS
-EXPECTATIONS
Hang in there -- if you have a good plan and practice it enough,
you're bound to improve.  I've gotten to the point when, with
1.5" bulls at 21', I'm disappointed whenever a shot doesn't hit
within the bull; it tooks a lot of practice to get to that point
and now I'm working on speeding it up, gradually.  (I decided
not to try to place every shot in the same bullet hole -- the
ammo and gun aren't that reproducible anyway!  By the way, I
practice with inexpensive FMJ ammo in a .40S&W Glock.)

=BASICS
-EXPECTATIONS
To make one point more forcefully: in real life you
want to hit a 4" circle at 15 ft or less, fast and
every time. 25 yards is 75 ft, so a 4" circle at 15 ft
looks just the same as a 20" circle at 25 yards. So
mark 20" circles on your targets and as long as you
are getting all the shots inside of that, you are
accurate enough and should work on getting faster.

=BASICS
-THE SHOT
Focus your dominant eye on the front sight,
letting the rear sight be slightly fuzzy and the target blur out completely.
Shoot into the middle of the blur.
Steadily increase trigger pressure while holding the sight picture
stable, until the gun fires.
The exact moment of firing should suprise you.
Do not jerk the trigger the last little bit.
Do not worry if the front sight wanders over an area of the target.
Do not try to "chase the bullseye" (i.e. do not jerk the trigger when
the front sight wanders over the target center).
Try to observe the recoil - the front sight should go straight
up and then drop back into the correct sight picture.

Once you have mastered this "slow squeeze - suprise release"
method of shooting, you can gradually increase the speed with
which you increase trigger pressure, but remember that accuracy
is more important than speed.

You will always be aiming at an area rather than a point.
At 25 yards you should not expect to shoot a group smaller than
4" in diameter no matter how much you practice.

=BASICS
-THE SHOT
Make SURE you have a good sight picture.
If you don't know where you're going to shoot you'll never be on target.
Take your time.
Dont go blasting off 5 or 6 rounds at once.
Learn to know what the sights look like when they're at point of aim.
30 seconds between shots a minimum.

=BASICS
-THE SHOT
The key to accuracy is watching the front sight.  I know this is not
intuitive, but it works.
Focus on the front sight; concentrate on your sight picture.
This will include the front sight properly aligned with the rear sight.
The top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight
and the front sight should be in the center of the rear notch.
With the sights properly aligned and your concentration firmly
attached to that front sight, aligned the pistol on the target.
Slowly press the trigger; do not jerk it.
Maintain equal pressure on the grip with the other three fingers and thumb.
Apply slight backward pressure with the weak (support) hand,
which should be a mirror image in grip of the right hand, with the
obvious exception of the left index finger being beneath the trigger guard.
That is the essence of accurate shooting with a combat pistol.

=BASICS
-THE SHOT
Aligns the sights with the target (top of front and rear sight should
be exactly vertically aligned, and front sight should be
exactly centered in rear notch, with aim point at the middle
of the top of the front sight), focusing on the *front* sight
(not the target), maintains alignment as well as possible
(it will wobble, don't overcorrect) while the trigger is
slowly *squeezed* between base of thumb and forefinger
(other fingers should *not* be squeezing, just maintaining a
steady, firm hold on the handle).  The trigger "break" (trip)
should come as a surprise; to see if it really does, try dry
firing and notice whether the sight picture is disturbed when
the trigger trips.  The eyes should remain open the whole time,
which takes some work since the natural reflex is to flinch.
It might help to practice with a mix of live ammo and "snap
caps", so that you never know whether there will be a "bang"
or not.  I suggest setting the target at 21' and using a small
aim area (bright orange stick-on dot, or use one of the 50-yard
multiple .22 rifle targets which have small bulls).  Alternatively,
make the bottom of the bull ("Six O'Clock position") your aim
point.

=BASICS
-TARGET DISTANCE
Start small.
A novice trying to hit a 50 yd target is going to be very disappointed.
I routinely practice with 10 to 15 yard targets.
I practice for defense, so that's the range where I want to be sure
I'm accurate.
Try a 10 yard target first. When you get accurate, pull the target back
farther.
Starting out far will not help you master technique nor will it give
you incentive to try harder.

=BASICS
-THE GUN
Make sure that your gun actually shoots at point of aim!
You might need to get your sights adjusted. I had night sights
installed on my Glock and even though the armorer lined the sights up to
'his' eyes, they didn't work for me. A good range instructor or an armorer
can help there.

