Can't shoot 1911 straight. Help!

mrakimbo

mrakimbo

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So this is kind of maddening for me. I shoot my Ruger MK III pretty OK. I mean I'm not Annie Oakley or whatever but I can put 'em in the 9 and 10 ring from 25m on an ISSF target one-handed.

But as soon as I switch to my Ruger SR 1911 I'm hitting wind. I can either put them in the 9 and 10 ring... or I throw them left into the 3 ring. Or lower.

I dry fire a bunch to practice, and I can see the front sight twitch left-wards sometimes. I can't figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong. Like I said I can pop the Mk III without any of this twitchy BS. Sometimes I can get dead-on shots with the 1911. But most of the time I might as well just fart at the target.

Any idea what the heck I'm doing wrong?
 
Try moving your finger back so you're firing with the tip of your finger and not past the first knuckle. If that works, get some thicker grips.
My range has a diagram of a target that explains what's going on if you're hitting various target quadrants. I think pulling left was too much finger past the trigger, but I could be mistaken.
Worth a try anyway.
 
I might have some boring old hogue wrap-around grips. Maybe they're thicker. I never put them on the gun because they look so thoroughly meeeh. I'll see where my finger lands on the trigger and go from there. Thanks for the tips (ha).
 
lister said:
Try moving your finger back so you're firing with the tip of your finger and not past the first knuckle. If that works, get some thicker grips.
My range has a diagram of a target that explains what's going on if you're hitting various target quadrants. I think pulling left was too much finger past the trigger, but I could be mistaken.
Worth a try anyway.
Click to expand...

It could be, or it could be that you're slapping the trigger when you feel your sight picture is acceptable. You could also be milking the gun, or squeezing down on it at the moment of the trigger pull in a subconscious effort to control the recoil. Also, if your finger is too short to reach the trigger correctly, you may be pushing on the outside corner and steering the muzzle that to the left (assuming you are right-handed). You may also be blinking.

Try this:
Make sure your gun is correctly aligned in the hand (bore in line with the bones of the forearm) and try to get as close as you can to a perpendicular interface between your trigger finger and the surface of the trigger. You can get different length trigger if you need to. Hold the sights in alignment with the spot on the target you want to hit and build pressure on the trigger, straight back into the frame, until the gun lifts in recoil. See the sights lift. If you don't, you don't really know where the shot is going.

If you are watching the front sight, you'll see if there is a deflection just before the moment of ignition. If you do this in dry-fire, you will quickly be able to reverse-engineer your trigger pull mechanics to a smooth, non-deflected pull.

Good luck!
 
if you can hold the 9 ring of an issf , your fundamentals are fine . what load , is the back strap arched or flat , are they std grips , what's the trig weight , is there creep in the trig , have you tried ball & dummy [ this is the best way to see your prob ] . you could also try double plugging , the noise & recoil from 22 to 45 [ even targ loads ] can throw even experienced shooters off . the main thing to remember , breathe & squeeze & 1 shot @ a time . you need to start from scratch , by the numbers , same as you did learning the 22 . good luck , the 45 is a fun gun to shoot once you get over the start up .
 
nada said:
if you can hold the 9 ring of an issf , your fundamentals are fine . what load , is the back strap arched or flat , are they std grips , what's the trig weight , is there creep in the trig , have you tried ball & dummy [ this is the best way to see your prob ] . you could also try double plugging , the noise & recoil from 22 to 45 [ even targ loads ] can throw even experienced shooters off . the main thing to remember , breathe & squeeze & 1 shot @ a time . you need to start from scratch , by the numbers , same as you did learning the 22 . good luck , the 45 is a fun gun to shoot once you get over the start up .
Click to expand...

Wolf SWC 200gr, grips are standard, backstrap is flat, and the trigger weight is about 4lbs and very clean. I haven't tried ball & dummy yet, but I've got ball and dummy so I'll give it a go next time.
 
mrakimbo said:
I haven't tried ball & dummy yet, but I've got ball and dummy so I'll give it a go next time.
Click to expand...

Single best, cheapest training aid you can ever use at this stage. You're probably anticipating recoil.

For your own confidence in the pistol, you should have someone else shoot it to confirm that it is indeed capable of accurate shooting. You should also try shooting someone else's centerfire pistol to see if you're any better/worse with it.
 
good video with lots of valuable info!
I liked the part when he says to the shooter to relax the shoulders, I see a lot of people at the range that bring the shoulders up and between the head, I don't know how bringing the shoulders up can be beneficial for accuracy and shooting consistency, since you are adding an extra factor to the equation and one that is totally unnatural, however lots of people claim this to be correct due to being the technique taught in the army among other forces. He is very clear about it when he says at the very beginning 'military and LE in general is 20 years behind in shooting techniques'...
amazing.
 
mrakimbo said:
... and I can see the front sight twitch left-wards sometimes.
Click to expand...

~ If this is shooter error, then eliminate the flinch.

~ There might be a hard let-off, just as the sear disengages from the hammer. A trigger job should cure that.
~ Install an over-travel stop in the trigger.
 
I'd go with the ball and dummy drill. I suspect that the higher recoil from the .45's are making you flinch a little.

You're already shooting the .22 just fine and have the basics down if you're able to shoot your .22 as well as you said. Hell, I wish I could shoot that tight at 25meters! So that leaves us pretty much with the idea that you're flinching in expectation of the bigger recoil. Some ball and dummy work should tell the tale on that.

To aid in getting past the recoil anticipation concentrate on a complete and full trigger pull. When the recoil is done the trigger should still be held back. Then ease up until you feel the reset and you can then build pressure for the next shot. By focusing on a smooth pressure build and the idea of pulling the trigger to the rear stop instead of to the BANG! you help take your mind off the upcoming thump to the hand.
 
all the gun & ammo specs are in the right range . the ruger may not be a bulls eye gun but it should hold 2"/3" @ 25yds , well within the black of your issf targ . your grip will need to be firmer than with the 22 but there is no need to white knuckle it , if the gun is rotating try some grip [skate board ]tape on the fore strap , be careful not to let your thumb or little finger exert excessive pressure , & don't fight the recoil .
 
I just wanted to give an update on my journey to not sucking so hard with my 1911.

I swapped the grips out for a Hogue with finger grooves. Dunno if that actually helped but it makes me feel better. Made sure my trigger finger is placed right, and got a firmer grip on the gun. Focus on smooth, consistent, and even pulls with follow-through.

Tried out the Ball & Dummy trick and yup, definitely flinching. To the left mostly, but also sometimes to the right. Recoil jitters.

So now I just gotta focus on squeezing the trigger evenly, and putting more lead through the pipe. On the last couple range trips I fired 100 rounds each, and towards the end of the trip I started to notice I'm flinching less and the shots are starting to fall in a more group-like pattern. Just need more practice. More practice and more lead.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
Anon and crackerbarrel and anyone else. Here's another superb video on the proper grip for a handgun;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZDttBfock

Between the stuff in the Todd Jarret video and this one I can't think of much to add. And for those that know me that is saying a LOT :D

Mrakimbo, back when I was fighting my own flinch issues I used my .22 as a training aid. I'd shoot a mag or two of .22 with particular attention and focus on doing all the right stuff with the follow through and all. When I had almost a sense of detachment I'd switch to the center fire. As soon as that broke and I noticed I was flinching I'd switch back to the .22 and re-gain my "zen like" composure before switching back over to the center fire gun. For me this sure did speed up losing my flinch.

Even for two or three years after I'd feel the flinch returning and I'd take my trusty .22 along with the center fire together and do this back and forth to push that flinch back down into the dungeon.
 
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