What am I doing wrong......

[Zodiak]

Guys
Not sure if I'm posting this in the right section but I just recently started shooting. I'm addicted to it and I've bought eight handguns in the last few months. Thing is it doesn't matter which gun I'm shooting I am always left of my target. Even if I aim right I'm shooting left. Any idea why this is? (Besides the obvious of me being a lousy shot)

[Marty8613]

Your grip is rotated too far left "opposite of thumbing". Rotate your grip counter clockwise (gun clockwise in grip). I had the same problem. That wrong grip also causes hammer bite.

[cslinger]

Press the trigger straight back. Do not release the trigger until you verify target hit. FOCUS on the front sight. I mean zone in on that front blade. Experiment with your finger placement.

Go slow. Speed comes naturally.

FOCUS on the front sight
Press the trigger straight back deliberaty. Experiment with finger position. Most folks work best with just the pad of the finger. Others might need more.
Hold the trigger to the rear after shot. Take a breath, inspect target hit etc. then release.
Release only to reset point. Listen or feel for a click. Then stop there and press for next shot.

Rinse repeat etc.

Be deliberate. Be slow. Speed comes with the muscle memory and speed that your brain can focus on that front sight.

Of course this is my exp. YMMV.

[colbad]

Work in at close range like 7 yards on a small dot where you can really concentrate on your sights, until you are on target then move back gradually. Tighten your grip on your weak hand and concentrate on "pressing" the trigger smoothly to the rear while keeping your wrist straight.

Shooting to the left often indicates that (if you are a right hand shooter) you are not pressing the trigger smoothly. When you "pull" the trigger, you are pulling the whole gun left.

[Bultaco]

Adjust your grip so that you can use the pad of your finger on the trigger. Dry firing will give you the opportunity to see what is happening with the sights. Aim at a spot on a well lit wall or lamp shade. Pay attention to what your weak hand is providing for grip strength over the top of your strong hand. On the strong hand the ring & pinky finger pull the gun into the hand. The weak hand provides grip strength with all fingers but the index & middle finger provide the grip strength you are not providing with your strong hand middle finger.

The straight back trigger press keeps you from turning the gun during trigger press and trigger over travel. Lots & lots of dry firing. All normal safety precautions apply. No ammo on the same floor of the place where you dry fire.

[dirtd0g]

Dry fire, if you can or invest in some snap caps...

Balance a round on the top of the gun.

Get your pull down pat until you can keep the round balanced on the top of the gun...

That tightened my groups right up.

[Independent George]

Originally Posted by Zodiak

Thing is it doesn't matter which gun I'm shooting I am always left of my target. Even if I aim right I'm shooting left. Any idea why this is? (Besides the obvious of me being a lousy shot)

First off, don't try to compensate by aiming right; it ends up reinforcing the bad habits that are pushing you left to begin with.

Next, start practicing dry fire. (Take all safety precautions! Magazines and ammo should be stored away safely in a different room from where you're practicing; put up a target on a a safe wall, block off your time to practice; check, re-check, and check again the chamber before starting).

Do it slowly, and pay attention to how you're pulling the trigger back, and where the muzzle ends up after pulling. You're obviously pushing the muzzle to your left as the trigger breaks, but it's hard to tell at the range when it goes 'bang!' immediately; when you dry fire, you really notice every last millimeter of movement. A laser trainer can help, but it's not necessary - you can usually see exactly what you just did, especially if you have your sights trained on a bullseye. Forget about the trigger break - concentrate entirely on a smooth, even pull.

You want practice a smooth, consistent motion to your trigger finger. Your weak hand controls the gun - the only thing your strong hand is doing is pulling the trigger.

[Bongo Boy]

I believe it even helps if you get plain round black targets--under many lighting situations, they make it very difficult if not impossible to see your hits. That in turn helps keep you from looking for them...and takes your focus away from the target. Most new shooters want to see where they hit immediately after the gun goes bang, and unfortunately, many want to know before the gun goes bang. It's natural, and a natural killer of good shooting. You will hit the target exactly where the gun was pointed when it went bang--your challenge is simple: know where the gun was pointed when it went bang. It's NOT simple, really--if it was, we'd all be expert marksmen.

At the range I often see folks use those goofy targets that show where you've hit in iridescent green or orange, and they can't avoid looking at that kind of target. I think they're the worst gimmick there is for learning to shoot, and strongly recommend not to use them. Other folks fire 3 shots then run the target back to the firing line to look, then run the target back out, 3 more shots, etc. It's ridiculous, and counterproductive. Some instructors simply take the target and reverse it so you're shooting at a blank piece of paper--again, the same reason, to take the shooter's focus off the target and where the hits are being made. I prefer to have the target to hold the sights on, but as mentioned, focus is on the front sight.

"Too little trigger finger" means the just the tip of the finger is positioned on the trigger, which tends to push the gun to the left. "Too much finger" means the index finger is wrapped over the trigger, maybe even to the first joint, and that tends to pull the gun to the right.

Dry fire practice is your friend. Using extreme care to ensure safety (such as no live ammo in sight), cock the gun and practice holding on a target pinned to the wall, etc., and press the trigger while focusing on that front sight. Keep both eyes open until after the trigger breaks--the objective here is two fold: 1) press the trigger until it breaks without moving the sights, and 2) keeping the eyes open through the break--you must be able to see the sight picture when the trigger breaks. Do that about 5 million times.

Then, next time at the range, do exactly what you did in dry fire practice. It isn't easy, but when you succeed, you will get excellent hits.

