Posted by Mako on August 06, 1999 at 23:31:53:
The Army pistol handbook indicates that one should use a straight arm, but they also say to use a tight grip. I think they must be
talking about shooting high power firearm pistols ...
In ten meter air pistol, should one keep ones arm straight out, elbow locked, or can one keep it relaxed and slightly bent ... as
long as the pistol naturally comes to point at the ten.
I tried to straight arm it when I started but my arm and elbow get sore doing that ... :-(
Posted by Phillip Reedy on August 07, 1999 at 10:39:15:
Hey Mako,
Comfort is the name of the game. Do what comes natural and feels the best, and don't worry about what a book says.
Positioning is a personal thing -- everyone positions themselves a little differently. Most of the AP shooters that I've seen hold
their arms fairly straight, but there isn't any one "official" way to do this.
hth,
Phil Reedy
Posted by Warren Potter on August 07, 1999 at 22:18:40:
I've only known a few shooters who have managed to successfully shoot match pistols with a bent arm. In most cases they have
had some problem with their elbow in the past which makes it impossible or uncomfortable to lock the elbow.
Locking both the elbow and wrist while in the shooting stance are important aspects to having a steady hold. It will cause some
discomfort for a while, until the tendons and muscles get used to the idea of holding a weight in such an unnatural position, but
long term you'll get much better stability.
Grip is another variable; generally it's best with an air pistol to be firm without trying to choke it.
Posted by Naren on August 11, 1999 at 16:57:45:
How do you lock the wrist? The elbow has a natural limit beyond which it cannot bend, I presume that this is what is meant by
"locking". But in case of the wrist, there is always the scope for lateral movement- how do you lock this?
Thanks
Naren
Posted by ET on August 11, 1999 at 22:38:31:
HI,
When I first join the sport of target shooting, the instructor told us not only to use a straight arm, but in order to have lock the
elbow more to get the most stabiity, he suggested that actually we should rotate the arm towards the right (right hand shooters)
so that the inner side of the elbow is facing up. The wrist should also be straight so that allmost everything comes into a straight
line.
I have tried to stick with this shooting position but either my anatomy, or I do not have the time of the world level shooters, it is
easy to get sore, or hurt the joints so that it just spoil the fun of shooting for me.
After a year or so I just get tired and start to develop my own shooting position so far I can maintain an alignment for most of
the time.
After get stable in the stance for the shooting eye to have a horiazontal position with the target, I just close my eyes and stretch
my shooting arm as natural as possible. Then I try to adjust the stance so that I can more or less have the eye, arm & target all
align into a straight line.
The reason is by instinct, the arm will get back to its natural position even in a ruch. I once managed to shoot 10 shots within the
7th ring (the black target area) even with the shooting eye closed. My highest score for 10 shots is 98 and average 93.
I do believe it all depends on what you expect from the sport, if you are aiming to be an international level of shooter, develop a
most standard form is a basic. I do believe from years of experience, these instructions must have a point. However, just like
golfing, after manage the basics, you can modify to what fits you most.
Posted by Warren Potter on August 16, 1999 at 07:09:51:
You'll notice most of the top European guns have an acute angle on the grip that forces your wrist into a downward position.
Some of the better air pistols have adjustable rake so you can set the angle to where the wrist "locks" (ie cannot be comfortably
forced into a lower angle). In this way the pistol can help you lock the wrist.
I was amazed at how well American shooters handle the Colt 45 and pistols of similar grip angles (very upright). In this case it
has to be a more conscious effort to lock the muscles around the wrist to try to maintain a solid hold.
To understand just how important it is, try to imagine a loose wrist that allows the pistol to wobble (front in relation to the rear).
This means the line of the bore is wobbling over a large area of the target. You can watch the sights all you like but the result will
not be good because if something as short as a pistol is not held as straight as possible the laws of physics dictate the shots will
be spread far and wide. However, hold the line of the pistol (and therefore the front sight in the middle of the rear sight) by
locking the wrist and allow normal movement in the aiming area - provided you don't do anything radical to the trigger - the
group size will be much much smaller.
Hope this makes sense; it's not easy to put in writing.
Warren
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