Shoot better with one hand?

[bigalshootmupper]

I am mostly a rifle shooter, but I am trying to get better with the pistol. I have 2 semi-autos, Taurus PT101 and a Polish Tokarev. I can shoot them OK. At about 7yards I can get most rounds in about 2-3 inches using a 2 hand grip. But, I can shoot 1-2 inches using just one hand. I actually am way more accurate with my slingshot. It seems with 2 hands, I am more shaky. I think this is abnormal, so I must be doing something wrong. Any suggestions?

[jrothWA]

Off-hand is palm-up and the pistol butt centered in the open palm or off-hand wrapped around the strong hand?

With the palm the palm should be pushing up while the buut hand is pushing down.

Wrapped around the strong should be strong but not "strangling" the butt hand.

You are keeping both eyes open on target, while the sights are aligned and trigger released?

Just sound like you trying to hard. Relax and enjoy.

[zxcvbob]

I am more accurate shooting one-handed, but much much slower. Am I shooting bullseyes or bad guys? The requirements for accuracy are different.

[bigalshootmupper]

jroth, I think you are on to something. My offhand is usually wrapped around my strong hand. I think my offhand is too tight. I try both eyes open and with just one eye, but I think both eyes open works best. I think I need to try the offhand slightly pushing up while stronghand resting on the offhand. Plus, I am shooting white paper plates with no bullseye or marking so the iron sites are hard to find the target. As always, just need to shoot some more. Can never shoot too much.

[zxcvbob]

With your off-hand cupped under the gun butt, what happens if your gun fires out-of-battery or has a case head separation? (hint: the magazine blows out. Forcefully)

It is a good hold with a revolver.

[Buzzcook]

I feel more comfortable shooting one handed. It's how I was first trained.
I'm more accurate shooting in a bastard Weaver.

Not a fan of tea cup hold. Doesn't give the right kind of support. It supports weight and steadies your strong hand.

The interlocking grip does the same, but it also increases the grip, which allows you to relax the strong hand a bit and concentrate on trigger control.

[MLeake]

For two-hand, I prefer the Chapman modification on the Weaver. Primary shooting arm is locked out, instead of under dynamic tension. Support hand pulls back against the primary hand as it would on a rifle forend. Primary arm achieves stability through skeletal structure, as opposed to muscular exertion, and as a result tends to shake less.

[g.willikers]

The two handed grip explained by Travis Haley:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm9uG5bPubw

Never mind, it's been removed.
Too bad - it was really good.

[JimPage]

When you try to carry a cup of tea or coffee on a saucer, you are much steadier holding it with one hand. It's well known by restaurant workers. Same proves true for me when shooting a pistol.

However when engaging several targets and speed is essential, I find the weaver stance serves me better.

A single target even with speed I do better with one hand.

[darkgael]

I, also, shoot more accurately when using only one hand. Having a second hand on the gun throws me off, so I stay with one. When I practice, it's about increasing speed in that style.
Pete

[jrothWA]

It draws your focus to the area, once you get a good center hit, concentrate.

In my years of shooting I have never observed a "out of battery" incident.
Not saying they don't happen but good ammo (factory or reloads) should not be a problem.

Is there a club that does "bowing pin" shoots, try them as you can use two hands and you have to concentrate on the pin body for clearing the table.
Miss it and you got a "sideways spinner".

I have a fun using my J-frame and seeing the pin SLOOOWLY slide backwards off the table. Also good practice for reloading without looking at sidearm.

[g.willikers]

For effective shooting with any kind of speed, it's pretty hard to beat the two handed method.
That's why it was developed.
One handed shooting can be effective with something like Bullseye, when the shots are done very slowly, without much need for recoil control.
For any other shooting, one handed would only be superior if the two handed technique is flawed.
Done badly, two handed is no advantage.
If one handed were truly better, all the top competitors would be using it, always.
To be a really good pistolero all methods need to be good - two handed, one handed, both left and right, prone, standing on one's head, all of it.

[zxcvbob]

How quickly can you shoot and keep *all* the shots on a paper plate. Group size doesn't matter as long as there are zero misses.

If that gets boring, try using the little "dessert" plates.

(I don't get to practice this much because it's technically against the "rapid fire" rules at my range

[bikerbill]

All I can add is that I am far more accurate with two hands than one, tho I practice one-handed shooting with my EDC every time I go to the range ... I have a strong grip (use a Gripmaster every day) but the gun (a PM9) usually manages to twist my hand a little. While I can get one shot to sort of hit where I want it to, followup shots take far longer to line up with one hand than with two ... it's two hands for me if at all possible ...

[darkgael]

If one handed were truly better, all the top competitors would be using it, always.

Depends on the sport, doesn't it.
Ever see an ISU rapid fire match?
There are three stages each with two strings of five shots. Each shot fired at a different target so the shooter must traverse. The first set of strings is each fired in 8 seconds. The second set of strings has each fired in six seconds. The third is done is four seconds. Iron sights only. One hand unsupported. It is a game of tens. Twenty-five meters. The ten ring is 100mm in diameter (3.93 inches)
Pete

[Casimer]

@g.willikers is this the video you'd tried to link? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhTA-n0ivE

[g.willikers]

Casimer, thanks for the link to that video.
That's the one.
When I tried it the other day, there was a message that it had been removed.

darkgael, do the competitors for the ISU matches have a choice whether they can shoot one handed or two?

