Trouble with target shooting. Hitting low and left.

[Winger Ed.]

+1 on working on one thing at a time.

I'd try the eye patch and then a solid rest.

[VariableRecall]

This is a possibility and hard to tell. Load up a couple dummy rounds with no powder or primer to test and see if there's a flinch or "push" Load up a magazine without looking or have someone else load it for you so you have no idea when they are located. Have someone watch you fire and pay attention to your follow through and nothing else once when the shots are breaking.

Dry firing can be helpful but you know every round will have no recoil. You behave differently when anticipating recoil versus just pulling the trigger.

Thankfully we have snap caps in both calibers for practice. They have been a real help in inducing malfunctions for practicing double feeds.

[jimlj]

VariableRecall, you need to practice the dry fire drill. What's happening, is your trigger finger is jerking the sights low and left when the sear breaks out from under the hammer. Pick a spot or post a target and stand in the two handed stance, dry fire the unloaded gun, take a mental picture of the sights the instant the hammer falls. If the sights jump any at all, there is the reason for your POI being low and left. Do this with both guns. When you can hold the sights motionless in dry fire, your groups will be cut in half and you will shoot to POA.

^^^This.
I dry fire (DOUBLE check that your gun is unloaded, all ammo away from where you are practicing) hundreds of times. I like to do it while watching TV. Watch where your sights move to when you pull the trigger. If I place the pad of my right trigger finger on the trigger it pulls low and left every time. Try placing the first joint or a bit further on the trigger and watch your sights when you pull. I've found for me if I place the finger just past the first joint my sights don't move. The same thing happens when live firing at a target.

Double check your gun every time you start this exercise.

[VariableRecall]

^^^This.
I dry fire (DOUBLE check that your gun is unloaded, all ammo away from where you are practicing) hundreds of times. I like to do it while watching TV. Watch where your sights move to when you pull the trigger. If I place the pad of my right trigger finger on the trigger it pulls low and left every time. Try placing the first joint or a bit further on the trigger and watch your sights when you pull. I've found for me if I place the finger just past the first joint my sights don't move. The same thing happens when live firing at a target.

Double check your gun every time you start this exercise.

my finger usually rests on the first joint, kind of in the crease. so, that's similar to me.

[Petander]

On both occasions that I've went to the range...

Both? Are you a new shooter? Concentrate on your grip, especially left hand. Can you see the muzzle flash?

More range time will help. Hitting low left is almost always anticipating the recoil, a 45 is not the mildest for a beginner. Can you alternate and shoot a 22LR,too? Where does it hit?

My guess is, the impact point will mysteriously change after some more rounds / range time.


Good luck!

[dverna]

If you are a new pistol shooter, I echo the advice for TONS of dry fire practice, but add one other suggestion. Get a .22 pistol like a Ruger Mk IV and shoot 3-4000 rounds. A target .22 will shoot 1” groups at 15 yards and you will learn trigger control and sight alignment.

[Minerat]

I don't know if this will help but I found this target that explains what happens if your are shooting around the target and a possible cause. I'm not sure where is came from, or even to whom to give the credit for it so for what it's worth.

[VariableRecall]

Both? Are you a new shooter? Concentrate on your grip, especially left hand. Can you see the muzzle flash?

More range time will help. Hitting low left is almost always anticipating the recoil, a 45 is not the mildest for a beginner. Can you alternate and shoot a 22LR,too? Where does it hit?

My guess is, the impact point will mysteriously change after some more rounds / range time.


Good luck!

I'm not completely new to shooting sports. Although, this is the first time that I've owned a firearm of my own. I've used my friend's firearms on an occasional basis but not very often. I had started out bench shooting with .22's in the Boy Scouts and earned my Rifle and Shotgun Shooting Merit Badges that way.

In my opinion, .45 ACP is certainly something to get used to. Recoil wasn't unpleasant but it sure was a LOT more stiff than my .38 Special revolver. I'm starting to see that a subcompact .45 ACP pistol would be an immensely uncomfortable proposition. The stiffest caliber that I've tried out besides .45 ACP was .357 magnum, which was quite stiff as well, but with the somewhat lighter weight it made the recoil less comfortable.

For a first time using .45 ACP, at least I could put everything within a 8x8 inch square of where I wanted at 15 yards. It's a start! I don't expect myself to become instantaneously proficient in handguns by getting to the range a couple of times. This was quite literally our first 30 rounds or so out of the pistol.

If anything, it makes me very excited to go and reload more ammunition to fine-tune our load. I'd say I'm very satisfied with my brother's purchase, and he is as well.

I had also received a tip that the 1911's sights should be shrouding the bullseye at close range, so that should help at least with elevation, I believe.

[VariableRecall]

+1 on working on one thing at a time.

I'd try the eye patch and then a solid rest.

I'd tried out that eye test, and the results were kinda mixed. I have astigmatism, so both my eyes are kind of messed up in their own ways. I've determined that I'm Right Eye Dominant but I've noticed that I can drift my point of aim into the left eye sometimes. It makes me very glad to have eye protection that fits OVER my glasses since the RIA 1911 in the indoor range bounces brass all over the place.

I'm excited to pave the way to improvement!

[VariableRecall]

Both? Are you a new shooter? Concentrate on your grip, especially left hand. Can you see the muzzle flash?

More range time will help. Hitting low left is almost always anticipating the recoil, a 45 is not the mildest for a beginner. Can you alternate and shoot a 22LR,too? Where does it hit?

My guess is, the impact point will mysteriously change after some more rounds / range time.


Good luck!

