Liberty Handgun Training Blog Site Of Eugene Oregon

Follow-through

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:16:48 +0000

Follow-through is the ability of the shooter to maintain all of the fundamentals of firearms marksmanship from one shot, to the next. When a shooter properly utilizes all of the fundamentals, they should be able to accurately hit the target where they are aiming. The trick is to be able to accurately hit the target not just once, but with multiple, consecutive shots. So, follow-through is really just staying mentally engaged with the firing of your weapon from the first shot to the last and consistently applying the fundamentals through that string of fire.

Trigger control

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:15:35 +0000

Trigger control is the most important fundamental of firearms marksmanship. Even highly experienced shooters have a tendency at times to jerk the trigger, or flinch just prior to the shot being fired. This is caused by the anticipation of the shot prior to the shot being fired. Pulling the trigger properly is a skill. It is the ability to continually and gradually apply ever increasing pressure to the trigger until it “breaks” and the weapon fires. The shot of the firearm should be a “surprise” to the shooter. Obviously, the shooter knows they are in the process of firing a weapon, but the trick is to pull the trigger ever so slowly and carefully, that the actual trigger break is a surprise!

Controlling your breathing

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:12:41 +0000

Being able to understand and control the rhythm of your breathing while shooting is an important part of marksmanship. Every time you take a breath in, and out, your body moves. So, it must follow that if you are trying to achieve an accurate shot with a firearm, you must be able to control this movement. Typically, the shooter will attain an appropriate site picture. Then, the shooter will concentrate on the rhythm of his breathing. When the shooter takes a breath in, he will pause just long enough (holding his breath) to squeeze the trigger and fire the shot. This stills the body and helps to achieve an accurate hit on the target.

Site alignment

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:10:42 +0000

Site alignment is the ability to line up the front sight of a firearm (usually a single dot or bar on top center of the front part of the slide) in the middle of the rear sight (like a goal post in football). Ideally, the shooter wants to have the front and rear site line up straight across the top with and equal amount of space between the left side of the rear sight and front site, and the right side of the rear site and front site. If you are able to line up the sights in this manner while holding on target (placing the front site on the target you wish to hit) then you should accurately hit the target. Seeing the target and having the sites lined up on the target at the same time is called site-picture. You must maintain this site-picture until you pull the trigger and the bullet leaves the barrel of the firearm to achieve an accurate hit on the target.

Handgun grip

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:09:07 +0000

A proper grip is one of the parts of creating a positive shooting platform (the other is stance). Proper grip and stance help to control firearm recoil and improve accuracy and follow-through. As it pertains to handguns, you begin your grip with you dominant hand. You should grip the handgun with the firmness of a strong handshake. The web of your dominant hand should be as high up on the back-strap of the handgun as possible. Your middle, ring, and pinkie fingers will wrap around the grip, with your thumb and index finger riding high on the frame, just below the slide. Your support hand will come into the grip laying on top of your dominant hand, with your index finger just below the trigger guard. The thumb of your support hand will come in just below the thumb of your dominant hand. This creates as much positive contact with the firearm as possible.

Proper shooting stance/position

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:06:29 +0000

Shooting stance (or maybe what would be more accurately called shooting position), as it relates to firearms, is one of the fundamentals of shooting. This is one of the parts of creating a positive shooting platform (when combined with proper grip). Stance is about balance and being in control of you body. Whether your “stance” is standing, kneeling, prone, or some other position, it needs to be balanced and in control. With the right training, a shooter can even create a good shooting platform or “stance” while moving. In fact, most elite shooters do the majority of their firearms training while moving. This skill is highly specialized and is very effective when mastered. It also creates a moving target for the “bad guy” which gives the “good guy” the tactical advantage. Best regards, Matt

3 Gallon bucket of tannerite explosion!

Admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:26:14 +0000

We placed and shot this 3 gallon bucket of tannerite on a huge rock formation and it turned out to be a nice little detonation. Only took a few tries (it was approx. 150 YDS out) and finally it was hit with a scoped AR, I believe.

Rules of Firearm Safety

Matt — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:56:31 +0000

The “golden rules” of firearm safety. If you always follow these rules, you will be able to handle any handgun, rifle, shotgun, etc… without negative consequence. 1) Treat all firearms as if they are loaded. 2) Never point a firearm at anyone or anything that you are not justified in shooting and willing to destroy. 3) Keep your finger OFF of the trigger (this is called “indexing”) until you have made the conscious decision to shoot. These are the primary rules of handgun safety. An additional point to consider is that you should be able to clearly identify your target and what lies beyond before you pull the trigger.

Matt

The fundamentals of firearms marksmanship.

Matt — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:09:19 +0000

There are six fundamentals of marksmanship as it relates to firearms. These are: stance, grip, breathing, site alignment, trigger control, and follow-through. Having a solid understanding of these fundamentals will help the shooter become more accurate. The most import of these fundamentals is proper trigger control (or trigger manipulation). Even experienced shooters should continue to work on proper trigger control to improve their accuracy. Without continual attention in this area, shooters tend to slightly jerk the trigger and/or have what could be called a flinching response just prior to the shot being fired. This will obviously translate into the bullet not hitting the target where the shooter has aimed.

Pride in the U.S. Consitution

Matt — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:31:53 +0000

I strongly believe in and support the Constitution of the United States of America and the Second Amendment. The right to self-defense is a basic and undeniable human right. As soon as the government takes away or erodes the Second Amendment to the point that it is unrecognizable, all of our other Constitutionally guaranteed rights will mean nothing. If the government can take away our handguns and firearms, they can easily control us, and we will no longer be free. If a law abiding citizen can no longer use a firearm to defend their life, the government has won and we are at their mercy.

Matt