Shooting with an Instructor
My Shooting Journey documents my honest experiences as I navigate becoming a female gun owner and learning how to use a firearm.
My first experience with shooting guns was not a positive one. You can read about that here. If there was going to be a gun in the house then I really needed to be confident and comfortable with how to use it. My early attempts at going to the range with my husband left me frustrated and lost.
So I decided to get some one-on-one time with an instructor. I met my instructor, Will, at the range and he quickly got us a lane. I put on my eye and ear protection (commonly referred to as just eyes & ears) and we proceeded to our lane assigned to us by the Range Safety Officer.
Will set up our lane and begins by reviewing the basics with me. We walked through the gun safety rules, talked about stance, form, and grip. All of that came back to me pretty quickly from prior training.
The first gun I started with was a Smith & Wesson .22 caliber. Just to get me started and familiarized back with the basics we used snap caps. Snap caps are essentially inert plastic bullets that can’t be fired from the gun but allow you to pull the trigger of the gun safely without real ammo. It’s referred to as dry firing. This was great because it allowed me to comfortably get into position, figure out my grip, and familiarize myself with the pistol.
After that it was time for real ammunition. We started slow and worked with one round loaded into the magazine. Again, another step to get me more comfortable and familiar. I pulled the trigger and off went the gun and the bullet. I hit the target around the lower 6th ring. Not too bad. At least I hit the target. The recoil on the .22 was basically non-existent but that didn’t stop me from anticipating it. I repeated this drill for a few more rounds. Then we moved into loading five rounds at a time. Will offered up adjustments on my form and provided guidance on how he wanted me to shoot. Align the sites; pull the trigger slowly and steadily trying not to compensate for any recoil. Ha! Easier said than done.
I was able to practice different drills such as unloading multiple rounds with the gun extended out in a shooting position versus bringing it back into my body and pausing. We worked on aligning my sites quickly and not trying to take so long to pull the trigger as this only made my shots worse. I was also working on shooting through the range noise and not letting the guns going off in the lanes next to me distract me.
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The next gun I shot was a Glock 19, which is a 9mm handgun. At first contact with the Glock, it was noticeably heavier and felt bigger in my hands. We followed the same method with the 9mm as we did with the .22. Skipping the snap caps, I went straight to shooting one round at a time and then moved on to five. I shot the first round and I did feel the gun shift a little in my hand. So I readjusted my grip. Once I got used to it, it wasn’t bad but still not great. The 9mm just feels crazy powerful and that sort of freaks me out. By the end, I unloaded probably 10 rounds at a time. My groupings on the target were pretty consistent. I did hit the bullseye with both guns. So high five to me!
Because I had a positive experience and we worked well together I decided to have one more session with Will a couple weeks later. The focus of this next session was to review some of the fundamentals and work on my sight alignment. I started right off with the Glock 19 and we really worked on aligning my sights while maintaining a slow and steady trigger pull. I also tried something new where while I'm raising the pistol to the target I'm also placing my finger on the trigger so as soon as my sights are aligned, I fire. Whereas before, I would raise my pistol to the target, align my sights, then move my finger to the trigger and pull. In target practice and in a self-defense situation, once I get my sights on target, I should be ready to fire. My instructor was able to notice this and I was able to work on improvements. Instead of raising my gun, getting my aim, and firing I was taking too long of a pause which basically caused me to anticipate recoil and lose sight. So my shot was off. I shot much better following the instructions of having my finger on the trigger as my sights aligned with the target.
What I did take away and what my instructor also commented on was that each time I hesitated or realized I was not doing something right, I reset my position and started again. Each time I did, I got better and better. So I'm obviously able to tell where I need improvement & recognize where I'm off so I can adjust and proceed.
I always have a plan when I go to the shooting range and you should too! Check it out here.
I’ve had a positive experience with my instructor and we worked well together. He was able to make corrections in real time which allowed me to see immediate results. Once I completed the exercise we could walk through the adjustments and I could ask questions. Some of my main takeaways were not to be afraid to take a few dry fire shots. Another one was to really drive my arms forward with the gun and be a little aggressive in my form. And last, a slow and steady trigger pull really made a difference and it's something that I can practice at home with dry fire. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and challenged myself to becoming a better shooter.