Ranger on my range!
Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:10 am
Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting and taking pointers from a real life, American hero. One who served 30 years as a Ranger in the Army. Now that he has officially retired- he is having to reinvent himself. He doesn't say much about what he did for our country. His eyes tell the stories untold. It was an honor to have him at my range. His name is withheld out of respect for his privacy.
We both shot our Glock pistols at 7 and 5 yards. I also shot my Walther PPQ. To say that I am a neophyte when it comes to pistol technique is being quite kind. The capable Ranger gave me a lesson that took my groups from barely staying on paper to one ragged hole (almost, not counting the 4 fliers) in less than an hour. I had never had a formal lesson or any training prior to this humbling session. I learned I shot the Walther much better than my Glock, which was a surprise to me. He said that is the gun to go with in my practice sessions.
His shooting was flawless as one might expect. His pistol was simply an extension of his arm and hand. His focus was so keen it looked natural- eagle like precision on the target. We used Ranger targets, improvised with Gorilla tape and white printer paper. He tore a 2" square with the tape for the center aiming point. "Put 4 our of your 6 in the black," he directed. Even though my Glock .45 holds 13 cartridges- he insisted I only put 6. Before doing that he showed me some "dry-firing" techniques to save me money and grief. He observed so many bad habits I've developed that will have to be "deprogrammed" for me to shoot tighter groups.
We covered stance, breathing, trigger control, triangulating to target, hand position (off-hand pressure), both eyes open, proper sight indexing, straight arms out from chest and back in, and follow-thru after the shot. With all circuits overloaded and a Ranger at my side and in my ear- you don't have to have a very good imagination to see my first groups. They looked like I had shot a scatter gun instead of an accurate pistol. There is no problem with my sidearm- he shot it and shot it well! I was suffering from the fatal "paralysis by analysis" for sure.
But my last groupings, after I slowed everything down by his constant coaching- I watched my groups slowly shrink too. It was the best hour I've ever spent on the range. He also taught to select one weapon and one weapon only to train with if I intended to carry or use it as a bedside protector. A handshake is all he would take from me at the setting of the sun.
He patted me on the back with a grin and said, "You have lots of work to do." That I do. That I do.
We both shot our Glock pistols at 7 and 5 yards. I also shot my Walther PPQ. To say that I am a neophyte when it comes to pistol technique is being quite kind. The capable Ranger gave me a lesson that took my groups from barely staying on paper to one ragged hole (almost, not counting the 4 fliers) in less than an hour. I had never had a formal lesson or any training prior to this humbling session. I learned I shot the Walther much better than my Glock, which was a surprise to me. He said that is the gun to go with in my practice sessions.
His shooting was flawless as one might expect. His pistol was simply an extension of his arm and hand. His focus was so keen it looked natural- eagle like precision on the target. We used Ranger targets, improvised with Gorilla tape and white printer paper. He tore a 2" square with the tape for the center aiming point. "Put 4 our of your 6 in the black," he directed. Even though my Glock .45 holds 13 cartridges- he insisted I only put 6. Before doing that he showed me some "dry-firing" techniques to save me money and grief. He observed so many bad habits I've developed that will have to be "deprogrammed" for me to shoot tighter groups.
We covered stance, breathing, trigger control, triangulating to target, hand position (off-hand pressure), both eyes open, proper sight indexing, straight arms out from chest and back in, and follow-thru after the shot. With all circuits overloaded and a Ranger at my side and in my ear- you don't have to have a very good imagination to see my first groups. They looked like I had shot a scatter gun instead of an accurate pistol. There is no problem with my sidearm- he shot it and shot it well! I was suffering from the fatal "paralysis by analysis" for sure.
But my last groupings, after I slowed everything down by his constant coaching- I watched my groups slowly shrink too. It was the best hour I've ever spent on the range. He also taught to select one weapon and one weapon only to train with if I intended to carry or use it as a bedside protector. A handshake is all he would take from me at the setting of the sun.
He patted me on the back with a grin and said, "You have lots of work to do." That I do. That I do.
That's a sobering thought isn't it?