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Become a better python shooter?

3K views 24 replies 19 participants last post by  smkummer 
#1 ·
I’m not a very good shot with a revolver even though I love them. I recently got a 4.25 inch 2020 python and I want to learn how to shoot it well. Does anyone have any tips on how to become a better revolver shooter. These are some groups I fired. I believe I have the sights on fairly well but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on what to work on to become a better shot. I was also wondering if anyone recommends the python elite type grips altamont sells. They look very comfortable and may help me shoot a tiny bit better. The first 2 groups are .357 from 25 yards single action rested and the smaller one is .38 special single action rested from 25 yards.
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#2 ·
The hardest route would be to take Randy Cain's Handgun 101 course and use your Python. By the time you finish you'll no longer recognize the shooter you were at the start of the first day.

Given that taking a course like that might not be an option, the obvious answer is practice. Don't ever consider speed as a concern yet, and forget all about the fact that your Python can be fired single action.

Honestly just spend a lot of time at the range using the mildest ammo you can afford. Dry fire at home if you can. Six slow shots.

It'll happen quite quickly. Later you can amp up the speed and learn to reload using speedloaders if that interests you.

A final option would be try a local match. Something as simple as a casual bowling pin or steel plate shoot at a club in your area can really help- and it's a ton of fun.

If you've really got the bug try ICORE, IPSC, or IDPA. There is a place for your new Python in all of them.

You're in a great spot: You're learning the double action revolver with one of the best guns available. Have fun!
 
#8 ·
At home:
Dry fire a lot with a SAFE gun, snap caps and make sure it is SAFE. Ignore the double action feature for a while.
Watch the sights and concentrate on the front sight, it should be in sharp focus. Pick a spot on the wall and see what the sights do when you SQUEEZE the trigger in single action. Stop when you get tired but the more you dry fire, the tighter your groups will become.
At the range:
Stick with the 38's for a while, preferably target wadcutters. Ignore the DA feature, SA only.
Shoot from a rest until everything is in the 10 or x-ring...no excuses...everything.
Repeat at 10 yards, standing, two-handed hold just like your dry fire practice. EVERYTHING in the 10-ring. When you can do that consistently at 10 yards...
Repeat at 15 yards...everything in the middle consistently, move back and start over.
When you can put everything in the 10-ring single action only from 25 yards, start over with dry firing double action.
 
#9 ·
I concur. 25 yards is a long way for someone just learning. But once you get used to it, you'll be shooting good groups at that distance. Start closer, like said above. When dry firing or real rounds, try to call your shots. By that I mean pay attention to exactly when the hammer fell. You should know every time where you hit, without looking for holes in the paper. When you KNOW you are holding solid all the way through the hammer drop, as well as for a split second after firing, you'll have tight groups. Or be able to say "I pulled that one right, low..." etc.
 
#12 ·
Fundamentals of firing the shot include grip, stance, trigger control and follow through. These are key basics to firearm accuracy. Too, many are included in the posts above. Practice and practice but practice correctly.
Vic
 
#15 ·
I have been collecting them since the last ten years and I had two of them back in the 80's before things got stupid. A 4" and a 6". They are nice but not all that as far as I'm concerned. When I shot in police matches I used either my 4" S&W 581 or 6" S&W 586. I simply liked the action on the S&W's better. In all fairness I grew up on S&W's though. In short I never saw what all the hype was about.
 
