I noticed from my last trip at the range that i'm always shooting down and left. I was wondering if any of you can give a kind of "troubleshooting guide" to try to fix that problem. I have seen a kind of correction chart who said it's a "tightening fingers" or "slapping trigger" problem but i'm not sure what's that mean. I think my dominant eyes is right (i'm right handed too) but could it be a bad dominant eye problem? I'm trying to learn to shoot with both eyes open since a month but i'm always ending with the left eye closed.
Why i'm shooting down-left?
- Thread starter Heimdall1982
- Start date
Ar180shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa, ON
Too much finger on the trigger and anticipating recoil would be my guess.
You are doing what I and many right handed shooters did when they first started shooting a pistol -low and left. Spend more time practice dry firing than live fire and concentrate on the front sight keeping it completely still and on target as the trigger breaks. Trigger pull straight and smooth and let the trigger break without anticipating the shot (pushing). Also get a proper high grip on the pistol with as much of your hands and fingers on it as you can get. There are many articles & videos on the web, some good some not so good, to get you more (& better) info.
Ignore that stupid chart/target it's a waste of time. Watch your front sight, like seriously watch it, 100% of your focus and concentration on it, slowly press the trigger, keep watching the front sight, keep pressing, don't lose focus on the front sight, if you see the sight move start again, repeat until you're not low left.
TacticalTeacher
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Georgian Bay, ON
Sight picture, sight picture, sight picture........ 
the bottom part of that pic above is bunk. ignore it and anyone that tells you too much finger or too little finger. it doesn't matter, watch your sights, be smooth on the trigger. that's it. you can pull the trigger with a stick, if you do it smoothly and focus on the sights, the shot goes where it's supposed to.
Hope this helps:
I found (still find)this to be the most difficult of all the shooting disciplines to master. With this sight picture when the shot "happens" POA everytime.
- Location
- Southern Ontario
any chance you shoot an M&P9??
Trigger control.
Sight picture and sight alignment are important, but trigger control more so. The pistol floats in the holding pattern, and trigger pressure is increased slowly, smoothly, steadily, straight to the rear, subconsciously, until the shot breaks. The shot will land within the holding pattern. The smaller the holding pattern, the tighter the group.
Sight picture/sight alignment errors result in the group being larger. Trigger control errors produce those stray shots that are out of the group, low and left for a right hander.
The shot must break without disturbance to the pistol.
"Live and dry" is the single best training exercise. A partner loads/or does not load the pistol. The shooter does not know if the pistol is loaded. The partner does not load a round into the pistol until the shooter is consistently dry firing without the pistol being disturbed. The point is that there is no difference between a dry shot and a live one. In a live and dry practice, only 10-20 percent of the shots should be live, and then only when the shooter is firing strings of dry shots.
An optic sight eliminates sight alignment, leaving sight picture and trigger control. If dry firing with an optical sight, any disturbance to the pistol when the shot breaks is readily apparent.
A laser is also a great training aid. The shooter and the coach can clearly see the dip resulting from poor trigger control.
Sight picture and sight alignment are important, but trigger control more so. The pistol floats in the holding pattern, and trigger pressure is increased slowly, smoothly, steadily, straight to the rear, subconsciously, until the shot breaks. The shot will land within the holding pattern. The smaller the holding pattern, the tighter the group.
Sight picture/sight alignment errors result in the group being larger. Trigger control errors produce those stray shots that are out of the group, low and left for a right hander.
The shot must break without disturbance to the pistol.
"Live and dry" is the single best training exercise. A partner loads/or does not load the pistol. The shooter does not know if the pistol is loaded. The partner does not load a round into the pistol until the shooter is consistently dry firing without the pistol being disturbed. The point is that there is no difference between a dry shot and a live one. In a live and dry practice, only 10-20 percent of the shots should be live, and then only when the shooter is firing strings of dry shots.
An optic sight eliminates sight alignment, leaving sight picture and trigger control. If dry firing with an optical sight, any disturbance to the pistol when the shot breaks is readily apparent.
A laser is also a great training aid. The shooter and the coach can clearly see the dip resulting from poor trigger control.
While some have pointed out that which part of your finger pulls the trigger matters little, there is the related concept of angle of pull. If the trigger reach is too long and all you can get on it is the tip of the finger, you will be pushing the trigger to the left at the same time - so straight back is indeed very important.
More likely you may be experiencing a form of flinch in anticipation of the shot. With an imaginary gun in your hand, point your index finger at a place on the screen of your computer. Three of your fingers are holding the grip of the imaginary gun. Now, watching your POA, tighten that imaginary grip quickly. Is that where your shots are going?
As many have pointed out, dry fire practice is helpful. Concentrate on moving your trigger finger independent of your grip. Sometimes better hearing pro helps. Moving or reactive targets or fast followup shots can also help to take your mind off anticipation of the shot.
I found this chart helpful. Seems like only a joke - but when it's right - try for consistency in doing exactly that.
More likely you may be experiencing a form of flinch in anticipation of the shot. With an imaginary gun in your hand, point your index finger at a place on the screen of your computer. Three of your fingers are holding the grip of the imaginary gun. Now, watching your POA, tighten that imaginary grip quickly. Is that where your shots are going?
As many have pointed out, dry fire practice is helpful. Concentrate on moving your trigger finger independent of your grip. Sometimes better hearing pro helps. Moving or reactive targets or fast followup shots can also help to take your mind off anticipation of the shot.
I found this chart helpful. Seems like only a joke - but when it's right - try for consistency in doing exactly that.
Attachments
I notice I do the same and sometimes when I put snap caps in my clips and pull the trigger, the gun moves down in anticipation. At first I thought it was with the gun but then I realized with mixing in snap caps into a magazine clip that I was the one messing up.
I have also dry fired 5000 times and everytime I dry fire, the front sights stay still. As soon as the pistol is loaded again, I go back to pushing. Guess it's gonna take more time. I also blink everytime I fire a shot so I usually can't see if the end of the pistol moves so I started to record shooting with my cell phone.
I have also dry fired 5000 times and everytime I dry fire, the front sights stay still. As soon as the pistol is loaded again, I go back to pushing. Guess it's gonna take more time. I also blink everytime I fire a shot so I usually can't see if the end of the pistol moves so I started to record shooting with my cell phone.
Shooting smaller, lighter pistols, that bottom chart works for me though. I'm sure it's compensating for some other problem, but if I want to shoot such a thing well I have to shoot from the bottom of my finger.
Nothing a few ten thousand rounds wouldn't cure, but who has the money these days?
