It has been said that “‘almost’ only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” When you’re squared off against a target on the far side of the shooting range, any errant tugging at the trigger, drifting of the hand, wandering of the eye, or weakness in the wrist, arm, or shoulder could have a profound effect on where you place that bullet. Like an aircraft that drifts off course by only a single degree will wind up miles from where it meant to land, a gun handled poorly will make for a poor shot, in the end.
Luckily, improving one’s aim isn’t complicated, though it might take more work than one might initially think. In addition to good old-fashioned practice (there is no substitute for putting in the hours at the range), becoming familiar with how your gun feels and how it handles when it fires will help you make definitive choices on how to compensate for its “quirks.” Luckily, 45 Blast is in the business of helping you hit the bullseye with our premier gun accessories.
Improving Your Aim
Much like singing is a marriage of posture, breath control, and the release of tension, so too is being a whiz at the range. Let’s take a look at a few of the biggest culprits that stand in the way of blue-ribbon shooting. First, good accuracy starts in how you hold yourself before the gun is ever involved.
Body Stance
As the bulk of handgun shooting will be done while standing, some schools will teach that there are multiple stances one can use to improve their aim. These stances go by the name Isosceles, Weaver, and Fighting, respectively. Each has its pros and cons, but the stance most often used is the Isosceles. It is done by:
- Facing the target squarely
- Placing feet shoulder-width apart, with toes parallel and pointing toward the target
- Knees are bent
- The shooter bends forward at the waist and holds both arms extended straight
The Weaver stance copies these same points, with a few important deviations:
- The strong side foot is back slightly, allowing for more stability when absorbing recoil
- The elbows are bent for better weapon control
Finally, the Fighting stance is a combination of these two, with straight arms and support foot slightly behind the body. When it comes to the checklist of things to mind, your stance is literally what everything else is built from.
Holding the Gun
In addition to how you stand, the contact point of your hand on the firearm is also essential to good accuracy. When taking aim, remember:
- Line up the sights: The back and the front sights on the gun should make a line, with the front dot centered between the two back notches.
- Align the sights to the target: As you fire the weapon, you’ll start to notice how much the reoil is affecting the path of the bullet and whether you need to justify the sights down somewhat on the target so as to hit the bullseye. This takes practice and a studied eye over your used targets.
- Grip the gun firmly: There is almost no bigger influence on the target of your shot than how firmly you are holding your firearm. A weak grip means the recoil has more command over the path of the bullet.
- Squeeze the trigger: The term “pulling the trigger” is a bit of a misnomer here, since “pulling” almost infers a type of jerking motion. You want to distribute pressure directly onto the center of the trigger, avoiding pressing down on the sides. This will increase your control, which will in turn increase your accuracy.
Picking the Right Gun Accessories
While there is much that you can do as the shooter to influence where a shot will go, there is another component to consider﹘another party involved in the placement of the bullet﹘and that is the gun, itself. A good shooter can compensate for a gun’s own handling to an extent but by taking the time to customize the firearm, a lot of energy can be saved at the outset.
- Use a compensator: A compensator helps lessen the kickback of the firearm by helping to divert the explosive gasses that shoot out the muzzle of the gun when it fires. 45 Blast specializes in compensators for the Canik TP9 series firearms, largely considered to be the finest competition firearms in the world.
- Update the grip: Using a grip pattern that is more friendly to the inside of the palm will help you get a better hold on the gun and will help you fire with more precision.
- Update the sights: There is no shortage of different types of sights to help raise your game on the range. From holographic to reflex sights, you don’t have to settle for just using the iron sights. Most guns come with a slide that can be customized to house these attachments.
Improving your accuracy is a rewarding challenge but not impossible. By being mindful of one’s stance, their hold on the gun, and the gun accessories they’re using, they will find themselves putting the bullet right where they want it to go every time. If you are interested in 45 Blast’s products and the guns we service, visit our shop. Your gun was meant to reach its full potential.