If you’re here, you probably realize that…shooting pistols
is actually pretty hard! In the beginning of my shooting experience, I had a lot of sympathy with the Stormtroopers missing everything too. At least they had the excuse of a stressful situation!
Let’s get started in making you a more accurate pistol shot
beginning with fundamentals. Shooting Stance Some of you might scoff at the idea of how you stand has anything to do with how you shoot. But think of it as the foundation of everything. If you have a wobbly base, chances are it doesn’t take much to mess up whatever is on top. And loud explosions and recoil have a way of messing stuff up. The main thing is to have a stable/comfortable stance that tilts you a little forward to manage recoil. Don’t worry if you have ever done that newbie lean (back). Now’s the time to fix it.
Shooting Leaning Stance
If you want to get more technical, there are the three main types of stances: Isosceles, Weaver, and Modified Weaver (Chapman). They are just variations on some foot placement and what arm is flexed a little more. But just notice how stable the guy below is and the slight lean forward. You can brush up on those bad boys.
Isosceles Stance, PoliceOne
Handgun Grip My first advice received about handgun grip was from the salesman at my local gun shop. He asked me to grip his hand with the same strength I’m going to grip my future 1911. I gave him a nice firm handshake while he proceeded to crush my hand. A dick move, but a great lesson. I’m now an advocate of gripping as hard as you can but not so much that you have tremors. I’ve found that having a crushing grip on the gun reduces the movement of your non-trigger-fingers, which is a good thing. And how you hold the gun also has a huge effect on your accuracy. You want the web between your trigger finger and thumb to be as high as possible on the grip to contain the recoil of the slide moving back and forth.
High Handgun Grip
And because there’s this piece of metal moving back and forth, you want your forearm in line with the gun to absorb more recoil.
Handgun Alignment, Bearing Arms
Now that you’ve got your shooting hand grip correct, let’s take a look at the empty space for your other hand. Isosceles Stance The isosceles stance gets its name from the arms and chest making an isosceles triangle. Kudos if you remember from geometry that isosceles means two sides are the same.
Isosceles Stance, USConcealedCarry
Configuration of Isosceles Shooter faces the target squarely, feet are shoulder- width (or slightly wider) apart with toes pointed at the target. Arms are full extended with the gun in the middle of the chest. There’s a slight lean forward and some bending of the knees. Isosceles Stance, PoliceOne Pros of Isosceles Stance Easier and more natural stance since you are merely “pointing” at the target. The body acts like a turret for easy movement to side targets. This stance is very popular in shooting competitions for easy transitions to different targets. Doesn’t really matter what eye dominance you are. If wearing body armor, you are getting more protection since you are square to the target. Cons of Isosceles Stance Potentially less stable if you are pushed forward/backward (pretty stable for side to side), but this is minimized by bending your knees and putting your weight a little more forward. If not wearing body armor, you are exposing a bigger target.
Weaver Stance Developed in the 1950’s by LA County Sheriff Jack Weaver and since popularized by Jeff Cooper and his firearms school, Gunsite. The shooter is more at an angle to the target and the arms are bent. Configuration Non-dominant leg is forward of the dominant leg with a slight forward lean (“nose over toes”). Toes are pointed forward and the firing-side arm is extended while the supporting arm is bend. The shooter employs a “push-pull” grip by pushing with the firing arm and pulling back with the supporting arm. Weaver Stance, Gunsite
Pros of Weaver Stance
Smaller profile to target (“blading” your body”) Better recoil management with the push-pull method More stable since the feet are now staggered. Natural stance if you need to balance yourself. Cons of Weaver Stance Harder to rotate to your non-dominant side since you feel like you’re binding yourself up. For example, the Gunsite instructor above would have a harder time rotating to his left. Harder for cross-dominant shooters (eg right hand dominant and left eye dominant) since the two are now no longer matched up. If in body armor, you expose your side which normally isn’t armored.
Potential Side Owie
Modified Weaver Stance (Chapman Stance) Pioneered by competitive shooter Ray Chapman. Very similar to the Weaver Stance except your shooting arm is fully locked out with the support arm bent downwards. Configuration Same as Weaver above except the shooting arm is fully extended, almost like a rifle stock. Some shooters will also create a cheek-weld on their upper arm.
Chapman Stance, Hickok45
Pros of Chapman Stance All of the Weaver Stance Consistency of your arm “stock” and “cheek-weld” to be always the same, instead of hovering in the air with the Isosceles or Weaver. Better recoil management since the firing arm is fully extended Better for crossed-eye dominant shooters since by having a cheek-weld, the opposite eye is more in line with the firearm Cons of Chapman Stance All of the Weaver Stance minus cross-dominant shooting Might strain the neck muscles
Verdict of the Best Stance
Another of my standard answers…it depends on what you like best and your application. You can choose based on what comes more naturally to you, if you want to compete in shooting sports later, or if you have eye dominance issues. And in many cases, what your instructor prefers when you take a firearms class (you are going to take a class right?). For me, and Hickok45 below, we prefer the Chapman stance because of our crossed-eye dominance issues. I also like the feeling that my “rifle-stock” is always the same. And even though I do some competitive shooting, I don’t really see the moving side-to-side binding issue that much. But don’t take my word for it…try it out for yourself!
Shooting Grip
Teacup Grip
Don’t do the teacup grip!
You’re going to start seeing it in a lot of movies and start groaning after you learn how to properly grip a handgun. We’ll cover modern handguns, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns individually in the next few lessons. But here are some overall tips on gripping a gun. Use a strong grip! You want to be able to control the recoil of the gun and having a strong grip also reduces the movement of the non-trigger fingers. Use your non-dominant hand to cover as much grip as possible.
