I was once trying a new pattern revolver, and made a very bad shot, although I knew I had let-off well. I opened the revolver, and a thin shred of lead fell out, showing the bullet had been deformed as it entered the barrel.
A bad shot from such a cause cannot happen to an automatic or a single-shot pistol.
A near-sighted man is at more disadvantage in pistol shooting than in rifle shooting.
With a rifle the hind sight can be fixed to the barrel nearer, or further from the eye until it is at just the right distance to suit the shooter.
The pistol must be held at the full stretch of the arm, or else one will get a blow on the nose, and will not be able to hold steadily.
A long-sighted man can continue pistol shooting without having to wear glasses long after he has to use them for reading.
A near-sighted man finds the hind sight too far for him to see it clearly, and then makes the fatal mistake of shooting with a bent arm.
This not only prevents accurate shooting, but he is very apt to get the hind sight into his eye from the recoil of a kicking automatic.
The arm should be held straight and extended to full stretch, so as to point the pistol by sense of direction, just as a well-fitting shotgun stock enables the shooter to aim without consciously paying any attention to the sights.
Use the pistol exactly as you would use a shotgun. It is this want of knowledge of shotgun shooting which makes men shoot a pistol as if it were a rifle being used at a stationary target.