Just out of curiosity… what if I promised you that I could teach you to become a better shooter, save you time and money, AND you can do this all from your home... I know you’re interested, so I’ll see you on the other side: chrissajnog.com/newrules/
Chris, thank you for the video training and your service to our country! I see this video was made a few years ago, and I just bought a Springfield Armory XDS mod 2 9mm (released well after this video) and I have seen a good bit of commentary on forums, and I see SA saying the same thing in their material, that "extensive" dry firing of these guns will damage them. I don't know what would be different about these handguns from others for them to say that, but your point makes more sense to me. Can you speak to this particular handgun regarding dry firing?
Chris has great presence... the tone of his voice, his body language, and his extremely useful examples make him an amazing instructor. Thanks for all these great videos, Chris, I am learning a lot from each one. Cheers from Canada :)
Chris, I have put 2500 rds thru my ITarget system and have dramatically shrank my shot group. This system allows me to practice proper draws, kneeling, moving shots, weak hand operation in my garage from 15-25 ft. I replaced my first set of batteries at 2100 and the laser seems to be holding up very well in my Glock 26 and 19, just one tip, I removed the spring and follower in a magazine that allows me to rack the system without it locking back. Besides tips from people like you, Haley, and Ludas this is the best $85 dollars I have spent in the development of my skills. Thanks for the heads up on this item in this video.
I bought the iTarget Pro based on your recommendation and it's been a great training tool! Thanks for your service and very informative videos. I just clicked subscribe.
Tactical Bananas probably BC you have to pay to play, in all these social media bs formats, trust me I know from all platforms is the danger. They want their $
Some centerfire pistols do not like to be dry fired, but mostly those were made before fifties, or WWII even. Its still good to visit forums before dry firing exotic oddballs and look for clues. What one has to be avare about about SAO pistols is, its really easy to develop the training scar of cycling the slide immediately after the trigger press.
You are great. You touched on Myelin in one of your videos. I teach hitting to baseball players of all ages and skill levels. I have known about Myelin for about 20 years because I talk about it with players I work with. I read a book about Russian athletes and why they are so well trained. They incorporate training that builds the Myelin in their athletes from the time they are young children. There is alot to it but right when I heard you say it, I was convinced you knew more than your average instructor. Also, I have always believed that shooting at a range in a lane is not really training and most ranges don't allow you to draw or move and shoot. I have to drive an hour to get to a outdoor range that does allow it and is set up for it. I do go there about once a month but I do most of my training at home due to this. Great stuff.
I know this is probably not going tk be received well, but here it goes anyway. Something I didn't expect to improve my shooting was playing competitive paintball for quite a while. I was taught firearm safety and how to shoot at a relatively young age. I got into playing paintball during my teens and was very active for a number of years. While I would never consider a game of paintball in the same manner as actual gunfire, the nature of competitive play combined with certain technical aspect helped the mental aspect of shooting. First - while tournament play on speedball/airball fields makes the sport totally unlike combat, you are still dealing with performing consistent motions while your adrenaline is surging. You are going to have to think clearly to communicate and visualize who is where on the field. Odds are you are going to have paint coming in from different directions. While all of this is going on you still need to have the focus and muscle memory to make quick and clean shots. While it can be accuracy by volume, there will also be situations where you have to focus and make a tight shot in an instant. The technical aspects that helped train the brain are partiality due to the style of the markers. Almost all markers have a vertical feed directly out of the top of the gun body making traditional sights worthless. You learn to aim down the side of the gun while also being aware of everything else, so both eyes are open. Also, with the way fields are designed there are going to be opportunities for blind shots into certain bunkers. Being able to aim, use the proper angle to drop paint in an arc over a bunker, and form the mental image of what you are trying to hit takes practice. Keeping the whole picture of a game together was as complex as the particular actions, gameplans, and physicsl drills. It wasn't until a few years after I stopped playing that the thought struck me that some of what was part of the sport could be applied to being a better shooter. Generally I think that shooting a paintball gun is significantly different from a firearm that the physical skills don't really mix. However the mental aspects are analogous. It was off when I actually tried to employ that on thr the range.
That Itarget seems like it's a great training tool. To be able to work on your trigger control, which is the one thing in shooting that you can control, tangibly see your shot and not waste money on ammo is such a win win
Thank you your video. I have been shooting since I was 5 years old not always at targets when I was 5 my father gave me a 7 shoot 22 long pistol and taught me to clean, load and unload as well as to shoot sidewinders in the head when opening our door with no time to spare. I learned to be a instinct of shooter. In the service and Vietnam I became a sight shooter. I like this system and hope it can bring me back to a instinct of shooter again. I am 71 but don't move fast anymore so that would give me a edge. My friends were surprised when I took a new Body guard .038 and shot a 8" x8" at 30' center mass 48 hits out of 50 first time and my hands are a bit big for that gun lol. I am getting one because I have 2 bad legs and can't stand very long and this will help me a lot on my practice.
THANK YOU!!! You obviously have trained hard headed shooters. I utilize airsoft for all my guns. You have to train at considerably closer distances with the long guns, but I just reduce the target size, for both actually, to make it harder. Its an excellent aid for conceal carry or tactical situations, much safer with group exercises, wont get thrown off the range, and when I can get someone to actually try it...they never go back. You obviously have much more training than I do, being an ex-SEAL, but I have to say that after I bought into this idea, the improvement in my shooting went through the roof. Awesome video. Thank you again!
I'm enjoying the information you are sharing....great knowledge to acquired. I often heard that dry fire damages your gun...you are first person I heard saying it does not damage your weapon.
Chris don't forget that dry fire also damages ball and cap guns....ok I couldn't resist the smart ass medic still sometimes come out. great vid brother, even for a navy guy.
Im a fan of the best ear protection, And its important for beginners concentration when learning control of your finger, breathing and rhythm coordination
I've dry fired since starting IPSC in the 70s, however there are pistols that will be damaged by dry firing. Check with manufacture if you're not sure. 1911s you can do it all day long.
These excuses are exactly why I love having my own own pistol range at home. I can dry fire and then practice with live rounds. I can practice holster draw as well as testing different types of ammo.
Hi, I have watched several of your videos now and just subscribed. Full of good info from someone that knows what they are talking about, and well presented. However, I respectfully disagree with your point about dry firing not hurting a gun. I think your point is accurate for most guns, but It depends on the gun. I own a 48 year old S&W Model 15 revolver, and I have been told by numerous, gun smart people not to dry fire it without snap caps. It can damage this particular gun. For $15-$20/set, I use them in all my guns just to be on the safe side. Cheap insurance. Thanks for the videos.
Followed you for a bit now Chris. Love your techniques and tips. Wish I had the 10K to take an actual live course with you. But this will do for now while I save up. :)
Whether dry fire damages a gun or not, I can't say, but I have broken the firing pin on a Winchester 94 from repeated dry firing. I noticed one day that the tip, right where it protrudes from the bolt face, had broken off. Now I check firing pins more regularly for damage, but I also know I can't see metallurgical changes.
One thing if you are going to train with Airsoft which I have done, is to use 20gram BB's or higher to get accurate impact. It also gives you the opportunity to to stage a live fire encounter however I recommend a minimum of safety glasses/ face mask for protection.
I hate the flinch. It's not the recoil so much as the noise. I shoot every week and I usually have to just fire off a mag as fast as I can just to remind my body that gunfire is 'normal'. I hate it. I really appreciate your video on focusing on the front sight, by the way. I think was the one piece of advice that's helped me more than any other.
I've never heard a single shooter/combat expert say @08:39 "Recoil is a myth that can be busted by learning how to hold your gun". In fact, that statement literally makes zero sense. I hope you can clarify that statement.
Can you teach me to hold my scandium 44 magnum better? For years I thought I was having recoil control problems. It never occurred to me that the gun kicking like a mule was just a figment of my imagination and that I just need to hold it better.
Thanks for the reply! I'm fairly new to shooting and love the thought of being able to work on my draw and firing accuracy at home. But, I'm on a budget, which is why I haven't dropped any $ on the other systems. I like the thought of using my own pistol to practice and $230 seems pricy to me. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the advice and if money weren't an issue, I'd jump all over it, but for now, I'll start with the itarget and see where things go from there. "molon labe" brother.
