I want to become a good shooter

[bp7178]

Dry fire, dry fire and dry fire some more. You need to be able to pull the trigger without manipulating the sights.

Get training. No high speed running around shooting at steel targets from under cards. Basics. Hammer that shit home.

[RWH24]

OP, No idea where you are located, but suggestions cane be given for specific locations and instructors. In the SE, Frank Proctor comes to mind, Pat McNamara of TMACinc. Check websites for schedules and locations for traveling instructors. Aaron Cowan of Sage Dynamics is also in the SE USA. There are others in Texas and West across the South West. LAV, Larry Vickers travels and also teaches in the South. Jeff Gonzales is in Austin, Texas
Of these men I have mentioned, Frank Proctor teaches how to be fast and accurate as he competes and wants to run faster always, if this is what you are looking for.
Move and Shoot, A LOT is Pat Mac. Pistol or carbine, he teaches both. Matt from Victory First travels, Kyle Defoor. Ronin Tactics. To name a few. Paul Howe in East Texas

[YVK]

Let me know where Proctor competes so I can look at his results. His USPSA membership number doesn't exist in the classification lookup database.

[WillBrink]

Go train with a tier 1 instructor.

The above.

[SkiDevil]

Hey guys, first, I really appreciate your insight and opinions here, thank you.

I have a glock 19 and an m&p 9mm. I appreciate the ergos more on the m&p but the glock I can adapt to for the most part. I shoot the m&p more accurately overall and it is easier to shoot better. With the glock it feels like I am putting together steps for a process to be carried out. The m&p naturally allows me to focus on sights and trigger and driving the gun with good follow through. The glock just isn't as natural is what I guess I am saying.

I want to have the ability to shoot whatever is in my hand. If I continue with just the m&p and grow in proficiency with it, will that increase my ability with the glock as time goes on?

I ask this because the glock is the most common handgun all around especially law enforcement/shtf scenario. Or is the m&p the "new" glock in this time?

Thanks guys.

Here is some reading material for you to get started. Todd was a wealth of knowledge.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-for-Beginners


Everyone has there own definition of what is a "good shooter."

There are many different drills, tests, or standards to use as a reference point.

However, in my mind a competent pistol shot should be able to accurately fire any brand, model, caliber handgun, and competently handle the piece.


You don't provide much regarding your training background. If you have none, then strongly consider taking an NRA basic pistol training course. Learning the basic fundamentals of shooting a handgun is key to becoming a competent shooter.

Lastly, I had a friend ask me once, 'how do I become a good shot [with a handgun]? I said buy yourself a quality .22 revolver. He laughed, my response was that some of the best shooters that I have known shot rimfires in addition to centerfire handguns.

P.S. See if there are any Bullseye shooting maches near you. They are typically a great group of people and some of the best shots with a handgun.

[ST911]

In no particular order...

Set a goal, defining what a "good shooter" is and what it looks like for you.
Pick a gun and stick with it until you develop some strong self-awareness and at least conscious competence.
Train with an established, credible instructor.
Practice with others better than yourself, esp if they have some ability to peer coach.
Practice deliberately at all times, including the minor daily admin tasks involving your gun.
Find a local fun-match (USPSA, IDPA, etc) and shoot it.

Assuming "tier 1" means what it usually means around here... The recommendation to train with a "tier 1 instructor" isn't a bad one, but there are a number of very high quality instructors out there worth learning from.

[Uni-Vibe]

Play airsoft. It's a humbling experience to be on a two-way shooting range. You will learn much that even one-way training won't teach you.

[26 Inf]

Play airsoft. It's a humbling experience to be on a two-way shooting range. You will learn much that even one-way training won't teach you.

I don't think spray and pray equates to 'good shooter.' Oncwe again we have to go back to 'what does good shooter mean to the OP?'

[26 Inf]

I had a pretty detailed response written and then deleted it while looking at something else - a pretty common experience for me

I have a couple of thoughts on the whole 'Tier 1' instructor thing.

One of the first things I would consider is the instructor to student ratio. If the instructor tries to run the class himself with more than 3 or 4 shooters on the line, you aren't going to get much one-on-one time, if you need it. Likewise, the likelihood of slowing the class to address individual problems is reduced, as it really isn't fair to the other shooters.

