Metro Vancouver gunsmith recommendation?

chewy06

chewy06

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Surrey BC
Looking for a gunsmith to take my new to me M&P pro to for a look over.

Finally got my paperwork and was able to take my new GSG 1911 and my new to me but lightly used M&P pro to the range. The GSG ran ok for a couple hundred rounds (a couple of stove pipes, one FTF and a couple FTEs but given it was brand new, im not really bothered). I was able to put 5" groups consistently at 10 yards at a slightly higher than slow firing pace.

The M&P is a problem though, and, while im not a really experienced shooter, at 10 yards - and being able to group the 22 reasonably without too much effort, I was expecting with deliberate aim to be able to achieve the same or better results with it. About a 100 rounds down the pipe I was really struggling. When I set up a fresh target at 10 yards (the same one as id used for the GSG), I had no group. 10 shots my target (that was stuck to an old IDPA target) looked like swiss cheese - and, more concerning, had only 8 holes. Somehow, with deliberate aim at a range that I dont think I actually needed to aim at all at to at least hit cardboard, i managed to miss the IDPA target completely, twice.

I did clean it, carefully, prior to shooting. The bore looks good to me & i dont see any signs of damage to the chamber or crown under slight magnification, but then again, i might be missing something obvious.

I suspect that Im probably part of the problem, but, Im having a hard time believing that moving from one gun to another I can become that bad a shot instantly. When i took my IDPA course, i had a loaner CZ, which I shot well with & have had a chance to put a couple of clips through a couple of other handguns with reasonable results.

Im going to try to take it out again this week, just because its really pissing me off & Ive signed up for the next IDPA match and was really wanting to go shoot it, but, if im going to shoot it that horribly, that isnt going to happen & sending it into experienced hands is probably the better route.
 
Get someone else to try shooting it before you chalk it up to the pistol... Mechanics between pistols can be quite different, especially for newer shooters. Good luck, and see you at IDPA sometime!
 
As others have said I'd get a couple different people to shoot the gun before a trip to the gun smith...

Reliable, dlask, bits of pieces gave all done good work for me.
 
Aside from loose sights if the gun has decent lock up the bullets should go where the the barrel is pointing and that should be where the sights are aiming. There is not much else involved....other than the shooter. Try shooting it from a firm rest at 7 then 10 yards. You might be surprised. There is not much a 'smith can do to the gun if indeed it is the gun. At 10 yards the gun should not be shooting all over the target.

Take Care

Bob
 
Thanks guys

going to try to get out to semi tonight. im sure that after baring my problem to the interweb, there will be a basic fundamental issue with me & the gun will be just fine. LOL
 
When I took the Black Badge a month ago, there was a shooter with a brand new M&P that couldn't hit the IPSC target from 7 yards; the instructor tried it and sure enough it was shooting low-right by a _lot_.

Have it checked by an expert shooter first; if it still has issues, you can send it to Murray Charlton in Vancouver Island, who is the warranty centre for S&W.

Good luck.
 
factory, cheap factory, but factory. Blazer brass 124grain. Have a plan for tonight, fingers crossed its just me & its an easy fix. I quite like the gun, would like it better if i could hit something. frick.
 
domyalex said:
When I took the Black Badge a month ago, there was a shooter with a brand new M&P that couldn't hit the IPSC target from 7 yards; the instructor tried it and sure enough it was shooting low-right by a _lot_.

Have it checked by an expert shooter first; if it still has issues, you can send it to Murray Charlton in Vancouver Island, who is the warranty centre for S&W.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

That in itself means nothing - the M&P trigger is, for many people, more sensitive to grip than the Glock. Some folks have issues with it, even truly excellent shooters, even truly excellent instructors. One instructor who shot mine said he'd always had difficulty with the M&P, and had experience with enough of them to know where the problem lay - not with the individual gun - and even though he loved the trigger on mine the groups were in the wrong place. Try using a grip one size smaller than the one you have on it now, assuming that you're running either the medium or large, and shoot the 9 before the 22, shooting uses muscles in the hand that don't get much work in the real world. This leads to rapid fatigue in new shooters. Shooting a pistol isn't an easy thing, it takes time to develop the skills to be able to pick up a pistol and shoot it well, you can spend a ton of money buying and selling guns, but at the end of the day, consistent, correct practise is the only thing that will make you a better shooter, there is no handgun that will magically give you ability, and there are very few that are defective enough to take ability away.
 
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ok, so, big thanks to Jimbo. The gun is fine (well, mostly, it does shoot a little right LOL). He was super helpful in helping me fix some of my mechanical issues that were contributing to the wildness. And, it seems to me that my cross dominance (im right handed but left eye dominant & yes, this is optometrist confirmed) is playing a role with the wildness too, especially if i get lazy and leave an eye open while aiming.
 
Glad it got sorted. Allegedly you can force dominance through exercises, but I've never tried.
I know it's a bit of a drive, but the IDPA guys practice in Chilliwack on Wednesday (MAYBE Tuesday??) nights. They're really helpful with drills and such too.
Keep working at it and we'll see you out there!
 
You're very welcome, Chewy. Glad I could help.

I'll list off some of the things we talked about here for easy reference:

I teach the grip that Shannon demonstrates in this video:


Practice the dry-fire we talked about and make sure you're isolating your trigger finger from the others, while finding the "Goldilocks" of grip pressure. Not too light, and not too strong. When you pull the trigger, your other fingers aren't supposed to move. Keep watching the front sight post and make sure it's rock solid when you pull the trigger.

At the range, always try to find some time to practice with dummy rounds in your mags. When the gun goes "click", instead of "bang", your FSP shouldn't move. If it did move, then your shot wasn't going to go where you wanted. :)

If a bullet goes somewhere unintended, like a typical 7 o'clock flinch, pause, take that mental break to acknowledge what you just did, and really focus on the next shot to do the right things. You demonstrated that perfectly last night. Keep on doing this.

For now, keep your non-dominant eye closed. Other instructors may want you to open it, but my suggestion is to keep it closed for now. I'd like to see you develop good habits with your hands to get the bullet going where you want, before introducing yet another variable in your shooting. Esp a variable that can send rounds way off target. :) It's all about keeping frustration low, motivation high, and smiles all day long. :)

Keep at it, and keep having fun!
 
Phat Eagle said:
Glad it got sorted. Allegedly you can force dominance through exercises, but I've never tried.
I know it's a bit of a drive, but the IDPA guys practice in Chilliwack on Wednesday (MAYBE Tuesday??) nights. They're really helpful with drills and such too.
Keep working at it and we'll see you out there!
Click to expand...

Im a member there, I look at the club calendar, and my already double booked Wednesday nights and swear to myself. LOL.

The cross dominance thing, ive read about a fair bit over the years (I coach fastpitch & its valuable to understand because it affects the way the hitters track and line up contact), I dont buy that it can be changed. But, last night after having a flyer, the epiphany of the whole "crap, i think i had both eyes open" vision flip flop came to light & on reflection makes a lot of sense especially given I know its an issue that messes with me periodically.

And yeah, I have some basic stuff to work on, but, after seeing massive improvement in a short time with help, im encouraged. Truth be told, ive got massive work to do everywhere. It'll come though. Im looking forward to my first match and want to get it in sooner than later because im eager to set my baseline. Will be interesting for me to actually see progress (especially early when big gains should be easiest).
 
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