FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKMANSHIP

Course Description: The course covers the fundamental of marksmanship, the proper
handling and procedure of marksmanship specifically its safety and know the
different firing stance and arm style in firing
a weapon/gun. It includes the relevant law on firearms and their related special
laws, and awareness in carrying firearms outside residence based on RA 10591 for
prosecution of cases

What is a Marksman?
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons to shoot
at high-value targets at longer-than-usual ranges. The proficiency in precision shooting is
known as a shooter's marksmanship, which
can be used to describe both gunnery and archery.

What is marksmanship explain?

Marksmanship describes a person's ability to shoot a firearm accurately. This guide aims to
describe the following: Basic marksmanship principles; Limitations of environmental factors,
such as weather; Personal limitations which change depending on physical exertion and
environmental conditions.

What is marksmanship in military?

Within the military, marksmen are sometimes attached to an infantry fireteam or squad
(where they are known as designated marksmen) where they support the squad by providing
accurate long-range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the effective tactical
reach of the fireteam or squad.

What is importance of marksmanship?

The fundamentals of marksmanship are essential for ensuring an accurate shot, consistency
between shot accuracy, and the safety of those around the firearm user.

What are the principles of good marksmanship?

The position and hold must be firm enough to support the weapon. The weapon must point
naturally at the target without undue physical effort. Sight alignment and sight picture must be
correct. The shot must be released and followed through without any undue physical
disturbance to the position.

Introduction to Marksmanship
 Marksmanship describes a person’s ability to shoot a firearm accurately.
Basic Marksmanship Principles:
a. The shooting position and hold must be firm to support the rifle.
b. The rifle must point naturally at the target without any undue physical effort
.c. Sight alignment and sight picture must be correct
d. The shot must be released and followed through without undue disturbance to the position

Combat Shooting Combat pistol shooting is a modern martial art that focuses on the use of
the handgun as a defensive weapon for self defense, or for military and police use. Like most
martial arts, combat pistol shooting is practiced both for defense and for sport.
Fundamentals of Marksmanship and Combat Shooting It contains the study of firearms
which includes the handgun and the rifle together with their characteristics and functions;
safety rules and procedures, principles of use, maintenance and as a form of combative sports
discipline.
1. Why is Marksmanship considered an art? Marksmanship is considered as an art because it
refers to the skill of using a firearm, such as a rifle or a pistol.

2. What is the difference between a marksman and a sharpshooter?

Is that sharpshooter is a person trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle; a
marksman while marksman is a man or person skilled in shooting
.
LESSON #2: Origin of Firearms and the Evolution of Weapons

Firearms Technical Definition: It is an instrument that is used for the propulsion of

projectiles by means of expansive force of gases from the burning powder.

 Legal Definition: It refers to any handheld or portable weapon, whether a small arm or light
weapon, that expels or is designed to expel a bullet, shot, slug, missile or any projectile,
which is discharged by means of expansive force of gases from burning gunpowder or other
form of combustion or any similar instrument or implement. The barrel, frame or receiver is
concerned a firearm (Sec 3, RA 10591).

Origin of Firearms
As long as man has used tools, weapons have been among those of foremost importance.
They have been used to provide food and protection since the formation of the earliest social
units. For centuries, and continuing through today, men and women have used firearms as the
most effective weapons individuals can wield. The origin of gunpowder is unknown, and may
have occurred in China, Turkey, or Europe. The first record describing the combination of
charcoal, Sulphur, and saltpeter, to produce a rapidly burning powder is a coded writing by
Franciscan monk Roger Bacon shortly before 1250 AD.

Development of Firearm
The development of modern weapons started in 1364 with the first recorder use of a firearm
and ending in 1892 with the introduction of automatic handguns. Man, never satisfied with
himself, he is always trying to improve himself and its surroundings. Man created some crude
or primitive weapons, which were subsequently developed into sophisticated firearms of
modern times.