Good input except that dry fire won't damage your gun. You say almost a dozen times that it won't damage your gun and just quickly slip in "except for rimfire..." which can easily be missed by many. Also, many compacts, older Colt 1911's, certain revolvers, several popular CZ's and others will all be damaged by dry fire. It is not a hard and fast rule, as there are some rimfire's that are designed to allow you to dry fire, and some modern DA and DA/SA that should never be dry fired. So, anyone who wants to dry fire should check to make sure about dry firing their gun first.
Hold it hold it! When I fire my 9mm the bore or barrel flips up maybe a couple of inches! Isn't this called "recoil"? After sending my Ruger SR9c back to Ruger for some fixes, I think they also adjusted the sights, I was able to hit the bullseye! The distance was perhaps 20 to 25 yards. Perhaps a tip on managing recoil?
My tip on managing recoil is to learn to grip the gun properly and improve your grip strength as needed. If your 9mm is coming up 2 inches, you're doing something wrong.
I have iTarget and have been firing my 1911 with the laser bullet that comes with it. I noticed the end cap was getting damaged and a few months of using it. Can the laser bullet be damaging my Extractor? Because when I took it to the range after a few months and it started having feeding problems. Later I found out I had some very cheap anmo so it could of been that. What do you think?
When you mentioned flinching, I remember Mel Gibson from the move "Lethal Weapon" he's supposed to be a trained special forces elite soldier. When they show him shooting his 9mm Berretta, he keeps flinching I thought that was funny.
Not sure if this applies to lethal weapon, but I've seen from a few different sources that some of the flinching is the result of abnormal or amplified acoustics. One similar scene I can remember is in Terminator 2. The elevator scene during the breakout of the psych ward caused hearing loss in Linda Hamilton. (I think one of the stunt performers also had hearing issues from filming a different indoor scene as well)
Chris what are some good meditation practices to help with weening out flinch? You mentioned meditation in one of your vids but I dont recall what type.
to recap . you can get rid of the flinch by Reenforcing the neurons and pathways in your brain by shooting without live ammo .. training your mind that when you pull the trigger nothing happens . that is the true way.... lol . I do this every night with different weapons to train good muscle memory . mag changes . safety actuation . sight picture acquirement . grip . all the important fundamentals . then head to the range . use ammo to see results on paper . modify operating protocols . I know its funny but you have to use your gear too . I call it shake out . you learn how parts of your system don't work together . you can modify gear placement. and optimize your capabilities
I got rid of flinch with hand gun by pointing my handgun empty directly at myself in a mirror. Soon as my eyes saw my hand move it's like my brain started reprogrammed itself. It's not that different then amputated people who are still in pain because their brain still thinks the arm is there and dr uses mirrors to trick the brain thinking your good arm is your missing arm making pain go away. After this I also lightened the trigger that helped some also.
I worked on my flinching by loading snap caps randomly into my magazine. I found that if I just practiced dry firing, I would just expect it to not go off, but then once I go to the range, I still expect the gunshot, so I still flinch. By loading snap caps randomly into my magazine, I wouldn't be able to expect the dry fire, so I would be able to see how much I flinch as if I were expecting a live round. Doing this, in just a couple of brief range sessions (literally just over an hour every week for the past month or so), I saw such a drastic increase in my grouping. I went from missing the paper target entirely at times to getting 4 inch groups at 8 to 10 yards pretty consistently. Now I just gotta work on getting those shots off more quickly without focusing so hard, because once I try picking up my speed and trying to shoot instinctively, my shots spread out again. But even then, not nearly as much as before.
I get that the bullet is going the other direction, meaning that it will not hurt me, not sure how that is suppose to help me to not flinch which is mind you a pre-cognitive response, while knowledge of safety is cognitive. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only way to not flinch is to condition yourself through constant practice, which kind of makes the thought of being safe a bit moot.
Hi quick question, a couple of weeks ago I got some target sheets that said scale size was like half, so at 10ft that was really like 20ft etc so now I got the Itarget and when I stand 21ft or 30ft away it's hard to see even though I still land my shots, so my question is with the target being so small is there a different scale equation or should I literally be standing 10 yds away?
