Pasadena Texas Dentist:

New Shooter

Today I took a new pistol shooter to the gun range. Steve is the husband of my wife’s friend. Steve came over at 9:30 and we headed out to PSC gun range. We were on a little bit of a time crunch because Steve had to get back for his kids sports games. Steve used to duck hunt a lot. He has experience with firearms but has shot his pistols only several times. He had asked me if I could take him to the range to show him some things. Sounds like a great time!

On the way to the range I told Steve my experience and what I have done for training. My biggest knowledge base comes from a dirt bike friend who was an Army Sniper and Firearms instructor for many years in the military. He lives in California and I will fly him in for the weekend with airline miles. He will train me and then usually we shot a pistol match together.  I think I have a pretty solid foundation. I’ve also taken pistol and rifle classes trying to become more proficient.

While we were driving I went over Cooper’s 4 Gun Laws. These are not gun range rules but LIFE RULES when dealing with firearms.

• All guns are always loaded!
• Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy!
• Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target!1
• Always be sure of your target!

We got to the range and were able to get a huge pistol bay all to our selves. I stapled up targets.  I got out my Smith and Wesson MP .22 pistol. I gave Steve a quick overview of how a semi-auto pistol went. Then we worked on grip. The grip is where shooting all starts. I told him to get the strong hand as high as possible and jam the webbing between the thumb and index underneath the beaver tail.  This helps prevent muzzle flip. Next, talked about the strong hand middle, ring and pinky finger gently grip the pistol. If you squeeze too tight with those fingers you will influence the shot by pulling the gun to the left. Then the weak hand rolls forward so the palm is on the pistol and the thumb is as forward as possible. The fingers of the weak hand wrap around and should match and lie between the knuckles of the strong hand. Lastly the strong hand thumb will rest on the pistol and the weak hand.

Pictures from a Handgun Class in Austin.

The other side.

Now we put our hearing protection on and Steve loaded up the pistol. I got Steve to stand in an athletic ready to move position. Feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, slight bend forward. Had him bring the gun up to the target and checked his hold. Then gave him the OK to engage.

Each target Steve made great progress. I would watch him from the left and right side. Sometimes his grip would falter while he was shooting. I would stop him and have him look at his hands. With a .22 the poor grip can still get good hits on target. But when you jump into 9mm and 40 cal bullets you are going to need a solid grip for recoil management.

Another minor thing I noticed is after each shot Steve would let his trigger finger go all the way forward and it would come off the trigger. I talked to him about trigger reset and that he did not have to go all the way forward. I had him shoot and hold the trigger all the way to the rear for 2 seconds. Then I had had him slowly move forward so he could feel the reset. Less movement and more efficient movement of the trigger will produce better shot placement. Steve was really shooting great. Most of his shots were in a straight line. He was not pulling the shots left or right.

We also went over front sight, front sight, front sight. Shooting a pistol you have the rear sight, front sight and target. You have to line up those things but you want your eye to focus on the front sight. The front sight should be clear!

Now it was time for Steve to shoot his pistols. He started with an older Berreta  9mm, then a Glock 23 and LC9.  Once again Steve did great. We were shooting at 5 and 7 yards. Wanted him to get good hits on target the first time shooting. Steve is smart, athletic and easy to coach. He shot super safe and got the fundamentals down quickly. Next time we come to the range I am going to bring my snap caps so we can work on what to do when the gun goes click instead of bang.

I brought my two IDPA competition pistols that have had trigger work. Steve shot the Glock 34 and Smith and Wesson MP. I put up new “shoot and see” stickers on top of the target. Steve did great with my competition gun.

About:

Dr. Nugent is a family dentist located at 3421 Burke Rd, Pasadena, Texas. He has been voted Best Pasadena Texas Dentist multiple times. Dr. Nugent has a special focus on Cosmetic, Family, Implant and Sedation Dentistry. To become part of our dental family call us at 713-941-8261. Discover why patients travel from Deer Park, La Porte, League City, and Friendswood to come to our Pasadena dental office. Get the best in dental care for your family. Call our office today!