Too often we will rely on a mechanical solution for a physical flaw. Though sometimes necessary, like corrective lenses for aging eyes, often it is not. Most common, making a pistol site adjustment to bring the shots back into the center of the target. Most of the time the shots are not in the center due to bad grip, improper site alignment or a flawed trigger press.
Before making that site adjustment, have someone else fire it. Someone who can shoot! Accurately! I do this in every class, several times with several student’s pistols. Sometimes I do it because I do not believe that the shooter is influencing the poor group, and that he does indeed need to make a site adjustment. Most of the time however, I do it to show the student that it’s not the gun. “This is probably the most accurate gun I’ve ever shot in my life.”
Too many have heard me say this in my courses.
Patrick McNamara
SGM, US Army (Ret)
Patrick McNamara spent twenty-two years in the United States Army in a myriad of special operations units. When he worked in the premier Special Missions Unit, he became an impeccable marksman, shooting with accurate, lethal results and tactical effectiveness. McNamara has trained tactical applications of shooting to people of all levels of marksmanship, from varsity level soldiers, and police officers who work the streets to civilians with little to no time behind the trigger.
His military experience quickly taught him that there is more to tactical marksmanship than merely squeezing the trigger. Utilizing his years of experience, McNamara developed a training methodology that is safe, effective and combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process. This methodology teaches how to maintain safety at all times and choose targets that force accountability, as well as provides courses covering several categories, including individual, collective, on line and standards.
While serving as his Unit’s Marksmanship NCO, he developed his own marksmanship club with NRA, CMP, and USPSA affiliations. Mac ran monthly IPSC matches and ran semi annual military marksmanship championships to encourage marksmanship fundamentals and competitiveness throughout the Army.He retired from the Army’s premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting). He also served as the Principle of TMACS Inc.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.
