Trying to improve my groups

[Erik]

I'm trying to qualify for the license requirements to be able to get my own handgun in a few months. The club I joined has an outdoor range, but the days are getting shorter now and practise will be limited. I could use any help I can get to be able to make the most of the practise I get.
We're shooting onehanded at 25metres with .22 caliber handguns. At the moment, I seem to shoot between 40-43 in most series, and I need to bring it up and score 46 or more. The 9-ring is 4inches, so what I need to do is tighten my groups up to 4 inches at 25metres.

I feel my biggest problems is horisontal sight alignment, and trigger control.
The reason I feel this is that I'm borrowing one of the clubs pistols, and I seem to be struggling with it's sights, and the trigger is harder to pull than I'd like it to be. I can more or less tell that the odd shot is going to go to the side because the sights move, and I have to conciously think about pulling the trigger. Now, I really dont want to blame the gun, because I'm sure it's more accurate than I am, and a better shooter would be able to score 50 with it, so I just need to be able to control it better.

A few of the things I'm thinking about myself, and would like some input on is:
* How much difference would you say the gun does for a beginner? I really dont want to blame the gun, I should be able to control it better, but when held a gun one of the other members had, it was just a huge difference, it lined up solid as a rock on the target, and didn't move at all. Can the gun really make that much difference for a beginner, or is that just imagination?
* I'm crossdominant, right hand, left eye. So far, I've closed the left eye when I shoot, but I'm thinking both eyes open and using my left eye would be better? How do most people do it? I really dont like the idea of closing one eye when shooting if I dont have to.
* I'm trying to focus on the sights and not on pulling the trigger, but I seem to be having problems, since I conciusly need to apply force to pull it. Is there any technique or tip I could use to improve it?

So any tip of what I should try to focus on would be appreciated. If nothing else, the club wants me to enter the fieldshooting competitions this winter, and it would be nice if I could at least not get beaten by too much

[mekender]

4" groups one handed at 25m is around what you would expect from a mid to upper level competition shooter.

I personally cant do it with my 9mm and I shoot over 500 rounds a month. 2handed, sure... but not 1 handed

[Erik]

Well, that answers a lot of the questions. I just need a lot more practise.

We're shooting .22, so it's a bit easier than 9mm I think, and it's competition guns with anatomical grips that give a lot of support. I'll need 3 series of 46 to qualify, so I just have to work at it, and maybe get lucky with a few series.
When I checked the competition results, and the elite does about 270 and up in 6 series, so I guess my scores are about where I can expect them to be right now.

[mekender]

do they sell .22 in the 500 round bulk packs over there?

if so, buy a dozen and spend a weekend at the range.

For the first thousand or so rounds, dont even worry about grouping, just get used to the gun, the trigger, the recoil etc....

[Erik]

Yeah, they do sell .22 in bulk, as well as some other calibers too.
Problem is the regulations here. Until I qualify, I'm not allowed to shoot on my own, only when supervised by an instructor. And right now, that's only one evening a week. Otherwise, I would do what you sugested, and also maybe go to the range at least twice a week. But that's not an option now.
I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to borrow a gun to go shooting on my own after I qualify, it's possible I will need to have my own gun first. Kind of a downer, would be better if I could get more practise time now in the beginning.

I have to settle for the airgun for now, and practice basics with it at home. It's not perfect, but any training is better than none at all.

[mekender]

take a week trip here to the states?

[Erik]

Sounds like a great idea. Problem is I havent paid of this summer threeweek trip there yet. Will probably be a while until I can get back there, but it's a great idea.

[randy]

I got a sneaking suspicion that, depending on what part of the states you visit next time, range time, instructor time, firearms access and ammo will not be an issue.

[mekender]

I got a sneaking suspicion that, depending on what part of the states you visit next time, range time, instructor time, firearms access and ammo will not be an issue.

+1

[Aglifter]

If it's a competition gun, I'm sure it's trigger is fine -- is it a semi-auto? I presume it would be. It could be fit -- hard to adjust on a borrowed gun, but that could be some of it -- what about airsoft/pellet gun? Can you have a pistol of those at home? With enough trigger time, you should be able to learn to pull just the trigger, and isolate other muscles in you hand. Also, a laser of some type might help you see how much you're moving the gun...