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Tiraej · 09-17-2007, 11:51 PM

Hello, TFP folks. Here's my first post as this nick; I've been gone for several years and cannot recall my previous name. Here's my dilemma:

Several months ago, I went shooting with a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol. I hadn't fired the weapon in years, but over the course of putting 100 rounds downrange, did very respectably for myself. At the end of the day, every single group had a respectable score.

I went again tonight with a friend, firing the exact same weapon with the same ammunition. As far as I am aware(I'm borrowing the weapon from my father), the pistol has been kept in its case for the past few months. It has not been roughly treated in any way, so I'll assume the fault is mine: I could not hit anything tonight. Of the 50 rounds I fired(I gave up early because I was doing so poorly), only about 10 hit the intended area of the target.

While this may be an odd request, does anyone have any suggestions for me? While I made it a point to practice breath control on the last shots of the night, and they improved(very slightly), this still didn't bring my results in line with anything vaguely acceptable. My biggest question is here: Can stress really mess with a person's ability to accurately fire? There were a few other folks in the bay, and I got used to the sounds of their weapons. I can't realistically blame it on that. Has anyone had any experience with the consequences of stress, though? I'd appreciate input.

Thanks!

09-17-2007, 11:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tiraej Upright	Advice on shooting Hello, TFP folks. Here's my first post as this nick; I've been gone for several years and cannot recall my previous name. Here's my dilemma: Several months ago, I went shooting with a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol. I hadn't fired the weapon in years, but over the course of putting 100 rounds downrange, did very respectably for myself. At the end of the day, every single group had a respectable score. I went again tonight with a friend, firing the exact same weapon with the same ammunition. As far as I am aware(I'm borrowing the weapon from my father), the pistol has been kept in its case for the past few months. It has not been roughly treated in any way, so I'll assume the fault is mine: I could not hit anything tonight. Of the 50 rounds I fired(I gave up early because I was doing so poorly), only about 10 hit the intended area of the target. While this may be an odd request, does anyone have any suggestions for me? While I made it a point to practice breath control on the last shots of the night, and they improved(very slightly), this still didn't bring my results in line with anything vaguely acceptable. My biggest question is here: Can stress really mess with a person's ability to accurately fire? There were a few other folks in the bay, and I got used to the sounds of their weapons. I can't realistically blame it on that. Has anyone had any experience with the consequences of stress, though? I'd appreciate input. Thanks!