The following are the stages of development of man’s weapon:

1. Stones
2. Clubs
3. Knives
4. Spears and darts
5. Slingshots to hurl objects
6. Bows and arrows
7. Cross-bows
8. Guns
9. Missiles
10. Guided missile

What is a gunpowder?
The propellant in a cartridge or shotgun shell is the gunpowder which, when ignited by the
primer flash, is converted to gas under high pressure and propels the bullet the bullet or shot
charge through the barrel and to the target. Refer to the chemical substances of various
compositions, sizes, shapes and colors that an ignition, serve as a propellant.

Why are the first firearms inefficient?

First firearms were inefficient because it was large and heavy, making it difficult for a
common soldier to carry.
What is the marksmanship training?

Marksmanship is a precise skill that requires focus, practice, and routine steps for safe and
accurate shots. Learning to handle a firearm properly and refining your craft will help you
become a safer, more precise gun handler.

What is the importance of marksmanship in law enforcement job?

During life threatening situations, a police officer may be required to aim and fire a weapon in
the line of duty. Failure to perform this task accurately could result in possible harm to the
officer, suspect or the general public.

What is the importance of weapon training?

The reason firearms training is so important for your safety is because most firearms
accidents are actually caused by not following basic gun safety rules. When these basic rules
aren't followed and mistakes happen, serious injury and even death can occur.

Guns have had played both an indirect yet also tangible role in the rise and progression of
global powers and industrial development over the course of history. In modern times, guns
and the American gun culture hold an ambiguous role, from being a topic for dinner
conversations to heated debates between aspiring politicians.
Introduction to Marksmanship and Combat
Introduction to Marksmanship
Marksmanship describes a person’s ability to shoot a firearm accurately.

Definition of Terms

1.
Firearm

It is a device which projects either single or multiple projectiles at high
velocity through a controlled explosion.

This process of rapid burning is technically known as deflagration.

In older firearms, this propellant was typically black powder, but modern
firearms use smokeless powder, cordite, or other propellants.
2.
Handgun

Refers to small arms, such as pistol revolver.
3.
Marksmanship

The skills of the marksman especially in firearms (rifle and handgun).
4.
Pistol

A hand firearm usually applies to single shot and automatic loading.
5.
Revolver

A hand firearm in which a rotating cylinder successively places cartridges into position for
firing.
6.
Rifle

A type of weapon fired from shoulder.

Basic Marksmanship Principles:

a.
The shooting position and hold must be firm to support the rifle.
b.
The rifle must point naturally at the target without any undue physical effort.
c.
Sight alignment and sight picture must be correct.
d.
The shot must be released and followed through without undue disturbance to the position.
Combat Shooting

Combat pistol shooting is a modern martial art that focuses on the use of the handgun as a
defensive weapon for self defense, or for military and police use.
Like most martial arts, combat pistol shooting is practiced both for defense and for sport.

Fundamentals of Marksmanship and Combat Shooting

It contains the study of firearms which includes the handgun and the rifle together with their
characteristics and functions; safety rules and procedures, principles of use, maintenance and
as a form of combative sports discipline.

Why is Marksmanship considered an art? Marksmanship is considered as an art because it

refers to the skill of using a firearm, such as a rifle or a pistol.

What is the difference between a marksman and a sharpshooter?

Is that sharpshooter is a person trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle; a
marksman while marksman is a man or person skilled in shooting.

To start off, it should be noted that not all handguns are created the same. There are multiple
manufacturers whom all have their own models of handguns that may differ from one
another. Such as the difference between a hammer-fired handgun and a striker-fired, but those
differences will be touched on in another resource. For this particular article, we’re only
going to concern ourselves with the general overview of the parts that can be found on nearly
every handgun.

Sights
Barrel
Slide & Slide Components
Trigger
Magazine & Magazine Components
Grip
Variant: External Safety

SIGHTS
On most stock handguns the sights set into the top of the slide are posts that allow for the
acquisition of your target and lining up the barrel with the area of the target which you want
to hit. The manner in which you set your sights using these posts is to align the front post
perfectly between the two back posts when looking down the slide of the handgun. While
focusing on the front post, you place it over the area of the target you wish to hit. As long as
this front post is between the two back posts and level with them, the bullet will travel to the
area under your front post if nothing else (like grip, trigger pull, etc) acted against it. On some
models of handguns, the slide comes cut with a plate that allows for use of a red-dot sight for
faster target acquisition.

BARREL
The barrel of a handgun is one of the more important parts in regards to quality and
craftsmanship and is responsible for the delivery of the bullet down-range. The length of the
barrel can affect the velocity of the bullet, how far it will travel, and how straight the flight
will be. All handgun barrels are rifled with a specific twist ratio that will normally be listed as
1:X where X is the number of inches the bullet has to travel inside the barrel in order to make
one full rotation. So a 1:8 twist barrel means it will take the bullet 8” to spin one full rotation
in the barrel. Depending on the caliber of bullet you are looking to fire you want a certain
twist rate to ensure the bullet travels efficiently.
SLIDE/SLIDE-LOCK
The slide is where the barrel, guide rod, extractor, and firing pin are housed. It’s called the
Slide because when firing a semi-auto handgun the recoil of the shot causes the top half of the
pistol to slide backward. This backward motion ejects the fired casing, re-arms the firing pin
or striker, and then pushes the next round from the magazine into the chamber to be fired.
When the final round of the magazine has been fired, the slide-lock (located on the side of the
handgun) will catch the slide and hold it open until a new magazine is inserted and the slide is
released.

TRIGGER
The trigger is an easily recognizable part of any firearm and is going to be located close to
the grip within reach of the shooter’s hand. Around most triggers, there will be a trigger guard
that acts as a barrier to keep anything from sliding up into the trigger or coming into contact
with the trigger unnecessarily and causing it to fire the handgun. Even with this guard though
it is important to practice firearm safety and keep your trigger finger resting along the slide of
the firearm until you are ready to shoot. In a properly functioning firearm, the only thing that
will cause it to fire is the trigger. Triggers, like barrels, can be manufactured in different ways
to tailor to the user and the job. You will find both curved and flat triggers, varying pull
weights to engage the trigger, and varying breakpoints. Figuring out what is best for you and
your situation will make your shooting experience that much smoother and easy to practice.

MAGAZINE
The magazine is where your ammunition is housed within the handgun and will determine
how many rounds you are able to carry. Magazines for the most popular handguns will come
in varying capacity sizes and can be bought to tailor to your needs. A single-stack (where
rounds are stacked single-file) pistol will use a magazine that is thinner and carries fewer
rounds but it will allow the handgun to be lighter and more compact. With a double-stack
(where the rounds are stacked inside the magazine two at a time) pistol, the magazine will
carry more rounds but the magazine and grip will be wider and a bit heavier.GRIP
The grip is part of the handgun where you actually will be placing your hand in order to hold
it for firing. Like most other things in the firearms world, the grip for any particular handgun
is going to differ based on the manufacturer and the model itself. Some companies have
deeper grip angles while others have more relaxed holds. Some will have tough knurling to
allow for a better grip surface and others are easier on the hands. It is recommended that
before purchasing a handgun you take the time to hold all the different types so that you can
decide what grip works best for you as they are all different and no one hand is the same.

VARIANT: EXTERNAL SAFETY

Some handguns will come with an external safety. The safety switch makes it so that the
firing pin cannot be released and the primer on the round is struck in order to fire it. But no
safety mechanic is ever absolute and the last line of safety is always with the user and their
hand. This is why practicing firearm safety and trigger discipline is so important. Most
handguns that are hammer-fired will include a safety of some type that will allow the firearm
to be carried with the hammer cocked but the safety preventing it from being released even
with a trigger pull. Some striker-fired handguns will also have external safeties but they are
normally rarer. The decision to have a safety or not on your handgun is a personal preference
and one that someone else cannot make for you. Like before, it is best to rent or try as many
handguns as you can before you decide on purchasing any so that you know what works best
for you personally.
In order to become as resourceful with a handgun as you want to be, you need to first
understand the secrets behind its design.
Maybe you’ve never used a handgun before and aren’t too familiar with firearms, to begin
with. Perhaps you’ve been using them for a while but never took the time to learn about the
specific pieces.
Whatever the case might be, educating yourself is a very important piece of providing safety
for yourself and those around you.
Here is an in-depth guide about the different parts of a handgun, as well as the different types.
Consider all of these pieces in your preferred handgun type.

