Q&A for How to Aim a Pistol

It would depend on the type of pistol that you have, but in general, you can install a sight on a pistol. Most pistols have a dovetail cut on the top of the slide where the sight fits right in. Take note that when choosing a sight, make sure that the sight matches the dovetail's cut size on your pistol to ensure compatibility. You can also bring your pistol to a gun shop, where you can choose your preferred sight design, and they will make sure that your sights are installed perfectly.

First, start by making sure that your grip is secure and comfortable. You should avoid a position where the slide or hammer of the pistol could injure your hands. For best accuracy and control, use a two-handed grip where your dominant hand holds the pistol firmly and your support hand wraps over the top of your dominant hand.

Yes it would be, also if you're going to do it that way, you're likely to seriously hurt your face and/or your hand because of the recoil.

It depends on what you mean by "blinking." If you mean "wincing" because you are anticipating the discharge, you just have to shoot enough that you stop being afraid of it. It may also help to practice with a lower-caliber firearm until you get over it. Wincing aside, some people blink more when they're nervous or trying to concentrate. Again, I think the solution is to shoot more until it feels natural.

No. You should handle firearms in the most natural way for you. There is no "rule," just the best way for you.

You shouldn't be doing this because you have someone's life in your hands.

Head shots are VERY difficult to perform, and many times, unnecessary. Aim at the center of mass, usually the middle of the torso, right where the ribs end. Even Special Ops personnel are trained to do so, as it is easier to do in the heat of the moment. If it is necessary to shoot someone in the head, aim for the lower forehead, right above the nose, or at the nose, the closer to the middle of the head, the easier to aim (or in this case, the less difficult).

You should be pressing with the fleshy pad on your index finger. If this is difficult to consistently do, you may need some help to determine if you need a handgun with a larger or smaller grip.

Do not close your left eye, just squint a little with it to force more sight from your dominant eye. Keep the pistol in line with your right eye, aim and shoot.

The TOP of the sight posts needs to be what is running across what you want to hit. So yes, you aim a little lower.

If you aim properly with your dominant eye, then switch to your other eye without altering the position and rotation of the firearm, the direction of the projectile will not be altered. Your head and hand positioning relative to each other will be different depending on which eye/hand you are using to aim and hold your firearm. Regardless of which configuration you fire in, the proper positioning will result in the front and rear sights aligned as described above. The perspective that results in THAT view of the sights is the one that indicates the projectile's direction.

No need to wear a patch. A lot of shooters worry too much about ocular dominance. Line up the sight window with the dominant eye regardless of dominant hand. You can also squint your dominant eye. You should not ever block your full field of view when shooting.

Keep your trigger finger arm straight at minimum. The other arm can be bent for support, or straight as well, find what is most comfortable for you and what gives you the most accuracy.

It depends on the gun. Different guns are sighted for different holds. Some will favor a 12 o'clock hold, others prefer you put the post directly on the target.

There's a good chance that your eyes are the problem. Corrective lenses can fix this.

Yes. There are a couple options. You can squint your dominant eye (never close one eye) or, if you practice, you may be able to learn to focus your non-dominant eye. I have gotten fairly good at it after years of practice.

It is called trajectory and is very specific to caliber and bullet weight. You can lookup a trajectory calculator and input the caliber and weight of your projectile and get a fairly good idea as to the "drop" of a bullet over a given distance. The only time you would aim lower than expected is if your sights are capable of elevation adjustments (most pistols are not) and you have your "zero" set to a much further distance than you are shooting at. With sidearms you typically need to only be concerned with bullet drop and raising your muzzle to compensate for greater distances.

Normal if you are inexperienced, shooting VERY poor ammo, different weights of ammo in the same magazine, or in heavy wind. Chances are that it is down to experience. Learning proper control in shooting takes a lot of practice and discipline. Look for a qualified instructor or shooting partner that is good at the fundamentals to help you with position, stance, and grip, and keep putting lead downrange and you will improve. Poor shot placement is more often than not down to your trigger handling and grip.

Place a target 3 yards away, aim and focus on the front sight. Usually the front sight is far enough out that bifocals aren't needed. With practice, you'll find what works best for you.

Usually, no. One hand is less accurate than two, and the recoil will be far more intense as well.

Yes, but it takes practice, and to understand it, a bit of math. You can determine how much to raise your sight above the target by the drop - bullet drop is typically indicated on the box of ammo you buy but if not, data can be looked up or you can use an online trajectory calculator. You need to practice, especially with a sidearm, because they do not typically have graduated sights such as MOA marks. This means you are using only the post elevation as a reference. If you are hitting pretty center on your left and right, you can then practice by setting targets up at various distances. This will help you understand you sidearm, caliber and other characteristics specific to your setup.

Chances are that your ocular dominance matches your shooting hand. Shooting with both eyes open is the correct way to shoot. You should not close one eye. If you are on target, comfortable and safe, then do what works for you. Shooting, like anything else, has rules, but is also influenced by preference.Your comfort, as long as you don't have any "bad" or unsafe practices, will dictate how you shoot.

Aim with your left eye. Let your head rotate/tilt until it feels natural and comfortable. If you shoot using two hands, you can hold the pistol so it is right in front of you with your chest perpendicular to the line between you and the target. This way eye dominance is not as important. Some competitive shooters use this instance because it does not making going for a target on your, say, right side easier than the left.

I'm also cross-dominant and I use a modified Weaver stance so that I can use my dominant arm as a cheekweld and my dominant eye lines up better with the sights. In your case, I would do the same, but consider also getting a pistol brace, as it was originally designed for people with disabilities.

You should try to feel as comfortable as possible lining up the sights, without holding the gun too loosely or tightly. It's advisable to hold the weapon with two hands to lessen recoil and ensure you're on target.

To look cool or they saw it in a movie or GTA or something and think that those physics carry over to real life