Why can't I hit a frigging barn?
- Thread starter DMeNTED
- Start date
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
DMeNTED said:
Sounds like your trigger finger might be in the wrong position on the trigger. With a striker fired gun like that, you need to have your trigger finger in the same position on the trigger as you would with a DA revolver, i.e. on the joint of your finger, first joint down from the tip of your trigger finger.
I've found a lot of people who shoot 1911s and other SA guns make this mistake, they use the pad of their finger on an SA gun with a light trigger pull, that doesn't have much trigger movement. Doesn't work on a gun with a longer and heavier trigger pull.
eh class said:
I agree—is there someone else who could give it a try? It may be the ammo or (less likely) a problem with the XD-9. Having another shooter try it out will help show where the issue is.
I have not shot an XD-9 but I'm guessing that it's probably susceptible to the same thing as Glocks—I'm not sure if it's the lightweight frame or something else but if you don't focus on your grip and trigger pull they've a tendency to scatter a bit. I've said before (only half in jest) that it's easy to shot Glocks poorly
but if you put the effort in to work though it they'll reward you with great accuracy. I'm guessing the XD-9 will be the same. If it's not a problem with the ammo or the pistol I'd agree with the posts upthread—dry-fire, focus on front sight, concentrate on your grip, and the your trigger pull.cybershooters said:
The trigger on my 1911 is around 2-4lbs (I'm guessing) after replacing the crappy norinco guts with aftermarket parts... my .22 has an equally light trigger.
Dry firing like crazy and using the first joint - which is something I've always read was the "wrong" way to fire a pistol - seems to make pulling the trigger a little easier.
I'm wondering if I might have too much of a death grip on the gun... I know my 1911 grouping improved when I wasn't trying to choke the gun to death.
you just need a firm grip. not a "i better hang on to this plastic blaster so it doesn't recoil like mad" grip. relax man. take 300 rounds to the range and sloooooowwwwwwwly play around. concentrate on each shot. if your on target, and you slowly press the trigger and BLAMMMO, you hit dead center a few times and it feels good, then you know it's not the gun. dry fire as often as you can, and i'm betting in no time you'll be loving that XD9.
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
A suggestion. Let someone else load the magazine. Then you won't have a clue of what to expect. I know you don't believe you are flinching or jerking the trigger, but that may be what's happening.
Could be... I might have the wife load 2 mags and mix in snaps with live ammo.
I've been shooting the whitebox 147gr. stuff but I have a few boxes of "other" stuff including some subsonic, some black talons, and some of that Aguila stuff.
I'd been saving it up for when I get some decent aim (or the zombies come) but I might throw some into the rotation and see if it makes a difference.
I too find the 9mm a little snappier than the .45 - I think its a combo of the fact that the gun is heavier and I'm using lighter loads (I reload .45... once in a while).
I've been shooting the whitebox 147gr. stuff but I have a few boxes of "other" stuff including some subsonic, some black talons, and some of that Aguila stuff.
I'd been saving it up for when I get some decent aim (or the zombies come) but I might throw some into the rotation and see if it makes a difference.
I too find the 9mm a little snappier than the .45 - I think its a combo of the fact that the gun is heavier and I'm using lighter loads (I reload .45... once in a while).
First joint of the trigger finger for a striker fired gun??
News to me!
Been trained on DAO pistols, with "11 lbs" of pull, and taught to engage trigger with fleshy part of last phalange on trigger finger, as it gives you the MOST LEVERAGE on the heavy pull... And striker guns are like what? 5-8 lbs or so?
Just my thoughts... I think the crease between first and second phalange on the trigger finger was originally suggested for DA revolvers for instinctive shooting only, and the finger was to be slipped laterally across the SMOOTH trigger face in order to rapidly blast rounds out... The "double tap" of the revolver era....
Perhaps someone here with oodles of revolver trigger time could clarify?
Cheers,
Neal
News to me!
Been trained on DAO pistols, with "11 lbs" of pull, and taught to engage trigger with fleshy part of last phalange on trigger finger, as it gives you the MOST LEVERAGE on the heavy pull... And striker guns are like what? 5-8 lbs or so?
Just my thoughts... I think the crease between first and second phalange on the trigger finger was originally suggested for DA revolvers for instinctive shooting only, and the finger was to be slipped laterally across the SMOOTH trigger face in order to rapidly blast rounds out... The "double tap" of the revolver era....
Perhaps someone here with oodles of revolver trigger time could clarify?
Cheers,
Neal
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
nelly said:
Well, I've done the NRA LE firearm instructors course and that's the way to do it, especially with guns like the Glock and the XD because of the safety device built into the face of the trigger which makes it awkward to use the pad of your finger. It's not so much the trigger pull weight as the arc of movement that's relevant. Trying to keep your the pad of your finger on the trigger of a 1911 is relatively easy because it doesn't require much movement to make it go off, but with DA pistols and guns like the Glock that isn't the case. The reason why companies like Sauer ditched grooves on the triggers was precisely because of this - when you pull the trigger using the joint of your finger the grooves are more likely to lacerate your finger, a smooth trigger is more comfortable to operate. S&W used the same logic in ditching grooves on the face of the triggers on most of their handguns.
Frankly God knows how you would pull the trigger on a typical DA S&W revolver or a Beretta 92D using the pad of your trigger finger, I wouldn't even attempt it. You might be able to do it on a range, but in any kind of stressful situation? Forget it.
Actually it gives you less leverage, because if you use the tip of your finger it requires more effort to pull the trigger as the tip of your finger is further away from your knuckle. Therefore there is more leverage on your finger. To increase leverage on the trigger you pull the trigger further down (if it pivots at the top).
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If your groups are all over the place it could be
you are looking at the target not the front site..or changing up between the sight and target.
You are watching the hammer trying to anticipate the shot.
You are gripping the gun to tight trying to control muzzle flip.
When ever I have a shooter grouping like you do..80% of the time it's because they aren't focusing on the front sight.
Me. "are you looking at the front sight?"
Shooter "yes".
Me "all the time or are you looking at the target just before you squeeze the shot off?"
Shooter.."ahhhh maybe!"
As suggested already..dry fire the hell out of it.
But when you are...make sure you have a proper grip and trigger control and your whole world is that front sight.
you are looking at the target not the front site..or changing up between the sight and target.
You are watching the hammer trying to anticipate the shot.
You are gripping the gun to tight trying to control muzzle flip.
When ever I have a shooter grouping like you do..80% of the time it's because they aren't focusing on the front sight.
Me. "are you looking at the front sight?"
Shooter "yes".
Me "all the time or are you looking at the target just before you squeeze the shot off?"
Shooter.."ahhhh maybe!"
As suggested already..dry fire the hell out of it.
But when you are...make sure you have a proper grip and trigger control and your whole world is that front sight.
Can't hit the barn?
I've been shooting handguns for a long time and once in a while I find it beneficial to consult my small library of books on pistol shooting techniques and refresh my memory as to proper techniques. It's amazing how much one can forget or let slide over the years. Here are the fundamental aspects I find it useful to refresh my memory on: stance, position, grip, visualization, breathing, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, follow-through and analysis.
And don't forget to smile.
If there are no mechanical or amo problems then the solution obviously lies with the shooter.DMeNTED said:
I've been shooting handguns for a long time and once in a while I find it beneficial to consult my small library of books on pistol shooting techniques and refresh my memory as to proper techniques. It's amazing how much one can forget or let slide over the years. Here are the fundamental aspects I find it useful to refresh my memory on: stance, position, grip, visualization, breathing, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, follow-through and analysis.
And don't forget to smile.
