[mnealtx]

In my other post "Hand positioning" it was mentioned that I might be milking the grip and pulling shots low. How can I tell if I'm doing it, and more importantly, how can I fix it if I am?

 

[Mark Garrity]

Mike,
One method I use when working with shooters experiencing difficulty is a "ball and dummy" drill. Load your magazines intermixed with live ammo and dummy rounds, or better yet have a friend load them for you so you have no idea when the gun will go "click' or "bang". If the gun goes "click' on a dummy round, and the front sight moves off target in any way, you're physically doing something to the pistol to adversely affect the accuracy. Ideally, nothing should move except the trigger finger. This live fire drill is a great way to train and become aware of your negative habits. It also serves as good "phase one' malfunction clearence practice (tap-rack), as each dummy round must be cleared. Hope you find this useful.
Safe shooting,
Mark Garrity

 

[Double Naught Spy]

"Milking" as I understood it was a physical manipulation by the hand(s) during the trigger pull, involving the flexing of more than the trigger finger. This can result in the downward pull.

Mark described the other problem common to dropping shots. That is, the anticipatory flinch that is conditioned via previous shots. Your body, knowing the recoil is coming, will attempt to anticipate the recoil and force the muzzle down. This is not milking per se as the flinch may originate from areas other than the hands, although the hands may be involved. The flinch may be in the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, or a combination of parts.

 

[mnealtx]

Guess I'll have to have the wife load a couple magazines and put some dummy rounds in there...and then I get to do the same for her! :wink: