Tag: Handgun marksmanship

ExNotes Mentors: Command Sergeant Major Emory L. Hickman

By Joe Berk

Command Sergeant Major Emory L. Hickman died way too young.  He was 48 when he passed, and that was just a few years after I knew him.  He was a tall, lean man with a salt and pepper crew cut, and like most of the noncommissioned officers I knew, he had a southern accent.  I only knew him for a year and that was more than a half century ago, but during that year he taught me something I value to this day.  Sergeant Major Hickman taught me how to shoot a handgun.

I first met Sergeant Major Hickman shortly after he was assigned to the Rutgers University Reserve Officers Training Corps detachment.   The Army held these kinds of cush assignments out to very senior NCOs as they finished distinguished 30-year careers.  Sergeant Major Hickman earned it:  He served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and he had the rows of ribbons showing that and much more.  As with all Sergeants Major in the US Army, it was always “Sergeant Major,” never “Sergeant” or “Sarge.”  Only a very tiny percentage of NCOs make E-9; addressing such men as “Sergeant Major” conveyed the respect they deserved.   After I knew him, he was promoted to Command Sergeant Major, and just in case you ever encounter someone with that exalted rank, all three words should be used, as I did at the beginning of this blog.

The last half century has been a contest between my marksmanship skills going north and my vision going south, but thanks to the good Sergeant Major and what he taught me, I’m holding my own.  I still sometimes dazzle folks at the range.  What I’d like to do in this blog is talk about the fundamentals, tips, and techniques Sergeant Major Hickman taught me.  I don’t shoot competitively these days, but I can still keep my shots in the black.  If you use the tricks and techniques Sergeant Major Hickman taught me and if you practice a lot, maybe you will be able to do the same.

In 1973 when I picked up my MacManus 1911, my father and I both thought of ourselves as above-average shooters (Dad was a world-class trapshooter, and I did okay with a rifle).  We assumed we could do well with a handgun, too.  That is, until I came home with my 1911.  We tossed a soda can about 20 feet out in our backyard and shot at it (in those days we could do that).  I went first and emptied an entire magazine without hitting the can once.  Dad had a laugh and then he tried.  He didn’t do any better.  We concluded that pistols were just not accurate.

I felt that way until I met Sergeant Major Hickman.  He had heard about my MacManus award and he asked if I’d like to learn how to shoot the 1911.    You know what my answer was.  The Sergeant Major and I spent a lot of time on the Rutgers Campus Police pistol range over the next year.   What follows is what he taught me.

1. Get A Grip

Forget all the Hollywood silliness.  We don’t hold guns sideways like gangbangers, we don’t shoot from the hip, we’re not interested in how fast we can empty a magazine (the video above notwithstanding), and we don’t fire more rounds than the gun holds.

A handgun should nestle in the web of your hand, and it should form a straight line with your forearm.  In this photo, the camera focused on the rear sight, which is not the way to do it.  Focus instead on the front sight.

Back in the day, it was all about bullseye competition, and that involved shooting with iron sights and one hand only.  Sergeant Major Hickman showed me how to stand at about a 30-degree angle to the target, place the pistol firmly in the web of my hand, close my eyes, and bring my arm up to point the pistol at the target.  “When you open your eyes,” he said, “the sights should be on the bullseye.”  He continued by telling me that if I had to twist my body or move my arm to bring the gun to the bullseye, my stance was wrong.  When I could close my eyes, bring the gun up, open my eyes (both eyes), and the sights fell naturally on target, my grip and stance were correct.  The grip should be tight, but not so tight that my hand trembled.

Pachmayr grips are my favorite for a 1911. They fit my hand perfectly.

I like fancy grips, but fancy doesn’t put shots in the black.  Over the years I’ve found the best grips for a 1911 are Pachmayrs.  I have others that are prettier, but the Pachmayrs offer the best control and consistency.  You can still get Pachmayr grips on Amazon.

2. Front Sight Focus

When I fire a round at a target, I don’t see the target.  It’s a Jedi (read: Sergeant Major Emory L. Hickman) mind trick.  When my gun fires, all I see is the front sight and the bright orange propellant flash.  When I see the front sight outlined by the muzzle flash, I don’t need to see the target.  I know the bullet is in the black.

Focus should be on the front sight. The target and the rear sight should be blurred. The sights you see here are Millet sights installed by good buddy TJ.

