gun support arm. elbow locked, or bent?

ok, so sorry if this is basic, but just starting to train, and as i put more hours in, i find more and more things to work on. When shooting, should the shooting arm be out with the elbow locked, or should it be bent a little with the arm strengh supporting the firearm? Ive been locking the elbow, but tryed it the other way, and wile it took a bit to get used to it, my shots seemed better. Whats the best way?

what works best for YOU is best

A footballers stiffarm is my best description

Read some of the articles on the bullseye encyclopedia (link on main page here) on stance, you should get some answers.

You can get good with your elbow bent. You will never get great with your  elbow bent. Stance,position,grip,sight alignment,trigger control and breath control. Those are the six basics to shooting a pistol. With your feet in the right position,a grip and stance that lets your pistol align naturally with the target and a good lockup your pistol sights will come back automatically on the target.It is a lot like being on cruise control. Without the lockup and shooting the big gun (45) you will have to fight it back on target everytime. Well maybe not everytime.But it is a lot easier with a good lockup.

Thanks. Ive been doing a lot of work on those things I can do off range, and the more I did it, the more its becoming second nature for me. Last time I hit the range, I think I figured out why the bent arm was working for me. My eye sight is not the best, and bringing the gun back a few inches helped bring the front site in better focis. Im working on trying diferent glasses now to adjust my vision to see the sights better. I realy want to stick with irons starting out. Im sure I will end up going with a dot, but for now I want to learn on irons.

s1120 wrote:Thanks. Ive been doing a lot of work on those things I can do off range, and the more I did it, the more its becoming second nature for me. Last time I hit the range, I think I figured out why the bent arm was working for me. My eye sight is not the best, and bringing the gun back a few inches helped bring the front site in better focis. Im working on trying diferent glasses now to adjust my vision to see the sights better. I realy want to stick with irons starting out. Im sure I will end up going with a dot, but for now I want to learn on irons.

Corrective glasses. That's the answer for you. I've discovered that some folks can't lock their elbow because of injury or the way God made them (double-jointed). They just have to figure out what works for them. For the rest of us, it does seem that keeping the elbow "locked" is the best solution to high scores for bullseye shooting. I highly recommend starting with the generally accepted techniques, but also keep in mind that those "school solution" techniques of grip, stance and placement of the off hand, should not be considered the only way to do it. We are all built a little differently and some adjustment from the accepted standard may be necessary. It's best if you can work with a good bullseye pistol coach from the outset.

yes i would love to have a coach, but at this time its not possable .

Ive been doing research on corrective lenes.  Ive dug through my old glasses, and found a pair of old safty glasses that I think will work well for me. Im very near sighted, and these are quite a bit weeker then now, but middle distance seems improved. We will see when i getnto the range!

I agree with BE MIKE about corrective lenses.This is a little off the topic but if it helps you lock up this solution is worth considering.I have the same problem but in reverse.I am far sighted. My arm was not long enough to get the front sight in focus.I wore bi-focals so I could read but the focus point was too close on the lower lens to focus with my arm extended. I have an optometrist who is a kindred spirit. I walked in for my eye exam with a pencil with a front sight taped to it. After explaining what I needed I now wear tri-focals with the middle lens focused exactly on the right distance for the front sight with my arm extended. This was a neat solution and I now wear them full time.I can even see my dashboard now 

well went to the range with my old glasses.... ya that didnt work!!!!  i think they were maybe a little TOO old    

had a great pratice, and its so inspiring to see my shots getting better and better!!!