By Amanda Wilks
Guns have many uses. You can use them for self-defense, hunting, or sporting activities such as playing paintball.
While some of you may be in law-enforcement or otherwise, you are also invited to read through this article to the end as it may jog your memory on some of the basic tips you may have forgotten. But first, a gift for all of you gun owners: check out all these cool gun accessories. Aside from the gun itself, a shooter also needs additional gear, such as electronic ear protection, magazine loader or tactical laser sight. These accessories will ensure a safe and accurate shooting experience.
There are so many variables that will affect your accuracy when firing a gun. How do you counter them? Here are a few tips to help improve your shooting accuracy when handling handguns.
1.Stance
Most of you want to be able to fire a gun in the way that Tom Cruise does. The first step to do this is having a correct stance. This is a very fundamental part of improving your accuracy when firing a gun. You can even go as far as calling this the foundation of firing a gun since how you stand will greatly affect your shooting accuracy.
Remember when you were a newbie? You were scared of the part when the gun goes bang that was accompanied by a flash of light on its muzzle. This caused most of you to lean backward when firing. Well, that’s not the way to do it.
When firing a gun, you are actually supposed to stand with your feet slightly apart so as to increase your stability. You are also supposed to lean forward. Why? Simple physics. Every action has an equal reaction that acts in the opposite direction.
When you fire a gun, the bullet goes out of the muzzle at a high velocity, which is only possible because of the force of the explosion in the chamber. The force pushing the bullet forward will also have a twin that will push you backward. This is where the front lean comes into play.
Leaning forward helps to stabilize you when you feel the force of recoil. As your body weight is shifted to your front, you will better absorb the recoil, and this will help in stabilizing the shot, hence maintaining accuracy.
2. Grip
How should you hold your gun? Should you hold it lightly like an egg or should you do it with a vice-like grip? The answer lies somewhere in the middle.
When gripping your handgun, you should do it as hard as you can but not to the point that your hand starts trembling. Your shooting hand should always be in line with the gun, not skewing to the side in any direction. Next, you should make sure that the web between your thumb and index finger is as high as possible on the grip.
Both of these positions will help your arm absorb the force caused by the recoil as the slide of the gun moves back and forth while firing as much as possible. The next thing would be to use your other hand to cover the remaining uncovered part of the grip. Make sure you are holding the gun with a firm nice grip with both hands so as to ensure that your shot is steady. This will greatly improve your shooting accuracy.
3. Aiming
When it comes to this, it is a pretty straightforward process. Don’t squint or close an eye as this will lead to eye fatigue. Instead, keep both eyes open and align your arm with your dominant aiming eye. Humans have binocular vision for a reason. It helps us perceive distance and depth more accurately. Take advantage of this aspect.
Another thing to remember is that you should use the front sight on your gun to aim your target. Do not focus on the target itself; rather place it right behind the sight. Your target will look blurry but you will get used to that. This will greatly improve your shot accuracy.
Alternatively, you could upgrade your gun by accessorizing it with better laser or red dot sights. These offer room for much more accuracy. A piece of advice, though- always make sure your target is safe.
4. Trigger Pull
This is a very important part of the shooting process. How you pull the trigger will go a long way in determining the accuracy of your shot. So, how exactly should you pull the trigger?
Squeeze the trigger. Just squeeze it so slowly that when the gun goes bang, it comes as a surprise to you. Do not yank on the trigger as this will only cause it to jerk, thus sending your shot way off the desired course.
A great way to practice how to pull the trigger is through dry-firing. Dry firing is the act of firing your gun when it is not loaded. This will give you lots of practice in gently squeezing the trigger until it goes click without the distracting loud bang and flash of light.
The last part of firing gun is preparing your finger for the next shot. A common mistake is lifting your finger and releasing the trigger all the way. Do not do that. Instead, gently release the trigger up to the point when you hear it reset. This way, you avoid too much movement, which may skew your aiming.
Conclusion
And there you have it; four simple ways to improve your shooting precision when firing a handgun. Hopefully, you will try each one out and improve your shooting skills be it for hunting, law enforcement, or sporting activities. It’s a sad thing, though that the act of curving bullets the way James McAvoy does is impossible.
Author Bio: Amanda Wilks is a contributing author for The Paintball Professor and an avid paintball player. She enjoys writing about everything related to health and safety, sports and adventures. Visit Amanda’s Twitter for more of her writings.