I start by putting the top of the front sight at 6:00 on the target’s black bullseye, but my focus quickly shifts to the front sight and it stays there until the firearm discharges.  The target and the rear sight will be a blur, but the front sight will be sharp as a tack.  It’s where all my concentration is, it’s the only thing I’m interested in, and per Sergeant Major Hickman’s instruction, I will have both eyes open.  I’m not worried about what my other eye sees.  My total focus, my total being, is on that front sight.  That’s the biggest secret in handgun shooting.  Other things are important, too, but not as important as front sight focus.  Front sight only.  It’s hard to do, but when you do it, this single thing will improve your shooting more than anything else.

3. Breath Control

When I’m ready to shoot, I take a deep breath, I let it partly out to what feels like a natural pause point, and then I start squeezing the trigger while continuing to focus on the front sight.  Sergeant Major Hickman told me that’s what it takes.  He went on to tell me that the Soviet marksmanship training unit (the Soviet Army’s pistol team) had researched what made the difference between simply hitting in the 10-ring versus hitting in the x-ring (the x-ring is a smaller circle within the 10-ring used for breaking ties).  The Soviets found that their top target shooters, without realizing it, were actually firing between heartbeats.   They didn’t realize they were doing this, but they were.  That’s info only; we’re interested in holding our breath at a natural exhalation point for the second or two it takes to focus on the front sight and squeeze the trigger.  Speaking of which…

4.  Trigger Control

Point one on the topic of trigger squeeze:  Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

The trigger finger pad should engage the trigger, not the first joint of the trigger finger.

Sergeant Major Hickman taught me that when shooting a single action semi-automatic or a revolver in the single action mode, I should put the pad of my trigger finger (the part of my finger midway between the tip and the first joint) on the trigger. He explained that while I was focused on the front sight, I should start squeezing the trigger, but not think about it.  The front sight will be aligned in the blurry rear sight, but it won’t be possible to make everything freeze on the target.  The front sight will always have some motion on the target.  The Sergeant Major told me not to worry about that.  “The only way to make everything motionless is to be dead,” he said, “and you’re not dead.” Sergeant Major Hickman told me to simply hang on to the front sight and steadily increase trigger pressure.  Just focus on the fundamentals, he said, and the groups will get smaller.  Let the target swim around.  Maintain a good grip.  Hold the right stance.  Focus on the front sight.  Breath control.  Trigger squeeze.

5.  Be Surprised

What you want, the Sergeant Major said, is for the gun to surprise you.  What you don’t want to do is anticipate the shot and then jerk the trigger.  That will cause you to flinch (to jerk the gun in anticipation of the shot), and the gun will be pointed somewhere other than the target when it discharges.  When I did it right, I was (and I still am) surprised when the gun fires.  In fact, when I’m really doing it right and concentrating on the front sight, I do not even hear the gun fire.  When that happens, you know you are on your way.  Sergeant Major Hickman was right:  Seeing the orange flash and not hearing your shots means the bullets are in the black, and that is a good feeling.

6.  Dry Firing

You can’t do this with most guns chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge, but you can dry fire until the cows come home with any centerfire handgun, and I do.  A lot.  I have a small black dot hanging in my office that I use for a target, and I spend a bit of time nearly every night dry firing a handgun at it.   It is one of several tricks Sergeant Major Hickman taught me.  I’m focused on the front sight when I do this, and I’m looking for it to not move when the hammer falls.  I want the front sight to remain motionlessly centered in the rear sight groove (and the top of the front sight to remain even with the top of the rear sight) when the hammer falls.  Doing this on a daily basis improved my shooting significantly some 50 years ago; doing it today on a regular basis keeps me sharp.

7.  A Penny (or more) For My Thoughts

If you can balance a penny on the front sight and it remains in place when the hammer falls, you are making progress.

Here’s another trick the Sergeant Major taught me:  Balance a penny on top of the 1911.  Or a nickel.  Or an empty case.  You want it to stay put when the hammer falls.  When that happens, it indicates that I didn’t jerk the trigger.  When I can do that consistently, I know I’m doing well.

8.  The Bic Trick

A Bic wrapped in masking tape. Read on…this gets interesting.

Here’s yet another cool trick Sergeant Major Hickman taught me:  Take a Bic pen and wrap tape around it in two places so that the pen fits snugly but with no resistance inside the barrel.  Put the rear end of the pen all the way into the barrel.   When dry firing, the firing pin smacks the back of the pen and the pen will jump forward.