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
Use a two-handed hold with your elbows locked straight.

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
Aim with your dominant eye.

To find which of your eyes is dominant:
Have a friend stand about 7-10 yards in front of you.
Have them raise their hand and hold it up.
With both eyes open, as soon as you see them raise their hand,
point at it with your trigger finger and hold your finger
pointing at their hand.
Don't move it, dont adjust your finger, leave it at the first point that
LOOKS correct.

Next, while you're looking at your finger, close one eye and then the other.
You'll notice that when you close one eye your finger is right on target but
when you close the other eye your finger is off quite a bit. The eye that
makes your finger and your friend line up is your dominant eye. You ought
to be doing your aiming with that eye.
USUALLY but not always if you're righthanded you're also right-eye dominant
and vice versa, but not always.

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
Every time you pick up the pistol, your grip and stance have to be the same.
You need to develop a stance that aligns the pistol on the target
without any extra effort.
At the firing line, get into your stance, close your eyes,
and raise and lower the pistol a few times.
With the pistol raised, open your eyes and see where it is pointed.
If it isn't lined up on the target, move your FEET to line things up.
This produces a 'natural point of aim' where you are not using your
muscles to apply any sideways force on the pistol.
This is particularly important in sustained fire, so that the pistol
will naturally spring back lined up on the target.

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
You need a firm grip (my coach always said 'the tighter the
grip the tighter the group'), concentrating on applying pressure on the
front and back strap, not on the sides.

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
In theory, accurate shooting is easy -- one stands facing the
target, with the left foot advance a couple of inches perhaps
(assuming your right hand is the strong hand), places the grip
in the "V" of the open hand between thumb and palm, closes the
hand with forefinger extended alongside the slide, closes the
left (support) hand around the strong hand with both thumbs
extended toward the target alongside each other (and free of
the gun), raises the gun with locked but casual right forearm
and (your choice) locked left arm (isoceles stance, which is
what I recommend for defense training) *or* left elbow bent
down so the left hand is pulling down and back aganst the
right hand (Weaver stance, speeds recoil recovery),

=BASICS
-YOUR BODY
There are a number of things you can do about your grip.
It is possible to hold 
the pistol too tight ( I know, I've got crushed tendons in my fingers from it).
You might try relaxing just a bit until you feel that the pistol is recoiling
too much.  If that doesn't help, there are several exercises you can do.  For
your grip, just squeezing something repeatedly will help.  You want lots of
repetitions and only moderate resistance.  I like the new 'Grip Master' grip
exercisers.  You can even get one that has a clip on pistol sight (cute,
but of
little value).  Don't overdo it.  Slow down at the slightest sign of soreness.
It is very easy to develop tendonitis if you go at it constantly, or start out
too fast.  Another classic exercise is the 'weight winder'.  Get a 12" piece
of rod or pipe about 1 1/4" diameter, 5' of clothesline, and a plastic 1/2 gal.
jug.  Tie the line around the center of the rod (a hole will help), and to
the bottle.  Fill the bottle half full of water, and holding the rod at arms
length with both hands, SLOWLY wind the weight up to the rod, and then SLOWLY
unwind it.  Repeat until your arms fall off ;-).  This builds up your grip,
your
wrists, and your arms, all at once.  Once it becomes easy to do 20 times, add
more water.  When you can do it 20 times with a 1 gallon jug without feeling
it,
you will be in much better shape than I am!  Hockey stick tape around the rod
helps get a good grip.  I was amused to see this exercise in the film 'Hannie 
Caulder' when Robert Culp was teaching Rachel Welch how to shoot pistol.
It's been around a very long time.

=BASICS
-PRACTICE
If you're all over the paper it sounds like you need to work on basics. 
The best and cheapest is to dryfire.  Simply go through the motions of
shooting with an UNLOADED gun.  Paying considerable attention to your
stance and trigger pull.  The sights should not move out of alignment when
the hammer falls.  Without the distraction of a round going off it is
obvious if you are jerking the trigger.

=BASICS
-PRACTICE
 You should also practice shooting left handed,
one handed (right and left), shooting with your
right eye, and as many strange positions (sitting,
kneeling, prone, leaning around corners) as can
be arranged. Somewhat-good fast draw practice can
be done by holding the gun at waist level, pointed
downrange, and quickly bringing it to eye level and
firing. Drawing from leather can be done at home with
an empty gun, and the two overlapped actions, practiced
at different times, seem to combine fairly well.