Second, really examine the cost to benefit ratio, is it really worth 300.00 to 500.00 a day to say 'I trained with.....' versus a lower priced alternative with more individualized instruction.

Some of the best instruction I have had came from dedicated 'no-names' teaching a system, with everyone operating off the same playbook. I come at it from the LE end of things so I'm talking about The HK International Training Division (now defunct), and the original S&W Academy.

Along those lines, currently my highest recommendation for taking that first step up, would be to attend the Basic/Intermediate Course at the Rogers Shooting School. What you will get is pretty much an instructor at your shoulder for every shot you take, and plenty of feedback. Plus it is a blast. Don't make the mistake I made. I let ego get in the way and registered for Intermediate/Advanced. It was mid-course before I started getting to speed, and I never did get to the front row because of that. (Rogers shoots six lanes, when I went beginning day 2 your were arranged by lane and relay based on the results from the day before. This gives the folks at the rear of the class the opportunity to observe other shooters going through the drills and listen to feedback before shooting the drills/tests themselves. All the instructors were on the same sheet of music, and based on my experience in running a firearms program training over 300 officers a year to shoot, I was impressed with the consistency and quality. I highly recommend the Rogers School.

Philosophy: https://www.rogersshootingschool.com/philosophy.php

Course: https://www.rogersshootingschool.com/classes.php

Although I've never been to Gunsite, they operate on the same process of multiple 'no name' competent instructors teaching from the same book. I have a friend that I shoot local matches with, he is an older man than I, and has shot a 1911 for years. In our game 480 a stage is clean, he was shooting 50% on some stages, maybe less on others. Then he went to Gunsite and took their 250 Pistol Class. Wow! suddenly an 80% shooter which is a significant improvement considering he had some bad habits to break. Based on that, I think you would probably gain from attending a course with them.

Of course there are other similar courses out there using the same cadre of competent no-name instructors teaching from the same playbook concept, these are ones I of which I am most aware.

Another venue might be John McPhee's (Sheriff of Baghdad) Gunfighter University - https://sobtactical.com/what-is-gunfighter-university/ Using coach's view is not a new concept, both of my daughters were competitive swimmers, and their coaches used the process to analyze their strokes.

Anything else I have to say has already been covered by someone else.

Good luck.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

Hey guys, first, I really appreciate your insight and opinions here, thank you.

I have a glock 19 and an m&p 9mm. I appreciate the ergos more on the m&p but the glock I can adapt to for the most part. I shoot the m&p more accurately overall and it is easier to shoot better. With the glock it feels like I am putting together steps for a process to be carried out. The m&p naturally allows me to focus on sights and trigger and driving the gun with good follow through. The glock just isn't as natural is what I guess I am saying.

I want to have the ability to shoot whatever is in my hand. If I continue with just the m&p and grow in proficiency with it, will that increase my ability with the glock as time goes on?

I ask this because the glock is the most common handgun all around especially law enforcement/shtf scenario. Or is the m&p the "new" glock in this time?

Thanks guys.

Practice, practice, practice the fundamentals. The single thing that improved my handgun shooting the most was 25yd slow fire. Practicing the fundamentals and practicing them at 25 yards will do miracles for your pistol game. Dry fire is another big one. Dry fire a little bit every day. Things like mag changes and dry fire can be done at home so when you actually go to the range, trigger control and mag changes are second nature.

Also, everything else you said makes no sense. When people start talking about how "this one points better" or "this one feels better in my hand" I know they don't actually know what the hell they're talking about. Given its a quality pistol, you can learn to shoot anything well, its simply muscle memory. When I picked up an HK P30 it "pointed better" and "felt better in my hand." Now that I've been shooting a G19 for ten years a G19 points better... because muscle memory. Fundamentals are universal, if you understand the fundamentals you can shoot anything well.

The M&P isn't the new Glock, it wasn't when it came out and 10 years later it still isn't, and never will be. Glock has the polymer pistol market pretty much on lockdown, it's the universal standard by which everything else is judged. Some options you could say are "as good" as far as reliability and accuracy go but nothing is as ubiquitous. The Gen 5 Glocks not only represent peak Glock but peak polymer pistol as well.