#17 ·
That target has about a 2 inch center.
25 yard Bullseye pistol target has about a 5 to 5-1/2 “ center. If you are going to shoot 25 yards maybe you could try a target with a little bit bigger center. It might be easier to aim at.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
Shooting revolvers.
Congratulations on your new Python. I’m biding my time but plan to get one in the not too distant future.
I’ve had six, some with 4” barrels, some with 6”. For grips, I put Colt Elite on one. Pretty, but did nothing for me. I also had a set of Colt wood grips that, for lack of any other term, were “combat”, meaning sculpted for fingers and not so wide at the bottom. If you want wood, I would suggest those.
Really, however, if you want to shoot full-house loads, get a rubber set. Your hands will thank you.
Others in this discussion have given the best and most common advice. Practice was chief among them. I would point out that it must be correct practice. Practice errors and you’ll shoot with errors.
I like what Rob Leatham says about gripping a gun, and I would suggest starting with him. It brings up an important question: What do you want to do with your Python. Shooting for self-defense has a manual of arms significantly different from the type of competition shooting Rob does. Slow-fire precision requires another. All require a secure grip on the gun.
I see some contributors recommending starting by firing single-action. If plinking and slow-fire precision are your goals, that would be OK. For defensive shooting or competition such as IDPA you will need to be proficient in double-action firing, and you will need to practice it a lot, and correctly.
I suggest that no matter what your goal is, practice DA first and the most. An important goal is to be able to dry-fire DA without the muzzle wiggling at all. It requires a lot of concentration in the beginning, discipline, and an exercise program to strengthen the muscles you use. I like a device I made with a short axle and four feet of rope with a knot in the end. I put weights of from one-half- to five-pounds on the rope and roll it up and down. There are squeezer-types that can be good as well.
I also agree with starting with something less than full-power 357-Magnum loads. Rather than standard .38-Special or, worse yet, target loads, I’d suggest +P. Fire slowly, mastering the skill of allowing only the tiniest movement of the muzzle. Expect to shoot several hundred rounds, and that’s ONLY if you are shooting correctly. Some trainers will tell you that for every error you make you will need to shoot correctly from 100 to 500 times to overcome the error.
Have a knowledgeable shooter watch you shoot. S/he can inform you of errors or things you will want to work on.
Thereafter you could move up to low-end Magnum ammo. Look for rounds using the 158-grain bullet fired at ~1,000-fps up to 1,100 or so. Master that before shooting full-power ammo.
Finally, challenge yourself. Shoot two-hand both “strong” and “weak” hand. Then shoot one-hand.
Shooting with friends should be lots of fun. I suggest not treating the events as competition, but as demos for each other: “Watch THIS, Bubba!” Set fun goals, shoot for beers or donuts.
I have taught a couple hundred people to shoot, most of them for self-defense and most of them women. When it came time to choose the gun they would carry or keep close, not one picked a .38-Special. One picked a Colt Detective Special and fired only +P rounds. Another picked an S&W 686 and +P .38 loads. Yet another chose a Sig Sauer P229/.40S&W. The one that really got my attention was a lady in a high-profile profession who chose a Beretta 9000S/40S&W. It was a fire-breathing dragon that I did not like to shoot.
The point is that you can master your gun and have a lot of fun with it and depend upon it for self-defense, if you work at it.
Oh, smile a lot and use those rubber grips.
 
#21 ·
Become one with the gun by shooting thousands of rounds. A two handed grip helps me a lot, off hand stabilizing and helping the dominant hand hold the gun on target through the cylinder. You’ve got a great start there,

I can guarantee you’d get 3 out 6 in center of mass based on your targets and that’s better than some can boast of.in my experience.

I agree with others on the revolver, I prefer a Smith & Wesson K-38 or magnum model but your python should do the trick just as well.
 
#22 ·
i see a lot of good advice in these posts.
To piggyback on to what Ollie said, because no need to waste money in ammo...
I saw a YouTube video that was linked from the forum some time ago And it was how to improve your handgun skills. the Shooter is using a semi aunto pistol , but same principle . the guy is a professional shooter. So he first recommended eliminating the problem of what Ollie was talking about also. If you pull the trigger with no ammo and your not staying on target.. well there ya go. Its a no-go. Practice pulling the trigger dry fire and staying on target. Step one. Then live ammo staying on target. Anticipating recoil is Sometimes a problem for folks that even shoot a lot. exactly what Ollie said, what a shooter does when he pulls the trigger on a empty chamber tells the tale of what he’s ( and she’s) doing when the gun really does go bang.
I have good days and bad days. I don’t shoot enough and sometimes I‘m on it , zoned in and solid, sometimes I believe I did the cha cha as I pulled the trigger. :)
 
#24 ·
I do notice some stringing in your groups (groups that are mostly on the narrow side, but tall.) When resting make sure you are resting comfortably. Don't force the rest, adjust the rest to accommodate you. Also, rest the barrel, not your wrists or the butt. Get on target and squeeze the trigger. Get in the "zone" where you focus on only moving that trigger finger, and gently at that. Make sure you hang onto the revolver like a firm handshake. Use the most uniform pressure you can time after time. When you start to feel fatigued, either eye or physical, it's time to hang it up for a few hours. The stock grips in my opinion are quite nice. Something many people don't know, if you have problems with shot to shot gripping uniformity, finger-groove grips will amplify that problem.
 
#25 ·
In the 50’s, Colts match 38 revolvers (6” barrel) has to shoot 1 1/8” ( or 1 1/4”) or better at 15 yards with a 5 shot group and match ammo from a rest single action. So that might be about 2” at 25. This easily translates into hitting 12” plates at 100 yards if you want to do that. The shooter needs to determine what kind of shooting sport you want to do. Obviously this is more than accurate enough for practical defensive pistol shooting at 21 feet ( 7 yards). Drawing from a holster and timed fire is another discipline. I like all forms of pistol shooting.
 
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