This article first appeared in the 1987 issues of Muzzle Blasts.

Pistol Marksmanship

Robert J. Reiber

Georgia

Part II

It is exceedingly difficult to explain what there is about pistol shooting, the sport of handgunning, that is so com­pelling as to cause it to occupy so much a part of my time, effort and thought. Can it be the diversity and challenge the sport offers? What is it that prompts one to persist­ ently try to better that last score, to shoot that "possible" or  to look forward to   that legendary  perfect score, the 100-l0x? Occasionally perfection is so near and yet so far away.  All this  hinges upon  that very first prerequisite­ acquisition and maintenance of the basic skills and  keep­ ing each honed to a fineedge. I  would  strongly  urge the reader,  who may have re­ cently  joined our ranks, to study   the  remaining  series carefully for  there may be hints that will improve perfor­ mance and the overall enjoyment of shooting. Even those who  have already advanced to the upper  classification levels still need to go  back to basics, from time to time, just as the concert violinist must return to the practice of simple exercises before attempting a concert piece. So, let's get on with consideration of some of the many el­ ements  that when combined lead   toward the  delivery of a well placed shot. Our first consideration will be the Stance or Position. Before a shot is fired the shooter must be standing correctly. He should have good balance with body held firm yet  without stress or strain. This  permits the outstretched arm and the hand, holding the pistol, to  point naturally to­ ward the aiming point. Stance, then, is the positioning of the feet, body, arm and head. It must be taken up the same way every time a shot is to be released.

Observe a line of pistol shooters and one will see a variety of stances. Some of these, to be sure, will be in violation of the  characteristics of a good comfortable position, while others may be correct or nearly so. Odd or unusual posi­ tions aren't all that uncommon  when considering the fact that individuals possess anatomical differences that, to a great degree, dictate their body position. The body propor­ tions of height, weight, bone structure and muscular devel­ opment, singly or combined, will have considerable bearing on  the stance. This, however, cannot account for the gro­ tesque positions one occasionally sees on the line. These shooters are simply not aware of the elements that when combined culminate in the proper stance. Every shooter must experiment to find the stance best suited to their particular build and physical characteristics.

There are, however, certain elements  of position that are essential to the  proper stance and   these in  turn pro­ vide the  greatest degree of body stability. The  position should be comfortable with a natural erect position. This, in itself, will provide for a steadiness of the body without resulting  in muscular strain. The application  of undue contraction of muscle systems, in an attempt to stabilize body position, will result in early body sway. The feet should be placed so that the position is com­ fortable and  be separated about the width of  the shoul­ ders  -     toes  pointing  slightly outward.  Keep the legs straight with hips and shoulders level and in a natural po­ sition. The weight of  the body should be evenly distrib­uted over the soles of  the feet. A slight protrusion of the abdomen  is permitted. This serves to  drop the torso, on the axis of the pelvic girdle, producing a slight curvature at  the small of   the  back forward  of a vertical  line with heels and  shoulders. This position balances the weight of the  outstretched arm.  Any movement, to either  side, should come from the hips  not the shoulders. The  posi­ tion of the arm, and that of the hand holding the  pistol, should only be changed  by moving the feet. If the shoul­ der,  arm or wrist are used in making an  adjustment  of aiming the arm  will return to its normal  position under the stress of aiming and firing. The aim will no longer be toward the center of the target. In any stance the head must be kept level and  in direct line with the arm and sights. The faceshould be turned, as far as possible, toward the target without  bringing about strain of neck muscles. Avoid tilting the head  to the right or left or pushed, over the shoulder, toward the Gun. The wrist of  the extended shooting arm should be stiff, with  the elbow straight and locked in position.  The shooter should be totally unaware of the free hand during aiming and  firing. The non-shooting arm should hang re­ laxed from the shoulder down. The  hand is best tucked into the side pocket or thumb hooked over the belt. Never tuck the hand under the belt at the small of the back. This location will induce strain on arm and shoulder  muscles. There is a tendency to twist the torso, at the hips, out of its natural position. In assuming the stance the body should be positioned at  an angle of 35 to 45 degrees from the target (this may be var­ ied a few degrees either  way).

Raise the  pistol and point it toward the target. Turn the head and look down range, over the extended  arm, eyes looking  in direction of the target. Lower the pistol and close the eyes. Now raise the arm above the sighting level and bring it back to the horizontal. Raising and loweringthe pistol several times should settle the arm on a natural aiming point. With the arm held at horizontal open the eyes and notice if the arm and pistol have settled on the proper aiming point.

If  the sights are aligned on  or close to the bullseye the position may be judged to be a natural one. Notice the  location of the feet. You  may want to mark a spot, for the feetshould be returned to thesame place for the next shot. If  the pistol has settled to one side or the other of the aiming point the body position should be shifted slightly. To accomplish this move the rear foot, an inch or two, in the direction of the error. The body will beso rotated as to move the arm, with the pistol, closer to  the aiming point. Do not move the  forward foot in attempting to  make this adjust­ ment. One is reminded that an error in  the hold cannot be corrected by moving the arm independent of the body.

Avoid an open stance (facing the target with the chest) or one that is too in-line (facing the target sideways). In the first the arm is poorly supported by the shoulder mus­ cles; in the second the head is turned to such an extreme position that circulation to the brain may be reduced. In addition, neck muscles may go into cramp. It doesn't require much practice to assume the proper stance. Just be sure that the position is comfortable, doesn't induce mus­ cle stress and is one that is taken up the same way every­ time for shot after shot.