Parts of a Revolver
A handgun is exactly as the name implies: a firearm that you use by holding it with one or
two hands, rather than against the shoulder (like a rifle or shotgun).

However, what you may not know is that there are three different types that fit the handgun
category.
Handguns can either be classified as revolvers, pistols, or muzzleloaders. However, not many
people use muzzleloaders in today.

Revolvers are the types of handguns that many people know from cowboys and western
movies. It has its ammo stored via a series of revolving chambers.
Many people prefer revolvers because a) it makes you feel like a badass, b) they are a bit
more old-school and c) they allow you to fire several rounds in succession without reloading.
See below for the different parts of a revolver handgun and the role they play in the firearm
itself.

Barrel
Even the most inexperienced of firearm users know what the barrel of a gun does. It is the
metal tube that gives the bullet a path.
It also provides a contained environment for the bullet initially, so that the gases shoot the
bullet out when the gun powder is kindled.
Without the barrel, your bullet wouldn’t get very far. The barrel is essential for ensuring an
accurate and powerful shot every single time you pull the trigger.

Trigger and Trigger Guard

The parts of a gun are standard, but their importance bears repeating. On a revolver, you’ll
notice both the trigger, as well as the trigger guard, which is a curved item surrounding your
trigger.
Obviously, your trigger is the part of your handgun that you press when you’d like to shoot.
The trigger guard is in place to make sure you don’t accidentally shoot your gun by pressing
the trigger by mistake.

Grip
While you’ve probably never thought about it, the proper grip on a handgun is essential.
It ensures that you are able to maintain as steady a hand as possible while you aim and shoot
at your target. The grip also helps you keep proper hold of the gun through the recoil of firing
it.
The grip might very well be the most underappreciated piece of your handgun. It gives you
comfort and dexterity with your shot.

Cylinder
This is the most individualistic piece of a revolver handgun, both mechanically and
aesthetically.
The revolver is the only handgun type that loads ammo via a cylinder cartridge. It has a series
of chambers (of which depend on the size of the revolver) that holds one bullet each.
Your revolver’s cylinder lines up the bullet with the gun’s barrel to ensure a straight shot
when the gun powder is ignited.

Hammer and Firing Pin

These two pieces go hand in hand because they work so closely together when you pull the
trigger.
The firing pin is responsible for all the scientific reactions that occur in order to shoot a bullet
at such a high speed.
Meanwhile, the hammer is what makes contact with your gun’s firing pin in order to push it
towards the primer. That’s when the ignition happens.

Parts of a Pistol
A pistol is the most modern type of a handgun and is the type of gun you see in shows like
CSI, Criminal Minds, and any other law enforcement show.
The pistol has many of the same pieces that a revolver does, but with a few more additions.
See below for the additional parts that a pistol contains

Magazine and Magazine Well

Even if you’ve never had previous experience with a gun, you’ve probably heard this term
once or twice.
A pistol’s magazine is what holds the cartridges until they’re placed in the gun and ready to
be fired.
The magazine well, or Magwell for short, is what locks your gun’s magazine into place,
giving that “clicking” sound that gun enthusiasts go crazy for. Action

As you might expect, the action of your gun is the area where every single piece comes
together with such as firing the ammo, unloading the ammo, loading the ammo, etc.
It’s also the part of your gun that discharges the empty case of the ammunition that was fired.

Receiver
Your guns receiver does exactly what you think it might, it receives the ammunition and
preps it for firing.
It’s the area of your pistol that holds the firing mechanisms, action, hammer, and firing pin.

