Please Help

C

csmith99

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
The North West corner of the greatest country in t
Hey all;
While I'm waiting for my government to get me the proper paperwork to allow me to carry my guns to/from the range, I've been shooting the instructors guns. Needless to say, they vary by caliber and make/model.

Here's my problem: I'm all over the target! One shot hits the bull, next one is at the 9 o'clock, then at the 2 o'clock! I'd have to say a good majority seem to fall low, but most are between 5 o'clock and 10 o'clock!

I've had 4 different opinions on my grip, each one different, and each one very uncomfortable and unsuccessful.:confused:

What am I doing wrong? Please help.
 
I assume that you are talking about a handgun since you are waiting for paperwork.

I bad grip will usually ( not always though ) show up as a group in a different place on the target. Low to to left, low to right etc.

So right now you are shooting different guns & different calibers. You could be " breaking " your wrist. In other words just as you pull the trigger you anticipate the shot & pull the gun down slightly as it fires.
Or you may just simply have a flinch. Try some dry firing & that will tell you if you have a flinch or not.

A very important point in shooting is being consistent from shot to shot.
Find a comfortable grip, stance, sight picture & stay with it. Every time you change one of the factors you change where the bullet hits.

Don't worry about where the group is on the target. concern yourself with getting a good group.
A good shooter, standing behind you when you shoot & watching you should be able to pick up any faults.
 
I'm sorry, Yes it's pistol shooting!

As I'm "borrowing" guns, usually the owner stands close by. This is how I've been getting all those opinions and advice on the different grips. I have a chart that shows what all these results are, but I was hoping for a "miracle" cure. I've been "observed" a few times, and NO, I don't flinch. Unfortuneatly it even happens with .22LR. I'm used to the sound and recoil from arms, as I'm a hunter. It's just been suggested it may be the way I line up the target in the sights.

It's like golf grips, every one has a "better" grip that the last guy, and the one you are using isn't ever good enough. Can you suggest a grip and a way to sight the target? or even better, a URL to a page that may have some words of wisdom?

thanks
 
Here is one web sight with a good article on learning handgun shooting.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob85.html

This article covers the basics of shooting a handgun. Grip, stance, sight picture etc. Good reading.
Borrowing guns from different people is great while you wait for your paperwork but there is nothing like having your own gun & getting in lots of good practice.

Practice the basics . It will take time. Handguns are not the easiest to shoot.
 
colinjw said:
Here is one web sight with a good article on learning handgun shooting.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob85.html

This article covers the basics of shooting a handgun. Grip, stance, sight picture etc. Good reading.
Borrowing guns from different people is great while you wait for your paperwork but there is nothing like having your own gun & getting in lots of good practice.

Practice the basics . It will take time. Handguns are not the easiest to shoot.
Click to expand...
Thanks, looks great. I like that they go into detail on the grasp, and it looks like it's already given me an explanation into my "bad" shooting. Seems like as I pull the trigger, I'm also gripping the gun harder. It seems that this is moving the aim of the pistol, and may be a major cause of my poor results.

I'll print and read several times over the next few days.

Thanks again.
 
No problem. Having a bad habit when shooting is easy. I know. I have had lots of them over the years.

It may sound rather boring but dry firing, say at a point on a wall at home, can really help.
Pull the curtains so the people across the road don't see you & phone the local gendarmes & if you use a .22lr, use a snap cap.

Good luck.
 
Pistol shooting is even more about consistency than is rifle shooting. If your stance changes that will effect your shots. Tilt your head differently and again your shot will be off the previous one.

Are you using a spotting scope between shots? Don't. Don't move. Load the gun lift the gun up to position fire the first shot. Let your gun come back down into position after the recoil, quickly alignment the sights and fire the next shot. Empty the gun. Don't go for speed but don't take a long time either. The longer you take the more fatigue will start to set in. Then look where the bullets went and the group size. Don't change your body position, head position, anything else, between shots.

Use only one hand. Often the second hand in a two handed hold will cause inconsistent hold on the gun. Don't start shooting with two hands until you have learned how to shoot with one. It is actually harder with two.

Make sure you are starting with an accurate gun.
 
You need to shoot ONE gun. shooting a variety of different ones requires different grips. Once you manage to get used to one, you then shoot an entirely different one. That doesn't help.
Now I didn't mean you should own only one gun, but rather practice with the one or ones YOU own.
 
Thanks for that link. I shot my 9mm for the first time last night and did horribly! I'm going to try out the things mentioned in that link tonight at the range.
 
