Shooting is like any hobby in that you only get out of it what you put into it. Just like sports, practice makes perfect. But if you are practicing incorrectly, you won’t ever improve.
So a few tips for when you hit the gun range couldn’t hurt. Because even the most competitive or tactical hunter hits a rut every now and then.
When you start missing targets you know you should be hitting, know there’s always hope for improvement.
Your first course of action should be to slow down.
Speed always sacrifices accuracy so take your time, focus on the sight picture and your trigger control. Focus on the target to reinforce proper muscle memory for accurate shooting.
Additionally, you also want to dry-fire practice to save the amount of ammo you send downrange.
This is invaluable for learning and polishing trigger control and can be done in the comfort of your own living room. Making absolutely positive there are no live rounds in the chamber, post a dummy target on a wall across the room as an aiming point. And because there is no recoil or noise to contend with, your focus should be on the basics.
In addition to these simple tips, you will want to change up your routine.
Target shooting, just like any hobby, could become monotonous and boring. And if you’re dreading a hobby out of boredom, it tends to lose all its appeal. Avoid this by varying the exercises so that they do not become boring or join a shooting partner.
Finally, know when to call it a day.
We all have our bad days at work, in relationships and playing team sports. Shooting is no different. If you’re distracted with things in your life and just not hitting targets, call it a day and come back another day.
It’s better to save your ammo for a day you won’t be missing the mark!
