The Well-Armed Woman

This summer I’ve spent time writing about shooting fundamentals and basic range drills. This article will wrap up these topics by going over common shooting mistakes. I’ll categorize the mistakes into 4 categories: Grip/stance, trigger control, aiming, and psychological.

Grip/Stance Mistakes

Neglecting to have your shooting hand high on the backstrap of the gun or having your support hand too low on the gun. Both of these will make managing recoil harder and will make you less accurate.

Standing straight or leaning backwards when shooting. This will cause you to become off balance and affect the accuracy of your shot. It will also make managing recoil harder. Instead, lean forward (like you’re in a fighter’s stance) so that if someone tried to push you over from the front it would be very difficult.

Trigger Control Mistakes

Jerking or slapping the trigger. This is a very common mistake, which will greatly affect your accuracy. Instead, use a consistent, smooth pull.

Having too much or too little finger on the trigger. Not enough finger will push your shot left. Too much finger and your shot will pull right. Try to have the middle of the pad of your index finger on the trigger.

Aiming Mistakes

Not knowing your dominant eye. We’ve touched on how to determine eye dominance before and it’s easy to look up the technique online, so I won’t discuss it here, however, it is very important to determine which eye is dominant.

Not lining up your sights properly. Your front sight should be equidistant from the two rear sights and at the same height. Any deviation from this will cause you to miss your target.

Focusing your eyes on the target. Although it is counterintuitive, focus your eyes on your front sight instead of your target to help improve your accuracy.

Psychological Mistakes

Shot anticipation. Anticipating the recoil of your shot will often cause you to push the muzzle of the gun down, resulting in firing low. Dry fire practice and using dummy rounds are great ways of identifying shot anticipation and correcting it.

Rushing your shot. While there are certain scenarios that call for getting shots off quickly, there is no need to rush while you’re practicing.

Aiming for too long. On the flip side, if you’re aiming for too long your arms will often fatigue and you will start to second guess your shot.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of articles on shooting fundamentals, range drill ideas, and common mistakes in shooting. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for future articles in the coming weeks. I’ll be transitioning to discussing things like cover vs concealment, how to lose a tail, what to do in home invasion situations and other tactical scenarios, and much more!

To find out more about shooting technique, personal safety, gun ownership, and other methods of self-defense, please join us for The Well Armed Women (TWAW) Sterling chapter meeting on September 18th from 9 am to 11 am at Logan County Shooting Sports complex, 12515 Highway 61/2nd Amendment Way off Highway 61 Sterling, CO. Come join us for a fun morning on the range!

TWAW Shooting Chapters exists to educate and empower women in a safe and non-threatening environment for their effective and responsible self-defense with a firearm.

Prospective members are welcome to attend their first meeting before joining. If you would like to become a member, you can join online at www.twawshootingchapters.org.

Women over 18 interested in learning more can contact Jennifer Everhart at [email protected] or visit TWAW Shooting Chapters, Inc. website at www.twawshootingchapters.org.  You can also like us on Facebook @twawsterlingcolorado or stop by Boondocks Army Surplus at 324 N 4th Street in Sterling and pick up a flyer.