"...and did horribly!..." How well does it fit your hand? It should feel right and you should be able to easily reach the trigger with no straining. Then grip the pistol, close your eyes and raise it to eye level. If your grip and the pistol fits your hand, the sights should be very close to being aligned properly. If not, something needs changing. Difficult to tell what without being there.
Also, remember that good handgun shooting requires a fair bit of upper body tone and a firm grip. Neither of which just happens.
 
colinjw said:
No problem. Having a bad habit when shooting is easy. I know. I have had lots of them over the years.

It may sound rather boring but dry firing, say at a point on a wall at home, can really help.
Pull the curtains so the people across the road don't see you & phone the local gendarmes & if you use a .22lr, use a snap cap.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
No .22LR's. I have a .40 S&W Sig SP2022 and a .357 Case Blued Ruger New Vaquero. I often "quick draw" against the TV when a good western is on. I guess what I need to do is actually take a stance as if I was at the range and go from there.

Thanks
 
Rudy H said:
Pistol shooting is even more about consistency than is rifle shooting. If your stance changes that will effect your shots. Tilt your head differently and again your shot will be off the previous one.

Are you using a spotting scope between shots? Don't. Don't move. Load the gun lift the gun up to position fire the first shot. Let your gun come back down into position after the recoil, quickly alignment the sights and fire the next shot. Empty the gun. Don't go for speed but don't take a long time either. The longer you take the more fatigue will start to set in. Then look where the bullets went and the group size. Don't change your body position, head position, anything else, between shots.

Use only one hand. Often the second hand in a two handed hold will cause inconsistent hold on the gun. Don't start shooting with two hands until you have learned how to shoot with one. It is actually harder with two.

Make sure you are starting with an accurate gun.
Click to expand...
No spotting scope used.
The instructors at the club insist that I shoot two handed. How it's held (Grip) varies by instructor. Maybe that's got me all confused as well. I'm not using the same grip twice in a row. I will try a single handed grip (when I get my ATT's in place for the new club) with my own guns.

Thanks.
 
IM_Lugger said:
have you tried this grip? http://steyrclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=778 thats how I shoot...

but what you really need is more practice! Get a .22 (because the ammo is cheap) few thousand round of ammo, and just practice with it! Most .22's are cheap and have a decent trigers and sights, don't jump into centerfires right away (or just get both!)
Click to expand...
Although not all the photos loaded on that page, I got the general idea. That very grip was showed to me (very early on in this saga) by an IDPA shooter. Then the "head" instructor told me NOT to hold an Auto that way (I don't have an issue with my SAA) because the slide will chop off parts of my thumb.

I get several stories like that with every new instructor and every new grip. I guess I have to compile all the grips into one that works for me and master it!

Thanks
 
csmith99 said:
Here's my problem: I'm all over the target! One shot hits the bull, next one is at the 9 o'clock, then at the 2 o'clock! I'd have to say a good majority seem to fall low, but most are between 5 o'clock and 10 o'clock!.
Click to expand...
At 25 yards, and depending on the gun and your eyesight, this could be normal. How big of a group are your shots making?
 
sunray said:
"...and did horribly!..." How well does it fit your hand? It should feel right and you should be able to easily reach the trigger with no straining.
Click to expand...
I have to disagree with this somewhat. Personally, I find that there is no correlation between how good a gun feels in the hand and how well it shoots. The feel sensation can be quite deceiving. Take Glock for example. Few would describe its grip shape as particularly natural or ergonomic, yet Glocks do quite well in shooting disciplines.
 
Csmith,

It takes a lot of practice to become proficient with handguns. Some are more natural shots than others, but most newbies experience results similar to yours. There's about a billion different shooting guides that you can search for on the internet; you might want to do some readings in order to understand the fundamentals of handgun shooting (proper grip, trigger control, flinching, etc.) Also, learn from your mistakes, experiment with different grips and shooting positions, and most importantly try to send as many rounds down range as you can.
 
Is it generally alot easier to shoot a rimfire over a centerfire handgun? I was MUCH better with my .22 revolver than my 9mm. I'd say the groups were around 6 - 7", and 90% were on the 8x11 target at 20yrds. Most of the time I completely missed the target with my 9mm, I was all over the place, but usually low if I hit it. The last five shots I took I adjusted my grip in a manner than landed me all five in the target perimeter. I'd love to have stayed to try that grip again but I ran out of ammo.
 
Generaly I find revolvers to be more accurate the semiautos... also your Ruger .22 has a MUCH longer barrel and sight radius than your 92fs. not to mention no recoil...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom