Shooting Fundamentals Trigger Pull & Follow Through One of the most important fundamentals is the trigger pull. In a perfect world, you would have a rock solid grip and ignite the gunpowder by just thinking. But of course, we have to deal with mechanical inputs and human reactions. As a beginner shooter, you know there’s going to be a loud bang with some recoil. So you will likely press the trigger fast to get everything over with, which adds some movement to the gun and barrel. The bullet still takes some time to move down the barrel, and if the gun/barrel moves, your bullet will be off target. So the trick is to cause as little movement to the gun as possible when you are pressing the trigger. Use the middle of the first index finger pad Remove the initial slack or “pre-travel” in the trigger Slowly squeeze the trigger towards the back of the gun “Follow through” by not immediately letting go of the trigger “Reset” the trigger by easing it forward just enough to hear a *click* Slowly squeeze for the next shot Here’s a great short video tutorial. These tips can be used for almost all guns, not just pistols.
Shooting Fundamentals Sight Picture & Eye Dominance Ready to shoot faster and more accurately? We’ll take a look at eye dominance, sight picture, & trigger pull to finish off shooting fundamentals. Eye Dominance Eyes can be dominant just as with hands and legs and an important part of shooting accurately is knowing which eye is dominant. The vast majority of people have dominant eyes that match their dominant hands, but a few (myself included) are cross-dominant. Here is one easy test to see which of your eyes is dominant: Not down for our sweet video right now? It will be easier for beginners to start with closing one eye and using their dominant eye. However, as you progress, you will likely find yourself shooting better with both eyes open. It will take a while to train your brain but you’ll see benefits such as increased depth perception and orientation. Your eye-dominance can often dictate which stance you like better. For me, since I’m left-eye dominant and right hand dominant, I prefer the Modified Weaver/Chapman stance since it puts my left-eye more behind the sights. Still with me? Sight Picture Aim a gun: Just point and shoot, right? In the grand scheme of things, yes, that’s pretty much it. But proper sight picture is one of those fundamental things that makes the difference between a shooter and someone that just plays with guns. The sight picture is everything you see with your sights and your target. There are several different types of sights but most firearms will have a notch or circular rear sight with a post or bead as the front sight. Also very common is the three dot sight. All of them, no matter what their setup, work on the same principle. The front sight can be many things but usually is more contrasting than the rear sight to draw in the eyes. What’s the Over/Under? You’ll then want to make sure you have proper sight alignment. This will vary on your sights but mostly will require you to line up your sights. Where you’ll be hitting also depends on personal preference or more likely…how your gun is set up from the factory. Some people like the first one which is called the “6 o’clock hold” where you line up the bottom of the target with the top of the front sight so you can hit the middle of the target. The second image is the most traditional and called “point of aim, point of impact” where you line up the top of the front sight with where you want to hit. The last image is where you cover where you want to hit with the center of your front sight dot. Where to Focus The final question is where to focus with your eyes. There are three choices—the rear sight, the front sight, or the target. The correct plane to focus on is the front sight, since the bullet will go where the front sight is pointing. Every expert in the world will tell you that you will get the best results by keeping the front sight in focus while pulling the trigger as it will really help you to keep the gun steady. This is the main reason why a lot of front sights are distinctly coloured. When you’re correctly focusing on the front sight, the rear sight and target will appear blurry. The best flow is to first focus on the target and loosely line up the dots on to it. At this point change your focus to that front sight and line it up with the rear sights as well as the blurred out target. As you slowly squeeze the trigger, focus on keeping that front sight as stationary as humanly possible. With that front sight in focus and stationary, your shots will improve greatly. There are also electronic sights that allow for both eyes to be open and focus only on one object. Here is an example of a typical “red dot” sight made by Aimpoint. Math Time In the end, it’s all about keeping your sights lined up perfectly. You should consider perfection a minimal standard in this case. Why? Because of an old dude named Pythagoras. WARNING: MATH LESSON INCOMING! TAKE COVER NOW! In a perfect world, the gun would form a straight line between the barrel and the desired target. In reality, you’re forming a right angled triangle between the desired target, the actual target and the barrel. The goal is to make the angle by the barrel as close to 0º as possible. Even though, at 10 yards, even a 0.5º angle can throw the bullet 3 inches off target. You can calculate that yourself with: Tan(Barrel Angle) x Distance to Target = Bullet Deflection In this example: Tan(0.5º) x 30 feet = .26 feet or just a bit over 3 inches. If you increase the distance but keep the angle the same, you can see just how important keeping your sights lined up actually is. Conclusion Well that’s eye dominance and sight picture in a nutshell. Let us know if this article helped you out and then check out what’s next in our Beginner’s Guide to Guns.
