In a previous post we put up a quote advising people to stick to the basics. A commenter replied, “Paint me as uninformed and/or overly suspicious, but, what specifically are the basics or fundamentals that are being called for?”
Fair enough. What are the basics (fundamentals) of shooting? Post your thoughts in comments below.
Firearm User Network 
KR
Mar 07, 2012 @ 14:01:34
I had a CHL student shoot a perfect 250, using “cup and saucer” grip, back arched, weight rocked back on her heels, head tilted back so she could look through the bottom half of her bifocals, in a textbook depiction of “bad grip and stance”. She was shooting some off brand $200 gun show .380.
She shot that perfect score because someone had taught her how to press the trigger without disturbing the sights, and how to align the sights with the target.
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Sean
Mar 08, 2012 @ 07:22:42
I would say that the most important is consistent sight picture and smooth trigger squeeze. Those can be worked on and changed almost immediately, while the rest (breathing, stance/position, etc…) can sometimes need time to develop properly. It’s OK if your sights sway as long as wherever it sways to is where it hits.
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hubie
Mar 08, 2012 @ 09:05:24
Trigger control and sight alignment are the big dogs of fundamentals. The grip, stance and breathing only serve to help the big dogs achieve their hit. The bullet goes where the sights are perfectly aligned at the time the bullet leaves the muzzle. Lack of trigger control can misalign the sights.
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Tony
Mar 08, 2012 @ 10:12:24
In the distant past I would have mentioned the fundamentals as the following: breathing control, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control and stance.
For someone who’s an extremely experienced shooter I’d label it simply as will. That’s right, it’s the autopilot concept of willing the projectile where you want it to go.
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Wojo
Mar 08, 2012 @ 10:35:21
I believe that if someone is shooting very well with their technique that they should’nt be coached to change, unless they ask you to. Proper sight alignment, sight picture and smoother straight trigger pull to the rear.
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Lateif Dickerson
Mar 08, 2012 @ 11:15:58
Thars right, there are a thousand techniques to getting a thing done, but when you are doing it right the principles – or Fundamentals will be the same.
we train dozens of people per month and regardless of the nuances in stance, and grip the key to MARKSMANSHIP is to hold as steady as possible and not disturb your sight alignment throughout your trigger squeeze (or press, manipulation or whatever term you want to call it – doesnt matter as long as your sights stay aligned)
Now shooting is different as there are different types of shooting and applications of the above mentioned marksmanship.
Shooting encompasses a series of skills to consistantly achieve a desired result.
L.Dickerson, New Jersey Firearms Academy
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Tony Muhlenkamp
Mar 08, 2012 @ 18:17:03
Add to the above, follow through.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Mar 09, 2012 @ 09:07:20
@KR
Hard to argue with a perfect score.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Mar 09, 2012 @ 09:08:52
@ Wojo
It’s a matter of defining, in numbers, what “shooting very well” is.
Plenty of people at a novice level believe they are “shooting very well” because they’ve never seen anything better.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Mar 09, 2012 @ 09:13:47
Only fair I should chime in because I started this.
In marksmanship, I’d define fundamentals as the ability to obtain and maintain alignment of the barrel on target during shot delivery sufficiently well enough to land a hit.
More simply, hold the gun the same way for each shot.
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What Are the Fundamentals (Basics) of Shooting? « Firearm User … | Presstitution™
Mar 21, 2012 @ 09:55:57