Shooting season review

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For many of us the weather is getting nice, 80 degrees here soon.
It's time to get out and hone your shooting skills! Have a fun safe shooting season!
Feel free to add info.

Some things to review

Pistol Marksmanship Fundamentals

1. Stance
Your stance must be steady and comfortable so that you do not become fatigued too easily. There are several popular styles including isosceles and Weaver, but any stable, comfortable position will do. You should use both hands. In the Weaver stance, you can use your weak hand to pull back while pushing forward with your strong hand. This is called isometric tension and greatly aids in rapid shooting, shooting a heavy-recoiling handgun, and proper stability. You should practice your stance at home with an unloaded pistol during dry-fire practice.

2. Grip
Believe it or not, many people do not think about how to grip a handgun. For an auto pistol especially, the grip makes a big difference.

With your fingers and thumb making an "L", place your strong hand as high up on the grip as is comfortably possible. The apex of the web of your hand should be centered at the rearmost point of the curve in the gun's backstrap. This makes sure you are not gripping the gun too far, or not far enough, around the grip. The forefinger should rest naturally along the side of the frame above the trigger and the other three fingers should wrap easily around the frontstrap of the grip. The strong-hand thumb may either be in a "high" or "low" position. Caution must be used in both of these positions. Too low a position may actuate the magazine release, dumping your mag unintentionally. Too high a position may induce stoppages by unintentionally dragging your thumb on the slide as it cycles.

Your weak hand, in the Weaver position, should wrap naturally around your strong hand with all of the fingers below the trigger guard. Your weak hand thumb should lay over the top of your strong hand thumb to form a cross ("+").

Both elbows should be slightly bent, but both wrists must be locked. The strong hand should be pushing forward slightly, and the weak hand should be pulling back slightly.

3. Sight alignment
Sights on most auto pistols consist of a square front post or ramp and a rear "U" notch. Simply centering the front post in the rear U with an even amount of light on both sides of the front post inside the rear notch and with their tops level, will give you all the accuracy you need out to 100 yds or so. At closer ranges (25 yards and less), perfect sight alignment is not necessary. If the front sight is on target and the rear sight is within close alignment, you will hit very close to the front sight's position. Do not make the common mistake of watching the target. The focus of your eyes should be entirely on the front sight. You will get a chance to look at your target later.

When shooting the target, if other conditions are within your acceptable limits, imperfect sight alignment should not stop you from taking a shot. When we get to trigger control, you will see that the moment, when the trigger "breaks" and the weapon fires, should be a surprise to you. If everyone was expected to hold a pistol in absolutely perfect sight alignment throughout the entire trigger squeeze in order to hit the target, no one would ever pull the trigger. So, know what the sights are supposed to look like when in proper alignment, and strive to keep them lined up as close as possible to that "perfect" sight picture, but, more importantly, watch the front sight and keep it on the target you want to hit.

4. Breath Control
Breathing control is much less important in pistol shooting than in rifle, however, it is still important enough to cause a miss, especially at long range (25 yards or more). Proper breath control is often difficult to accomplish when shooting pistol, because there is a greater demand for oxygen by our bodies. Usually we are standing up and holding a pistol up at almost the end of arm's reach, and sometimes we've been running/moving, etc., etc. All these activities demand more oxygen, so we breathe heavier. Proper breath control is to take several (usually 3) deep breaths and then take in a fourth and hold it or slightly let it out while squeezing the trigger. This is usually not possible when shooting a pistol. Due to the movement of the shooter's arms and body, a perfect sight picture that would be disturbed by improper breath control is impossible anyway. Therefore, the best method in pistol shooting is to keep breathing, but to control the breaths so that chest movements do not aggravate the amount of movement already created by the arms. I advocate taking deep controlled breaths while moving, drawing, getting behind cover, etc., and then going to "baby breaths" while actually aiming and squeezing the trigger.

5. Trigger Squeeze
There is a wide variety of trigger "feels" available today, from traditional double/single action to double-action only, and Glock's "safe-action". Each of these requires a slightly different trigger technique. The most difficult to master is the traditional double/single action. The transition from the first shot's double-action to the remaining shots' single-action requires the shooter to learn and master two different trigger techniques and to transition between them after the first shot. The easiest trigger to learn and master is the Glock's. It is the lightest version of the double-action-only trigger, and the lack of levers and buttons makes transitioning revolver shooters to autos easiest on the Glock.