Shooting Fundamentals Shooting Stances & Grip: Isosceles vs Weaver vs Chapman Don’t laugh, but chances are if someone just gave you a gun, you would end up leaning back like this person. Having a proper shooting stance and grip gives you a strong foundation for all the other shooting fundamentals. But don’t worry, we’ll go over the most popular shooting stances, from Isosceles to Weaver to Chapman (aka modified Weaver), then cover how to have a proper handgun grip that gives you maximum control and recoil dampening. Isosceles Stance The isosceles stance gets its name from the arms and chest making an isosceles triangle. Kudos if you remember from geometry that isosceles means two sides are the same. Configuration of Isosceles Shooter faces the target squarely, feet are shoulder-width (or slightly wider) apart with toes pointed at the target. Arms are full extended with the gun in the middle of the chest. There’s a slight lean forward and some bending of the knees. Pros of Isosceles Stance Easier and more natural stance since you are merely “pointing” at the target. The body acts like a turret for easy movement to side targets. This stance is very popular in shooting competitions for easy transitions to different targets. Doesn’t really matter what eye dominance you are. If wearing body armor, you are getting more protection since you are square to the target. Cons of Isosceles Stance Potentially less stable if you are pushed forward / backward (pretty stable for side to side), but this is minimized by bending your knees and putting your weight a little more forward. If not wearing body armor, you are exposing a bigger target. Weaver Stance Developed in the 1950’s by LA County Sheriff Jack Weaver and since popularized by Jeff Cooper and his firearms school, Gunsite. The shooter is more at an angle to the target and the arms are bent. Configuration Non-dominant leg is forward of the dominant leg with a slight forward lean (“nose over toes”). Toes are pointed forward and the firing-side arm is extended while the supporting arm is bend. The shooter employs a “push-pull” grip by pushing with the firing arm and pulling back with the supporting arm. Pros of Weaver Stance Smaller profile to target (“blading” your body”) Better recoil management with the push-pull method More stable since the feet are now staggered. Natural stance if you need to balance yourself. Cons of Weaver Stance Harder to rotate to your non-dominant side since you feel like you’re binding yourself up. For example, the Gunsite instructor above would have a harder time rotating to his left. Harder for cross-dominant shooters (eg right hand dominant and left eye dominant) since the two are now no longer matched up. If in body armor, you expose your side which normally isn’t armored. Modified Weaver Stance (Chapman Stance) Pioneered by competitive shooter Ray Chapman. Very similar to the Weaver Stance except your shooting arm is fully locked out with the support arm bent downwards. Configuration Same as Weaver above except the shooting arm is fully extended, almost like a rifle stock. Some shooters will also create a cheek-weld on their upper arm. Pros of Chapman Stance All of the Weaver Stance Consistency of your arm “stock” and “cheek-weld” to be always the same, instead of hovering in the air with the Isosceles or Weaver. Better recoil management since the firing arm is fully extended Better for crossed-eye dominant shooters since by having a cheek-weld, the opposite eye is more in line with the firearm Cons of Chapman Stance All of the Weaver Stance minus cross-dominant shooting Might strain the neck muscles Verdict of the Best Stance Another of my standard answers…it depends on what you like best and your application. You can choose based on what comes more naturally to you, if you want to compete in shooting sports later, or if you have eye dominance issues. And in many cases, what your instructor prefers when you take a firearms class (you are going to take a class right?). For me, and Hickok45 below, we prefer the Chapman stance because of our crossed-eye dominance issues. I also like the feeling that my “rifle-stock” is always the same. And even though I do some competitive shooting, I don’t really see the moving side-to-side binding issue that much. But don’t take my word for it…try it out for yourself! And here’s a great video of Hickok45 showing you all the stances, since pictures can only do so much. Shooting Grip Don’t do the teacup grip! You’re going to start seeing it in a lot of movies and start groaning after you learn how to properly grip a handgun. We’ll cover modern handguns, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns individually in the next few lessons. But here are some overall tips on gripping a gun. Use a strong grip! You want to be able to control the recoil of the gun and having a strong grip also reduces the movement of the non-trigger fingers. Use your non-dominant hand to cover as much grip as possible.