In summary,  a proper stance  provides a stable  plat­ form, for the shooter, without strain on any of the  mus­ cle groups involved. It  keeps the center of gravity above the area of support (most of the  body weight being car­ ried by the ankle, knee and hip joints via the  long bones that interconnect these joints). If  the stance is such that the center of gravity is moved then the body can be bal­ anced  only by concerted muscular  activity, fatigue and instability are soon to occur.

There are very few muzzleloading pistols that cross the counter with a grip adaptable to even a few hands. Some­ times   those handcrafted by the average shooter are poorly fitted to   the contours of  the hand. Grips should either  be custom built or modified  in such a way  that stock  fit will feel comfortable in the hand. a shape that will not induce fatigue. In some instances, as in the Ken­ tucky style pistol, with its plow-handle stock, not much can  be done to enhance the  grip except possibly to  add stippling or  checkering.  Firing a pistol of  this style, for 15-20 shots, will soon demonstrate that an ill fitting grip will induce  muscle tension and fatigue in  the hand and forearm. It'll play havoc with performa nce.

It  has been said, by some authorities,  that the pistol  stock is the single most important functional part of the handgun--its size and shape determine shooting effective­ ness. If,  for instance, you are one who enjoys shooting a full load in a revolver then the stock should be shaped, as near as possible,  to fit all contact surfaces of  the  hand. This is necessary to  reduce slippage and lessen recoil im­ pact. In the instance where alteration is not permitted or where one doesn't care to alter the stock the use of a thin glove will reduce movement during recoil to a minimum. What are the features that constitute a well shaped pis­ tol stock? It should have a slightly elevated palm swell on the  right panel. This should not  be overdone for if too much grip pressure is applied it could induce numbness in the  fingers. A palm rest, while not  essential,  forms a counter to  the weight of the muzzle.  A thumb rest pro­ vides a platform on  which the  thumb can rest, straight and relaxed. Finger grooves are not  necessary and in fact contribute little or nothing to performance. Some shoot­ ers, particularily those with a small hand, may find it nec­ essary to  add filler behind and under the  trigger guard. This will contribute to stability and pointing ability to the long heavy barrel so  frequently seen in single shot  muz­zleloading pistols. Checkering is a definite advantage for it helps in maintaining a firm and positive grip.

Before taking aim, to deliver a shot, the shooter must grasp the pistol correctly. To accomplish this take hold of the barrel with the non-shooting hand and seat the stock into the  web between the  thumb and index finger. Grasp the stock  firmly by closing the fingers around  the front strap. Make sure the forefinger is pressed upward against the trigger guard and that the trigger finger is relaxed and free  to move. Raise the arm and check the  pistol  for proper alignment. The barrel should be a prolongation of the forearm. If readjustment is necessary regrasp the bar­ rel with the  non-shooting hand and start over. It should be remembered that each time the barrel is regrasped for the  next shot the position of the hand and grip pressure on the stock must"be the same as for  previous shots. The grip pressure should not vary while breaking the trigger. Keep in mind  that consistency of grip with a uniform even pressure is the key-note to good groups.

It's well  to note that when the  gun fires recoil begins before the ball has left the barrel.

The angle of departure  of the projectile varies in the  vertical plain in relation to the tightness  of the grasp on the stock. In addition the direction and  degree of recoil will vary in relation to the position of the hand grasping the stock. Variation of the position of the  hand on the stock, high or low--right or left, displaces the fulcrum on which the gun pivits. Since the muzzleloading pistol must be regrasped after each re­ loading  there is ample opportunity for inconsistency  of grip during a 10shot string. Remember, hold the gun pre­ cisely the same every time. It  might  be well to  make a few comments on  how the fingers should react  in assuming the  correct  grip. The thumb is in its best position  resting along the side of the stock or frame. It may be curled downward to rest on top of  that forefinger located beneath the trigger guard.  It should be a free agent in that it exerts no lateral or down­ ward pressure. It has been said that a relaxed thumb indi­ cates a relaxed shooter.

Pressure  by the little finger or  that from the tips of the middle two fingers should be minimal, yet firm and consis­ tent. Do not dig the finger tips into the pommel (a pinkish tint of fingertips and nails is an indication of excessive pres­ sure). Instead, pressure  by these fingers should  be directed straight to the rear. This serves to seat the backstrap firmly into the heel of the hand. Avoid excessive force by the little finger-this will drag the barrel low and to the left.

Shots will be displaced in this direction. 

The trigger finger must be free to move. Like the thumb it should be a free   agent. Some  experts   recom­ mend  that it not be in contact  with the frame or stock lest any pressure exerted sideward  push shots in that direction. However, pressure here is not that critical so long as the move­ ment exerted by the trigger finger, in  breaking    the    shot,    is    directed straight to the rear. One should pick an imaginary spot in the palm of the hand and concentrate on pulling the trigger straight  back into this area. This helps  maintain  concentration on   trigger release and  lessens the chance of applying  pressure  to one sideor the other during this period. One error often committed is called "milking the grip." This occurs when the entire hand is tightened while pres­ sure  is being applied, by the trigger finger, in delivery of the shot.

The be­ginner does thisin exaggerated fashion with the result of a wide spread group. The  more  experienced   may do the same  thing, but with more  finesse. The movement in  this case is almost impreceptible, yet it  still plays havoc with the shot group. I believe that the perfect grasp of the  pistol stock is a precious com­ modity because one is lucky if it can be mastered   without constant ef­ fort. We in the muzzleloading pistol fraternity have the problem  com­ pounded. No two pistols, used in competition, have the same grip configuration.  We are, thus, con­ stantly confronted with the problem of assuming the proper grasp on the stock of  a variety of handguns in our repertoire. Next, Part III: Sight Alignment and trigger control.