Starting from scatch

[marathonshoe]

So I saw a random ad in craigslist for a IZH-46. The price was good and 2 hours later it's mine. But I don't know anything about competitive pistol shooting. I never even shot a pistol one handed before. So no bad habits ;)
What advise do you have for someone starting from nothing?

[David M]

Find a local club and a club coach.

[shaky hands]

First thing to read:
http://materials.nrahq.org/new-nra-guid ... -only.html

Then go to
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/

[cloudswimmer]

Nygords notes is a good read http://www.cincinnatirevolverclub.net/nygord.html You mention you never shot a pistol one handed before, so I assume you have shot pistols or revolver firearms?

[Spencer]

First thing to read:
http://materials.nrahq.org/new-nra-guid ... -only.html

Then go to
http://www.bullseyepistol.com/

a directory of clubs that shoot 10m Air Pistol and a directory of available coaches is ALL the reading you will need!
I.e. follow David M's recommendation.

[kevinweiho]

Relax, first shoot the pistol to your heart’s content either bag rested or two handed so you can get to know your gun.

Then learn, practice, and ingrain the fundamentals of “follow through” in your head from a coach and fellow senior members of a club.

[Gwhite]

Can you possibly give some tips on how to join the club or the local club rather?
What would be the best pistol to buy that the user may not encounter problem when using the weapons?

First off, target pistols are not "weapons". If you describe them as such in casual conversation, you will give people the wrong idea.

There are a wide variety of different target pistol disciplines. Each one may require a different sort of pistol. Starting with air pistol is an excellent approach, and you can learn about other options as you practice mastering that. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of articles on this forum about different options for starting air pistols. A lot will depend on your budget, and how serious you think you are about the sport. Spending less than several hundred dollars on a new air pistol will get you something that will do more harm to your shooting than good. A good used air pistol can be had for a a little bit more than that, and it will come with decent sights & trigger. I would recommend a Tau-7, if you can find one. Next would be the IZH-46M, followed (possibly) by the FAS 6004.

[Wynne G Oldman]

This is a good place to get you started. It's also worth reading through if you're experienced too.

http://www.tenrings.co.uk

[David Levene]

If you don't want to follow David M's very good advice then you could look at The Hitchhikers Guide To Shooting Glory on our Host's web site.

Another good source of information is The Fundamentals of Olympic Pistol Shooting on the ISSF web site.

The best choice? Follow David M's advice.

[cloudswimmer]

First off, target pistols are not "weapons"

Unless you wrap somebody on the side of the head with the butt end of the gun Wyatt Earp style ;)

[Andre]

If it's legal to do such, look into making or buying a pellet trap so you can shoot in your house. Shoot or dry fire a little every day, makes your range trips much more valuable. You can really focus on shooting instead of pondering; "How does this trigger feel again? Oh yeah I remember now...."

[cloudswimmer]

If you do decide to shoot in your house I'd read this first:

https://www.usashooting.org/library/You ... SASCMP.pdf

[marathonshoe]

Thanks for all the replies. Great stuff. Looks like I've got plenty reading to do. Added material and advice is still appreciated.
A couple things I didn't mention. I'm not new to guns. But my experience is mostly powder burning and my only competitive experience is NRA silhouette (rifle). The are exactly zero AP clubs in my immediate area. I'll likely do some postal matches and will try to find a few fellows to shot at home with. Maybe some day I check out a match in Colo Springs but it will be a couple years. I do have a 10m pellet range at home. Typically shoot air rifle with HN Green pellets to keep the lead out of the house when practicing for a rifle silhouette match. Tried out the izh46 and managed to keep it in the scoring rings. 52 for 10 shots. LOL It's going to be a long up hill climb:)

[Gwhite]

If you are familiar with competing in rifle, you are way ahead of the game. You should already appreciate the theory behind sight alignment & trigger control, and you will have dealt with match pressure. Now you just have to build up the muscle memory & coordination for the mechanics of pistol shooting.

The most common error I've seen with competition rifle shooters taking up pistol is that they want to watch the target & not their front sight. You can get away with that using a good set of aperture rifle sights (up to a point), but it is fatal in pistol.

By the way, once you can shoot pistol well, your offhand rifle scores will probably go way up.