The key to trigger control is a steady press of the trigger. The trigger finger should slip into the trigger guard from its "safety" position on the frame only when you are ready to shoot. Otherwise, it stays out of the trigger guard along the side of the frame. One must guard against "slapping" the trigger, however. Once you notice contact with the trigger, go to the smooth rolling motion described below. Once inside the trigger guard, the area on the pad of the forefinger between the center of the pad and the first knuckle should touch the trigger. Having the trigger touched by the center of the pad or down in the crevice of the first joint of the finger will cause the gun to pull to the left or right and slightly down instead of staying exactly where the sights were aligned. (Other than flinching, this is the most common cause of misses.) The trigger press should be a smooth rearward steady rolling motion. Watch the front sight and align it with the target while the trigger is being pressed. One must guard against squeezing with the entire hand. The action of your finger against the trigger should be totally independent of the movement of the rest of your hand. When the trigger reaches the point where the trigger releases the firing mechanism, the shooter will feel a sudden release of tension on the trigger. This is the trigger's "break". This moment should come as a surprise, especially on single-action mode. You should be able to "call" your shot by remembering where the front sight was on the target, the moment the trigger breaks.

Practice your trigger control by dry-firing your pistol at home. Use a target on the wall. Make sure the pistol is unloaded (check it three times after you've put all ammunition in another room)!! Then, practice all of these points while aiming at your "target". Never dry-fire more than 50 to 100 times in each session. Take a break and relax, then go back to dry-firing. Re-read this instruction sheet during your break, and try to recognize any mistakes you are making. Concentrate on fixing them when you do the next session, but keep in mind all these points. 300 dry-fires a day will get you ready to shoot at the end of the week... (Yes, that's 1500 dry-fires!) You cannot dry-fire too much. Just make sure to concentrate on these fundamentals, and as soon as you feel fatigued or recognize that you can't do each one of these fundamentals every time you dry-fire, stop and take a break!

Summary
There are a lot of details of marksmanship fundamentals here, but the entire list can be boiled down to: "Front Sight, Press." Focusing on the front sight and good trigger control are the essentials that are absolutely required to shoot well. The others are needed to make you into a great shot, but to even begin to be a good/passable shot, you MUST master, front sight, and trigger press.

Safety Rules to always keep in mind:
1. All guns are always loaded. Even when you just unloaded them, treat them as if they're loaded.
2. Never point a gun at something that you're not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger except when ready to shoot.
4. Watch what is in the background of your target in case you miss, and what is going to stop the bullet if you fire?
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Ejected brass keeps hitting me in the head. What's wrong with my Glock?
There is nothing wrong with your Glock. The most common cause of getting brass in the face is an improper or weak grip (limp wristing). If you've worked on your grip and still think the problem is the gun, let an experienced Glock owner shoot your gun and see if they have the same problem.

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I always shoot low and left. What's wrong with my Glock?
There is nothing wrong with your Glock. Even if you shoot all your other guns dead on. The most likely culprit is poor trigger control caused by anticipation. If you've worked on your trigger control and still think the problem is the gun, let an experienced Glock owner shoot your gun and see if they have the same problem.

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How can I tell if the chamber is loaded without opening the slide?
Run your fingertip over the extractor. (It's on the right side of the slide just behind the ejection port) If the chamber is empty the extractor will be flush against the slide creating a smooth surface. If a round is chambered the ejector will be pushed slightly out of the slide creating a bump you can feel.

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Why is it so dangerous to re-chamber the same round more than once?
Loading/Unloading Magazines -- Caution!

Constantly loading and unloading mags can cause deadly consequences for the unsuspecting pistolero! Reduced OAL is one of the primary causes of second shot stoppages (SSS) -- when the pistol fires the first round in the chamber, but malfunctions on the second round. This has been a serious problem, especially with some LEAs, and has resulted in much consternation about certain pistol brands or brand models.

SSS problems are more of an ammo/operator issue and have little to do with the gun. The most common reason for SSS is reduced ammo OAL caused by loading and reloading the same two rounds over and over. The sequence goes something like this: remove the mag, cycle the chambered round out to unload; put the mag back in to reload; cycle in the next round; then put round no. 1 back in the mag.

Typically, these two rounds could go through several load/unload sequences. The OAL of those two rounds may be reduced even after the first load/unload sequence. Seating depth is commonly .020" to .030" deeper than it should be in rounds that have suffered this abuse. When the OAL is reduced this much, the feed angle changes enough to present liability problems. Such rounds can also produce dangerously high pressure levels. This problem is one of the suspects in .40 S&W kaBooms!

So to prevent this, keep a close watch over your loading/reloading procedures and make sure that a round is not bumped against the feed ramp -- no more than once. Move rounds that have been hand-cycled out of the load/unload sequence. Closely inspect your carry ammo to make sure that OAL hasn't suffered. It is recommended that you not carry the same ammo for more than three months under any circumstances.

