Improving your shooting accuracy doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built through consistency, technique, and the right training. Whether you’re a brand-new gun owner or someone with experience looking to tighten your shot groups, improving your pistol accuracy requires a plan. Over the next 30 days, you can dramatically improve your precision with a simple but consistent training approach. At Rainier Arms Firearms Academy, we pride ourselves on offering the best training in the Midwest, as we have worked with thousands of students helping them become better shooters than they were the day before.
Week 1: Focus on Fundamentals
1. Grip, Stance, Sights, and Trigger
Most accuracy problems stem from weak fundamentals, which is why it’s the first thing we teach at Rainier Arms Firearms Academy. The fundamentals of firearms shooting are grip, stance, sight alignment, and trigger control. Can you guess which is the most important fundamental for pistol accuracy?
If you said trigger control, you would be correct! The most important factor that will determine whether you will be accurate is if you can control the trigger pulling it straight to the rear without disturbing your sights. We will discuss ways we can practice achieving a smooth, straight-back trigger press later in this guide.
The next fundamental we will discuss is grip. Trigger control indeed is the most important fundamental, but proper trigger control requires two hands. Ultimately, your grip will control the gun, which will control the trigger. Grip is extremely important for accuracy, as perfect trigger control on every shot is nearly impossible, but your grip is going to help alleviate that process.
The next fundamental is stance. Your stance is what gives you balance and control, critical for staying on target. At Rainier Arms Firearms Academy, we teach an isosceles stance where your arms are straight out, forming an isosceles triangle with your shoulders. Your knees will be slightly bent, feet shoulder width apart, and your weight will be slightly forward. We teach he isosceles stance as it is a very natural stance and is great for balance and control.
The last fundamental is sight alignment. Sight alignment is fairly straightforward. Focus on the front sight post by keeping it centered and level with your rear sight. Only begin releasing the trigger ever so slightly whenever your sight alignment is perfect. In theory, your shot should be very accurate as long as your sight alignment and trigger control are perfect.
Interested in learning more about the fundamentals? Come take our Handgun Orientation class avaliable as a ladies only class as well!
Week 2: Dry Fire, Dry Fire, Dry Fire
Now that you’ve laid the foundation, it’s time to build repetition. Start with dry fire practice at home. If you are not familiar with dry firing, it is simply pulling the trigger on an unloaded firearm, which helps build muscle memory and reinforces proper technique without wasting a single round of ammunition, and can be done at the convenience of your home.
If you have access to a laser training system like MantisX now is the time to use them. They give instant feedback and help you track progress. Don’t underestimate how valuable a few minutes of focused dry fire can be, especially when using a training system specifically designed to provide you with a higher level of dry fire training.
Dry fire practice is great for practicing the fundamentals, but it is extremely beneficial to vet it with real-life shooting as well. You may build a habit or routine through dry firing and end up finding that it doesn’t work for you in real-life application. Vetting your practice with real life shooting helps find the flaws in your fundamentals.
Week 3: Purposed Practice through Live Fire
Range Sessions (2-3x/week)
Transitioning to live fire allows you to apply your dry fire skills in a dynamic environment. Start with slow, deliberate shots to reinforce sight alignment and trigger control. Gradually increase speed while maintaining accuracy. We recommend going to the range 2-3x/week. Visit our website to learn more about our range!
Start putting everything into live-fire practice by keeping track of what distances you can accurately shoot at.
- Use 5-round groups at 5, 7, and 10 yards – measure the distance between groupings and keep a record of it.
- Focus on accuracy over speed – only increase speed when your groupings are accurate.
- Film yourself – Makes it easier to see why you aren’t accurate. If your grip or trigger control is not perfect filming yourself is a great way to catch it.
- Time yourself – Time is relative. Using a shot timer can be a great way to get objective feed back.
Week 4: Dynamic Practice
In the final week, focus on integrating movement and decision-making into your training. Practice shooting while moving, reloading on the move, and engaging multiple targets from various positions. This dynamic practice mirrors real-life situations and enhances your adaptability. It is important to be able to shoot acurately at a set distance at the range, but it is equally as important to shoot acurately while on the move, reloading, switching between multiple targets, etc. In a real life situation, movement will most likely be needed so it is imperative to train with that in mind.
Taking a class is a great way to practice dynamic movements while getting real time feedback. At Rainier Arms Firearms Academy we offer mulitple handgun classes focused on dynamic movement and teaching our students defensive skills. For those looking to learn pistol marksmanship fundmentals with speed Tactical Handgun Applications 1 is the perfect class for you!
Improving your pistol accuracy in 30 days is achievable with dedication and structured practice. At Rainier Arms Firearms Academy, we’re committed to helping you reach your full potential. Join us for personalized training sessions designed to enhance your skills and confidence.
Ready to take your shooting to the next level? Contact us today to schedule your training session and start your journey toward improved pistol accuracy.
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