For many, guns are an expression of ultimate freedom. Simply holding a gun makes most of us feel powerful, regardless of our actual physical stature.
Being able to shoot one is truly blissful to those of us who are obsessed with different types of guns. Only a true gun enthusiast can describe the joy they get from using these delicate pieces of equipment, and no one can really blame them! As long as they are not hurting other people, I believe they should be able to enjoy themselves a wonderful hunting adventure, or just a simple target shooting practice in their back yard.
Shooting can be quite difficult for first timers, but with practice, you can actually get quite good at it. In this article, we will look into a few ways in which you can improve your target shooting abilities
Maintain a good stance and position for shooting.
One of the first things you must keep in mind to be a pro shooter is to maintain proper stance and position. It is believed to be the foundation for everything. Having an unstable base can lead you to mess up your stance very easily. Other than that, almost all guns are prone to recoil.
If you do not maintain a good position and stance, recoil can lead to an inaccurate shot being fired. You need to maintain a comfortable body, arm, and leg position based on the type of gun you are using.
Handguns usually require less work in terms of maintaining a rigid position, but heavier weapons such as rifles will require you to learn and maintain the appropriate stance. The most commonly known stances are Isosceles, Weaver and Modified Weaver. The key is to remain stable at all times when holding a gun
Grip your handgun appropriately
This might seem simple, but many beginners often don’t know how to actually grip their guns properly. Even if you are using a handgun, if you do not grip your gun hard enough, the recoil from each shot will lead to inaccurate shots fired.
You are more likely to miss your target if you do not grip your gun properly. You should try to grip your gun as hard as possible, but again, not hard enough to cause tremors. Tremors can lead to inaccurately fired shots.
Moreover, you must also hold your gun properly by maintaining enough distance between your trigger finger and thumb when using a handgun. This will help you contain the recoil better. Learn the basics of the process
Control your breath
You should try to breathe naturally when you are using a gun for target shooting. Breathing erratically and uncontrollably can deviate the axis points of your shoulder from the target. You are more prone to miss your target this way, as you’re the shots you take will be inaccurate. The key to a steady aim is to take in a deep breath, and then holding it after releasing half of it. After doing this, you can align your sight with the target and pull the trigger
Learn to maintain steady sight alignment
Maintaining proper sight alignment is very important for shooting your target accurately. Most beginners have a misconception that aiming with one eye open can increase your accuracy. However, this is not entirely true. It depends on figuring out which eye is your dominant eye. Aligning your gun with your dominant eye can help you aim at your target with more precision. This can help you maintain steady sight alignment, and you are more likely to hit your target with every shot you take
Learn to appropriately pull the trigger.
This is probably one of the most important parts of target practice and needs to be done appropriately to effectively hit you effectively. Most beginners just directly take a shot by immediately pulling the trigger once they aim. This often results in an inaccurate shot which is likely to miss the target. The correct way to pull the trigger is to rest your finger on the trigger and then pull very slowly and subtly, so much so that you are astonished yourself when the gun fires. Try to avoid yanking on the trigger, as the shot is more likely to be imprecise that way
Gain knowledge about the different types of guns available.
If you are a beginner, you must first understand that every single gun out there works differently. Everything from their weight, recoil, aiming, reload time, range and so on is different. Therefore, you have to get accustomed to the type of gun that you are using in order to raise your accuracy with every shot. Usually, a handgun is easier to aim but has limited range. On the contrary, rifles have greater range, and can even be more accurate, but may fall behind in terms of recoil and reload time. If you want to increase your accuracy with different types of guns, then you must use them appropriately with the correct stance and get accustomed to them
Know about the effects of wind speed, wind direction, and gravity on bullets.
If you are target shooting, particularly with long-range rifles, then simply keeping a proper stance and gripping your gun properly just won’t cut it. If you want to hit your target precisely then you have to take environmental factors such as wind speed, wind direction, and range into account. If your target is too far, beyond your gun’s minimum range, then you are less likely to accurately hit your target. Wind speed and wind direction also play a role as they can deviate the bullet from its original trajectory. You need to gain knowledge on how these factors might affect your accuracy to become a pro at target shooting.
Shooting accurately is no easy job and requires a lot of work on your part. If you really are into guns then other than just practicing, you must follow these tips to improve your accuracy and get better at target shooting. Maintaining a good stance, knowing about different guns and how they work, knowing about external factors are all very important, even to professional gun enthusiasts.