Introduction to Guns Bullets: Sizes, Calibres, and Types [Definitive Guide] One of the most daunting things when I first started looking for a gun was…what size bullet to get? We’ll be covering purely bullet size…and the benefits/weaknesses of each. Now, there’s A LOT of sizes out there but I want to cover the ones you’re most likely to see and/or use. These are the ones that you can walk into just about any sporting goods store and buy. Then we’ll follow up with some bullet terminology and the different types of bullet tips (hollow point, etc), how shotgun shell sizes work, and a breakdown of the components of a round. By the end, you’ll be a bullet pro! Bullet Size & Calibre First! For guns, “calibre” means the diameter of the barrel and thus the diameter of the bullet that is going through it. Also for terminology sake, “bullet” just means the metal projectile, while the entire thing is called a cartridge. We’re going to cover a lot in this article, including: Rimfire vs Centrefire Common Calibres Common Bullet Types Components of Cartridges Rimfire vs Centrefire The first differentiator is between rimfire and centrefire cartridges. The rimfire’s primer is built into the rim while the centrefire cartridge has the primer in the centre. Rimfires are extremely cheap (few cents each) and the .22LR is the most popular rimfire calibre. Common Bullet Calibres There’s A LOT of bullet calibres, but you might not run into more than a handful in your lifetime. We’ll be going over 18 calibres in total I have on hand, but let’s start with the top 11 most common sizes (in my opinion) first. Overview of More Common Bullet Calibres To make things a little more confusing, there’s a mixture of measurements in inches and millimetres. There’s also a unit of weight called a “grain” which is used to denote the weight of bullets. A “grain” is really small since 7000 grains make up one pound. When you talk about bullets at this high of a level, the most high-level trait is “Stopping Power”. This is a relatively vague trait and somewhat controversial. What it boils down to is how many bullets does it take to drop a person. Granted, if you hit someone in the right spot it only ever takes one but in most situations, you’re aiming for centre mass (a.k.a. the chest, a.k.a. the largest target available). Some bullets have enough power or other traits that will cause damage to organs even if you don’t hit them directly. You might also hear about a term called “Hydrostatic Shock” but that’s an entire article unto itself. Now let’s go through some! .22LR The “twenty-two” long-rifle is the most common calibre in terms of units sold. It has a bullet weight of around 30-40 grains and is extremely mild shooting in both pistols and rifles. The recoil is almost non-existent which makes it a great starter round for someone who has never shot a gun or is uncomfortable with the noise. The low price of the bullets is also great for learning sight pictures. It is traditionally the starting calibre for shooters. These things are only a few steps up from a pellet gun round. They can kill, don’t get me wrong, but they’re mostly for killing rats, snakes, and birds. They’ll kill an attacker for sure but it might take a shot or six. I have extremely fond memories of earning my Rifle Shooting merit badge with a .22LR. Many popular handguns and rifles have .22 versions or adapters that let you practice on the platform but use the inexpensive .22LR ammo. .25 ACP Slightly larger than the .22 and slightly more powerful….though not much. The ACP stands for “Automatic Colt Pistol.” There are quite a few guns that use this size but the ammo is more expensive and you’re not getting too much-added benefit other than the inherent reliability that comes with centrefire casings. Slightly more stopping power than the .22 but it’s kind of like the difference between stabbing someone with an ice pick or a knitting needle. Both do the job, but one will leave an ever so slightly larger hole. It’s a tiny round and I’ve yet to use a .25 calibre gun that didn’t work like crap. I’ve used a few flawless .22’s, however. I don’t know why that is. .380 ACP Now we’re getting into the beefy sizes. Personally, I would never use a gun with anything smaller than a .380 as my primary carry weapon. Sometimes called a “9mm Short”, it has seen a major boost in popularity recently thanks to the various “pocket pistols” that have come on the market. This is also a very controversial round. If you ever want to troll a gun forum, just go there and ask “which is better: a .380 or a 9mm?” or “Does a .380 have enough stopping power to use it as a carry?” Watch the arguments start. It’s entertaining. This bullet has relatively low recoil and, at close range, good penetration. They’re a great carry weapon size, in my noobish opinion. Gun author Massad Ayoob once said of the .380 “Some experts will say it’s barely adequate, and others will say it’s barely inadequate”. This is a low power round. Because of the nature of the bullet and the guns that shoot it, it’s going to be relatively useless beyond close-is range. 9mm This pistol round is officially known as the “9x19mm Parabellum” or “9mm Luger” to distinguish it from other 9mm rounds, but you will be fine just saying “nine millimetre” or “nine mil” for those in the know. My personal favourite and if there was a “Goldilocks” round, this would be it. The very first gun I bought