[darkgael]

darkgael, do the competitors for the ISU matches have a choice whether they can shoot one handed or two?

No. The rule is one hand, unsupported.

[youngunz4life]

Shoot better with one hand?

absolutely not (I suppose it is at least possible on very rare occaisions/exceptions, certain people could be better one-handed)

[kraigwy]

I've more then once voiced my opinions on one handed shooting. Was gonna stay out of this one but I can't.

ISU (International Shooting Union) is strictly one hand. You have slow fire, which is some weird rap around pistol and you get something like 2.5 hours to shoot 60 rounds (If I remember right, its been a while since I've shot any international). But its ONE HAND.

Then you have Rapid Fire. You have 5 targets similar to the B27 LE Target.

At 25 meters you start with your pistol at 45 degrees, arm extended. When the targets face, you have 7 seconds to engage all five targets. You then have two more stages, the same targets, same range, in 5 seconds and then 3 seconds.

Can't say one handed shooting is slow. Five targets at 25 meters in 3 seconds isn't what I call "SLOW".

My opinion is most, probably 90% of practice for SD should be one handed, most of that with your weak hand.

Think about it, unless you're on the range, getting ready to shoot, how many times during the day do you have both hands free.

You always have something in your hand. Flashlight, money from an ATM, door knob, pushing your wife and kids out of danger, car door, Cell phone to police, etc etc. I could go on forever but you get the idea.

Cover. We all know you want to seek cover when ever possible. Do this little trick. Find a barricade. Get you're partner to get behind the barricade and you stand in front of it. Have your partner point his/her index finger around the barricade as if it was a pistol. Have him/her use one hand, then two.

Notice how much of of body is exposed with two hands compared with one hand.

Now get on the other (left) side of the barricade. Have your partner point his/her finger at you using the right hand, as if he/she was using a two handed grip and again using a one handed grip.

Try the same thing using the left hand on the left side of the barricade, both one and two hands.

See for yourself which method exposes more of your body.

I spent 20 years in LE. I cannot remember one time where I had to draw my service revolver where I had the option of using two hands. I always had something or other in my other hand. We did most of our building searches alone, or maybe if available one other guy. You always had something else in the other hand, flashlight, mirror, door knob.......something.

Same thing as an infantryman in SE Asia. The times I had to use a 1911 was while crawling on my hands and knees or in the mud. Usually with a red lens flash light.

We practice and shoot with two hands because of ego. We shoot better with two hands and refuse to accept the ideal we are poor shots using one hand so we try to justify two handed only shooting.

I'm the same way. I shoot a lot of action style pistol/revolver matches. Like the rest of the shooters I use two hands (except in stages requiring one hand) but that's competition, not SD.

I pocket carry a 642 and do a huge majority of my shooting one handed, the exception being using both hands on a hostage target.

My advise is to swallow your pride, learn to shoot and practice using one hand. Its gonna suck at first, especially using your off hand (left hand for right handed shooter), but eventually you'll gain confidence.

Grip and style varies with the shooter and pistol/revolver involved. I can't tell you what works best for you and your gun with out watching you shoot.

Go to the CMP Bookstore and spend $6.95 on the AMU Service Pistol Guide. It will give you the fundamentals you need in shooting a pistol one handed. Best $6.95 you can spend, Written by the best shooters in the world.

https://estore.odcmp.com/store/catal...4=&note5=&max=

If you set aside your ego, and think about it a bit, you'll see that in self defense situation, the majority of the time you will only have one hand available.

Another book I'd recommend (It was required reading for my rookies when I was an FTO) is Bill Jordon's NO SECOND PLACE WINNER.

Mr Jordon pushed the ideal of doing a lot of practice, drawing and firing one shot, one handed.

[darkgael]

Kraig: Great post.
See my PM. Time limits in ISU rapid...did they change them when they moved away from .22 Shorts?
The "weird" pistol - a Free Pistol - still the long, slow event. It is one of two Olympic Pistol events, the other being rapid fire (which despite the changes is still a game of tens and x's.)
Pete

[kraigwy]

...did they change them when they moved away from .22 Shorts?

I've heard they did do away with 22 shorts, (though I havent seen the rules). I too old and slow for that game any more, not that I was ever good at it.

I bet the score dropped since they outlawed 22 shorts. But then again they do it with center fire pistols, some sort of weird 32 shorts. I used a Model 52 Smith, waaaay too much recoil.

I'd like to practice ISU again, but there arn't any turning targets around here.

International Rapid fire Seperates the men from the boys, that's for sure.

[kraigwy]

I stand corrected (thanks to Darkdael).

ISU Rapid fire is 8-6-4 seconds, not the 7-5-3 that I posted.

It's been a while since I shoot ISU pistol.

[zukiphile]

Speaking from personal experience, once a fellow gets to a certain age the farther away that front sight gets, the more clearly he can see it. Shooting with one hand provides that important additional distance.

Also, it gets the gun closer to the target. [joke]

[sirgilligan]

I can shoot just as well one handed with my handguns if the gun is the right weight. Browning Hi Power or CZ 85 B I shoot fine one handed. Too light and I don't have the trigger control mastered.