Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Basic Technique
• Part 2 of 3: Common mistakes
• Part 3 of 3: Summing Up
• Warnings
• What do you need

If you haven't had a chance to shoot with a pistol yet, then in this article you will learn how to properly aim with it. In theory, aiming with a pistol is pretty easy, but you still need some practice. So go to the shooting range, and first read what you need to do to hit the target.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Basic Technique

1. 1 Aim with your dominant eye. Since it is almost impossible to aim with both eyes, you need to aim with the dominant eye. You will see the target much better with it.
   • For most people, the dominant eye is on the same side as the dominant hand, but there are exceptions.
   • To determine which eye is dominant, connect your thumb and forefinger together in a ring. Then extend your hand and look through the ring at some distant object.
   • Begin to gradually move the ring closer to your face, keeping both eyes open, but do not look at it. As a result, you will bring your hand to your leading eye.
2. 2 While aiming, keep the front sight and rear sight of the pistol in line. The pistol has a rear sight and a front sight. When you aim, the front sight should be exactly centered between the two edges of the rear sight slot.
   • The front sight consists of one part, and the rear sight consists of two parts with a slot.
   • There should be the same distance between the front sight and the edges of the rear sight slot.
   • The top of the front sight should also be flush with the edges of the rear sight.
3. 3 Take aim. While aiming with a pistol, you must look at the rear sight, front sight and target. Of course, it is physically impossible to look at all three objects at once. Therefore, try to focus mainly on the front sight and rear sight.
   • The target should look a little blurry. You should be able to see it, but it should be in the background and less clear than the front sight and rear sight.
   • More specifically, concentrate on the front sight. It will help you determine the relative position of the pistol to your target.
4. 4 Choose a spot on the target. The target has three places to aim. None of the locations is preferable to the other, so you will have to decide for yourself which one will be the most convenient for aiming.
   • Can you aim directly at the center of the target... To do this, you need to accordingly aim the upper part of the front sight at the center. The line of the top of the front sight must also coincide with the horizontal line of the center of the target.
   • You can aim right under the bull's eye (hole position at 6 o'clock). In actual shooting, aim so that the top of the front sight slightly goes beyond the bottom of the black field of the apple.
   • Or you can aim still just below the apple (6 o'clock lower). In actual shooting, the front sight should be directed approximately to the middle of the white part of the target field below the bull's-eye.
5. 5 Concentrate. You will need patience and concentration. If you aim carelessly, you will probably miss.
   • Before shooting, make sure that the front sight is correctly positioned in the rear sight slot.
   • Take your time and be calm. If you freak out and start trying to pull the trigger hard, you could lose your target and miss.

Part 2 of 3: Common mistakes

1. 1 Errors occur with angular misalignment. It occurs if the front sight is incorrectly installed in the rear sight slot.Whether this error takes place can be determined by bullet hits on the target.
   • If the bullet fell below the center of the target, then when aiming, the upper part of the front sight was below the upper edges of the rear sight slot.
   • If the bullet hit above the center of the target, then the top of the front sight was above the upper edges of the rear sight slot.
   • If the bullet landed to the right of the center, then the front sight was closer to the right side of the rear sight slot.
   • If the bullet landed to the left of the center of the target, then the front sight was located closer to the left side of the rear sight slot.
2. 2 Parallel displacement. This error occurs when the front sight and rear sight are set correctly, but your hand throws up on recoil. If you hold the pistol correctly, the chances of mistakes are minimal. As a rule, with a parallel offset, the shot comes out more accurate than with an angular one.
   • It will all depend on where the recoil directs your hand - up or down. Accordingly, try to aim just above the center of the target or slightly below.
3. 3 Errors when holding the pistol. In addition to parallel and angular misalignment, other errors are possible. They can be identified by the bullet holes in the target.
   • If the bullet hits the target closer to your dominant side, then you are most likely squeezing too hard with your thumb or squeezing the trigger too hard. Accordingly, if the bullet lies in the opposite direction from the center of the target, then you are pressing the trigger too weakly.
   • If you are right-handed and the bullet hits the lower right corner (or vice versa, if you are left-handed), then you are most likely gripping the pistol too much when you pull the trigger. If you hit the bottom left corner, then you are probably pulling the trigger hard.
   • If you are right-handed and the bullet hit the upper right corner (or vice versa if you are left-handed), you probably expected a recoil when fired. If the bullet hit the upper left corner, most likely, in this case, you expected recoil or did not "follow the shot."

Part 3 of 3: Summing Up

1. 1 Keep the pistol in your dominant hand. The dominant hand should be grasping the handle of the pistol so that the thumb rests on the inside of the barrel.
   • Your middle finger, ring finger, and little finger should wrap around the outside and front of the grip.
   • The index finger should rest on the outside of the trigger guard.
   • Holding the pistol this way will give you the maximum amount of leverage you need to reduce the swaying of the weapon in your hand during recoil.
2. 2 Place your non-dominant hand on the other side of the handle. It will support your other hand and act as additional leverage when firing.
   • Place your hand as high as possible on the handle.
   • All four fingers should be under the trigger guard, and the index finger should rest firmly on the bottom of the trigger guard.
   • The thumb should be pointing forward and touching the thumb of the other hand.
3. 3 Assume a shooting position. Stand straight with your feet firmly on the floor and point the pistol at the target. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart with your knees bent slightly.
   • This position will allow you to move easily and maintain stability.
   • Raise the pistol in front of you. Stretch your arms forward and bend slightly at the elbows. The gun should not be near your face.
4. 4 Take aim. Follow the instructions in this article to properly aim at the target.
5. 5 Pull the trigger and fire. Do this confidently, evenly, and do not tighten.
   • Pull the trigger evenly. Press only on the front of the trigger.
   • First pull the trigger until you feel resistance.
   • Then keep pulling the trigger until you fire. Try not to expect it, as this often results in a miss.

Warnings

• Be sure to keep your index finger on the bracket before shooting.
• Point the gun in a safe direction. It is always necessary to point the pistol away from people so as not to injure anyone or cause damage to other people's property. If you are on a shooting range, hold the gun pointing downward.
• Consider that your pistol is loaded even if it is not. This is necessary to prevent a possible tragedy.
• You must clearly see where your target is, as well as all the space around it and beyond. It is important to make sure that all precautions are taken and that no one gets into the line of fire. The target must be positioned so that it does not pose a danger to anyone or anything in the vicinity. If you intend to shoot on private property, make sure there are no homes or commercial buildings nearby.
• Watch your thumb - its position should not move behind the barrel. If it slips off while firing, it could cause injury.

What do you need

• Gun
• Target
• Ammunition
• Weapon cleaners
• Case for a pistol
• Headphones