CARDINAL RULES IN GUN SAFETY

1. TREAT all guns as loaded

2. NEVER point guns at anything you don’t
want to destroy or shoot
3. NEVER put your finger on the trigger
unless ready to shoot
4. BE SURE of the target and what is behind
it.
Parts of pistol - Beretta 9mm
Parts of pistol - 1911
Parts of revolver - .357
Parts of rifle
Parts of rifle
Parts of M14 rifle
Parts of 12 gauge shotgun
Fundamentals
of
Marksmanship
Marksmanship
– refers to the
skill of
shooting a
firearm
accurately and
precisely. It
involves using
proper
technique and
body position
to achieve
consistent and
accurate shots.
7 Steps of Marksmanship

- Stance
- Grip
- Sight Alignment
- Sight Picture
- Breath Control
- Trigger Control
- Follow Through
STANCE
Isosceles
(Universal Fighting Stance)
Proper Body Position:
1. Feet, knees, hips, shoulders
square to the threat or direction
of travel
2. Knees slightly bent
3. Bend slightly forward at the waist
(aggressive posture / control
recoil)
4. Shoulders rolled forward
5. Arms straight with elbows and
wrists locked
6. Head erect (bring the weapon to
the eyes, not your head and eyes
to the weapon).
7. Body weight resting on balls of
feet, not the toes or heels
STANCE
Weaver
1. Stand in the interview position
2. The feet are approximately shoulder width
apart, with strong side foot slightly back
3. Bend slightly forward at the waist
(aggressive posture / control recoil)
4. The strong arm is slightly bent
5. The support arm is sharply bent with elbow
pointing straight down
6. Using approximately 40 pounds of
pressure, push forward with the strong
arm, and pull back with the support arm.
This equal and opposite pressure creates
the "isometric
lock" on the pistol which aids in controlling
recoil
7. Head erect (bring the weapon to the eyes,
not your head and eyes to the weapon).
STANCE
Modified Weaver
Proper Body Position:
1. Stand in the interview position
2. Knees slightly bent with feet
approximately shoulder width
apart
3. Bend slightly forward at the waist
(aggressive posture / control recoil)
4. Strong arm is extended straight
out, and the elbow is locked
5. Support arm pulls back on the gun
hand with approximately 40
pounds of pressure. This locks the
gun arm into the shoulder like a
rifle stock
6. Head erect (bring the weapon to
the eyes, not your head and eyes
to the weapon).
GRIP
Firing Grip
Use a firm grip with the
hand as high on the back strap of
the pistol as possible. The pistol
and arm should be positioned so
that a straight line runs from the
muzzle of the pistol back up the
arm. The fingers make a natural
grip around the front strap with
the trigger finger indexed (clearly
outside of the trigger guard, fully
extended straight along the
frame). This grip should be tight,
but not so tight that it causes
fatigue or shaking.
GRIP
Firing Grip
The trigger
finger should be inserted into
the trigger guard in a natural,
unstrained position so that
pulling it to the rear exerts a
force straight back - not
pushing to the left or pulling
to the right. This is true for
both double action and single
action shooting although the
exact position of the finger on
the trigger will not be exactly
the same for both modes of
shooting.
GRIP
Supporting Hand
Position
The support hand
fingers wrap
around the strong
hand, with index
finger placed
tightly beneath the
trigger guard. The
supporting hand
should be grasping
as firmly as the
firing hand.
GRIP
Thumb Positions
The thumbs will lay against
the support side of the frame, side
by side, pointing at the target.
Mechanical safeties and de-
cocking levers can cause the shooter
to change the firing grip. Some
shooters find that with the thumb
curved downwards provides a more
secure hold. The pad of the offhand
thumb placed on the thumbnail of
the strong hand. However, this
placement may vary with the
individual physique and/or type of
auto-pistol being fired.
Proper aiming consists of sight
alignment and sight picture. To obtain
a proper sight alignment, the front
sight or post is centered and
positioned inside the rear sight. The
top of the post should be even with
the top of the rear sight. You will
notice that the front sight does not
completely fill in the rear sight. This is
why the front sight must be centered
in the rear sight so there is equal
space on either side of the front post.
The easiest way to remember where
the front sight goes in the rear sight is
—Equal Light (on either side), Equal
Height (across the top).
 After you acquire the proper sight alignment, you must acquire a proper
sight picture. First, to acquire the proper sight picture, you must know what to
focus on. Since your eyes can only focus on one thing at a time, do you focus on the
rear sight, the front sight, or the target? You should always focus on the front sight.
If possible, the shooter should keep both eyes open. This reduces eye strain and
allows the shooter to maintain depth perception. That means everything else in
your sight picture will be slightly out of focus. You still should be able to make out
what you are shooting at!
By correcting your sight alignment and sight picture, you can place your
bullet where you want it to go. As an NRA Pistol Instructor, it is very rewarding
when you see your students start to self-analyze and then self-correct. When you
can recognize why your bullet did not hit where you wanted it to impact, and then
identify what you did wrong, you are on your way to becoming a proficient shooter.
Sight Alignment

