{"id":252,"date":"2022-09-10T02:55:53","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T02:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=252"},"modified":"2022-09-10T02:55:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T02:55:53","slug":"dry-fire-practice-tips-the-armory-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=252","title":{"rendered":"Dry-Fire Practice Tips – The Armory Life"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

By Richard Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

When mighty Casey stepped to the plate, he knew what was on the line;
He would resolve the game \u2014 decisively \u2014 in favor of the Mudville nine.
Yet when the ball flew, Casey missed\u2026 and bowed his head in shame;
If forced into a defensive shooting, will you be ready or simply do the same?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Every American knows the story of how mighty Casey stood ready to win the ballgame for Mudville. Yet, at the moment of truth, he failed to connect bat and ball. Poet Ernest Lawrence Thayer created an image of a powerful batter \u2014 yet one filled with hubris. In the end, that overconfidence likely contributed to Casey\u2019s failure when it mattered most.<\/p>\n

\n<\/picture>
Dry-fire is a free tool that you can use to improve your shooting accuracy and\u00a0precision.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The self-defense lesson here is don\u2019t assume you\u2019ve got the chops when the chips are down. Just because you are \u2014 or were at one time \u2014 a good shot doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t need regular practice to maintain and improve your shooting skills. Dry-fire training is a great way to work regular practice into your busy schedule.<\/p>\n

What Is Dry-Fire Practice?<\/h2>\n

Dry-fire is the process of manipulating and \u201cshooting\u201d a gun that is unloaded. It is a training technique that can be used to improve your trigger control, sight alignment, sight picture, reloading and other manipulation skills.<\/p>\n

\"what\n<\/picture>
Dry-fire is a training practice of shooting an unloaded gun. This allows the user to improve his or her grip, sight alignment and trigger\u00a0control.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dry-fire is a technique I have used extensively to improve my own shooting. I\u2019ve also helped others build confidence and accuracy using the same training technique.<\/p>\n

\"dry\n<\/picture>
In the author\u2019s experience, dry-fire practice \u2014 when done right \u2014 can vastly improve a person\u2019s trigger\u00a0control.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dry-Fire Safety<\/h2>\n

Any manipulation of a firearm should be done in a manner that is as safe as possible. Dry-fire training is a completely voluntary activity without any time constraints. You should use the utmost caution when you employ it.<\/p>\n

\"dry\n<\/picture>
Safety is paramount when handling firearms. Triple check your gun prior to dry-fire training, remove any distractions and find a safe direction to point during\u00a0practice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To start with, you need a safe location where the training can be conducted. This should be away from distractions like kids and the television. Additionally, you should have a safe direction to point and \u201cshoot\u201d your firearm. There should not be people on the other side of that safe direction.<\/p>\n

Any gun you will be working with should be unloaded. Physically move the ammunition to another room along with any loaded magazines. Likewise, all loaded guns in the area should be locked away or moved to another room.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

You should only conduct dry-fire training when you are stone sober. If you are on prescription medication or had a few drinks with dinner, leave the training for another time.<\/p>\n

While dry-fire training, treat the gun as if it were loaded. You don\u2019t want a fatal accident because you thought a gun was unloaded.<\/p>\n

Penny on a Pistol<\/h2>\n

A tried-and-true dry-fire technique is the penny method. With this technique, you are training your trigger control and sight alignment.<\/p>\n

\"penny\n<\/picture>
The author explains how the lowly penny can help improve your shooting skills. It\u2019s the best bang for your buck training\u00a0possible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To start, you place a penny on the end of your slide or barrel. You then extend your weapon toward your safe target. Keeping the sights aligned, you press the trigger smoothly to the rear.<\/p>\n

\"improving\n<\/picture>
How you grip the pistol can have a massive impact on how well you shoot. Dry-fire training can help you improve your\u00a0hold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If the penny falls off prior to the gun going \u201cclick,\u201d you have a lot of work to do. Return the penny to the gun and try again. Focus on keeping the sights aligned and developing a smooth roll to the trigger press. Over a period of time, you should be able to improve your trigger press so that the penny stays on the gun after each click.<\/p>\n

\"balancing\n<\/picture>
If the penny does not move when you are practicing dry-fire, you are doing a good job with your trigger\u00a0control.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the penny stays on the gun, observe how much the coin moved. Less movement is better \u2014 consider minimizing the coin movement as a goal that you should work toward.<\/p>\n

I recommend no more than five to 10 minutes of penny training each day. Over a period of several weeks, a shooter can noticeably improve his or her shooting.<\/p>\n

MantisX<\/h2>\n

Taking the penny technique into the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century, Mantis developed a series of training products that offer detailed analysis of your shooting and dry-fire practice. Mantis training systems combine a unit that attaches to your firearm with a software app running on your phone or tablet.<\/p>\n

\"Mantis\n<\/picture>
The Mantis X2 is an excellent tool to use in dry-fire practice. It can, among other things, show how much excess movement is in your trigger\u00a0pull.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the company offers fancier units, the Mantis X2 my favorite. It is a dry-fire-only system that is affordable on nearly every budget. Out of the box, it offers a range of training simulations including standard accuracy training, timed shooting, and hostage-type situations. All the while, it records a plethora of data that you can then review to see what aspect of your shooting style needs the most improvement.<\/p>\n

\"dry\n<\/picture>
The Mantis X2 pairs with smartphones like this iPhone. It can track your practice scores over time and help you chart\u00a0progress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mantis system records information such as how much movement took place before, during and after the trigger press. While you cannot eliminate all movement, I found the X2 was very good at helping me reduce spurious movement.<\/p>\n

\"Mantis\n<\/picture>
The software for the Mantis X2 is free and can help you find the areas you need to\u00a0improve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additionally, I found the Mantis X2 was excellent for charting progress over time. You can review data on the app. If you set up a free account, the information gathered by the app will be compiled on a protected server for your in-depth analysis.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

Dry-fire practice can work wonders for a new shooter or anyone looking to improve their skills in just a few minutes each day. It\u2019s worked for me, and I\u2019ve helped many other shooters increase both accuracy and confidence with dry-fire.<\/p>\n

The reality for most folks is money and time constrain the amount of live fire practice we can get. Nevertheless, we can use dry-fire practice to ensure that, unlike Casey, we don\u2019t miss that critical shot.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n

Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n

Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t9mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"XD-S <\/p>\n

XD-S Mod.2\u00ae OSP\u2122 Series<\/span><\/h3>\n


\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Mantis\n<\/picture>\n <\/p>\n

Mantis X2 Shooting Performance System<\/span><\/h3>\n


\n\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Richard Johnson When mighty Casey stepped to the plate, he knew what was on the line;He would resolve the game \u2014 decisively \u2014 in favor of the Mudville nine.Yet when the ball flew, Casey missed\u2026 and bowed his head in shame;If forced into a defensive shooting, will you be ready or simply do the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}