=BASICS
-EXERCISES
Some people tend to jerk a pistol as they pull the trigger, it's a natural
fear reaction.
If you do that the only solution is practice!
Get used to the sound and the reaction.
The way I get over it is I try to shoot at the target but NOT pull the
trigger all the way, you know, pull the trigger but stop before you let
off a round.
It should become obvious at that point if you flinch,
and you can't be sure if you're really going to set a round off,
so you have to be steady just in case! 

=BASICS
-EXERCISES
YOU'VE GOT TO FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT!
Even if you KNOW to focus on the front sight, it's sometimes hard to tell.
The best diagnostic is 'calling the shot'.
If you are focused on the sights, you should have a clear image, after
the shot breaks, of where the sights were aligned relative to the target.
If you can't tell (without a scope) where your shots are going,
it's a good indication that you're watching the target.  
You can't focus on both the target and the sights simultaneously, and the
target isn't moving.
The target will be a black blurry blob, but that's OK, you can still
judge where the center is amazingly well without having it in focus.
The most critical part is the angular alignment of the front and rear sight,
and you can't control that well if you aren't focused on the sights.

=BASICS
-EXERCISES
The next most crucial task is firing the pistol without disturbing the
sight alignment.  Depending on the trigger pull of your pistol, this can
be tough.
No matter what happens, you've got to pull STRAIGHT back.
The best way to work on this is LOTS of dry-firing.
Another good exercise is 'ball and dummy'.  Load up some dummy cartridges,
and mix them in with good rounds.
Load your magazines without looking at the cartridges.
When you get one of the dummies, if the pistol hangs out there and goes
click without moving, you're in business.
More likely, it will dive or flip in some direction.
Practice dry-fire until every time you pull the trigger, nothing moves.

=BOOK
You can probably do some if this for yourself from books but it might be
more effective to get coaching. 

=BOOK
You can get specific books that cover things like IPSC,
NRA Bullseye, Combat shooting, International (Olympic) shooting, etc.

=BOOK
There is a book by Gil Hebard (available from Gil Hebard Guns Co.)
which has a lot of information about accurate handgun shooting.  It is
inexpensive.

The Pistol Shooter's Treasury  2nd ed.
Edited and Published by Gil Hebard  
Gil Hebard Gun, 125-129 Public Square, Knoxville, Ill. 61448
6" x 9" 128 pp, paperbound inexpensive

  A collection of classic articles by world champion shooters, eminent
authorities and the editor on how to shoot a pistol and how to prepare
yourself for the exacting requirements of competitive handgunning. (from
the cover page)

Contents
Fundamentals of Marksmanship, Bill Joyner
How to be a Handgunner, Gil Hebard
The Great Game of Shooting, Bill Blankenship
Aim and Squeeze, Bill Toney
Look at the Sights, Paul Weston
Area Aiming, Paul Weston
Trigger Control, Bill Blankenship
Techniques in Rapid Fire, Dave Cartes
Pistol Tips, Bill McMillan
There Aren't Any Secrets, Harry Reeves
Mental Aspects of Match Shooting, Joe White
Advanced Marksmanship Guide, U.S.A. Advanced Markmanship Unit
International Shooting, Lew Weinstein
Competitive and Combat Shooting, Paul Weston
Competitive Police combat Shooting, Bill Joyner
Buying Your Way to Pistol Mastery, Gil Hebard
Selecting a .22 Target Gun, Gil Hebard
High Standard Military  Autos, Gil Hebard
The Smith & Wesson 52, Gil Hebard
Why a Custom Handgun, Dick Shockey
Pistol Primers, Their Development and Use, CCI Technical Staff
Reloading Pistol Smmunition, Jim Clark
Tips on Reloading Match Ammo, Gil Hebard
Care and Use of Molds, James Gibbs
Hercules Reloading Data
Speer Reloading Data
Dupont Reloading Data
Bullet Allows
..22 Misfires, CCI Technical Staff
How to Build a Basement Range
National Championships 
Handloaders Information

=BOOK
There are books by J. Michael Plaxco and Brian Enos that are
both very IPSC competition oriented that have good basic stuff.

=BOOK
The NRA "Competitive SHooting" book translated from the Russian
olympic team coach is very detailed on that type of shooting but
also has some excellent material.

=BOOK
The NRA basic pistol book.

=BOOK
The Canadian IPSC training guide "Black Badge Training Manual" is a
great guide to combat sytle shooting with lots of illustrations and
clear text.  You can get it for $10.95 from Nick Alexakos at
T.C.E. - 905-849-6960 or 905-842-4323(fax).

=BOOK
 The best book on this topic is "Shoot a Handgun" by Dave Arnold,
ISBN soft 0-9611108-0-5, but it is hard to find. Some book stores
might be able to order it for you, and gun stores sometimes carry
it.

=BOOK
The Modern Technique of the Pistol
(available from the NRA; you ARE a member, right?). 

=BOOK
For books, I would start by tracking down the NRA Basic Pistol Marksmanship
text.  It has a set of diagrams that can help you diagnose common problems
from where your shots group (7:00 = jerking trigger etc.).  It does a good
job of covering all of the basics for any kind of pistol shooting.

The NRA publishes "The Basics of Pistol Shooting" 
(call 202-828-6265 to order).

=VIDEO
Rob Leatham has a good (cheap) video sold by Dillon.

=VIDEO
How do you know what's the right technique?  The video "Shooter Ready"
from Dillion is pretty good for $14.95.

=VIDEO
If no course is available, get a Cooper video and some snapcaps for
dry firing.

=COMPETITION
Informal competition at a local club is the best -- you will get free
instruction and advice from expert shooters, all for free.  They will
be more than happy to help you along.

=COMPETITION
NRA Bullseye shooters can teach you a lot about their kind of
shooting, which is very accuracy-oriented.  The only thing
bad about that is that for basic "normal" shooting you want to
learn the more natural two handed IPSC style, which is what
everyone *except* the bullseye guys do.

=COMPETITION
How about joining the Thursday night league at Continental Sportsman?
(Mountlake Terrace, WA)
Every Thurs at 7:00 you pays your $5, pick up your targets, and join
the relay. There's some very good shooters there who are more than willing
to help you out with tips and techniques. Timed fire can be nerve-wracking,
but makes for very rapid improvement if you're concentrating on what you're
doing.

=COMPETITION
#Could anyone instruct me on the rules of
#Practical Shooting (9mm). I've heard this
#is a hot sport nowdays.

Good question.  Here's a *brief* description:

Practical Shooting (aka IPSC competition) is a sport which combines speed,
accuracy, and power in equal measure.  IPSC is the International Practical
Shooting Congress, which sanctions matches around the globe.  

Competition is usually with pistol, though there are rifle and shotgun
matches in many IPSC countries.

Matches are conducted as a series of timed courses of fire, known as stages.
There are several types: timed fire, standards, speed, and field stages.
The first three are fired from a single position, the last requires
moving through a "simulated combat" course.

Standards have specific shooting requirements (strong hand/weak hand, prone, 
kneeling, mandatory reloads, etc.).  Standards may have specific time
limits, in which case your score for the stage is your target score (less
penalties) alone.  They may have no specific time limit, in which case
they're called speed stages, because your score for the stage is your target
score *divided* by your time in seconds.  Field stages cannot specify
specific shooting requirements, but may pose problems that force shooters
to approach a problem in a specific way....for example, you might be
required to shoot through a window at ankle height, which pretty much
forces you to shoot from prone position...or, you might be required to
keep your strong arm in a sling, pretty much forcing you to shoot with
your weak hand.  Field stages are scored like speed stages, with your 
target points divided by your time.

Handguns are classified under IPSC rules into three categories: Standard,
Modified, and Open (Unlimited?  I can't recall the exact name).  These
are based on components used and overall firearm capabilities.  In the
U.S., the IPSC sanctioning organization, USPSA, simplifies this to two
categories, Limited and Open.  In general, if you have optics or a
recoil compensator, you have an Open firearm.  Most internal modifications
are allowed under Limited rules.  Competitors only compete against
others in the same firearm category.  Some shooters compete in multiple
categories.

Power differences are based on "Power Factor, defined as:

    bullet weight in grains X muzzle velocity in ft/sec
    ---------------------------------------------------
                         1,000

There are two categories: Major and Minor.  To "make Major," your power
factor must be at least 175.  To "make Minor," your power factor must be
at least 125.  The difference is the point score when out of the bullseye.