The tape should be wrapped to a diameter that fits snugly without drag in the barrel.
Loaded and ready to shoot.
My indoor target. The pen will shoot out with surprising velocity. Don’t point it at anyone and use a pad so the pen doesn’t shoot through the paper target.
Look at that…a Bic group!

If you stand like you would when live firing, but with the pen’s tip a couple of inches from a target taped to a wall, the pen’s point will imprint on the target.   Do that a few times and you’ll get a group, just like you would if you were firing live ammo.  Do it a lot.   It will help you to master the fundamentals described above, and your live fire groups will shrink.  Trust me on this: They will shrink a lot.

9. Live Firing

I have never been able to shoot a handgun well without substantial time on the range.  Let me say that again:  I did not get better without substantial live fire practice.   I spend a lot of time on the range, and it helps to keep my skills sharp.  I fire two to three hundred rounds through a handgun every week.  If you don’t have a sponsor or you don’t reload, you better be rich because factory ammo costs are going to roll up pretty quickly.   I don’t have a shooting sponsor, so for me, reloading is the way to go. Here’s a good place to get information on how to get into reloading.

10.  The Surprise Empty Chamber

Here’s another great training approach Sergeant Major Hickman shared with me:  Have a buddy “load” your gun, but without you seeing what he (or she) is doing.  What you want your buddy to do is sometimes load a live round, and at other times, to load no round (or an empty case if the gun has a loaded chamber indicator).  You want to not know if you are dropping the hammer on a live round or an empty chamber.  That’s going to tell you immediately if you are jerking the trigger (or flinching).  If it’s not a live round and the gun twitches when I drop the trigger, I know I still have work to do.  When I can drop the hammer and the gun remains motionless, I know I’m making progress.

11.  Empty Cases at an Empty Head

Empty cases? Yep. They are surprisingly useful training aids for improving concentration, especially when bounced off your noggin.

Sergeant Major Hickman used to stand behind me when I was shooting and throw empty .45 cases at my head.  At first I felt the cases hitting my head and I reacted (the Sergeant Major wasn’t being gentle).  But after I became one with the front sight (I can’t emphasize the front sight enough), I stopped feeling those .45 ACP empties hitting my head.  I’d have little welts afterwards, but I stopped feeling the cases when they whacked me.  I realize this is a trick that’s kind of out there, but it sure helped me hone my concentration.

12.  The Right Load

The last thing I’ll mention is that having a load optimized for your handgun really does make a difference.  If you don’t reload, your options are limited to buying a bunch of different factory offerings and seeing what works.  If you reload, though, you can develop a load tuned to your handgun.  We’ve done a number of blogs on the optimal loads for different guns, and I’d invite you to peruse our Tales of the Gun page to read what we’ve found works best in our guns.  I’ve found that a 230-grain cast roundnose bullet over 5.6 grains of Unique with an overall cartridge length of 1.250 inches is a very accurate load.  Another favorite is a 185-grain cast semiwadcutter bullet over 5.0 grains of Bullseye with that same overall cartridge length of 1.250 inches.  So does 4.2 grains of Bullseye and a 200-grain cast semiwadcutter bullet (and again, the same overall cartridge length).  Be advised, though, that most 1911 handguns won’t feed these last two loads if the gun has not been ramped and polished.  If you need your 1911 ramped and polished, look no further than TJ’s Custom Gunworks (he’s the best there is).

A Half Century (and a ton of lead) Later

So here I am, 50 years later, writing about my 1911 mentor, Sergeant Major Emory Hickman.  I remember that first range session with him like it was yesterday.   After listening to him and practicing what he taught me, my skills improved to the point where I could easily keep all of my shots on paper, with 80 percent of them hitting the black bullseye.  When I got to that point, I asked the Sergeant Major if I should have my 1911 accurized.  In those days, I wasn’t even sure what “accurizing” entailed, but it sounded like the right question to ask.  Sergeant Major Hickman smiled.  “Sir,” he said (I was, after all, a Second Lieutenant), “may I put a few shots downrange?”

I handed the 1911 to Sergeant Major Hickman.  He loaded a magazine, inserted it in the 1911, released the slide to chamber the first round, and became the visual definition of intense and perfect concentration.  Five shots later, there was one ragged hole centered in the bullseye.  That one ragged hole wasn’t much larger than the hole a single .45 bullet would have made.  “Maybe you could get it accurized somewhere down the road, Sir,” he said. “but for now, I think it’s good enough.”