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*HOW TO HOLD AND SHOOT YOUR RIFLE: Aka Fundamentals of Marksmanship.

*How to Hold, *Aim, *Eye Relief, *Sight Alignment, *Sight Picture, *Breathing, *Trigger Manipulation, *Follow Through, and *Recovery.

Now that your rifle fits you properly and you have learned to properly clean and maintain your rifle, you must learn how to hold the rifle. ACCURACY IS A FUNCTION OF CONSISTENCY, BOTH WITH THE RIFLE AND AMMUNITION, AND THE SHOOTER'S ACTIONS. You must hold the rifle the same way each time. You will practice holding the rifle, your sight picture, your breathing, and trigger manipulation through dry firing. You will practice building a good steady, stable, solid position each time, bone on bone, not held by muscle power. Although you have to exert some muscle control, the position should be a natural relaxed position to avoid muscle fatigue, tension, and shaking that occurs after muscles are overextended for any period of time. You will check your natural point of aim before each shot. NATURAL POINT OF AIM is a position that allows the rifle to point naturally at the target without any muscle tension required to hold it on point of aim. You should keep the same position each time, changing nothing, to maintain consistency, to keep your natural point of aim the same each time. Before beginning this portion, or preceding sections, or any exercises, you should stretch first to loosen up your muscles. Besides the natural relaxing effect of stretching, it helps to prepare you mentally as well. Being physically fit will help you shoot better, and if you are not physically fit, you should make it a point to become fit.

*HOW TO HOLD YOUR RIFLE:
Assume the prone supported firing position.
The front of the rifle will rest either on a bi pod attached to the stock or on a sandbag placed under the front of the stock.
Use the non firing hand to support the butt of the rifle. Place your hand next to your chest and rest the TIP of the butt of the rifle on top of your hand. Ball your hand into a fist to raise the butt of the rifle or relax your fist to lower the butt of the rifle. A preferred method is to use a sock filled with sand or a small sand bag placed in your non firing hand and squeeze it to raise the rifle butt and release the bag to lower the rifle butt. Using this sock or bag method lessens body contact with the rifle and can eliminate an added human variable.
Place the butt of the rifle firmly in the pocket of the shoulder. The sniper can place a pad in his clothing in the pocket of his shoulder to reduce pulse beat and breathing movement.
With the firing hand, grip the small or pistol grip of the stock. Using the middle through little fingers, exert a slight rearward pull to keep the butt of the rifle firmly in the pocket of the shoulder. Place the thumb over the top of the pistol grip of the stock. Place the index or trigger finger on the trigger and insure it does not touch the stock and does not disturb the lay of the rifle when the trigger is pulled.
Find a comfortable position for your elbows that provide the greatest support for you and your rifle without creating a strain.
Place your cheek in the same place on the stock each time. This is called the stock weld. Changing your position changes sight alignment and will cause misplaced shots.

*AIMING THE RIFLE:
Begin the aiming process by aligning the rifle with the target when assuming a firing position. THE RIFLE SHOULD POINT NATURALLY AT THE DESIRED AIMING POINT. No muscular tension or movement should be necessary to hold the rifle on target. To check the Natural Point of Aim (NPA), you assume a comfortable, STABLE, firing position. Place your cheek on the stock at the correct stock weld and breath, and entering the natural respiratory pause, look away from the scope moving only your eye and relax. Let the rifle drift to its natural point of aim, then look back through the scope. If the cross hairs remain on the correct position on the target, the natural point of aim is correct.
If the NPA is not correct, you must change your body position to bring the sights on the target. If muscles are used to bring the rifle to NPA, the muscles will relax when the rifle is fired and the rifle will begin to move to its NPA. Because this movement begins just before the weapon discharges, the rifle is moving at the bullet leaves the muzzle. This causes displaced shots with no apparent cause as recoil disguises the movement. By adjusting the rifle and body as a single unit, rechecking, and readjusting as necessary, you achieve a true natural point of aim. Once this position of established, you will them aim the rifle at the exact point on the target. Aiming involves three areas, eye relief, sight alignment, and sight picture.

*EYE RELIEF:
This is the distance from the firing eye to the scope tube. This distance is fairly constant with a scope. You should take care to avoid injury by the scope tube striking the eyebrow during recoil.
You should place your head as upright as possible behind the scope with your eye directly behind the scope. This head placement allows the muscles around your eye to relax. Incorrect head placement causes you to have to look out the corner of your eye resulting in muscle strain, causing blurred vision and eye strain. Eye strain can be avoided by not staring through the scope for long periods of time and correct stock weld alleviates eye strain as well by maintaining consistent eye relief.

