Is it me or is it the gun??

GarDian

GarDian

Regular
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
Location
Vancouver, BC
Hello all,

I need some pointers! I am novice and just got my first pistol, M&P 9mm. I am shooting American Eagle 9mm 115Gr.

Currently I am shooting low and to the left, from the other thread, someone posted this shooting guide:
attachment.php

It seems I need to "tighten finger", but which finger do I tighten? The grip finger(tightening grip??), or the support hand finger? or all?? Can someone explain in more details regarding the guide?

I also noticed that the front sight of my M&P is about 0.5mm to the right off center while the rear sight is perfectly centered. Will that also make my shot land to the left?? I know I probably do need a lot of training on how to shoot properly, but I dont want to do all that and then realize the M&P sight do have problem after I change to another pistol. Is there any way that I can verify my M&P's sight is at fault or not?

Will appreciate all the help!
 
If you can use a rest and shoot a target very deliberately and _know_ that you are not moving the gun when you pull the trigger, then yes you can verify if your sights are out. The other thing is that sights on a handgun are set for one person and one grip. Change the grip or the hand or the person and it probably won't have the same POI/POA relationship.

But concentrate on your trigger pull and improving it, it probably isn't perfect.

You are right handed, yes? Need to know.
 
Get one or more experienced people to shoot that pistol. In my opinion that FS should not be visibly offset and could be contributing to your struggles. Eliminate the doubts and then go to work on your technique. Take note that the "fault" on your chart is "tightening" not fingers that are too loose. In my case, your issues were due to too little finger on the trigger as I tried to follow tips.
 
I read it as your too tight with you fingers maybe expecting a recoil and anticipating by an extra squeeze pulling the gun down and inward (left)
 
silverfoxdj said:
I read it as your too tight with you fingers maybe expecting a recoil and anticipating by an extra squeeze pulling the gun down and inward (left)
Click to expand...

I believe this is correct, the diagram diagnoses what's going wrong with your shot, not the solution to your problem. Could be that you're tightening up in anticipation for recoil. Again, have a few other experienced ppl shoot your gun a bit and see how it performs for them. Also, the better solution would be shoot it from a rest and supported make sure there's no movement and shoot. The gun is typically more accurate than what the shooter can achieve, so if its on target consistently, then for sure the problem is the shooter. However, it could also be the sight is slightly off, could have happened if you bumped your gun or for whatever reason.
 
also could be too much finger on the trigger so when you tighten your trigger finger the pressure is moving in and to the left instead of pulling straight back. I had a similar issue and was given advice to use the tip of my finger to push the trigger back instead of using the pad of my finger to pull it.
 
GarDian said:
Yes I am right handed and aim with right eye as well. By the way, will a bore laser sight help me determining if my front sight is indeed out of whack?
Click to expand...

I use a laser bore sight as a first step. Just draw a simple cross on a piece of cardboard with a marker. The POI should be on the vertical line but low say at ten yards. You might start even closer and work out to where you want to zero. Depending on the distance from the bore axis and your front sight, the POI will always be low but less so as distance increases. This varies by firearm. I use the same technique as a starting point when zeroing my rifles. It goes without saying that you do this from some sort of rest. I've rigged a heavy camera tripod that I can take with me anywhere.
 
Hold the grip firmly, but not tightly.
When pulling the trigger, move only your trigger finger.

Dry fire at home, close your eyes and concentrate on not wiggling the gun.
 
Lodi said:
Hold the grip firmly, but not tightly.
When pulling the trigger, move only your trigger finger.

Dry fire at home, close your eyes and concentrate on not wiggling the gun.
Click to expand...

Dry fire with your laser sight mounted. Use a wall about 15 feet away and you will see the movement if any. Dry fire until you can keep that laser dot dead still. I also dry fire at my TV. The screen also amplifies movement.
 
Last edited:
Are you getting consistent groupings down and left or are they all over the place?
Can you put all 10 bullets into 1/2" group low/left at 7m?

Where are you shooting? Ask an experience shooter or the RO to shoot your gun.
 
Yep it's you. I own one and almost everyone I know had the same issue when they got theirs. Shooting left and low. I started doing a ton of dry fire practice and I cleared it up after time. I also got a hogue sleeve for it as I found my hands were too big for even the large back straps. I found the hogue puts my finger exactly where it needs to be for the m&p
 
burnaby said:
Are you getting consistent groupings down and left or are they all over the place?
Can you put all 10 bullets into 1/2" group low/left at 7m?

Where are you shooting? Ask an experience shooter or the RO to shoot your gun.
Click to expand...

I didn't do 10 shots groups. I shoot 50 shots per target and they pretty much all land in the lower left quadrant, roughly all in 3.5"x3.5" square with 3 or 4 flyer outside that square. I went to PCDHFC. Next time I will do 10 shot groups per target since my target is 8x11 size and after more than 20 shots it had become harder for me to determine where my shots are landing.
 
By the way, why is M&P's front sight all seem off center to the right? I went back to the store where I bought it and all the M&P they have has the front sight off center to the right. However, when I checked their Glocks or Beretta, their front sight are all perfectly centered.
 
Sometimes a different backstrap can better position your finger on the trigger. I've also had the same issue on both a Glock and M&P. Slow and smooth trigger pulls bring the shots up and centered.

Try completely over exaggerating your trigger pull as slowly as you can. If it helps, count in your head (one one thouseand, two one thousand, three one thousand, etc.). Take very slow shots while ensuring your grip (both hands), sight picture, and trigger pull are all good. Try that for an entire mag and see how your shots compare. It might seem slow and stupid at first, but the more you do it the quicker you can get and still maintain the accuracy.

I'm in no way trying to suggest I'm an expert, just something that has worked for me.
 
themikea said:
Sometimes a different backstrap can better position your finger on the trigger. I've also had the same issue on both a Glock and M&P. Slow and smooth trigger pulls bring the shots up and centered.

Try completely over exaggerating your trigger pull as slowly as you can. If it helps, count in your head (one one thouseand, two one thousand, three one thousand, etc.). Take very slow shots while ensuring your grip (both hands), sight picture, and trigger pull are all good. Try that for an entire mag and see how your shots compare. It might seem slow and stupid at first, but the more you do it the quicker you can get and still maintain the accuracy.

I'm in no way trying to suggest I'm an expert, just something that has worked for me.
Click to expand...

I will definitely try to use different size back strap next time I visit the range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom