Dry Fire Practice Suggestions

One inexpensive way to improve your marksmanship skills with a handgun is to perform dry fire practice. Dry firing your handgun is practicing your trigger pull with an unloaded firearm. A smooth trigger pull is a key component of being able to accurately hit the bullseye on your target; only aiming - capturing a proper sight picture - is more important. This article will provide you with some suggestions that will help to ensure that your usage of this training exercise will be safe.

The very first thing you need to investigate is whether your handgun was designed to be dry fired. Your owner's manual will specify if dry firing will not damage your handgun. Failure to verify the capability of your firearm may invalidate your warranty, so check it. If you don't have the manual for your handgun, you should be able to locate one from the manufacturer's web site on the Internet.

Next, you should locate a place to conduct your dry fire drill. Your designated place should have a ballistically safe wall, such that if a gun discharged, a bullet would not over-penetrate it. Further, this room should not be a place where you regularly store firearms or ammunition.

When you are prepared to conduct your dry fire drills, unload your firearm. Double-check it and make absolutely sure that there are no rounds of ammunition loaded within your firearm. If you are unsure as to how to verify that your handgun is unloaded, don't conduct dry fire exercises. It's that important.

Find a fixed spot on your ballistically safe wall and align your sights. With the middle fleshy part of your trigger finger's first segment, make contact with the trigger and pull it straight back in one continuous smooth pull. If you are practicing with an auto-loader, cycle your slide after every shot to prepare the gun for additional dry fire shots.

When you have concluded your dry fire exercises, allow yourself 15 minutes to 'cool down' before reloading your handgun with ammunition. Once your firearm is loaded, loudly yell, "My gun is now loaded!" three times. You need to be consciously aware of the fact that a trigger pull with a loaded handgun will cause a bullet to be fired. A surprisingly significant percentage of accidental discharges occur after dry fire practice.

Bottom Line:
Dry firing your handgun is a FREE way to improve your marksmanship skills. Dry firing a handgun can be done almost anywhere and provides new shooters with much needed trigger control skills. Dry fire practice can be a totally safe training activity if a few basic precautions are followed: use a firearms-free dry fire area with a ballistically safe wall and allow yourself a cool-down period.