Shooting- What makes one a great or poor shooter

[rjgolfer]

Question-

Just wondering... I have limited firearms experience.

What makes an individual a great shooter, while another one struggles to qualify at the Q?

Is it eyesight, innate ability, hand/eye coordination?

thanks
RJ

[LongTermGoal]

Question-

Just wondering... I have limited firearms experience.

What makes an individual a great shooter, while another one struggles to qualify at the Q?

Is it eyesight, innate ability, hand/eye coordination?

thanks
RJ

From what I have been told, listening to your firearms instructor, doing what they tell you will make you into a good shooter. Not listening to them, doing you own thing, is how you for bad habits that detract from your overall skill level.

[Sgt_Rock]

What makes a good shooter? Basically it boils down to the ability to apply the basic fundamentals of marksmanship, each and every shot.

Your firearms instructors should ingrain that into your brain housing group when your training begins.

[SSP8541]

I love to tell people that I never shot a gun in my life before the Marines, but I became a Marine Sniper.

As long as the person's eyesight is correctable then that should have little bearing. We had a guy in our platoon that wore glasses, and he shot just fine......(but not as good as me.)

I found that all the principles taught to me were very applicable and it made it easy to transition from what I had learned to what I could do.

In boot camp I was very flinchy with the recoil. I kept antisipating the recoil and it really affected my shot. After repeat exposure I became more comfortable with guns and shooting and my ability blossomed into........... ("The bad arse shooter I am today.")

Just like anything knowledge is perisable so the need to keep up with shooting is essential.

So I wasn't a natural. I had to apply what my instructors told me and match it to what I was doing, and I never thought I was too good for advice or correction.

[Narco Swine]

Question-

Just wondering... I have limited firearms experience.

What makes an individual a great shooter, while another one struggles to qualify at the Q?

Is it eyesight, innate ability, hand/eye coordination?

thanks
RJ
Practice, a willingness to learn, good fundamentals (positioning, trigger pull, etc). Most of shooting is mental, so if you're not confident, you probably won't do well. Good firearms instructors will help you through this, and teach you fundamentals that MUST be adhered to. If you don't listen to them, you're going to develop your own style and bad habits. If you do that, you're probably not going to shoot very well. Breathing calmly, having a relaxed slow trigger pull (as if the gun accidentally goes off in your hand rather than you jerking the trigger), and focusing on your front sights will put one right down the middle. I know I sound like Ray Finkle from Ace Ventura, but remember the "laces out, Dan" saying? Well, think of shooting as the "front sight, Dan," and you'll do fine.

[Dylan889]

I wouldn't worry about it, every organization has their firearms program geared to the brand new shooter. They will take care of you. People here will tell you to stay away from shooting, so you will not pick up any bad habits before the Q, and that isn't bad advice.

I am still an applicant myself.
But I have been shooting for years and have military experience.
SO THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!

IMHO Poor shooting is a combination of being scared of the "bang/kick" of the weapon (or just afraid of weapons) and poor sight picture (not knowing what your sights should line up with). If you have the time and money, I would suggest that you buy a semi-auto handgun and start going to the range. It won't hurt you to learn the basics of target shooting, as long as you go to the Q with an open mind to learn what they teach you. Also learning good firearms safety and becoming familiar with semi-auto handguns is a good idea.
Video games at the arcade, believe it or not, are good too for target identification (so you learn not to shoot the good guys).

[Malone]

I have only shot a firearm once and I will admit that it was a very intimidating experience because I was just "unprepared" for the event. I thought it was just point, aim, and fire but it goes way beyond that. Having listened from many posters on this board and from others in LE, I will not be doing anymore shooting until I reach some academy.

However, I would like to add one question. There is no doubt that practicing the right way will make someone better and more comfortable but how accessable are practice opportunities for those training at various federal academies? I know it is not as easy as picking up a basketball and shooting foul shots for an hour after practice but what if a student really wants to perfect his shooting ability or just wants to shoot more in order to get comfortable with the weapon? Thanks for the replies!!

Malone

[Browning]

However, I would like to add one question. There is no doubt that practicing the right way will make someone better and more comfortable but how accessable are practice opportunities for those training at various federal academies?

I have several ranges within a 30 minute drive and I'm in a metropolitan area. For the most part, you'll find ranges in just about every city. Fees will vary, as well as accessibility but they should be there.

Here's a link to help you find clubs in your area. (Sorry mods if you need to nuke the link.) http://www.nrahq.org/shootingrange/findlocal.asp Another good place to check would be with your Dept. of Natural Resources or Conservation Department. Many have public ranges for very reasonable fees.

[Sgt_Rock]

SSP8541-Still have your Hog's Tooth?

[SSP8541]

SSP8541-Still have your Hog's Tooth?

Hanging from rearview mirror.

[SSP8541]

SGT ROCK.

What's up devil. What part of AZ are you? I live in AZ but will be moving in 3 months. Are you still in?

[Dylan889]

If you have the time and money, I would suggest that you buy a semi-auto handgun and start going to the range.

