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Yesterday I talked with one of the Westchester Shooting Gallery associates. We talked about new shooters and target practic. He said that he has new shooters shoot at a blank piece of paper and he teaches them to "drive tacs" in order to get their shot groups smaller. Then he has them shoot for the bulls-eye.

Formal weapons training in the Army (back in 1990s) taught me to always shoot center mass. Whether we shot at pop-up targets or paper, we always aimed for the center (pretty much Bulls-eye shooting). We always tried to center our shot groups on the bulls-eye.

My question is what do you teach new shooters first (after safety, dry firing, and weapons orientation, of course)- Bulls-eye shooting or Tac driving? Thanks.

I recently took the NRA Basic Pistol Instructor's class. We were encouraged to have first time shooters fire at white paper plates or white sheets of paper, for the simple reason that it makes it easier for beginner students to pick up a correct sight alignment. They can always use the hole made by the previous shot as a reference and make adjustments accordingly. But a black target background can make it hard for anybody, my own aging eyes included, to pick up a good sight alignment picture. The white target stuff is straight out of the instructor's handbook, and the handbook that NRA Basic Pistol students are given as part of their class materials.

v-rog wrote: My question is what do you teach new shooters first (after safety, dry firing, and weapons orientation, of course)- Bulls-eye shooting or Tac driving? Thanks.

It depends on the student's experience and goals. With first time shooters, confidence and comfort are better goals than speed and accuracy. They get 8" circles at 5 yards to shoot at with lot's of compliments and gentle corrections.

With someone who has mastered the basics, they need something to smaller to focus on and train for a smaller wobble zone and finer trigger control. I'll give them a target with an 8" and 5" circle with a 3" dot in the center at 5 yards. The 3" dot gives a good aiming point, small enough to work with most blocky pistol sights but not so small as to be frustrating for the student. I've had motivated students keeping all 5 shots in the 3" dot after only 40 rounds practice.

The problem with blank targets or too large targets is that the student doesn't have a concrete aiming point. If, with a 3" dot, I see a 5 shot group 2" in diameter but 6" from center at 4 o'clock, then I know the student has a sight or technique problem and we can make adjustments.

If they shoot at a blank 8.5x11 sheet of paper and have random hits, is it poor technique or just no place to aim?

For pure slow fire marksmanship, intermediate students get 3" dots at increasing distances. When the front sight gets larger than the dots, then we'll go to 4 or 6" dots.

Gringop

Good point, andyc.

Literally drive tacks or is that some kind of tacticool slang?

AndyC wrote:

v-rog wrote:...he teaches them to "drive tacs" in order to get their shot groups smaller.

Sounds like an old Israeli instructor of mine

Problem is that an instructor can push people too fast, which can lead to frustration and loss of enjoyment. A good instructor will not only know how to teach and correct, but have empathy for the student and not overwhelm them.

This is exactly the reason why I recommend that all shooter learn and practice with a .22LR before advancing to higher calibers. That way, the shooter can concentrate on the basics without being distracted by the noise and recoil of a centerfire cartridge.