These two pistols, the .38 and the .45, are the only firearms that our family owns. Other then these two recent acquisitions, this marks the first time that firearms would be in our family. We don't have a .22LR pistol, but perhaps that would be a good way to get my mom and old man into firearms.

[trebor44]

Look at the 'trouble shooting" technique target, use a solid bench rest, start at 7 yards and work out to 25. Dry fire practice, look at the intersection of two walls and the ceiling. Focus on the front sight and blink. Eye dominance is a factor but it can be mitigated with practice. My vote is grip and anticipation!
Have to create that muscle memory!

[redhawk0]

First...I'm technically left handed. I shoot rifle/shotgun left handed....however, pistol/revolver I shoot right handed. I play sports right handed...except to throw a frisbee...then I'm left handed....yes...I'm a mess.

I was having trouble with my S&W 380 BG from day one. I was shooting left and low similar to you. Because I was shooting Right handed it dawned on me that maybe my Left Eye Dominance was messing things up shooting right handed. So I switched to closing my right eye and sighting with my LEFT. Still shooting right handed. Things improved. My POI is closer now to POA than it was before, but I haven't had enough practice to say I'm proficient with the semi-auto. I also shoot revolver....funny thing is, right eye works fine for POA/POI.

I'd say go for it....switch eyes and see if things improve.

redhawk

[popper]

trigger pull. Put a cheap laser pointer on it, some firm foam behind the trigger. aim at target and watch the 'spot' move as you pull the trigger. Unloaded of course. vertical stringing is most likely you anticipating the shot/recoil. Or taking a long time to aim/ muscles get tired and jittery.

[Tripplebeards]

What does your trigger pull brake at? I have worked all my pistol triggers down to around 2 1/4 pounds and it’s helped my groups and POA quite a bit besides also using the “excuse” circle listed above. I also put my front sight post about 1/2 way up instead of level with my rear sight and I’m dead on at 25 yards doing so. I don’t want to file my front post because I will end up using many loads in my pistol which all change POA with higher and lower charges. I was shooting left with NV till I adjusted my trigger finger position.

[alfadan]

Maybe try a little more finger through the trigger. My dad taught me on a
45 to pull the trigger kinda hard on an empty chamber to see which way the gun moves. If to the left, use a little less finger-through and vice versa.

[rbuck351]

This is typical trigger control issues. Low left for a right handed shooter is the result of jerking the trigger. Low right for a left handed shooter. As was mentioned, get or make some dummy rounds and have a friend load a magazine with mixed rounds. Load a couple of dummy rounds with live rounds in a mag and watch what happens when you pull the trigger on a dummy. You will have your answer.

[VariableRecall]

What does your trigger pull brake at? I have worked all my pistol triggers down to around 2 1/4 pounds and it’s helped my groups and POA quite a bit besides also using the “excuse” circle listed above. I also put my front sight post about 1/2 way up instead of level with my rear sight and I’m dead on at 25 yards doing so. I don’t want to file my front post because I will end up using many loads in my pistol which all change POA with higher and lower charges. I was shooting left with NV till I adjusted my trigger finger position.

When the RIA 1911 is loaded with snap caps, it passes the basic safety check of supporting its own weight on the trigger when the hammer is cocked and the safety is off. So, the weight of the trigger pull is more than the weight of the pistol when loaded.

I'm very satisfied with Galvin's single action trigger. Not as wonderfully crisp as the single action on my Model 10, but considering how different they are in terms of action, it's quite understandable.

Not to mention, I'd rather not damage my sights in any way and keep them both stock.

[Conditor22]

Shots are to the all left and mostly low
Cause: Jerk/snap the trigger, on large bore guns - flinching


Gunblue490 Is a marksman/instructor and puts out many great instructional videos.

How to REALLY Shoot the Handgun For Accuracy by Gunblue490

Part 1 ~ How to REALLY Shoot the Handgun

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Part 3 ~ Understanding Sight Mechanics and Correct Sight Picture
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Part 4 ~ Area Aiming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNym...nel=GunBlue490

Part 5 ~ Trigger Control
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[Bazoo]

I like about a 5 pound trigger on a defensive gun. My Springfield milspec is set at a crisp 5 pounds. You should use the center of the pad of your finger, not the joint area.

Dry firing is good practice, but it also can create a disconnect between live and dry fire. I've seen people flinch during live fire but be able to dry fire perfectly. I like to incorporate a dry fire in with live firing on the range. Start by dry firing a few times, load a few, fire them, then switch back to dry fire a few minutes. Any time you notice flinching or trigger slapping or whatever during live fire, unload and dry fire a few minutes.

Have Galvin load the gun with a snap cap mixed in where you don't know, then you fire it. That will show a flinch instantly. Then do the same for him. You can also make a dummy round without powder or primer for this purpose in case, for example, you can see the snap cap as the cylinder turns on your beloved model 10.

One thing I teach people, is to become comfortable with their gun. Not complacent mind you. But I've seen many people that only handle their gun when at the range. If you carry your gun at home, or even in town if able, you'll become comfortable with it in a quick way. It needs to change from a loud scary thing you only use at the range, to a comforting constant companion. Clean it, hold it, admire it.

You and Galvin need to do something me and the wife do... No, put your pants back on! I'm talking about calling out bad habits so you both get safer. We call each other and ourselves if we muzzle one another, or if we leave a safety off or whatever it is. It will help y'all to get and stay safe if you have this agreement.

[FISH4BUGS]

Could well be shot anticipation and 'pushing' the gun subconsciously. Since the gun recoils up and right for a right handed shooter, subconsciously pushing the gun down and left in the split second before firing is a fairly common occurrence.

I would agree. Can you "bench rest" the guns to see if they are still doing the same thing?