Generally I think this is bad advice (*sorry). If you've shot before, then go ahead and keep shooting before you get to an academy.

If you've never shot before and you're just going to go try to prepare for the academy, I'd advise against it. You'll just pick up bad habits trying to teach yourself and you'll spend (waste) time unlearning those habits.

They'll teach you at the academy and they assume that everyone is starting at the same level - scratch. It doesn't matter whether you shoot 2 inch groups or miss the target, everyone gets treated alike, so really, what kind of leg up are you going to get from trying to learn on your own? And, like I said, you'll spend time trying to alter or correct what you taught yourself.

Spend your time working on your push up form or run times.

You are taking one sentence in my post and taking it out of context.
Please read my ENTIRE POST!!! :sick:

I wouldn't worry about it, every organization has their firearms program geared to the brand new shooter. They will take care of you. People here will tell you to stay away from shooting, so you will not pick up any bad habits before the Q, and that isn't bad advice.

I am still an applicant myself.
But I have been shooting for years and have military experience.
SO THIS IS JUST MY OPINION!

IMHO Poor shooting is a combination of being scared of the "bang/kick" of the weapon (or just afraid of weapons) and poor sight picture (not knowing what your sights should line up with). If you have the time and money, I would suggest that you buy a semi-auto handgun and start going to the range. It won't hurt you to learn the basics of target shooting, as long as you go to the Q with an open mind to learn what they teach you. Also learning good firearms safety and becoming familiar with semi-auto handguns is a good idea.
Video games at the arcade, believe it or not, are good too for target identification (so you learn not to shoot the good guys).

[SSP8541]

Jose CANUSI......Dylan889......are you ready?


Let's get it on!

Sorry I've been watching too much UFC.

[Reservoir Dog]

If you've never shot before and you're just going to go try to prepare for the academy, I'd advise against it. You'll just pick up bad habits trying to teach yourself and you'll spend (waste) time unlearning those habits.
I second this advice. The worst thing you can do is start shooting without proper training. You will develop bad habits that will cause you nothing but problems when you get to the academy. If you have limited experience with firearms, don't let it concern you. The academy firearms instructors will teach you the proper techniques. Bad technique is the main problem that causes most new LEOs problems during training. Whether it is improper grip, trigger control, or sight alignment/picture. Just clear your mind, and let the instructors do their job.

[Browning]

Without trying to enter into the "pi$$ing match" here -- we'll leave that for UFC or whatever federation is currently popular -- I have to agree with Jose to leave the firearms until you get to the academy. I do a lot of hunting and a lot of shooting and really feel that you're only going to learn a bunch of bad habits that will make it harder to learn the right way. Even if you have an instructor, chances are good, that whichever academy you attend will have their own methods and "styles" of teaching/ shooting. I've never taken an official lesson but am quite proficient with a rifle or shotgun -- many hours on the range got me there over many years. The handgun, well, to be honest with myself, some poor instructor will probably have to help me "unlearn" my bad habits. For that reason I'm staying away from my handguns until after I'm through the process. In my opinion, there are enough other things to worry about right now than my shooting. Just my .02 -- do with it what you will.

[Reservoir Dog]

...but what if a student really wants to perfect his shooting ability or just wants to shoot more in order to get comfortable with the weapon?
If you absolutely, positively have to shoot a gun prior to the academy, I would recommend you take a NRA Basic Pistol Course. It will basically teach you safety, basic marksmanship, and weapon handling. A good intro to firearms. However, the exact same stuff will be taught to you at the LE academy (in addition to other shooting courses), so I recommed that you save your money, and just wait for the academy.

[Dylan889]

I did read your entire post. I took issue with your suggestion, which was to go buy a handgun and practice.

Sorry, I took it the wrong way :rolleyes:

I just see to many people deathly afraid and intimidated by firearms. I think plinking pop cans and paper targets is fun and enjoyable. And it teaches someone not to be afraid of firearms. I just wanted to put out the point of view that getting involved in shooting isn’t a bad thing.

I would concede to your point, if someone was within months of the academy, it is better to just to learn at an academy.

[LA Express]

Holy Frijole did this thread take a dump. With all due apologies to the original poster, I'll be closing it now as I think it's run its course, though kinda for the wrong reasons. While everyone keeps talking about waiting until the academy, which is universally accepted in here if you're unfamiliar with firearms, that's a universal truth because we've been saying it in this forum for eons. Nothing new there. As one of many firearms instructors posting to this board, I think it's the only way to go for newbies. Regarding the original question, as illustrated in the thread title, the original poster may feel free to repost and possibly lay down some restrictions regarding the answers being sought. Hijackings are terrible, terrible things. Now back to my Spinners albums.

[LA Express]

A particular individual in this thread took...particular offense to my post, though the "hijacking" I referred to was a group effort and the post itself was hardly directed toward any one poster. Seriously. And as a note to myself, how a disagreement equates to the idea of political correctness I don't really know. Political correctness is a wholly irrelevant concept within the context of this thread, regardless of your views.