More Tales of the Gun!

Never miss an ExNotes blog:

The 1911 featured in this story is a Rock Island Armory Compact 1911.  My Rock Compact 1911 has been extensively upgraded by TJ (of TJ’s Custom Gunworks).  This handgun is 100% reliable with any of the loads listed above (and factory hardball ammo).

Colt’s New Python Range Tested

The Colt Python is an iconic handgun that stands out as the pinnacle of the gunmaker’s art. They were originally offered by Colt as their premier .357 Magnum revolver in a run that spanned decades and offered several variants:  Blue steel, nickel-plated steel, brushed stainless steel, bright stainless steel, and barrel lengths of 2 1/2, 4, 6, and 8 inches.  For a brief period, they even offered one chambered in .38 Special only.   That all ended a few years ago when the revolver market subsided and black plastic, semi-auto 9mm gangbanger guns held sideways took over the silver screen (there’s absolutely no accounting for some folks’ taste, I guess).  Then, in a surprise move, Colt introduced a re-engineered Python last year, in stainless steel only, with either a 4 1/4-inch or 6-inch barrel.  I had to have one, and about a month ago, I scratched that itch.

The new Python carries a hefty $1499 price tag and they are just about impossible to find.  And when you do see one, it is always substantially above MSRP.  I don’t see the prices coming down on these guns, either.  The original Pythons sell for $3K or more (mostly more), and with guns in high demand now and for the forseeable future, I think you’ll always always be able to get your money out of a Python if you ever wanted to sell it.  I don’t see the prices going anywhere but up, and like I said, it is near-impossible to find a new Colt Python. But I know people in high places, I got a hell of a deal on my Python, and I am enjoying it enormously.  Just looking at it is fun.

I went to my gun club a few days ago to shoot the new Python for the first time, and in a word, it was spectacular.  I’ll get to that in a second.

My Python has a 6-inch ventilated rib barrel. The revolver is polished stainless steel and it looks great.  The roll marks on the new Python are very similar to the original Pythons.   Very classy, in my opinion.

One of the reasons Colt stopped making the original Pythons a few years ago is they were too expensive to manufacture, as they required too much hand fitting of the revolver’s internal components.  Colt’s re-engineering effort made all but one internal part capable of being CNC-machined to final dimensions, and in the modern Python hand-fitting is required for only one component.  What that did was dramatically improve the double action trigger pull, and somewhat degrade the single action trigger pull.  The double action trigger is short and sweet, and the hammer travel is only about half what it used to be.  The single action trigger pull is, well, different.   Read on, my friends.

Help us keep the content coming:  Please click on the popup ads!

Single action, by design on the new Python, has a some take-up and you can actually see the hammer move a little further to the rear when you squeeze the trigger shooting single action.  Think of it as a single action trigger that adds a little bit of double action to the dance before it releases the hammer.

I thought there was something wrong with the revolver, but my contact at Colt told me the new Pythons were designed that way to meet the California and Massachusetts drop test requirements. It is definitely not a “breaking glass” single action trigger; it’s closer to pulling the trigger on a Glock (that’s not intended to be a compliment). Double action, though, is absolutely outstanding. It’s a shorter pull than any other double action revolver I’ve ever fired and I like it.   I suppose some people might think it’s a good thing that the gun meets the drop test requirements of left-leaning governments.  Me?  I’d go with Door No. 1 and refrain from dropping my loaded $1499 revolver.

Anyway, the single-action trigger threw me for a loop, but I adjusted to it quickly during a dry firing session.  I don’t notice it anymore, and as you’ll see below, it sure hasn’t hurt accuracy.

Fit and finish on the new Python are top notch.  You can see that in the photos on this blog, which I shot during and after an extended range session.  I probably should have taken pictures before I fired the new Python (when the gun was factory immaculate), but hey, it is what it is.

The new Python has a red ramp front sight, which I like. There is no white outline rear sight (it’s plain black). The combination works well, as the targets you see here show.  The Python also has a recessed crown, unlike the original one, which was flush.  The recessed crown better protects the bore.

My first shots were 50 rounds I put through the gun using my standard .38 Special target load (2.7 grains of Bullseye and a 148 gr wadcutter, loaded on my Star reloader), all fired single action. I shot from the 50-foot line and it was windy as hell. I had to stop a few times to walk downrange and add more staples to the target because it was starting to come loose, and the target stand was swaying toward and away from me as the wind rocked it.  I was shooting, literally, at a moving target.

