Best way to improve your aim

[MaxtheNinja]

What is the best way (in addition to just shooting) that a newer shooter can do to improve his aim?

[Baltimore Ed]

Don't see too many ninja cowboys around here and your question IS rather broad ....but aiming has to do with nice clean sights that are easy to see, not easily disturbed as in knocked out of alignment (adjustable sights are generally better than fixed) and regulated to each other and the bore so that the poa is the same as the poi. What I think you are referring to is marksmanship which is a HUGE subject as it is different for pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns. Good marksmanship involves breathing, trigger manipulation, a proper sight picture, a proper hold on the firearm, your stance and a bunch of other things that need to all work together to successfully fire a bullet from a firearm and hit a small, moving or distant target. My standard answer for newbys is to buy a .22 that is as close as possible in operation and feel to the center fire weapon that you want to compete with and shoot it alot. Walmart has .22 lr federal 550 bricks for 19.97 currently. There are tons of books and information in this forum on any kind of marksmanship or shooting sport you are interested in pursuing. Though I don't know about the ninja marksmanship connection except as it pretains to archery and I sure can't help you there. Good luck.

[Galen]

Dry fire.

[Professor Marvel]

did you read all the stickies at the top of this forum?
a wealth of info there.

are you familiar with all the basics?
sight picture?
breathing?
trigger control?
follow thru?

exercise!
one needs breath control, strong cardio-vascular, upper body strength, fore-arm, wrist, and hand strength.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of being able  to hold your arm straight out with a pistol for 10 minutes

a good qualified coach makes a world of difference.

then get a quality, accurate pellet air pistol ( NOT airsoft ) -
you want an air pistol that can put 20 consecutive pellets into a dime at 10 meters.

then practice practice practice

learn how to call your shots, and learn to be able to tell "what went wrong" if a shot is not in the x-ring,
and learn what to do to correct it.

yhs
prof marvel

[Forty Rod]

Go out in the boonies and have someone really hostile shoot at you.  It improves a lot of things including your disgestive tract workings.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

  This conversation really can't proceed until we know what firearm it is your trying to improve with. (poor grammar, I know...)

  Rifles are pretty easy. When I started High Power competition (rifle shooting) I went from a Marksman Unclassified to Expert in less than a year.

  Handguns though are an entirely different matter. After a few years and thousands of rounds fired, I'm just now becoming proficient out to 75 yds. Hoglegs take infinitely more dedication and proper form.

CHT

[Abilene]

With a handgun, press the trigger with the pad of your trigger finger.  "Too much finger in the triggerguard", or pulling the trigger with the crease of the finger joint, will pull your shot (generally low left for a right handed shooter).

You can work on recoil flinch some by putting a dummy round in the cylinder (or just leaving it empty) with live ammo in the other chambers and spinning it so you don't know where the dummy is, then firing the cylinder full.  Putting that dummy in a semi-auto magazine requires an accomplice so you don't know where it is, and that can also give you a chance to practice your misfire drill.

[AlecBeach]

Aim. Fire. Check.
Adjust as necessary

[MaxtheNinja]

  This conversation really can't proceed until we know what firearm it is your trying to improve with. (poor grammar, I know...)

  Rifles are pretty easy. When I started High Power competition (rifle shooting) I went from a Marksman Unclassified to Expert in less than a year.

  Handguns though are an entirely different matter. After a few years and thousands of rounds fired, I'm just now becoming proficient out to 75 yds. Hoglegs take infinitely more dedication and proper form.

CHT

Handgun, I have a G17, and my dad has a 38 special. I'm asking about the revolver since this is a cowboy forum, but I assume that most of the basics apply to both...

[MaxtheNinja]

Aim. Fire. Check.
Adjust as necessary

I wish it was that easy...

[APOModern]

Try to freeze your hands after you shoot and take note of where they are after the gun fires.  Remember the force will travel to the path of least resistance so wherever there are gaps, the gun will tend to kick towards

[Dave T]

Having spent 16 years as a firearms instructor (LEO & civilians) and over twenty years as a competitive shooter, the single best way to improve your ability to shoot (aim) is to learn trigger control. No matter how you aim, i.e. where the gun is pointed, if you don't have trigger control it won't be pointed there when the hammer falls and the bullet exits the barrel.

Dave

[AlecBeach]

Have someone shoot at you. Then draw your gun. Helps under stress