Today we’re diving into a topic that’s close to my heart, and honestly, should be for any new shooter out there—mastering the handgun. Now, before you roll your eyes and think, “Here we go, another lecture about marksmanship,” let me assure you, this is anything but that. This is about my personal journey, the pitfalls, the small victories, and all the moments in between that turned me from someone who barely knew how to hold a handgun to a confident shooter. And trust me, it wasn’t always pretty. So let’s get to it.

Some of you may be getting your very first gun as a Christmas present. (And yes, we say Christmas here, not “the holiday season.”) Congratulations! You’ll be entering a very fun world that will introduce you to the shooting sports, hunting, personal defense, wherever you want the journey to take you. I just want to remind you that everyone has started somewhere, so you’re not alone. The best piece of advice I can give to you, and not because I’m an instructor, is to seek professional instruction. Starting out you want to develop nothing but good habits. Crazy uncle Ernie taking you to the gravel pit to “learn you how to shoot” may not give you the best advice, and may actually build bad habits into you. Go to someone with experience and save yourself a bunch of heartache down the road. That being said, 

Every beginner feels like a goof.

Let’s start right at the beginning, okay? You know that moment when you’re standing on the firing line, and you’ve got this brand-new handgun in your hands… it’s shiny, you’re excited, your heart’s beating like you just drank a gallon of coffee—and then, boom! The first shot goes off and—whoops—it’s not even close to the bullseye. Heck, it might not even be on the target.

That first trigger pull is like being slapped in the face with reality. All that cool confidence you had from watching YouTube experts shoot one-hole groups at 25 yards? Gone. You’re standing there thinking, “Wait a minute, am I doing this right?” Spoiler alert: you’re probably not, and that’s totally okay. I remember my first time on the range; it felt like I was juggling a slippery fish every time I tried to line up my sights. And if you’re in that stage right now, congratulations—you’re normal.

 Safety and Fundamentals, Always

Before you can even think about hitting the bullseye, you need to understand the fundamentals. Now, this part might sound like common sense, but I’m going to hammer it home because I’ve seen it time and time again—people rush through the basics.

First and foremost, safety. This is non-negotiable. Know and take to heart the four rules of firearm safety. Keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction, finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot, know your target and what’s beyond it, and treat every firearm like it’s loaded. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s the safety lecture you’ve heard a million times, but those rules aren’t just a suggestion—they’re the foundation of everything. If you don’t have safety locked down, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Know the rules, adhere to them, and you won’t have a negligent discharge – what we refer to in the trade as a sub-optimal experience.

The Mechanics You Need To Know

Once safety’s down, it’s time to talk about your grip and stance. I remember my first time getting the proper grip explained to me—I thought, “Why is this so complicated?” Your hand placement, your grip pressure, the way you control recoil, it’s all a balancing act. And spoiler alert, you’ll screw it up a few times before it clicks. That’s fine! It’s all part of the learning curve. A proper instructor will be able to explain the mechanics of a proper grip, demonstrate it, and get your hands working together with the gun instead of fighting it.

Now that you have a proper grip, we’ll talk about aiming. Yep, lining those sights up. Every pistol has some form of front and rear sight. The front sight, that chunk of metal or plastic at the end of the barrel, can be a blade, a fiber optic tube, or something similar. The rear sight is going to be something with a notch. To line those sights up, you’re going to put the front sight in the center of the notch in the rear sight, and put the top of the front sight level with the top of the rear sight. Put the center of the target on the top of the sights, and keep everything lined up until you pull the trigger and the gun goes off. Sounds simple, right?

But here’s a wrinkle in the plan. Our eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. When you’re aiming at a target, there’s three, count ‘em, three things in your focal plane, the rear sight, front sight, and the target. “Man, now what do I do?” Well, you focus on the front sight. That sight should be crystal clear. And if you do it right, that means your rear sight and the target are going to be a little blurry, and that’s OK. This is one of the easier things to master.

You also need to work on your stance. I see every single wrong stance when working with new shooters. The most common one is leaning way back, almost like they’re trying to get away from the gun. Then there’s the “gunfighter crouch”, popularized by the FBI many, many years ago. Here’s a tip; start standing upright, comfortable, with your feet shoulder width apart. If you feel any tension in your lower back, shoulders, or legs, move to relax it. You shouldn’t feel any tension. Establish what is called a natural point of aim. To do this, aim at the target, close your eyes, count to three, then open them. If the gun has drifted to the left of where you were aiming, drop your right foot back slightly. This is for right hand shooters. If you’re left handed, move your left foot back. If your gun drifted to the right, move your right foot forward and do the exercise again. Keep doing this until your gun stays where you were aiming when you open your eyes. With practice, your foot will move to where it should be as you bring the gun up on target.

Don’t Get Triggered by the Trigger

Now let’s talk about the trigger. Ah, the infamous trigger pull. This one’s a heartbreaker for most new shooters, myself included. It’s the number one culprit behind most of those “Why did I miss?” moments. When I first started, my trigger finger might as well have been a sledgehammer—I’d jerk, flinch, yank, anything but squeeze. Getting used to the proper trigger squeeze can leave you as frustrated as a crackhead without a lighter, but stick with it. The results are worth it.