*SIGHT ALIGNMENT:
Sight alignment is the relationship between the cross hairs (reticle) and field of view. You must place your head behind the scope so a full field of view appears in the scope tube with NO DARK SHADOWS OR CRESENTS. Center the reticle in a full field of view with the vertical cross hair straight up to ensure the scope is not canted.

*SIGHT PICTURE:
Sight picture is centering the reticle with a full field of view on the target as seen by you. Place the reticle cross hairs on what portion of the target you wish to hit.

*BREATHING:
You must exercise breathing control during the aiming process. Breathing while trying to aim, with the natural up and down motion of the chest while breathing, causes the rifle to move up and down. Up and down movement occurs while laying down. Breathing movement can be side to side when sitting at a bench rest type table when your body is against the table. You must therefore accomplish sight alignment while breathing and finish aiming while holding your breath. You do this by inhaling, exhaling, and stop at the moment of natural respiratory pause before beginning to inhale again.
A respiratory cycle lasts four to five seconds. Inhalation and exhalation take only about two seconds, thus between each respiratory cycle there is a pause of two to three seconds. This pause can be extended to ten seconds without any special effort or unpleasant sensations. You should fire during this pause when your breathing muscles are relaxed. This avoids strain on the diaphragm.
You should assume your firing position and breath naturally until your hold begins to settle.
The respiratory pause should never feel un-natural. If it is too long, the body suffers from oxygen deprivation and begins to send out signals to resume breathing. These signals produce involuntary movements of the diaphragm which interfere with the shooters concentration and lack of movement needed to make a shot.

*TRIGGER CONTROL:
Trigger control is the most important fundamental of sniper marksmanship. It is defined as causing the rifle to fire when the sight picture is at its very best, without causing the rifle to move. Trigger Squeeze on the other hand is defined as the independent action of the forefinger on the trigger with a uniformly increasing pressure on the trigger straight to the rear until the rifle fires. Trigger Control is the last task to be accomplished before the rifle fires.
Proper trigger control occurs when the sniper places his firing finger as low on the trigger as possible and still clears the trigger guard, thereby achieving maximum mechanical advantage. He engages the trigger with that part of his firing finger (middle of the pad of the last digit) that allows him to pull the trigger straight to the rear. In order to avoid transferring movement of the finger to the entire rifle, the sniper should see daylight between the trigger finger and the stock as he squeezes the trigger straight to the rear. He fires the weapon when the reticle is in a position to insure a properly placed shot, or when the reticle is on target.
As the stability of a firing position decreases, the wobble area increases. The larger the wobble area, the harder it is to fire the shot without reacting to it, attempting to influence the sight placement when the trigger breaks. This reaction occurs when the sniper:
1. Anticipates recoil. The firing shoulder begins to move forward just before the rifle fires, thus pushing the rifle out of line with the target.
2. Jerks the Trigger. The trigger finger moves the trigger in a quick, choppy, spasmodic attempt to fire the shot before the reticle can move from the desired point of aim.
3. Flinches. The sniper's entire body (or parts thereof) overreacts to the anticipated noise or recoil (jerks). This is usually due to unfamiliarity with the weapon.
4. Avoids Recoil. The sniper tries to avoid recoil or noise by moving away from the weapon or by closing the firing eye just before the weapon fires. This again is caused by unfamiliarity with the weapon and a lack of knowledge of the weapon's actions upon firing.
Trigger control is best handled by assuming a stable position, adjusting on the target, and beginning a breathing cycle. As the sniper exhales the final breath approaching the natural respiratory pause, he secures his finger on the trigger. As the reticle settles on the target at the desired point of aim, and the natural respiratory pause is entered, the sniper applies initial pressure to the trigger. He increases the tension on the trigger during the respiratory pause as long as the reticle remains on the desired point of aim to insure a properly placed shot. If the reticle moves away from the desired point of aim, and the respiratory pause is free of strain or tension, the sniper stops increasing the tension on the trigger, waits for the reticle to return to the desired point of aim, and then continues to squeeze the trigger. This is trigger control. If movement is too large for recovery, or if the respiratory pause has become uncomfortable (extended too long), then the sniper should whenever possible, release the pressure off the trigger and start the respiratory cycle again.

