Practical Pistol Reloaded

DESCRIPTION

This book answers the “how to” questions about shooting technique. How do you hold the gun? How do you shoot fast? These questions and many more are answered inside. This material is geared for the USPSA, IPSC, or IDPA action shooting competitor. This is the revision to Ben Stoeger’s book “Practical Pistol”. This new edition is revised to reflect technique changes that have taken place over the last few years. The sport of Practical Shooting is changing quickly and becoming more competitive every day. This updated version of “Practical Pistol” is a must have for any serious USPSA or IDPA shooter.

Highlights

• Finally, another common gripping mistake I see is that people end up getting “trigger freeze” during their close range/ high-speed shooting. I did briefly mention this earlier, but I think it bears some more explanation. I think what is happening here is that when people start rushing and wanting to “go fast,” they start tensing up their bodies in an effort to make that speed happen. Often, this results in an overly tense dominant hand and some trigger freeze. I think the best prescription for this sort of problem is to do lots of close range shooting during your training, with an emphasis on keeping yourself relaxed as much as you can. If your body tenses up too much, you will make mistakes. (Location 470)
• This may sound complicated, and it is, but without more than one trigger control technique it is going to be difficult to be fast when you need to be fast, and be accurate when you need to be accurate. Some people may think that since either “slapping” or “pinning” both work, we could just use one of those techniques. In truth, each one of those schools of thought involves learning to pull the trigger a different way depending on the difficulty of the shot. You are going to end up in the same place, eventually, no matter what route you take. (Location 633)
• Trigger control comes in three general styles: Type 1: You are not setting the trigger to the break point, you’re just blasting through the shot, noting the sights, lifting and moving to the next shot. This type is used for close-up targets where you pull straight through the trigger. Type 2: Set the trigger to the break point and pull through (Location 639)
• that point with reasonable speed. This type is used for a mid-length shot or a shot requiring a degree of accuracy. Type 3: A clearly defined set to the trigger break point and a pull-through while maintaining clear discipline on the sights. Ensure that you have no movement of the sight plane of the gun. This type is used for the highest degree of accuracy, like a 30-yard popper. (Location 643)
• Keep your shoulders in front of your hips. (Location 881)
• What most top-level shooters do (for comfort’s sake) is to have a fairly significant bend to the elbows. (Location 908)
• Guys at the highest levels of the sport are even able to use their feet to help them push the gun faster from one target to the next. Generally, this is going to be done on wider (at least 45 degree) transitions. Using your muscles should be carefully calculated and controlled. It isn’t about pushing the gun hard; it is about pushing it precisely (Location 979)
• If you are struggling with transition precision, then check your shoulders for tension. It could be the cause of your problems. (Location 984)
• If the target is seven yards or closer, there shouldn’t be a pause between when the gun comes in to your vision and the shot breaks. (Location 1012)
• I might add that if you’re relying on the magwell to assist all of your reloads, you definitely need to polish your technique. The magwell should only be there to help primarily in the direst of mistakes. (Location 1273)
• The best advice I can offer for learning to shoot single handed is to train yourself for USPSA style speed shooting. (Location 1363)
• If you have a long distance to run and/or really tough shooting to do when you get to the next position, you should consider holding the gun high up when you get to the next position, but not holding it at full extension (Location 1904)
• aimed at the target. The reason for this is that it is tough to have the gun at full extension and stable when you need to stop yourself after a long run. You might be better off getting your body stabilized before you get the gun out. The reason for this is if your gun is fully extended, it is more prone to bouncing. (Location 1906)
• Keep Your Torso Rigid You want to use your ab muscles to “zip up” your torso and keep your upper body rigid. What this will do for you is keep your torso from dragging behind your body and making it more difficult for you to move. (Location 1920)
• How to handle reloads When you move, you will often have to reload at the same time. Unless the distance you need to move is very short, then you should prioritize moving as fast as you can, and then sort out the reload. Do not artificially slow down your running so you can have an easier time reloading. Get your reloading up to snuff, so you can run full tilt and still get the gun loaded before you get to the next position. This may feel messy or uncomfortable, but it is demonstrably faster than slowly moving and comfortably reloading. (Location 1932)
• No Flamingo Keep your feet close to the ground to minimize extraneous movement. It is not efficient to raise your foot more than a couple of inches off the ground. (Location 1936)
• Keep the Upper Body Triangle Take care that you don’t break your upper body position early. (Location 1949)
• Shoot in and out if you can and it offers an advantage (Location 1952)
• For example, in years of study, I have been unable to determine if there is a difference between “cross stepping” out of a position and “pushing off with your trail foot.” I have determined these sorts of questions (while perhaps interesting) don’t lead to better shooting or better movement. They lead to dogma (Location 1960)
• If you aren’t moving at an aggressive pace, then you are usually better off just standing and shooting (Location 2059)
• This sport comes down to execution, not stage tactics. (Location 2103)
• Identify all the places where targets are available: (Location 2573)
• Look for places to shoot while moving: (Location 2578)
• Identify possible “aiming” options: (Location 2583)
• Identify strategies for dealing with activators and moving targets: (Location 2586)
• Identify possible target engagement orders: (Location 2593)
• Identify good places to reload: (Location 2600)
• should point out that I usually figure out reloads at the end of the stage. (Location 2613)
• key is to come up with a plan that you are comfortable executing (Location 2629)