Accuracy Tips

[Cyrus2121]

I was hoping to get some help regarding accuracy. I know its probably hard to diagnose any problems online but just wanted some advice.

I have a M&P 9 and Savage Mark II. After taking both to the range a few times I find I am completely inaccurate with both.
I suspect its partially due to inexperience but after shooting a Walter PPQ for the first time and it seeming vastly more accurate I wanted some feedback about Apex modifications and whether it would improve the M&P. My hope was to try ISPC or IDPA with M&P down the line.

The top left corner was shot with PPQ and the other 3 corners were with M&P. All groups are 10 shots at 5 yards.

Thanks.

[K.s.47]

I'm not an expert or an instructor but I will tell you what helped me. I would always try to manage the recoil too much which took my concentration away from aiming. I would also squeeze my hands before I shot. You can put a dummy round in the gun somewhere in the magazine and you will be able to see if you are tightening up right before the trigger breaks. If this is your problem you should shoot really slow and let the recoil do what it is going to do. Hold the gun as loose as you can without dropping it Focus on the front sight and when the gun goes off let it jump up as high as it wants. Give yourself a second and then bring the gun back down.

I can't guarantee that this will work for you but it helped me a lot and I would at least give it a try. Shooting fast comes quick after you have this down. And when I am having a bad day accuracy wise I still go back to this.

[BDSL]

Grip, breathing, stance, sight

[Northaways]

Not surprised your PPQ group is better, but looking at these 5 yard groups i’d say it’s likely your fundamentals that need work and not the guns. From your M & P groups, i’d Say you likely have a few things going on that need to be corrected.

If you have an experienced friend or someone at your club that can watch you shoot, am sure they will be able to diagnose your issues and give you some valuable pointers.

You might also invest an hour or two in some good instructional YouTube videos to get the basics of stance, grip, trigger finger placement, trigger control (pull and trigger reset), front sight focus, recognizing flinch, etc. down. All of the above are important elements with accuracy, but it ultimately all boils down to having the ability to pull the trigger without flinching or moving your sights.

To do this i’m a big fan of dry fire practicing on a blank white wall with no target. Completely focus on your front sight, with target and rear sight blurry, and try and repeatedly pull the trigger without moving your sight. When I started I use to put a penny on the slide or front sight when dry firing on a blank wall. To help with focus I think of a 12” globe surrounding my gun as ‘my world’. Nothing outside this 12” globe matters when i’m on target.

Good fundamentals of grip, stance, hand strength, straight back trigger pull, front sight focus, etc. are all really just intended to help you pull the trigger without moving your sight. And if you want to get into IPSC, Idpa etc, you need to be able to pull, or as Rob Latham likes to emphasize, jerk the trigger really fast, without moving your sights.

[edgy]

Where are you located?? Try to find a good instructor local to you, I cannot stress the importance of this enough, especially the pistol, an experienced eye will help you diagnose and correct your mistakes. There are many members on CGN who are willing to help a new guy out, my shooting has improved dramatically because a few local CGN'ers have taken the time to help us out.
Let the good folks here know where you are and I'm sure someone local will offer to hit the range with you and help you out.
Even if you have to pay for a few lessons it will be well worth it in the long run, especially if you plan to compete.
If you are by any chance in the lower mainland we would be happy to take you out with us

[dm9]

I find that practising using the iTarget Pro app and a laser bullet helps improve on the fundamentals.