The relationship of the

front sight to the rear
sight. Perfect sight
alignment places the
tops of both the front
and rear sights level
across the top and
places the front sight
exactly in the center
of the rear sight as
viewed from the rear.
Sight Picture

The relationship of
the target, the
sighting system,
and the eye. Ideally,
there will be
perfect alignment
and the top of the
front sight will
appear to be
exactly at the
intended point of
impact.
Sight Picture

Focus on the
Front sight and
concentrate on a
smooth even
trigger pull. The
rear sight and
target will be
slightly out of
focus, with the
front sight clearly
in focus
Breath Control

If you know that you

are going to shoot
immediately, such as
on the range during
training, prepare by
deeply inhaling and
exhaling several
times. Then, take a
deep breath (inhale)
and slowly let about
1/4 to 1/3 of it out
(exhale).
Breath Control

We are living beings. Because we are

living and breathing beings, we are always in
motion. Your breathing can move the firearm
just enough to throw off your shot. Your beating
heart as well as your breathing causes motion.
To show my students how they unconsciously
move I have them extend both arms, palms
together as if they were holding a pistol. I then
have them watch their hands as they breath.
Then I have them hold their breath and watch
their hands. What they discover is their hands
move regardless of if they are breathing or not.
It also shows the longer they hold their breath,
their movement increases because of muscle
tremors.
Trigger Control

The trigger squeeze must be gentle, deliberate

and control

1. The trigger finger should be positioned so that

you are able to pull the trigger straight back to
the rear without disrupting alignment.

a. This action takes practice. The muscles

in our hands are sympathetic. When you
“squeeze” the trigger finger, the rest of the fingers
on the hand want to sympathetically “squeeze” at
the same time.
b. With practice and concentration you
can disarticulate the trigger finger from the rest
of the gripping hand.
Trigger Control

2. The trigger finger should not contact the frame of the gun at any time
3. The trigger finger should be comfortably extended so that the point of contact
with the trigger is the middle of the pad of the first fingertip
a. Ideally, the pad of the finger should be 90-degrees to the trigger, which
enables you to pull the trigger straight to the rear.
4. The trigger must be released with the same speed and rhythm as it is pulled.
a. Keep finger in contact with the trigger as it returns.
Allowing the trigger finger to return forward without contact with the trigger,
further than necessary, often results in “slapping” or “jerking” the trigger during
subsequent shots.
Trigger Control

5. Alignment of the sights and squeezing the trigger must be done at the same time.
a. Normally, triggers have a slight amount of free movement until the trigger
stops against the hammer/sear engagement point. Pulling through that free
movement and holding against the weight of the hammer/sear engagement is called
“prepping” the trigger. While aligning sights on the target begin this free movement
holding against the hammer/sear engagement. When proper sight picture is
achieved, complete the trigger squeeze.
6. The term “squeeze” implies that increasing the level of pressure against the
trigger is done as a smooth acceleration
• Trigger Control - is the independent of the
forefinger on the trigger pulling, it straight to the rear
with uniformly increasing pressure until the weapon
fired.
• Uniformly increasing pressure of trigger
control:
A. Taking up the slack
B. Increasing the pressure
C. Maintaining the pressure

• Trigger Operations

A. Firm grip of the right hand must be taken up on

the first trigger pressure.
B. Index finger touches trigger will using the first
joint.
C. Regulate breathing, the target sight and eye are in
line, holding your breath a second then release
the trigger finger again.
Indication of
improper trigger
control:
Flinching - this is the
firer reaction of the
anticipated recoil of
the exploding round.
Flinching is a small,
unintended
movement that occurs
when a shooter
becomes aware of the
shot being fired. It can
cause the shot to land
away from the
intended targe
Bucking - this is an
attempt by the firer to
take-up the recoil just
before the weapon fires by
tensing his shoulder
muscles and moving the
shoulder forward.
Bucking in
marksmanship is when a
shooter attempts to force
the rifle to fire before the
shot breaks, by moving
their shoulders into the
weapon. This can cause
shots to be scattered from
7 to 10 o'clock.
Jerking - this is an attempt by the firer to make a rifle / pistol fire at a certain time by rapidly
applying pressure on the trigger.
In marksmanship, "follow through"
means maintaining your sight
picture, breath control, and trigger
pressure until the gun has fully
recoiled and your sights are back on
target after firing a shot, essentially
completing the shooting cycle by
not disturbing your aim until the
bullet has left the barrel; it's a
crucial aspect of accuracy and
consistency in shooting.
Following
through prevents you from
jerking the gun before the bullet
has left the barrel and improves
your accuracy. After the bullet
fires, do not lower the gun
immediately. Instead, follow
through on the shot.