Know the Role the Parts of a Handgun Play

Now that you’ve seen some of the key parts of a handgun, it’s clear that you should handle
them each with caution.
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun
barrel. They are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber,
and even wax. They are made in various shapes and constructions (depending on the intended
applications), including specialized functions such as hunting, target shooting, training, and
combat. Bullets are often tapered, making them more aerodynamic. Bullet size is expressed
by weight and diameter (referred to as "caliber") in both imperial and metric measurement
systems.[1] Bullets do not normally contain explosives[2] but strike or damage the intended
target by transferring kinetic energy upon impact and penetration

The term bullet is from Early French, originating as the diminutive of the word boulle
(bullet), which means "small ball".[3] Bullets are available singly (as in muzzle-loading and
cap and ball firearms)
[4] but are more often packaged with propellant as a cartridge ("round" of ammunition)
consisting of the bullet (i.e., the projectile),
[5] the case (which holds everything together), the propellant (which provides the majority of
the energy to launch the projectile), and the primer (which ignites the propellant). Cartridges,
in turn, may be held in a magazine or a belt (for rapid-fire automatic firearms).

Although the word bullet is often used in colloquial language to refer to a cartridge round, a
bullet is not a cartridge but rather a component of one.[6] This use of the term bullet (when
intending to describe a cartridge) often leads to confusion when a cartridge and all its
components are specifically being referenced.

Firing Range: A facility designed for the purpose of providing a place on which to discharge
firearms, shoot air guns and/or archery equipment

Indoor firing ranges are popular among law enforcement and recreational shooters because
they offer protection from inclement weather conditions and can be operated around the clock
under controlled environmental conditions. However, many firing range facilities lack
environmental and occupational controls to protect the health of shooters and range personnel
from effects of airborne lead, noise, and other potential exposures.

Outdoor firing range means an improved area that is commercially operated for the use of
rifles, shotguns, pistols, silhouettes, skeet, trap, black powder, air guns, archery, or any other
similar sport shooting in an outdoor environment.

General Range Safety Rules

1. keep firearms pointed in a safe direction. keep your finger off the trigger until ready to
shoot.
2. keep your gun unloaded until you are at the firing line and the range is declared "HOT."
3. Firearms must be safe (unloaded - magazines removed and actions opened) when entering
or exiting the range.
4. Immediately stop shooting when anyone calls "Cease firing."
5. Shooters must check with others to ensure firearms are unloaded, actions open and firearms
laid down on the shooting bench before going down range.
6. No one is permitted to handle firearms or stand at the firing line while there is a cold
range.
7. Shooters must check with others to ensure there is no one down range; when the range is
declared "HOT" shooters are permitted to commence firing.
8. Only shooters are permitted on the firing line. Shooters may move safe guns to and from
the firing line only when the range is "HOT."
9. Shooters may shoot only from the firing line at the target in line with their position.
10. Shooting at items placed on the ground or at targets not posted at the appropriate height
on the target frame enables rounds to escape the range.
11.Please place your trash into the trash receptacles and your spent brass into the recycling
receptacles. Tracer, armor piercing and incendiary ammunition is prohibited.
12. When going downrange, stay on the walkways to and from the targets-access to the
backstop and all areas outside of the target lines and walkways is prohibited.
13, Wear eye and ear protection. Food, beverages and smoking are not allowed on the firing
line.
12. You should wash your hands and face after shooting.
13.There is a one-hour time limit for use of the range if patrons are waiting.

What is the range command?

It informs the shooters that they may begin firing at authorized targets. Whenever this
command is given, all shooters must immediately stop shooting, remain in position with the
firearm pointed in a safe direction with action open, and wait for further instructions from the
Range Safety Officer.

What is range procedure?

Hot Range Procedure: proceed to a shooting bench as directed by the RSO. Uncase the
firearm with the muzzle pointing downrange ensuring the action is open, only take out
magazines and ammunition out of the case for the firearm to be shot. Only one firearm on the
firing line bench at one time.

Shooting Range Commands & Procedures; Load, Commence Firing, Cease Fire & More
Load. When the range officers give the command 'load', shooters are on the firing line and
then is when the firearms can be loaded.
Commence Firing. ...
Cease Fire. ...
Make Safe. ...
Range Going Hot. ...
Range is Cold.
What does it mean when a range is cold?
When a range is “hot” it means that shooters are allowed to begin firing. A “cold” range
means that firearms are always unloaded except when at the firing line. Never handle a
firearm behind the firing line.