I meditated for about 30 minutes yesterday, where I forced myself not to move. I've been meditating less than that for a while, but today when I went to shoot I was able to overcome the flinching a lot faster by just allowing the gun to do its thing, separating the sensation of the gun going off from pulling the trigger. I didn't get it 100% away, but I mean... I went from not shooting at all to shooting .30-06 in one day. I mean, I hit a medium sized pumpkin from like 75 yards on my second or third shot with a scope that wasn't sighted properly. So, learn to meditate, it's really, really good for the shooting.
Chris, great video and thank you for the advice. Please advise, is it bad to dry fire all 22's? I only ask because I have a 22 caliber Taurus revolver that seems to have the same firing mechanism and spring-loaded firing pin as my Smith and Wesson 357 magnum. So since the firing pin in my22 is not connect to the hammer but is spring-loaded, is this weapon OK to dry fire?
joe doe the pin still impacts on metal. Thats why you dont dry fire rimfire weapons. Centrefire the firing pin isnt hitting anything, doesnt matter how often you press the trigger.
joe doe Call the manufacturer if unsure. Most modern .22s are fine for dry fire. I have thousands of dry fires on a CZ 452 that I converted into my biathlon rifle.
Live fire training? Buy a BB gun. Buy a good replica. I started with a Makarov. Made in the Makarov factory with 80% real parts. But I wanted a real gun/BB gun combo. I picked the Walther PPS/Umarex PPS. Damn near the same gun. I can practice all my drills in my back yard with the Umarex without worrying about killing the neighbor's dog and then go to the range once in a while with the 9.
This guy obviously isn’t a gunsmith. Or even read his owners manual on his firearms. Dry firing without snap caps will cause damage to your firearms. Even with your higher end manufacturers
The fact that this guy never shows himself shooting should tell everyone everything they need to know about what kind of "instructor" he is. And if his excuse is "well, I am a coach, not a shooter" please just watch the hundreds of other shooting instructors that actually demonstrate their instruction via shooting real bullets.
Okay so....... 1)You suffer exaggerated recoil because you never learned to hold a gun properly 2)There are dryfire drills that can help you improve 3)There are many places besides the range where practice is beneficial Proceeds to NOT demostrate how to hold a gun properly, NOT share any dryfire drills and suggests ZERO alternative locations. Thanks mate.👍
No, it has no idea. And in my opinion, this is not something I would recommend tracking or worrying about. Everyone teaching shooting (except me) focuses on what expert trainers call "LAG MEASURES" - meaning, a measurement that comes behind, or after something else. e.g. Draw time, accuracy, speed, timed "drills". This means you are focusing on an event that already happened and you can not change the results (unless you learn to time travel). Now, if you want to get results in advance, you should focus on what we call "LEAD MEASURES" - meaning, start measuring things that happen BEFORE that bullet hits the target. e.g. Dry fire training for 5 minutes everyday, meditation, practicing focusing, grip strength, etc. If you do the work before it's needed - the bullet will go where you want it to.
So you mean to tell me that I could use the laser trainer and hit my bullseye right on target every single time which is very easy to do and then pick up my .40 and hit the bullseye with the same ease as the laser? WRONG!!!! For some reason it just doesn't work out that way buddy.
The problem is most people think they can erase years of bad training with a few minutes of good training. So if you're saying, "Can you have ingrained bad shooting techniques for 10 years, then do nothing else besides try using a laser trainer, then go to the range with the mental attitude that it's not going to help, and shooter better?" Then, you are correct. It doesn't work that way buddy.
Chris Sajnog ty I'm a army vet did 8 years and your training videos have helped 100 fold and your correct about bad shooting habits it won't happen over night
Yes... Post a link to the picture of your broken striker. I've dry fired my G19 thousands of times without issue.. Modern centerfire firearms rarely experience a breakage from dry firing. And by rarely i mean pretty much never.
If you never dry fire, you won't damage your gun. If you never fire live rounds, you won't damage your gun. Guns eventually wear out if they are used. Anything mechanical will eventually fail. Why should a centerfire pistol wear out any faster from live fire than it would from dry fire?