Introduction to Guns Types of Guns: Top 3 You Need to Know There’s tons of types of guns…it really depends how specific you want to get. For us, we consider the three main ones — pistol, rifle, & shotgun. We’ll walk through the main characteristics of each and start to break down sub-categories. Pistol We will be using “pistol” and “handgun” to mean the same thing. a Handgun has the following characteristics: Fired from one hand No support from the shoulder Barrel length of under 16 inches Subsets of pistols include revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Below is a good representation of handguns with the one on the right being a revolver while the rest are semi-autos. Rifle A rifle usually has the following characteristics: Fired with two hands Braced against the shoulder Fires only one projectile with each pull of the trigger Barrel has rifling which helps spin and stabilize the bullet Barrel length of over 16 inches We’ll be breaking down rifles into two subsets—bolt action and semi-automatic. Popular bolt actions include the Remington 700 series, while the two most popular semi’s are the AR-15 and AK-47. Shotgun Shotguns have smooth barrels to fire a variety of different ammunition. The most common ammo involves lots of metal pellets which spread out. Shotguns has to have: Fired with two hands while braced against the shoulder Fires once per pull of the trigger Smooth barrel Barrel length of over 18 inches We’ll consider two main subsets of shotguns with the pump action & semi-automatic. Pump actions require you to physically move the pump handle to chamber fresh shells and remove spent shells. They have the characteristic chung-chung sound you always hear in movies. Semi-automatics usually utilize gas or recoil to move the shells. The two most popular pumps are the Mossberg 500 series and the Remington 870 series. In the semi-auto world, there are the Benelli’s Conclusion There you have it…a quick primer on pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Here’s an infographic you can save or pin!
Introduction to Guns Part 2 4 Firearms Safety Rules Here at Pew Pew Tactical we want you to stay safe so we’re starting with the four primary gun safety rules. These rules come from Colonel Jeff Cooper, the father of the Modern Technique of handgun shooting. We’ll build on these rules as you become more familiar with firearms and their parts. 1. All guns are always loaded The purpose of this rule is to develop safe habits. Even if you are home and are absolutely sure your gun is unloaded, you may develop unsafe habits which creep into when you’re on the range with a loaded weapon. If you get used to swinging your gun around like the Terminator in your room, you might accidentally do it at the range. Always check yourself to see if a firearm is really unloaded before things such as handling or transportation. Even if someone says it is empty/clear, still check it yourself. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy The muzzle is the front of the gun where the bullet exits and the keyword here is destroy. Bullets will mess up physical objects but they will truly destroy human bodies. Google “gunshot wounds” if you dare. Even if you survive a GSW, you’ll probably be permanently disabled somehow. This rule also builds off of rule number 1. If the firearm can fire, assume it will fire, and make sure it goes off into a safe direction. This means no playful pointing at other people and also being careful of where the front of the gun “sweeps.” 3. Keep your fingers off the trigger until your sights are on the target Since a firearm is normally fired by pulling a trigger, this rule prevents accidental discharges from events such as being startled, stumbling, or muscle spasms. Even as you grip a gun but do not have the sights on target, keep your trigger finger out of the trigger guard area. An easy way to spot a disciplined shooter is how they properly index their trigger finger when they are not ready to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it The first part is to positively identify your target. Then to realize that even if you are firing at the correct target, other targets may be hit. Besides at the range, you’ll need to consider this rule when choosing a home defensive weapon and ammunition combo since there are most likely family members or neighbors behind the walls and ceilings.
