So one of the things I have learned about teaching new gun owners how to shoot is that at some point they will question whether it is the gun or them. "I mean, can I really aim here and then have rounds impact a full foot low and to the left?? “Something HAS to be wrong with my sights right??” Uhm, no, you are jerking the HOLY HELL out of the trigger and are just barely missing your own foot. “Prove it!”
Oh the joy of this! Ever wanted to shoot a SIG, HK, M&P, Glock, 1911, XD, hi-point, Jensen, Ruger P85, Taurus Judge, revolver, LCP, etc, etc, etc??? Well now is your chance! Just as an FYI, you ALSO have to shoot the gun well because if you do not, the student will get it in their head that the gun is inaccurate and not their fault (which is almost never the case).
For me, I enjoy the challenge of this for two reasons. The first reasons is that it allows me prove the theory that it is always the singer and never the song. So if I want to prove that I am as good a shooter as I THINK I am, I have to perform on cue.
The second reason is that it gives me a chance to see just how F*CKED UP some of these guns really are. Horrible sights, 12lbs triggers, mile long trigger pulls, etc, etc.
So if you want to see just how good you are, start teaching new shooters and pretty soon you will be out of your comfort zone and exploring new things!
This is one of the reasons I keep going to the public range on weekends, despite deer season coming up and the risk of someone going full retard. Last week some poor guy went through a whole 20 round box of full-retail .270 trying to sight in his new Savage. It was shooting about 8 inches low and right at 25 yards. He’d unscrew the caps to his Barska scope, turn it 1 or 2 clicks up and left, and shoot another 3 rounds…
I had a student/officer who “knew it all” (at least according to them). Shooting 8 inch steel plates at 15 yards and was continually missing low & left (right handed shooter). Said officer comes to me and says “my sights are off” so I shoot their weapon and wow, the sights were perfect but I still couldn’t convince them that it wasn’t the weapon. Some just never learn.
I worked part time for 7 years at an indoor public range.
I couldn’t even guess how many guns I’ve shot for that exact reason. Everyone automatically thinks the fault is in the gun. They could never be at fault.
Fun isn’t it! The down side is that I never get to shoot a gun that I like. For instance, I would love to see some old historical firearm ora gun that I cannot afford.
What do I get? Well, last month it was an XD. :alcoholic: For the record I shot it very well (not well enough to make me want one though).
It all depends on the individual and how honest they decide to be with themselves…
Being on the other side of this topic, i had a few days where I swore it was the rifle or the ammo and not me. Calmed down, thought things through, dry fired the **** out of it. Read a book or two and a ton of posts.
Went back and improved triple fold with the same rifle and ammo which then allowed me to improve with practice (still improving).
If you think about it, even bad guys and terrorists believe they are in the right, whether over religious beliefs a moment of need/self preservation or a feeling of self appointed rights, etc… So imagine how stubborn people will be when it comes to small things… Plus it’s not cool to be a bad shot so it must be the gun/rifle.
Once you realize you know nothing, you’ll learn something everyday. The moment you think you know everything you start working backwards everyday from then on regardless of what the topic is.
It’s just now honest you decide to be with yourself.
With that said, I still tell myself I am handsome… Sometimes you just have to lie to yourself. :haha:
I had a new Colt XSE that I was shooting. The previous range session, I had done well with that pistol. On this session, I was shooting a pattern instead of a shot group. My inner child was suffering extreme emotional distress. On my last string, the target had zero hits. While I am not a pistol ace, that was not at all like me. I started the assessment, looked at my pistol and saw that the screw holding the rear sight in place was gone and that the sight had shifted left to the point that the sight was two thirds out of the dove tail. Having not noticed the movement to that point, I really felt stupid. Same thing happened on a second XSE. Both have been to Sandy Garrett for some rework since then.
Students will always come up with all kinds of questions. What makes a good instructor is the ability to show them where they are in the wrong and help them correct that. It’s not about you ‘feeling good’ because you know so much more than them or to prove that you’re s good shooter. You can teach a class without firing a single shot yourself and you don’t have to shoot their gun to prove or demonstrate anything. But that’s just me. YMMW.
Only did it once, and not all that long ago. I had just switched from a 1911 to a G19, so first things first, I swapped out the sights. I did the sight install myself, and went to the range. I was still adapting to a real trigger pull, after being spoiled by the 1911 for far too long, and all of my rounds were heading left. I assumed it was me, but I just didn’t know. Having a more experienced shooter fire it was really just part of my troubleshooting process and it let me concentrate on what I needed to do (work trigger control).
The saddest thing I ever saw at the range I used to work, a local campus LEO came in to practice with his duty shotgun. At 3 yards (no joke), with slugs, he missed 3 out of 5 shots on a B27 target. He wasn’t shouldering the gun properly and was basically resting it on his bicep and holding it to the side of him in some abortion of an attempt to point shoot or something. WOW.
I get this at almost every class it is always the same answer.
The truth is I love to help them out I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping others.
You may have mistaken my post. It was meant to be funny and the fact that it you get to shoot a lot of guns that you most likely would either never own or shoot. We ALWAYS answer students questions and do our best to fix their issues. In fact, we care so much about this that we offer FREE pistol and carbine classes.
Shooting guns you are not familiar with stretches you as a shooter. Meaning that if you are a 1911 shooter with a 4LBS triggger and now have to shoot a DA revolver with a 12LBS trigger, you will have to work at it. This is a great way to make sure that your ability to manipulate the trigger straight to the rear is there.
IMHO, once a student gets a mental block that there is something mechanically wrong with their pistol, they will shut down and not learn any more. If you can show them the kind of accuracy that their gun is capable of, their confidence will go through the roof.
Personally, I never shoot a student’s gun UNLESS they ask. Prior to that, we are working on all the fundamentals to get them going in the right direct.
All good instructors shoot drills in front of their students. Many people are visual leaners so it is a very important for them to see how it is done. So if you are at a SHOOTING class and the instructor does not shoot any of the drills, run away.
The 1911 trigger can be a “crutch” for many and hinder them from shooting other guns (like Glock’s, M&P, etc). No other pistol has as nice of a trigger as a 1911.
IMHO, one of the mistakes people make is to learn to shoot on a 1911. If they would have learned to shoot on say a Glock, then they can shoot anything with ease. Not the case if you come from a 1911.
IMHO, once a student gets a mental block that there is something mechanically wrong with their pistol, they will shut down and not learn any more. If you can show them the kind of accuracy that their gun is capable of, their confidence will go through the roof.
So true…
All good instructors shoot drills in front of their students. Many people are visual leaners so it is a very important for them to see how it is down. So if you are at a SHOOTING class and the instructor does not shoot any of the drills, run away.
Yup. The last thing I want is to have an instructor who can’t do what they are attempting to teach.
There are more than a few people where I work that blame our duty pistol for their piss poor shooting. It happens so frequently that it has almost become an “acceptable” excuse to blame ‘the trigger pull’ to explain god awful shooting habits.
“If I had my old glock I would be shooting expert every time!”
BULLLLLSHIT.
I have exponentially more respect for the guy that says, “Man I just suck at pistol shooting. I am jerking the trigger or something.” Than the asshat that claims its the pistol. Usually, the honest types are the ones that actually improve their shooting–because they dont hide behind their guns “shitty trigger pull.”
Same thing happened on a second XSE. Both have been to Sandy Garrett for some rework since then.