Hold, aim and shoot. Well, shooting a handgun might sound that easy to you, but the reality is quite different.
Holding a handgun is easy but getting the target with your shot is the toughest part. So, how should you hold a handgun for maximum accuracy?
This is about more than getting a target, accuracy can be essential if you’re in trouble and in need of self-defense, especially in a hunting scenario.
Without dropping another second in the waste box, let’s start.
How Should You Hold a Handgun for Maximum Accuracy- 7 Steps to Up Your Game
With maximum accuracy, you will be able to maintain the consistency of your shooting. It means no matter how far or wherever you are, you will always get the target without an issue.
Now, let’s check out the steps that we arranged for you to grow into the master of accuracy-
Step 1: Take the Right Position
Setting yourself at the right range is the first step of getting the target precisely. First, fetch the essentials that you need to gear you up and select your range for positioning yourself.
Now that you have got your range figured out, keep your back straight and figure out your standing position.
If you want your bullets to travel straight, you need to straight yourself. Stretch your arms out and focus only on your target.
Step 2: Hold the Handgun with the right grip
We hate to break it to you but shooting a handgun with one hand is not going to be in our suggestion today. We are here to increase your accuracy, not to make it worse. And, for maximum accuracy you need to perfect your grip and stance first.
While holding the gun with your dominant hand is more common, but you should try out both hand to find out which hand gives you more comfort and confidence.
In addition to it, you should also ensure that you can pull the trigger without losing your focus in that holding position.
Also, to have the best grip on the handgun, use all your fingers. You should be comfortable if you let the weight of the handgun distribute like that.
Try to keep a tight grip without leaving any gap between the gun and your grip is crucial for maximum control during the recoil.
Grab your handgun with both of your hands is more effective in case of accurate shooting. Moreover, this gives you a extra hand to recover from the recoil of the shot. You will be able to shoot more rounds and with better accuracy if you use your both hands.
Step 3: Take the Right Stance
In short, Stance means the way a person positioned his body while shooting. It’s, in general, the standing posture of a shooter during he takes a shoot.
taking the right stance is very important
Therefore, taking the right stance is one of the many important factors that could tremendously improve the overall shooting quality. This means, it’s an obvious sector you can work on to improve your accuracy and timing.
At the same time, it’ll make the shooting more effortless to increase the number of shots you can take at a time. Moreover, a perfect stance will help you to avoid injuries as well.
However, selecting the right stance for a particular person isn’t easy. You can’t just select one anyway, because one stance may be perfect for one person, but may not be suitable for you.
As “stance” depends on the size, shape and proportion of a body, you may have to try out different stance to find the most suitable one for your body.
Here are some popular stances from which you can find yours with a little adjustment:
Isosceles
It’s the most common stance where a shooter keeps both of his arms straight to hold the gun in front of him at the same level of his shoulder making a triangular shape.
Isosceles stance
There’re some variations of this stance. And, depending on different situation you can use any one of them. See the variations here.
As Isosceles stance depends mostly on skeletal support, so it’s suitable for both weak and strong body types. Also, people with cross-dominance will find it very suitable for them as well.
Weaver
This particular stance is very popular among the shooters for some advantages. It got its name from famous Texan Jack Weaver in 1950’s and popularized by Jeff Copper afterward.
Unlike the Isosceles, in Weaver stance, a shooter keeps both his elbows bent while the dominant hand in a push out tension to grip the gun and the other hand with a pull in tension.
As both the elbows are in a flexible state, shooter can easily tucked the gun close to his body or trust it away.
Weaver stance is more advance level stance as it requires strength and practice to keep the body stable during shooting. Therefore, young shooters or women may find this stance more difficult.
Chapman
It’s another version of Weaver stance where the shooter keeps his dominant hand straight instead of keeping it bent. However, it got its name because of the famous shooter Ray Chapman who had a tremendous influence on shooting style.
Chapman stance
As this stance uses a combination of Isosceles and Weaver style, it provides a unique stability from both muscle and skeletal support. Therefore, it solves the problem of Weaver Stance, and can be used shooters with weak upper body.
Finally, you must remember that, shooting a handgun is not the job of your hands only. You need a huge backup from your whole body. Your shoulders should be at the same level with your aimed handgun.
The recoil from the handgun passes from the hand to your shoulders. If you keep the shoulders in your control, that recoil distribution will give you the maximum accuracy.
However, keep your arms in a straight line with your chest only when you’re about to aim. Or else, you might end up tensing your muscles for holding the handgun too long.
To sum up, your arms need to be in a firm position, not too soft or not too tight. Depends totally on the recoil level.
Watch this video for more understanding about different stance:
Step 4: Line Up Your Sights/ Aiming
The sights on your handgun are meant for you to get the right shot. For that, you need to focus the front sight of your handgun between the rear one. Now you have a clear vision to start with.
Some shooters use laser sights to get the perfect shot. But if you practice enough with the built-in sights, you will become a professional soon.
Here are some tips to improve your aiming technique:
1. Use your dominant eye
2. Don’t focus on your trigger rather keep your focus on the gun
3. Keep your eye straight with the rare and front sight
Step 5: Find the Target
Now that you are perfectly aiming with your sights, you need a target to place your aim on.
Use a bulls eye or easier targets to start your practice. Then, keep on challenging yourself with a bit tougher targets.
Step 6: Focus On Your Breathing
Your breathing has a great impact on your shot. You can even miss a fired shot if you are not controlling your breathing. You need to find your personalized breathing sync while practicing.
However, your breathing increases the blood flow in your body, which helps you focus on your target. According to professionals, the best time to fire a shot is when you’re exhaling.
Step 7: Fire the Shot
If you’ve followed the steps just the way we described, it’s time for you to fire your shot. You may find it incredible that your accuracy largely depends on the way you squeeze your trigger. But it’s a fact.
accuracy largely depends on the way you squeeze your trigger
After doing everything right – the stance, the grip, the sight – if you miss to press your trigger correct, you definitely will miss your target. Therefore, you should take it seriously and try to perfect your trigger quizzing as much as possible.
With sufficient practice, make sure to squeeze your trigger straight back, not a bit left-right or up-down.
After you’re done with the shot, reset the trigger with a forward movement of your trigger finger. In that case, less movement will allow you to keep your alignment for the next shot. Consequently it will ensure higher accuracy.
What should you avoid during holding a gun
1. Don’t grip the gun with your weak hand
2. Keep your support hand free from the dominant hand
3. Don’t keep your finger alongside the muzzle
4. Don’t interlock your fingers
5. Keep your index figure off the trigger guard
Conclusion
Now you know how should you should hold a handgun for maximum accuracy. The first few fired shots might be scary, but soon you will understand the recoil and all the other factors.
The perfect accuracy might take years or even decades of practice. So, keep on practicing because there’s always room for improvement.