A complete box of .38 Special wadcutter ammo…50 rounds fired at 50 feet firing single action.   All those extra staples were needed to keep the wind from tearing the target off the stand.

I was surprised (and pleased) at how stunningly accurate the new Python is. I hadn’t touched the sights, and it was punching holes right where I wanted right out of the box.  It put an entire box of ammo into the bullseye with a standard 6:00 hold and the sights left as they came from the factory.  That’s a first for me, and I’ve been doing this a long time.  The bottom line: The new Python is accurate.

.38 Special ammo loaded with 148-grain wadcutter bullets. The bullet’s “wadcutter” nose profile cuts a clean hole in the target.  I used mixed brass shooting the new Python for the first time.

Then I shot another box of 50 cartridges (using the same .38 Special target load I used for the target above), but this time shooting double action. Let me make the point again:  These two boxes were the first time I ever fired the new Python. Here’s my second 50 rounds on the target, fired double action.

Another 50 rounds at 50 feet, this time shooting double action. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. The new Python’s double action trigger is superb.

Eh, one shot went out of the bullseye (it’s that one in the 9-ring, just outside the 10-ring, on the right). Like I said, it was windy out there. But still, for me, this was phenomenal double action shooting.  It’s the best I’ve ever done shooting double action, actually.

Then I thought I’d try two 5-shot groups on the 50 foot standard pistol target with .357 ammo (all targets shown here were shot at 50 feet). As you know, a .357 Magnum handgun can shoot either .357 Mag ammo or .38 Special ammo.  I brought along some of my standard 357 Magnum reloads (15.7 grains of Winchester 296 powder and a 158 grain Hornady jacketed hollow point bullet).  This is a load I’ve been using since my Army days and it does well in any .357 Magnum revolver I’ve ever owned. It came from the pamphlet Winchester published in the 1970s for their powders. It performed superbly well in the new Python.

.357 Magnum shots at 50-foot targets. Point of aim was 6:00 for all shots. Bring it on…fire and brimstone…the new Python handles full power .357 Magnum loads well.

It’s easy to forget how powerful the .357 Magnum cartridge is unless you fire it back-to-back with the .38 Special.  The .38 Special is a very manageable cartridge with moderate recoil, especially in a big, heavy, 6-inch handgun like the new Python.  When I shot the .357 Magnum loads, I was instantly reminded that the .357 is a real barn burner.  Think big recoil and lots of muzzle flash and blast.  It was cool, and the big Python handled full power magnum loads well.

As I already mentioned, it was very windy and gusty on the range (two tractor trailers were on their side on I-15 when I drove out to the club). I was the only guy out there (I’m probably the first guy to visit our range with the new Python, too). On a calm day, I’m sure I could do better than the targets you see above.

I finished up another box of .38 Specials shooting 158 gr cast flatpoint Hursman bullets (also loaded with 2.7 gr of Bullseye), shooting at one of those green star target things you throw on the ground (my daughter bought it for me a few years ago and I think the thing is going to last forever). I walked it out to 50 yards with repeated hits, and I’ll bet I didn’t miss but two or three times out of 40 or so rounds.

There were no malfunctions of any kind in the approximately 150 rounds I fired through the new Python.  No light strikes, no misfires, and no jams.  And like I’ve been saying, accuracy was stellar.  It’s almost like the new Python is laser guided.

A prancing pony…the rampant Colt logo that has adorned Colt firearms for more than a century and a half. Long may it live!

You know, there’s an old saying:  You get what you pay for.  To that, I would add the qualifier:  Sometimes.  In the case of the new Colt Python, this is one of those times.  I love the new Python.  It’s an iconic firearm and if you are thinking about getting one, my advice is this: Do so. You won’t be disappointed.

You can see our earlier blog on good buddy Python Pete’s 8-inch, original Colt Python here.  And please check out our other Tales of the Gun stories here.

Never miss an ExNotes blog!

Need targets?  Order them the way we do and have them delivered to your door!

Want to load your own ammo?  Here’s a good place to get started in the reloading game!

Check out our resurrected Star reloader for prepping high-quality .38 Special ammo!

Want to see more on .38 Special and .357 Magnum accuracy loads in a Ruger Blackhawk?  Check this out!

Keep us afloat:  Please hit those popup ads!