Commence Firing is the command given that tells everyone it's safe to shoot. That doesn't
mean you start blazing away. It means that when you are ready, you may shoot your gun.
Range Commands
At the shooting range, a group of shooters firing at the same time is called a relay. All
commands are given by the range master. Here are some commands and what they mean.
The range master commands:

The command means:

"Relay No. __ , Match No. __ , on the firing line. The preparation period starts now."
Shooters have three minutes to move to the firing line and get ready.

"With five rounds, load."

Shooters load their handguns.
Is the line ready?"
If someone isn't ready, the shooter will notify the range master.

"Ready on the left, ready on the right, ready on the firing line."
The range master is making a final check.

"Commence firing."
Shooters begin firing and continue until they have fired all shots or until the range master
calls for a cease fire.

"Cease firing."
Obey instantly. Stop firing immediately even if all rounds have not been fired."Unload
cylinders, open actions with slides back, remove magazines, guns on the table."
Unload your handgun and make certain your neighbors also unload their guns.
Examples of unsafe gun handling include, but are not limited to:
Handling a firearm at any time except when in a designated safety area or when under the
supervision of, and in response to a direct command issued by, a Range Officer. The
expression “handling a firearm” includes holstering or un-holstering a firearm, whether or not
the firearm is visible (e.g. while concealed by a protective cover, etc.) together with adding or
removing a firearm to/from the Shooter’s person whether or not the firearm is wholly or
partially holstered.
Allowing the muzzle of a firearm to point up-range, or past the default, or specific safe angles
of fire during a course of fire.
Allowing the muzzle of a handgun to point at any part of the Shooter’s body during a course
of fire (i.e. sweeping). A match disqualification is not applicable if sweeping occurs while
drawing or re-holstering a gun, provided the Shooter’s fingers are clearly outside the trigger
guard.
Allowing the muzzle of a loaded handgun to point up-range beyond a radius of 1 meter from a
Shooter’s feet during drawing or re-holstering.
Wearing or using more than one handgun at any point in time during a course of fire.
Failure to keep the finger outside the trigger guard while clearing a malfunction where the
Shooter clearly moves the firearm away from aiming at targets.
Failure to keep the finger outside the trigger guard during loading, reloading, or unloading
except where specifically permitted.
Failure to keep the finger outside the trigger guard during movement.

Marksmanship Principles
The shooting position and hold must be firm enough to support the rifle*.
The rifle must point naturally at the target without any undue physical effort.
Sight alignment and sight picture must be correct.
The shot must be released and followed through without undue disturbance to the position.
Whether it’s for your job, competition, or plain fun, shooting well takes more than just
knowledge of guns. It takes a solid understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship. For
years, I’ve found the following fundamentals to be proven, simple to understand, and
successful for students. Each fundamental listed is important, but the importance is not based
on where it falls in the list — it’s up to you to decide what is important and when. They are:
1. Stance or Platform
2. Grip
3. Draw / Presentation
4. Sight Alignment and Sight Picture
5. Trigger Management
6. Breathing
7. Follow Through
8. Recovery

