5 Reasons for Inaccuracy with Your Handgun

Perhaps the biggest challenge that most handgun owners face when taking a shot is inaccuracy. Sometimes it is very frustrating not to take a perfect shot, especially when stakes are high, like when hunting. You can use ProCase Noise Reduction Earmuffs to avoid getting distracted in those times.

However, if you are always off target when taking a shot, then the problem could be you or your handgun could be having a few issues that need to be fixed. In this article, we will discuss five main reasons for inaccuracy with your handgun and how to fix them.

Gripping It Wrong

One of the top reasons you are not hitting the target is a lack of proper grip. Research shows that at least 60% of shooters do not grip their guns correctly. That is why most of them usually fail to get a perfect shot. Any pro shooter will tell you that the secret to getting a perfect shot is gripping the handgun correctly. A proper grip will help reduce recoil, thus increase your chance of hitting your target with the first attempt.

Hold your handgun with your main hand. Place your main hand as high as possible on the grip to help prevent the gun from tipping in your hand during recoil. When holding the handgun, it should be placed in a position where if you draw a line from the muzzle via the gun, then back to your hand, it should be in a straight line. This will help spread the recoil into your arms as opposed to your wrist and hand. As a result, you will have more stability, which will, in turn, improve accuracy.

Two common mistakes that people make while firing include tea cupping and funky thumb. So, what do these two terms mean? Tea cupping is when you put the other hand under the handle and gripping the end of the magazine. This strategy may help to keep the handgun steady but will not reduce recoil. The best way to reduce recoil is by using two hands.

On the other hand, the funky thumb is when you use your weak thumb to cross around the backside of your powerful hand. This is dangerous and may harm your thumb.

Remember that how you hold your gun will determine everything else that will follow. If you get a solid grip, you will be able to manage recoil more efficiently, meaning your shot groups will be tighter, and you will be able to fire your follow-ups faster and more accurately.

The main reason why most shooters struggle with grip is because of a lack of proper arm exercise. Therefore, you should start exercising your hands and practice often to overcome this problem.

Overgunned

Another thing that could be hindering you from making the perfect shot is because you are over-gunned. Most novice shooters usually think that having a bigger caliber handgun will increase their chance of hitting the target perfectly. However, that is not true. In fact, having a bigger caliber handgun will only make things worse if you do not know how to handle it.

A bigger caliber handgun requires more strength, and if you lack it, then your shots will always be off-target. Instead, get a caliber handgun that can accurately and confidently shoot. It is better to take a perfect shot with a smaller caliber gun than to miss your targets with a more powerful handgun.

So do not let anybody fool you that a bigger caliber handgun will help improve your shooting accuracy. In fact, it may make things worse. Instead, focus on getting the caliber that you can easily handle.

Improper Sight Alignment

Improper sight alignment is also a common factor that usually prevents shooters from taking an accurate shot. In most cases, shooters usually have a problem acquiring a proper sight picture before pulling the trigger. Some shooters also do not understand what a proper sight picture looks like.

To avoid this, you always need to ensure that you have front sight focus before taking a shot. This means that your vision should be focused on the front sight of your handgun as opposed to the rear sight and the target.

Once you are focused on the rear sight, the next step is aligning the front, rear, and target by centring the front sight in the rear sight’s notch. Make sure that the tops of the sights are on the same level. Please do not place the front post too high in the rear notch because it could make you shot over the top of the target.

Not in Good Shape

It is exceedingly difficult to take an accurate shot if you are not in good shape. Our arms are not designed to hold things while stretched for long periods of time. The muscles that your body uses while shooting are not strong because they are only utilized for a short time. Therefore, when you use your handgun for a long period, your hand may start shaking, thus making it difficult to hit your target.

The solution to this problem is performing more exercises, particularly to muscles involved in shooting, such as the shoulder muscles, wrist, and lunges. The more you exercise these crucial muscles, the more stable and accurate your shots will get.

Flinching

This is perhaps the biggest problem that hinders most shooters from taking an accurate shot. When you place your finger on the trigger, your instinct will tell you to pull the trigger immediately because you want the recoil to happen on your terms.

Making the handgun recoil predicate and controllable may seem like a good thing. However, when you anticipate recoil, you may push your arms against the recoil, causing the muzzle to dip down. This may cause the shot to miss the target.

The best solution to this problem is performing dry fire practice where you squeeze the trigger without live ammunition. This will help you focus on minimizing the movement of the gun while taking a shot as opposed to putting a lot of focus on recoil. Practice repeatedly until when you can get rid of all movements.

Taking an accurate shot is a huge challenge even for pro shooters. However, the points listed above are the top reasons for shooting inaccuracy, and if you correct them, then your shooting accuracy will improve significantly.

source https://readyandarmed.net/5-reasons-for-inaccuracy-with-your-handgun/