The minimum caliber that will "make Minor" is 9mm Parabellum.  .380 Auto
will not make Minor.  In the U.S., if you compete in Limited, the minimum
caliber that will "make Major" is .40S&W.  Limited does not allow 9x21,
9mm Para, or .38 Super to score as Major loads, because stock firearms
typically do not have the supported chambers capable of handling the
high pressure required, according to the U.S. firearm standards body,
known as SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute).

Targets are either steel or cardboard.  Steel that is knocked over to 
score is either a bullseye or a miss.  Steel and cardboard targets with
various scoring zones are torso/head shaped, and they are designed so that
you cannot clearly see the scoring zones, and must shoot at the body mass.
Targets may be blocked by soft cover (shoot through possible), hard cover
(no shots possible through cover), or no-shoots (hostages).

There are 4 scoring zones on IPSC targets, scored as follows:

	Zone	Major	Minor
	A	5	5	(Steel that falls are A only)
	B	4	3
	C	4	3
	D	2	1

Misses, no-shoots, and procedural faults are -10 each!

How to get started:

Required equipment:

1)	Handgun
2)	4 magazines or speedloaders (2-3 may be ok, but 4 is better)
3)	Holster
4)	Belt
5)	Magazine/speedloader carriers
6)	A club in your area that holds IPSC matches

Your first time competing, tell the organizers that it's your first time.
Ask for instructions on safety procedures you'll be expected to follow.
Be sure to tell the Range Officers that run the stages that you are new.
They will explain the courses of fire in greater detail than they otherwise
would, and will explain the match procedures to you carefully.  You should
watch a few competitors, paying attention to their gun handling--not their
speed!  The R.O. will tell you to keep your muzzle pointed down-range
at all times, and to be sure your finger is outside your trigger guard
when moving on a field course.

Do NOT try for speed!  Shoot for the A-zones.  Speed will come with
practice.  Well, people have been telling me speed will come.  *I've* been
waiting a long time for speed....but it hasn't happened yet!

=HANDLING
When trying to gracefully eject an unfired round from the 
chamber, do _not_ trap it in your hand as you pull the slide back.
It is totally possible that if the slide slips forward the extractor 
could punch the primer and set that sucker off right near your palm.
One poster mentioned he knew someone whom this had happened to, and
that they received a significant injury.

	A safer option is to eject the round onto the ground, or, 
after a bit of practice with snap-caps, eject it forcefully straight up
and catch it in your hand on the way down (it's really easy to screw
this up, be extra careful with it).

=INSTRUCTION
Any good handgun instructor can show you the correct stance, grip,
sight picture, etc. to shoot very tight groups with any good pistol.
The key seems to be focusing on the front sight but it takes some
practice to do it right.

=INSTRUCTION
Locate an A- or Master- level IPSC shooter and take lessons one on one.
If you're going to learn from someone start off with someone
that really knows what they are doing.
There are some good schools all over the country.

=INSTRUCTION
You'd do better with a live instructor who can help identify your
particular areas of improvement.

=INSTRUCTION
After years of shooting on my own, I finally took the NRA Basic Pistol
course. What I got out of it was regular, intense, disciplined practice
and some useful coaching as to what problems need to be solved. 
Returning to a methodical approach was very important. My course cost
$20 per person for 2hrs/wk for 6 weeks. Range time was included but
you supply your own ammo. Guns were available for those who didn't have
them. (Ruger .22)

Some of us had so much fun that our instructor has agreed to go another
6 weeks and is teaching us IPSC stuff (draw, aim, fire for both score
and time)

=INSTRUCTION
There's a guy up there (Seattle) named Marty Hayes that runs a firearms
school that is supposed to be quite good.  

=INSTRUCTION
>From my experience, I would say take a class.  Even a basic pistol course is
worth it.  I've been shooting since I was about 10 with my dad, but just
recently took a basic pistol course.  I was afraid I might be bored, but it
simply wasn't so.  The course filled in a lot of gaps, including stance,
trigger pull, etc.  I think these subtleties can have a great impact.

=SUPPLIES
 The two mail-order ammo places that I like are listed
below. I have dealt with both of them numerous times and
always been satisfied. I'm sure there are many other
good places, but these are the ones I can recommend.

Bottom Line Shooting Supplies
PO Box 258
Clarkesville, GA 30523
706-754-9000 voice
706-754-7263 fax

Cheap Shot Inc
294 Route 980
Canonsburg, PA 15317
412-745-2658 voice
412-745-4265 fax

 Both will send a free catalog if you call, write, or fax.
-- 
aaron@halcyon.com
I know enough to know that I don't know enough.