1. Stance / Platform
Many instructors focus first on this because it’s simple. “Place your feet here and here so you
can manage recoil and not get knocked around by the gun cycling.”
It may be surprising but this has nothing to do with your low left hits. I say “stance or
platform” because you don’t always fire the gun in a shooting “stance.” This fundamental
encompasses all platforms from standing to kneeling to prone, as well as all of those
unconventional positions you may have to shoot from. Focusing on stance is not a mission for
me. Weight forward, gun in front of eyes. Enough said.
2. Grip
Grip applies to long guns as much as it does to handguns. How you hold a gun has everything
to do with your ability to manage the recoil. Likewise, your ability to quickly fire multiple
well-aimed shots has everything to do with how well you manage recoil.
Suffice it to say that if you’re not using muscular and skeletal alignment in your grip, you
aren’t operating to your greatest potential. High thumbs forward mean high to the axis of
momentum, thumbs forward toward the target.
3. Draw / Presentation
The entire idea behind this fundamental is to get the weapon into the plane of vision —
between your eyes and the target — as quickly and efficiently as possible. Draw and
presentation include how you initially grip your weapon as well as how to deal with retention
devices on holsters.
More than just pointing a gun at a target, the draw is not a 1-2-3-4-5 process. It may be taught
that way initially but a fluid economy of motion is the key here.
4. Sight Alignment / Sight Picture
For years I have combined the two because properly aligned sights mean nothing if you don’t
know how to place them on a target. Simply defined, sight alignment is the front sight viewed
through the rear sight with them (iron pistol sights) equally spaced and even across the top.
Sight picture is those properly aligned sights placed properly on the intended target.
Know the sights, know what you need to see, and have some reference to it while firing.
Never disregard the idea of subconscious sights.
5. Trigger Management
Sometimes called trigger press or trigger control, it is defined as applying steady pressure
directly rearward in such a fashion so as to not disturb the sight alignment or sight picture
before the round fires. It doesn’t matter if you do it fast or slow — manage the trigger based
on target size and distance.
Stop focusing on feeling for the reset. Replace all that wasted effort by training shooters to
fire every shot from the pressure wall. What is most important: triggers or sights? I’ve got to
know the target size, distance, and how much time I have. Tough.
6. Breathing
Breathing has very little to do with action-style shooting — the most important in action
shooting is that you “breathe to reduce your stress and focus on the task.”
Keeping this in mind will go a long way to help performance. Precision shooting requires a
little more. The old military BRASS-F — Breath, Relax, Aim, Stop, Squeeze, Follow-through
— is a great way to remember this. Holding your breath at any time is bad for performance.
Oxygen deprivation can affect your most delicate organs in as little as four seconds and that
certainly includes your eyes. Ever get blurred up while aiming? Breathe, blow the stress out,
and do what you need to do.
7. Follow Through
One of the most important and least adhered to, follow through means maintaining all of the
fundamentals through the break of the round. Staying with the sights and following them into
recoil. Follow-through is easiest when you have a solid platform, good grip, and an
understanding of the importance of sight alignment and sight picture.
Most people skip follow-through and quickly look at their target to see how they did. They
usually shoot low, and then wonder why. If you know what your mission is, your body will
comply.
8. Recovery
Recovery is what you do after the shooting is over. Breathing, scanning your environment,
and returning to sling or your holster is part of it. Working manual safeties may also be a part
of recovery. This fundamental can save your life or someone else's as it is about situational
awareness. Know your environment and the potential threat it might present to you. This even
includes those around you at the local shooting range.
Conclusion
The above was essentially a crash course in fundamentals — any one of these areas could fill
pages with detail of the application.

Handgun Techniques: Sight Alignment and Aiming

Sight Alignment
Sight alignment, which is important in rifle firing, is even more important in pistol shooting
because of the shorter distance between the sights.
Typically, handgun sights consist of a square rear notch sight and a heavy square front blade
sight. This arrangement is easy to align.
Most handguns are initially sighted-in at 50 feet.

Aiming
At the shooting range, many hand gunners use a sight picture that places the bull’s-eye on the
top of the front sight, rather than placing it in the sights over the center of the target.
However, hunters should hold the alignment directly over the vital area.
Scopes with long eye relief have become popular with hand gunners and offer exact sighting
for hunters. Scopes may take longer to align on a target than open sights, but they’re usually
more accurate.

As you aim your handgun, follow these guidelines.

When using an open sight, focus on the front sight. The target and the rear sight should appear
blurred or fuzzy.
If you are a beginner, aim at the bottom center of the bull’s-eye. This is known as the “six
o’clock hold” because the location matches six o’clock on the face of an analog clock.
Aim with your dominant eye, but keep both eyes open. This will give you more light and
better depth perception.
Realize that you cannot hold the handgun completely still while aiming. To reduce the
amount of movement, rest between shots and do not grip the gun too tightly.
Sight Alignment and Sight Picture Means Hitting Your Target By correcting your sight
alignment and sight picture, you can place your bullet where you intend!

