3 Tips for Shooting a Handgun One-Handed

February 03, 2023

When it comes to firing a handgun for self-defense, it’s rare for you to shoot under ideal conditions. Life-threatening moments leave you little warning, and the need to respond within seconds means you won’t always be able to put two hands on your weapon and assume a perfect form. Train for less-than-ideal conditions with these three tips for shooting a handgun one-handed.

1. Secure Your Stance

When firing a weapon with just one hand, stabilization becomes the biggest problem. Without a second hand keeping the gun steady, controlling kickback becomes significantly more difficult.

To compensate, utilize a foot-forward stance in your gun hand. If you’re shooting with your right hand, put your right foot forward, and vice-versa if you’re left-handed. Shift most of your weight onto that foot with your knee slightly bent.

A foot-forward firing position provides much more stability when firing with a single hand. This will enable you to control recoil far more effectively and make aiming subsequent rounds easier.

Once you’ve positioned your feet, raise the gun directly in front of you to eye level. Many people find that letting their elbow bend slightly out, rather than keeping it rigidly locked, improves shooting accuracy.

2. Grip the Gun Firmly

The next tip for shooting a handgun one-handed is to practice firming your grip to improve shooting accuracy. Many shooters spend most of their training time firing with both hands. Without a stabilizing hand, many struggle with the placement of their shooting thumb.

In two-handed shooting, you keep your thumbs forward and raised. But with one-handed shooting, you keep your wrist firm and drop the shooting thumb to increase grip support.

To master your grip, practice drawing your firearm into a single-hand grip posture. It will feel unnatural initially, but with enough repetition, you can master your grip and maximize your preparedness. The correct grip and stance will improve your recoil management.

3. Practice Weak Hand Shooting

When firing a weapon one-handed, most shooters practice with their dominant hand. But if you sustain an injury to your dominant arm or shoulder, you’ll need to rely on your weak hand for protection.

At the beginning of your training with your secondary hand, it’ll feel awkward and perhaps uncomfortable. You can do dry fire drills as often as it takes to feel comfortable and in control while holding the firearm. Double-check that your firearm is unloaded, and always point it in a safe direction based on your surroundings.

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