*FOLLOW THROUGH:
Applying the fundamentals increases the odds of a well aimed shot being fired. There are however, additional skills, that when mastered, make the first round correct hit even more of a certainty. One of these skills is follow through.
a. This is the act of continuing to apply all the sniper marksmanship fundamentals as the weapon fires as well as after the weapon fires. Follow through consists of:
* Keeping the head in firm contact with the stock (stock weld) upon firing and after firing.
* Keeping the finger on the trigger pulling all the way to the rear when and after the weapon fires.
* Continuing to look through the scope when and after the weapon fires.
* Insuring the muscles stay relaxed when and after the weapon fires.
* Avoid reacting to the recoil or noise during and after firing.
* Releasing the trigger only after the recoil has stopped.
b. Good follow through insures that the weapon is allowed to fire and recoil naturally, and the sniper/rifle combination reacts as a single unit to such actions.

*CALLING THE SHOT:
Calling the shot is being able to tell where the bullet should impact on the target. The sniper must be able to accurately call the shots. Proper follow through will aid in calling the shot. The dominant factor in calling the shot is, wherever the reticle is when the shot is fired. This location is called the final focus point.

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How to Clear Handgun Misfires and Malfunctions

One important aspect of safe gun ownership that every person should know is how to quickly and safely clear a handgun misfire or malfunction. By quickly and safely clearing a misfire, you are able to protect yourself, but also prevent an accidental discharge of your weapon.

Here are some tips to help you quickly and safely clear your handgun when a misfire or malfunction occurs.

Revolver – one of the biggest advantages of revolvers is if you have a malfunction, most can be solved by simply pulling the trigger again.

Semi-Automatic – the problem with semi-automatics is that the malfunctioning cartridge is blocking the next cartridge, so you need to know how to quickly clear the malfunction so you can defend yourself.

Types of Malfunctions:

TYPE I –> Misfire: a misfire occurs when the firing pin strikes the primer but it does not fire. This is the most common type of malfunction.

SOLUTION: Instead of the “Tap-Rack-Ready,” I teach “Tap-Roll-Rack, then Access.” “Tap” – tap the magazine and ensure it is properly seated in the grip. “Roll” – roll the firearm approx. 90 degrees to the right while “Racking” the slide to eject the misfired cartridge. Now “Access” the target to determine if you must shoot.

NOTE: the “Roll” step of the clearing drill is not necessary during the clearing of this type of malfunction, but it is necessary during the Type II malfunction. I still teach to conduct this step for consistency.
NOTE: for those firearms that have a double-strike capability, I recommend following the above procedure rather than pulling the trigger a second time. If it misfired once, there is a good possibility that it will do so again.

TYPE II –> Stovepipe: a stovepipe occurs when the casing that has been ejected is caught in the ejection port by the slide.

SOLUTION: I teach the same exact “Tap-Roll-Rack, then Access” procedure as used to clear the Type I malfunction. Why? Under stress, it is important to react quickly and naturally. I believe if you have a different method of clearing each malfunction, you are more likely to panic or spend precious time diagnosing your problem.
NOTE: Now you should understand why the “Roll” step in is the clearing procedure. With a stovepipe, rolling the firearm 90 degrees to the right will let gravity help free the casing.

TYPE III –> Double Feed: this malfunction occurs when a round is in the chamber and a second round attempts to feed into the chamber. This results in a true jam. On most semi-auto’s, the slide has limited motion and the magazine will not eject by pressing the magazine release.

SOLUTION: When the firearm does not fire, immediately execute the immediate action drill –> “Tap-Roll-Rack.” Upon performing this with a Type III malfunction, it becomes immediately evident that you have a double feed because the slide will not function normally. The clearance procedure can be summarized as: “Unload, Clear, Reload.” First, press up on the slide release / slide-stop lever and lock the slide to the rear (I find that on most of my semi-auto’s, you can skip this step). Second, press the magazine release and strip the magazine from the mag well (remember, it will not drop free on its own with this malfunction). Third, rack the slide 3 times to clear it of all ammo. Fourth, insert a new loaded magazine. Fifth, rack the slide to chamber a round. Sixth, access your target and fire if necessary.

It is important to note that the immediate action drill for all three malfunctions are initially identical. If all three malfunctions were cleared differently, then under extreme stress, it would take time you don’t have to access the malfunction and decide how to clear it.

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So in regards to safety, don't try to hide a shotgun behind your back.

My cousins ex-husband shot the back of his calf off on Wed. I have only got bits and pieces from my mom , I haven't talked directly to the cousin or the ex, apparently a few of them were out in a friends field shooting, rabbits or birds or something, a sheriff drove by and he tried to hide the gun behind his back, and opps it went off, I don't think he is supposed to have a gun anyhow due to a run in with the law when he was younger, he tied his belt around the wound drove to the hospital and then they flew him to a trama center in the Bay Area, oh he is fine, just muscles and tendons, but will have to have plastic surgery to close it up.

DUMBSHIT.