In pistol shooting, one school of thought offers different sets of fundamentals depending on the discipline, e.g. fundamentals for action shooting, combat pistol, precision pistol and so on. However, 12-time NRA National Pistol Champion Brian Zins argues that pistol shooting fundamentals are all-encompassing—regardless of the discipline or the gun. According to Zins, it's really just aligning your gun between your eye and the target, and pulling the trigger without messing up that critical relationship. Easy enough, right?
"Whether it's bullseye pistol, action sports, defensive shooting, plinking etc., it all boils down to the fundamentals—being able to align the sights with the target and manipulate the trigger without screwing it up," says Zins. "It's all about the fundamentals."
Shot process is the culmination of everything, yet is itself unique. Building a consistent shot process can only happen by mastering all of the essential pistol shooting skills Zins shared in his previous videos—aiming, trigger control, position, stance, grip and vision.
"You've gotta train to become consistent. Develop a shot process ... your process is part of your gun presentation. It's all part of being consistent in everything you do."
As for one-handed vs. two-handed pistol shooting, he says that bullseye fundamentals are still applicable. Of course the stance is a little different, but one thing remains the same—when the gun comes up to the target, the sights need to be aligned quickly to the eye. If not, there is a grip issue causing misalignment to the eye.
If there is one key takeaway from this video, it's that mastering all of the bullseye shooting techniques we've reviewed in this series over the last few months should be paramount to pistol shooters. Zins' advice provides a road map to achieving success in any pistol discipline.
"In the end, it's all about the fundamentals," concludes Zins.
Below are links to the previous videos in our pistol training series featuring Brian Zins.
To learn more about Zins’ pistol training classes, please visit his Facebook page here.