Here’s the secret: Slow. It. Down. Like, imagine you’re disarming a bomb in an action movie, slow. Smooth, consistent pressure straight to the rear. Focus on isolating your trigger finger’s movement from the rest of your hand—easier said than done, I know. But it’s essential. I remember spending hours at home, practicing dry fire drills, feeling like I was getting nowhere, until one day… I got it. Suddenly, my shots were grouping tighter, and I felt like I’d unlocked some ancient secret. 

Practice, Practice… and Then Practice Some More

Okay, so here’s where I’m gonna lose some folks because no one likes to hear that they need to practice—a lot. But here’s the deal: There’s no way around it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—there are no shortcuts to mastering a handgun. It’s about muscle memory, building those fine motor skills so that when you’re under pressure, your body takes over, and you don’t have to think about it.

And don’t get me wrong, when I say “practice,” I don’t mean going to the range, throwing lead downrange like you’re auditioning for *John Wick 5*. I mean *deliberate* practice. If you’re just shooting to shoot, you’re not getting better. Set up drills, track your progress, focus on one skill at a time. Trust me, I’ve been there, burning through ammo without a plan. All I got was a lighter wallet and the same bad habits.

Keep track of your progress. Get a notebook and pen and put it in your range bag. Before you head out to do live fire, write down what you want to work on, how you’re going to do it, how many rounds on each exercise, and then stick to that plan. When people go to the range, they always do what they’re good at. It’s that instant gratification thing. But this doesn’t help you advance. You don’t want to be a one trick pony, you want to master the gun. And the way you do that? Practice what you suck at. If it’s shooting groups, practice that until you’ve got it down pat, then move on to something else you suck at. Keep working at it until you don’t suck at anything.

The Plateau – Why You Will Suck (For a While) 

Everyone hits a plateau. I don’t care if you’re Jerry Miculek or some dude with his first Glock, it’s inevitable. You’ll get to a point where you’re not seeing progress, and it’s maddening. I remember one time after weeks of solid practice, I went to the range, and my shots were all over the place—like I’d never picked up a gun before. It felt like I was back to square one, and I was *this close* to throwing my handgun into a lake. 

Here’s the thing—you have to push through it. Plateaus are where the magic happens. It’s where you double down on the basics, get back to the fundamentals, and—here’s a wild thought—take a break. Sometimes, walking away for a few days does wonders for your mindset. You come back fresh, and suddenly, things start to click again.

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Becoming Friends with Your Flaws

Let’s get real for a minute. You’re never going to be a perfect shooter. There, I said it. Even the pros miss shots, make mistakes, or have bad days. It’s a part of the game. I used to beat myself up over every little mistake, like a flyer an inch off my intended target meant I was a terrible shot. That kind of mindset is toxic and unproductive. 

Instead, you’ve got to learn to analyze those mistakes without letting them get to you. Look at where your shots are landing, and figure out what’s happening. Is your grip off? Are you anticipating the shot? Did you break your wrist? Use every single one of those mistakes as a data point, and adjust from there. It’s all about becoming friends with your flaws because, spoiler alert—they’re not going anywhere.

Building Confidence and Trusting Yourself

Let’s fast forward a bit. You’ve put in the work, you’re hitting your targets, you’ve developed some solid muscle memory. The next step? Confidence. This isn’t about cockiness—this is about trusting yourself and your abilities. When you step up to that firing line, you want to feel sure that you’re capable of handling your firearm effectively. You know, that feeling where you’re not hoping you’ll hit the target—you know you will.

 And that’s a game-changer. When you trust yourself, you stop second-guessing every shot, and you start to perform. I had that moment where it all clicked during a training course—my instructor threw out a target at 20 yards, and I didn’t overthink it, didn’t hesitate—I just went for it. And it felt *great*. The more you trust yourself, the less you’re fighting your own instincts, and the more natural it becomes.

Advanced Skills – Moving Beyond the Basics

Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, it’s time to move on to the fun stuff—shooting on the move, timed drills, low-light scenarios, target transitions, and maybe even some competition shooting. Here’s where you start to challenge yourself and see just how far you’ve come. But here’s a pro-tip—never abandon the basics. Keep practicing them, even when you’re working on advanced skills. It’s easy to get cocky and think you don’t need to dry fire or practice trigger control anymore, but trust me, those fundamentals will save you when things get tricky.

 I remember the first time I tried shooting on the move. I felt like I was trying to ride a unicycle while juggling rabid honey badgers. But it’s all about keeping those fundamentals in play. Footwork, balance, and trigger control don’t disappear just because you’re adding movement into the mix.

The Journey Never Ends

So, there you have it—a crash course in what it takes to go from a complete beginner to a confident handgun shooter. And here’s the final takeaway I want to leave you with: It’s a journey that never really ends. There’s always something to improve, always a new skill to learn, and always another goal to chase. That’s what makes shooting so fascinating to me—it’s a blend of art and science, and it’s always evolving.

Don’t get discouraged when things don’t go your way. Celebrate the small wins, learn from the losses, and above all—enjoy the process. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about hitting the target; it’s about becoming a better shooter, a better thinker, and heck, maybe even a better person