I Need Advice on Improving Air Pistol Precision

[Padrickk]

Hello there,

I am fairly new to the air pistol shooting scene and recently started practicing regularly with my Feinwerkbau P44. While I have been making progress, I am struggling with maintaining consistent grouping, especially during longer practice sessions. Some shots are right on target, but others veer off enough to make my grouping frustratingly inconsistent. I’d really appreciate some guidance from more experienced shooters on how to improve my precision.

I try to maintain a relaxed but firm grip and keep a steady stance with my feet shoulder-width apart. I am paying attention to a smooth trigger pull, but I still find myself occasionally jerking the trigger. I exhale slowly before each shot, but I wonder if I am timing it correctly.

I am doing my best to hold the sight picture after the shot, but I am not sure if I am doing it effectively.
Despite these efforts, I cannot seem to keep my shots grouped as tightly as I’d like. My targets tend to show clusters with the occasional outlier, which I know is partly due to technique issues.

Also, I have gone through this post; https://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?uipath=44635 which definitely helped me out a lot.

I would love any tips on drills; mindset; or technique adjustments that could help me develop more consistency. Also, if there are any common pitfalls that beginners tend to overlook, I would be grateful to hear about those too!

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

[Rover]

You may think I'm kidding, but a shot or two of booze before you start may give you surprising results.

I've posted this before, but I was shooting next to a Russian neuro-surgeon; he told me it was common
practice for them to have a little vodka before a brain operation to reduce "essential tremor."

I suspect it may give you a little "attitude adjustment" that you might want to retain without the booze.

[KZMNT]

You may think I'm kidding, but a shot or two of booze before you start may give you surprising results.

I've posted this before, but I was shooting next to a Russian neuro-surgeon; he told me it was common
practice for them to have a little vodka before a brain operation to reduce "essential tremor."

I suspect it may give you a little "attitude adjustment" that you might want to retain without the booze.

This is great advice that can also apply to other things, like driving, flying, and operating heavy machinery.

[Rover]

Well, since you won't be operating heavy machinery......

I think dry firing against a blank wall will show some results. First, it will build your stamina. Second, you can work on your trigger pull, which seems to be your main problem. Third, you seem to be trying to "ambush" the bull as it wanders by. That is what causes those flyers.

Work on that for a while before shooting at any targets, see how it goes.