Beginner’s Guide to Guns Introduction to Guns How Guns Work A super quick explanation of how guns work. We’ll begin with the easy definition of what is a gun, different components of the bullet cartridge, some gun actions, and loading mechanisms. What a Gun is At its core, guns are things that launch projectiles of some sort at high speed. The first guns were just tubes with explosive and a projectile…think cannons. Modern guns have come a long way. Cartridges What most people think of as “bullets” are actually “cartridges” that include the bullet, a casing, powder, and a primer. The primer is first ignited which causes a small explosion, which then burns the rest of the powder, creating lots of pressure that moves the bullet out of the gun. The bullet is just the projectile that shoots out of a gun, not the entire object. Here you can see the expanded view of a typical rifle cartridge. Quarter for size. And here are cross-sections of a variety of pistol/rifle cartridges. Not to scale with each other. And one for a standard shotgun shell with birdshot. Note the addition of the “wad” that encircles the shot. This is the plastic thing that you see fly out when you shoot a shotgun. How Guns Work Different types of guns have different mechanisms of how to ignite the primer to burn the gunpowder, but there is almost always a rounded metal object called the “firing pin” which strikes the primer and starts the process. Below you can see that the firing pin is attached to a “hammer” in a revolver. While in a rifle it could be by itself and held in a “bolt.” Loading Mechanisms Most guns will have a mechanism that gets rid of the spent casing and moves in a fresh cartridge. Some of these include manual actions, using the recoil from the explosion, or using expended gas from the explosion. We’ll go over these in detail in further lessons. But for now, here’s some slow-motion of guns in action. Pew Pew Tactical
The preliminary result of the 2018 National NHSA Postal Target Shooting Competition has been posted on the Natshoot website. We received 2,339 individual target entries for this year’s national competition. Go to Postal Shooting on the Natshoot website – click on National Competitions – then click on – GO TO: Preliminary Results: 2018 National NHSA Postal Target Shooting Competition Or copy and paste the following web-address into your browser please – https://natshoot.co.za/postal-shooting/national-competitions/results-2018 – it will also take you to the correct web page. Competitors who would want to appeal any aspect of their scores or ranking, have time until midnight 19 October 2018 to do so. Please send an Email to scores@natshoot.co.za and explain your appeal please. Our panel of evaluators will then see how they can assist you. We endeavour to post the final scores for the 2018 national competition at latest on 25 October 2018. Members will be notified when this happens. Participants in the 2018 national competition will be able to download participation certificates from their Natshoot Profile Page, under My NHSA Documents, from 25 October 2018. Medal winners will be contacted to ascertain courier addresses. Medals will probably only be ready for courier second week of November. Kind Regards Natshoot Office
Top Bass Fishing Tips – Part One – Top Water Fishing For Bass By David Pentoch Today I decided to start a special 5 part article series I am going to call Top Bass Fishing Tips. I plan on releasing a addition to the bass fishing tips series each day for a total of 5 killer bass fishing secrets to help you boat more bass. In this article I want to take a look at top water fishing for bass. Top water fishing for bass both largemouth and for smallies has got to be the most exhilarating experience as the fish inhales the bait dramatically right before your eyes. Unlike other bass fishing techniques, top water bass fishing for bass is the most special. It is all about sight and sound. Take you eyes off of what you are doing even for a moment and you could miss landing that lunker. Top water fishing for bass requires that you master 2 techniques, the twelve o-clock rod handling technique and the six o’clock rod handling technique. The twelve o-clock rod handling technique is a fancy term I like to use describing the position of the rod after casting. Just like the name suggests you hold the rod out in front of you with the rod tip pointing towards the sky, hence it’s twelve o-clock. Where and when you would use this rod technique depends on the situation and that is the key to not only this but other bass fishing tips. The ‘twelve o-lock’ method works best in thick weed cover. Such top water fishing bass lures that go hand in hand with this rod technique are lures that imitate bait like frogs and rats. Another great lure choice are those cigar shaped bullets like the water demon. Because of the heavy weed cover use a solid medium heavy action rod with line that can handle the heavy weeds. Pumping and twitching the lure or bait on the retrieve will help keep you snag free. The six o-clock rod handling technique is when you hold the rod out in front of you but this time the tip of the rod is just above the waterline, hence the term six o-clock. This is the rod technique of choice for open water. Fishing bass lures of choice here are popping those water chuggers and walking the dog with those cigar shaped bullets are as easy as eating apple pie using the six o-clock technique. Adding twitches and small pumps can add an erratic action to your retrieves and it helps to vary it up to keep the bass on the bite. A medium action rod and reel seem to work best with this rod technique. A Great way to practice both techniques is in your backyard. Grab some fishing bass lures that you plan to use on your next bass fishing trip, take the trebles off and practice casting and retrieving getting used to using both rod handling techniques. Master these 2 methods and you have a top water fishing for bass secret that will keep you live well full. Stay tuned for continued articles in this series of bass fishing tips. http://ezinearticles.com/expert/David_Pentoch/209782
