Whether you plan to gun down a hare or two as a part of your upcoming small game hunting expedition, or simply vent a bit at a gun range, improving your shooting accuracy can be massively beneficial. 

Of course, the same goes for practicing shooting for self-defense purposes, when accuracy is a matter of survival. 

The quality of make of modern-day weapons is such that there’s little margin for error on the part of the gun itself, as misfirings due to faulty mechanisms are rare. Many households in the US own weapons and the quality of them has never been higher. (Especially if you keep your gun clean and in good working order.) 

That said, simply wielding the weapon and looking down its rear sight when you want to shoot won’t necessarily bag you that ring-necked pheasant, that plump mourning dove, or indeed that record-breaking greater prairie chicken. 

Or, will it fend off an armed attacker. 

To be able to use your gun confidently and efficiently, improving your shooting accuracy is an absolute must. In this article, we’re going to talk about the benefits of improving your shooting accuracy and give you three basic tips on it that you can start using today. 

Without further ado, here’s the deal. 

Benefits of Practicing at a Shooting Range 

Whether you live in an urban area, or somewhere where you have easy access to the greater outdoors, practicing shooting should happen somewhere with enough space. Placing your shots comfortably requires you to have enough room to both hit and miss the target a bunch of times, without having to worry about ricochet.

For city-dwellers, it’s an indoor shooting range. For folks living on farms or somewhere near a large open area, it’s an outdoor range somewhere in the woods, or with target dummies among cacti and other natural obstacles. 

The point is, when it comes to practicing your shots, the shooting range should become your second house. 

The great thing about practicing shooting this way is that it’s safe, provides controlled conditions, and loads of fun. 

Here are some of the most prominent benefits of practicing at a shooting range on a regular basis. 

Improved hand-eye coordination 

When you first pick up a gun, a slingshot, a bow and arrow, or even a basketball, you may feel like you are two different people, in a way. 

The one part of your brain is concentrating on holding the weapon or the ball correctly, while the other tries to use your vision and spatial awareness to toss the projectile forth. This is why people who never played basketball look awkward and funny when they try to shoot a ball from a free throw line. (And this is also why they initially tend to miss by a large margin, too.) 

That said, getting those two different aspects of propelling a projectile forward to merge in your brain can be achieved - and the only way is through lots and lots of practice. 

Shooting range helps you grow more confident holding your weapon to the point where it feels like an extension of your arm. Also, looking down the rear sight and finding the front sight will become much easier and more intuitive in time. 

Change of surroundings 

One thing that you need to become good at shooting is solid eyesight. 

One thing that tends to ruin your eyesight would be computer screens and constantly staring at other high-tech gadgetry displays. 

Practicing shooting at a range forces you to use your eyes in a different way and focus on targets at a distance. Maybe you’ll discover you need glasses or other sight aid when you get to the range. (Also, wearing safety goggles is a must, as bullet cases can cause nasty injuries when they fly out of your weapon when you shoot.) 

Adrenaline control 

If you tend to get overly zealous or feel overwhelmed when you get in an argument, or are presented with a stressful situation, you could benefit from an activity that helps you practice adrenaline control. 

The thing is, shooting will get you excited and your adrenaline levels will no doubt go up as you unload a couple of rounds. That said, keeping your composure and practicing trigger discipline is essential for keeping yourself and others safe. 

Visiting a shooting range can help you not only get your blood pumping, but also make you learn how to control your emotions once you get that adrenaline hit, whether it’s on or off range. 

Improved posture 

Other than learning how to control your emotions and adrenaline under duress, practicing at a shooting range can also help with your posture. 

The great thing about shooting and posture is - the good posture that you pick up while practicing shooting also translates into life outside of range. 

So, if you’re sitting all day at the office and you need some sort of outlet, going out for a day out on the range can be a fantastic way to both get better at shooting and improve the health of your back. 

3 Tips for improved shooting accuracy 

Now that we’ve listed some benefits of practicing shooting at a range, let’s talk about what you can do to improve your shooting accuracy. 

A good posture, a solid hand-to-eye coordination, and perhaps some breathing exercises for keeping your composure will go a long way. Here are three key tips on how to improve your shooting accuracy and get the most out of your shots. 

Perfect your grip 

One of the first things that any firearms instructor would teach you would certainly be the importance of holding your weapon appropriately. 

If your grip is off, you run the risk of hurting yourself after firing, as even the smallest handguns have at least some recoil. That said, the larger the weapon, the more difficult it will be to control it, and the more important your grip strength is. 

Correct grip helps firing several rounds in a row, because you can realign your pistol or rifle after firing a shot more readily, if you know how to grip it. What’s more, using powerful, high-caliber rounds such as 6.5 grendel ammunition means a more jerky recoil, and practicing good and strong grip is essential for handling weapons and calibers this large.

Focus on your stance 

Just as professional snipers use those two stabilizers when shooting from their long-range rifles, holding a gun or a smaller rifle while standing also needs stabilization, in a way. 

Instead of two metal rods used for high-caliber large sniper rifles or LMGs, for smaller guns, it’s your legs and body that provides the stabilization. 

For most weapons, the basics of having a good stance are basically the same - place both of your feet firmly on the ground, and spread them apart at about your shoulder-width. Once you’ve done that, lean forward slightly to tighten your leg muscles and so get even more control over the shot. 

Control your breathing 

Last but not least, the basic goal of shooting is to have a steady hand and to move as little as possible while firing. 

For this to happen, first you need to have a strong grip, then a good posture, and last but certainly not least - you need to control your breathing. The basic rule of thumb is - inhale, pause, fire the weapon while holding your breath, and then exhale once you’ve fired your shot. 

Conclusion 

All in all, shooting can be a great way to learn self-defense, improve your hunting prowess, or just let off some steam and spend time in nature on a gun range. 

To get better at shooting, however, you need to put in some practice hours. The three basics we covered above - posture, grip, and breathing are the first core skills that you need to cover before you can move on to more complex shooting techniques.