Sight Alignment Front Sight

You head to the gun range for a day of shooting. You have your handgun. You have your
targets. What else could you want? How about putting your shots where you want them to go
on your target? This is done by achieving proper sight alignment and proper sight picture.
When these two things are done correctly and at the same time, you are properly aiming.

So what is proper sight alignment and sight picture? Sight alignment is the relationship of the
front sight . Sight picture is the relationship of your proper sight alignment . In other words,
are your properly aligned sights aimed at the point on your target you want your bullet to hit?

You cannot obtain the proper sight alignment and sight picture without understanding what
type of sights you have and how to make adjustments, so you hit where you are aiming.
Handguns have just as many options for sighting systems as rifles. Revolvers and semi-
automatic pistols usually come with iron sights, also known as open sights. Most handguns
are shot with this type of sight. To a lesser extent, some revolvers can be fitted with a
telescopic sight, and some pistols can be fitted with electronic sighting systems.

The iron sight that is most found on handguns are Patridge sights. Patridge sights consist of a
front sight and a rear sight. The front sight is located on top of the barrel or slide toward the
front of the barrel, near the muzzle. The front sight is usually a post that has a squared-off top.
The rear sight is located near the front of the cylinder or back of the slide. The rear sight is
shaped like a squared-off “U” or a rectangle that is missing the top bar.

To obtain a proper sight alignment, the front sight or post is centered inside the rear sight. The
top of the post should be even with the top of the rear sight. You will notice that the front
sight does not completely fill in the rear sight. This is why the front sight must be centered in
the rear sight. The easiest way to remember where the front sight goes in the rear sight is—
Equal Light, Equal Height.

After you acquire the proper sight alignment, you must acquire a proper sight picture. First, to
acquire the proper sight picture, you must know what to focus on. Since your eyes can only
focus on one thing at a time, you should always focus on the front sight. The shooter should
keep both eyes open, if possible. This reduces eye strain and allows the shooter to maintain
depth perception. That means everything else in your sight picture will be slightly out of
focus. You still should be able to make out what you are shooting at!

There are various styles of Pat-ridge sights. Regardless of the type, the front and rear sight are
aligned the same way. The most popular is a three-dot sight. The dots are usually glow-in-the-
dark with one being on the front sight and the other two placed on the uprights of the rear
sight. This way, when the three dots are aligned, you have a proper sight alignment.

There are two ways to acquire the proper sight picture. There is the “six o’clock hold” and the
“center hold.” The six o’clock hold is performed by aligning the front and rear sight while at
the same time being able to see the whole target area. For example, the lined-up front and rear
sights are below the area you want the bullet to impact. The more common hold is the center
hold. When using the center hold, the lined-up front and rear sights cover where you want the
bullet to impact. For example, the top edge of the front sight is where the bullet will impact.

If you do everything right, but your bullet is not impacting the target where you want it to,
you may need to adjust the rear sight On most handguns, the rear sight can be adjusted to
move the point of impact. Remember, if you need to adjust the point of impact, move the rear
sight in the direction you want the impact of the bullet to move. In other words, if your bullets
are striking to the right of where you want them to, move the rear sight in the direction you
want the bullets to move. In this example, if your bullets are hitting to the right of your target,
move the rear sight to the left.

Still are not hitting where you want the bullet to impact? There are four errors you could be
making when you are aligning the front and rear sight.
If your shots are hitting to the left: Your front sight is too far to the left in the rear sight.
If your shots are hitting to the right: Your front sight is too far to the right in the rear sight.
If your shots are hitting too high: Your front sight is positioned too high in the rear sight.
If your shots are hitting too low: Your front sight is positioned too low in the rear sight.
Remember, sight alignment is more critical than sight picture.
By correcting your sight alignment and sight picture, you can place your bullet where you
want it to go. It is very rewarding to see students start to self-analyze and then self-correct.
When you can recognize why your bullet did not hit where you wanted it to impact and then
identify what you did wrong, you are on your way to becoming a proficient shooter.