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if by "improve your shooting" you mean, improve your accuracy... its all in the trigger finger.

grip(for the most part) and stance help control the firearm which equals consistancy.

sight alignment and trigger control tell the round where to go wich equals accuracy.


what i mean is, you should be able to shoot: standing, sitting, squatting, laying down ect. and be just as accurate as you would be shooting the "perfect stance", because stance doesnt affect accuracy.

evil_smurf wrote:well im really not sure what i'm doing wrong then. one 5-round "burst" will be great, and then the next one will be like 3 fliers and 2 rounds maybe near the target.

*dryfire, dryfire, dryfire. know the feel of your trigger like the back of your hand.

*try not to anticipate recoil. include snapcaps into your shooting. have a buddy load your magazine with random rounds and snapcaps, then comense fireing.

*focus on your front sight... not the target

evil_smurf wrote:i am very concious about making sure im pulling the trigger nice and smooth, so i'm pretty confident that i'm not jerking the handgun or trigger. i shoot left handed, and currently use a weaver stance. one question though, when i'm using that stance and aiming, am i supposed to keep the gun down my left arm and "move my head" over to aim down my left arm, or is the gun supposed to be out in front of me where i don't have to move my head to aim down my arm?

well... my answer is: use what works best for you, but dont be afraid to try new things (and i dont mean once or twice ).

i prefer to look at where i want to shoot and then bring the gun into my line of sight; my focus will then adjust to the front sight.



if you ever want to go to the range let me know. i shoot at a private range about an hour or less from College Station. i can teach you the basics (if you wish) much easier in person than on the internet.

Front sight, front sight, front sight - - - if you don't see your front sight you won't hit your target. Sights are important - - - without them we are just pointing and hoping.

evil_smurf wrote:Does anybody have any good websites or pictures of that stance? I am still trying to learn a good stance to help improve my shooting.

Go to Google or Yahoo and click "images" then type isosceles stance in the search box. If you never used the the image search on google, it's pretty cool. Type anything in, like your favorite hand gun.

There are many issues that can cause your shots to wear as you fatigue. There are 7 elements of proper shooting

1. Stance

2. Grip

3. Sight alignment

4. Sight picture

5. Trigger Control

6. Follow through

7. Breathing

If you have a stance that is difficult to hold, you can fatigue. If your grip is too tense and tight, you can fatigue. If are holding your breath you can fatigue.

Fatigue can cause poor sight alignment, picture, trigger and follow through.

It is important to isolate what you are doing to cause the fatigue.

Since you asked specifically about stances....... isosceles is a stable platform. I don't prefer it as it limits mobility. I don't like Weaver either. I use what we call a combat stance. It is similar to a boxer's stance. It allows mobility, weapon retention, good CQB, etc.

Isosceles is feet about shoulder width apart, you are square to your target. Shoulders parrallel to the target. You bend your knees slightly and project your arms straight out. You legs and arms each form an isosceles triangle.




In the Combat stance, the feet are shoulders width apart, but the weak side leg is forward. Knees bent slightly, shoulders rolled forward. I bend my weak side arm slightly to aid in dynamic tension and to keep from squeezing the weapon too tightly.

Great discussion guys. I need all this basic stuff I can get, so keep it coming.

evil_smurf wrote:i do appreciate the pictures, that helps a lot.

you mentioned breathing, what is the correct breathing pattern for firing?

also, when you are aiming in the combat stance, are you using both eyes or just one eye? what do you focus on?

Unless you are target shooting, just REMEMBER to breath. I see people holding their breath while shooting an entire mag. Breathing keeps your skin from turning purple ;)

You focus on the front sight. The rear sight and the target should blur.

Regarding one or two eyes, that is a good question. I found that out to about 7 yards I am a both eye open guy. At 7+ I can go either way, depending on the shot I an taking. In combat shooting I usualy keep both open out to 10 yards.

Past 10 I usually go one eye.

Last year at a class, we actually did both eye open point shooting out to 25 yards. I found that my muscle memory allows me to hit a torso consistantly. I don't feel confident with that though. I prefer to be as presise as possible at that distance.

All of that said, when I teach new shooters, I have them close the non-dominate eye to avoid distraction and allow them to focus and concentrate.

Before anyone asks;

The weapon was cleared by me and my wife. The camera was sitting on the kitchen ledge, and I worked the timer myself. The weapon is pointed towards the non-occupied kitchen, with my body armor my POA.

txinvestigator wrote:Before anyone asks;

The weapon was cleared by me and my wife. The camera was sitting on the kitchen ledge, and I worked the timer myself. The weapon is pointed towards the non-occupied kitchen, with my body armor my POA.

Well , that's a good thing I figured you had your dog holding the camera and I was just fixing to dial up the SPCA! or the Dog Police or someone!

I like the traditional (I think) Isosceles stance. Straight arms. Straight body. With that stance, I always bring the gun back to the same place. With a Weaver stance, I found my feet would end up in different places. My body twist wasn't consistent. My arm position differed a lot. With a plain Isosceles, it was always the same. My bone structure takes me there. Each time. Every time. As I get better I might try different stances. For now, I stick with what's consistent.