Long before James Bond drew a gun, pointed it, and shot the bad guy squarely in the chest…
He had to develop his form.
Grip and stance are the most important things to know about with any type of gun. Your grip keeps you safe and on-target. Your stance keeps you firmly planted and able to repeat a shot – and even move if necessary.
Maybe you love target practice, or maybe you are interested in getting into shooting competitions. Maybe you’re interested in improving your accuracy for personal defense situations. Or – maybe you haven’t actually gone to the gun range yet!
I made this video for you so that no matter your skill or experience level, you’ll feel confident and EXCITED to head to the range!
Watch the Essentials of Handgun Grip & Stance
In the video, I gave you some good pointers:
- Hold the gun in your dominant hand with the whole hand high in the grip but under the slide
- Keep your thumbs next to each other on the other side of the gun
- Hold your nondominant hand as a support, keeping the gun steady so you can repeat your shot
- Try to keep both eyes open so you can see your target, and what you shot, better
- Keep an athletic stance, with your knees bent
- Lean in toward the gun, not backing away from it
With these tips you can head to the range, even as a beginner, and have a great time!
What do you want to know about marksmanship?
Want more marksmanship tips? Leave a comment with what you want to see, and I can make a more advanced video to address more in-depth marksmanship tips, now that we’ve covered the basics.
Enter to win a FREE Gun!
Yep – you could win one of 2 FREE handguns that we’re giving away leading up to Range Day. Enter with your email address or Facebook account to enter to win!
In addition to what I showed you about form, every shooter, new or experienced, should know the 4 rules of gun safety.
The Four Rules of Gun Safety
- Treat every gun as if it’s loaded. Guns require a heavy level of respect. Don’t make the news: always assume the gun is loaded.
Before you clean your gun or hand it to someone to use, check there’s no ammunition. Eject the magazine, check the chamber visually and with your finger. Even when cleaning or handling a gun you know is empty, follow the following three rules. - Never point a gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy. A gun always has to point at something. Make sure it’s a wall, a table, or the ground. At the Range, it’s good practice to always keep the gun pointing down range, at the targets.
- Always know what your target is – and what’s BEYOND it. This is important for home defense more than at the range: if you fire your gun, what will the bullet hit behind your target?
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are aimed at the target & ready to fire.
In the movies you see good guys and bad guys running around with their finger on the trigger. In real life, that’s an easy way to get hurt in a hurry. It’s easy to get startled or twitch, and the first thing that’s going to happen is pulling the trigger. It’s just instinct. So as Blaine showed in the video, keep your finger on the frame of the gun until you’re in place and ready to shoot.
I’ll see you at Range Day! Every lane at Range Day will have a gun for you to shoot as well as a Smith & Edwards or manufacturer representative to help you load the gun and shoot it safely. We’re here to help you have a good time!
Get your Ammo Pass here or at the Gun Counter at Smith & Edwards.
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