Stance, grip and recoil

It's not always made clear to new shooters, how important both grip and stance are in controlling recoil! You first need to understand that recoil is not just something that happens after the shot is fired. The gun starts to move backwards (and up!) the moment the bullet starts to move forward. This means that recoil is happening while the bullet is in the barrel. The amount of resistance you apply to counteract this recoil, and the tendency of the barrel to rise (, twist slightly) and come back has a major influence on where the bullet hits the target. If you take it to the extreme and visualize a gun floating free in space? You cause that free floating gun to fire a shot. It would probably fly up and shoot a hole in the roof or worse come back and shoot you standing behind it! While this might be a little extreme but is intended to show that you have the option of anywhere between a free floating gun and one 'locked' in the same position, with the same amount of weight to overcome the recoil, every time you shoot.

First and foremost, your grip. Your grip should be as high on the grip as possible. The ideal place for your hand would be directly behind the line of the barrel but this is not possible with conventional handguns. Every millimetre below the line of the barrel, gives more 'leverage' for the gun to move in your hand, so as high as you can comfortably manage up the grip between the thumb and forefinger of your hand. If you own your own gun, try different grips till you find one that lets you stay high and comfortable. After getting your grip in the right place, then think about how tight to grip. There is no perfect answer, it must be firm without 'strangling' the gun and making your knuckles go white. Just firm enough to hold the gun. With an empty gun, have somebody bump the barrel upwards to simulate recoil. See how it feels, does it move in your hand, try different grips and compare the results. The US Army manual of bullseye shooting suggests you fit the gun to your master hand, high and firm and maintain that grip 'for the duration of the match'! It is that important.

Now we come to the rest of your body! Everything, right down to your shoes can effect your shooting. Different shoes can make a small but noticeable difference in accuracy. Expert shooters will have a pair of shooting shoes and always use them for competitions. Generally these are soft, flat leather soles with good 'feel' of the ground so that you can feel any tendency to sway. More immediately, you should be thinking about your stance and the amount of resistance your stance applies to combat recoil. For all new shooters (particularly shooting centrefire) we recommend the 'isosceles stance'. Stand square on, facing the target, feet about shoulder width apart and both arms out with elbows 'locked', forming an isosceles triangle. This is not always the most comfortable stance and you might ultimately choose another or modify it slightly, but please at least try it first. The reason we suggest both elbows locked is so that you will always apply the same resistance to the recoil, any backwards movement under recoil must move the weight of both arms, your shoulders and essentially the rest of your body before the gun can move. Any variation with only one elbow locked or both arms bent, opens up a world of variations in resistance to the recoil. This allows a world or different places for your shot to hit the target.

Remember, every single thing you change between the trigger and the ground, can change where the bullet impacts the target! Just moving your hand around a little on the grip between shots will change the point of impact.

Every time you shoot, do a little inventory from the ground up. Feet in the right place? Check. Standing straight and square - on to the target? Check. Arms out and elbows locked? Check. Grip high and just firm enough? Check. I am placing my finger on the trigger in the correct place? Check. The sight picture is correct? Check. Squezing gently' etc. These last few items are covered in other handout notes. Talk to your RO / Coach about any of them.

Safe Shooting.