Last tip: avoid loading 15 rds in the magazine and then feeling compelled to empty the mag into the target one after the other with no break. Lots of folks do this, and the 'groups' they make show it. Generally, muscle fatigue sets in immediately, and visual acuity is the very first thing to go--and it goes fast. Closely related to this is bringing the gun up and holding it in position for 20, 30 or 40 seconds waiting to get the good shot. It just isn't going to happen for the same reason. Shoot at a slow rate, but each shot itself shouldn't drag out for more that 5-10 seconds at the most. The longer you hold that gun out there, the less likely it is you can hold that gun out there.

You've already taken the time to observe your own shooting and to compare your performance between your various handguns. That's good--you've eliminated the arrow as the problem and concluded it's the Indian, as they used to say. It usually is--not always--but usually.

[Zodiak]

Wow! Guys this is great. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you and taking time to give me advice/suggestions. This is a great help. Thank you!!!

[str8tshot]

I will add to the above advice to spend a little money on an hour private lesson with a good instructor so he can help identify what you are doing to cause the shot to go left. Internet advice is great for what it is, bit nothing replaces a live person observing and providing correction.

[sigarms228]

I will add to the above advice to spend a little money on an hour private lesson with a good instructor so he can help identify what you are doing to cause the shot to go left. Internet advice is great for what it is, bit nothing replaces a live person observing and providing correction.

This is great advice! Will help you learn proper stance, grip, sight acquisition, and trigger control. Usually very reasonably priced also especially considering the cost of ammo and range rentals to try and figure it out by yourself.

As many mention trigger press needs to be straight back and you need to isolate your trigger finger from the rest of your strong hand as it is easy to tighten your other fingers holding your pistol as you press the trigger back. As many mentioned dry fire practice can help with that. You may also be flinching at the range though that usually shows more as low and left than just left. Dummy round drills can help with flinching.

The link below on how to grip a pistol may help using the high tang 360 grip as Travis calls it. You want to get your support hand palm into that "gap" on the pistol grip on the opposite side of where your strong hand palm is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMzQIHN-LiI -- Travis on pistol grip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxyTFzgWjhk -- this can REALLY help expose flinching issues and help resolve.

[rtpzwms]

Snap caps are great once you've learned to shoot properly. They reinforce all of the training. But to learn to shoot in the beginning think about one of these. You can see what you're doing wrong in the process of shooting and you can identify when you go off track. You can learn about the proper pull on your off hand by watching the "noodling" of the barrel. You can watch the effect of the beginning of the trigger pull. if you use the circle posted earlier as a target you can very quickly identify and correct your hold and trigger controls and not reinforce poor training practices.

[Erno86]

To keep from anticipating the shot: Breathe, relax while keeping a firm grip on the gun {not shaking firm,} and do a Zen tactic of saying wait...wait...wait...silently in you're mind; while pressing the trigger straight back. Treat your trigger finger as it's own entity. Besides dry-firing...you can practice the trigger press with a clicking ball point pen.

[RAfiringline]

1) Lot's of dry fire practice (moderate breath held, steady on target, press). I like to use the heaviest DA/SA handgun I have. I usually use a piece of 1/4 inch wide rubberband between the hammer and the firing pin instead of snapcaps. If your handguns are striker, then use snapcaps. Lot's of DA presses will make SA presses seem easy.

2) Get a Crosman pellet gun (about $60), build a pellet stop, and do a lot of inexpensive practice at home. Pellet guns are quiet and don't kick, so if you're shooting much better with a w/ a pellet gun than w/ a real gun it's probably due to flinch.
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-p...ump-pistol-177

3) When I go to the range, I like to start w/ a 22 lr, then go to a bigger caliber.

So, lots of dry fire; lots of pelletgun practice; 22lr at the range; followed by bigger caliber at the range.

[marine6680]

When people say focus on the front sight... they mean FOCUS...

Stare/concentrate on that front sight like you are trying to set it on fire with your gaze.


Get a good stable stance when shooting. Don't lock your elbows, but do keep them extended.

Another tip... grip tension and technique. I started working on my fiance's grip and her shooting drastically improved in less than a box of ammo. She went from 3-4in groups down to 1-1.5in groups in just a mag or two down range.


You want a good thumbs forward grip to start with. You can find pictures online to show you what it should look like.


Next is the real trick... Use your support (non-dominant hand) to do most of the gripping of the pistol. Your main hand is there to pull the trigger and help guide the pistol only.

Your support hand should be doing at least 60-70% of the work to hold on to the pistol.

What you do, is make sure the heal of your support and is firmly against the side of the pistol, and then wrap your fingers around your main hand's fingers. Then squeeze your support hand to clamp the pistol grip and main hand firmly.

Don't squeeze like you are balling up or making a fist, squeeze like you are trying to keep your palm and fingers straight but still close your hand. Like a vise or clamp.


What this does, is lower the tension in your main hand, so it allows you to get an more even and smooth trigger pull.


It really works.


I find that most new shooters overestimate how tight they need to grip a pistol to hold onto it.

You don't need to hold onto a pistol any more than you would a hammer with a good rubber grip... maybe even a little less tightly.


Practice your grip and slowly lower the tension you use. (with your main hand) Find a point where you have relaxed enough to reduce hand tension, but not so much that you lose any control over the pistol.

It may feel odd at first... But after a while, it will feel natural and you will be shooting better.

[pax]

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right section but I just recently started shooting. I'm addicted to it and I've bought eight handguns in the last few months. Thing is it doesn't matter which gun I'm shooting I am always left of my target. Even if I aim right I'm shooting left. Any idea why this is?

Yeah.

It's because you've bought eight handguns, instead of one handgun and a good class.

pax

[Evil Monkey]

If the target is at about 20yards, and are shooting to the left by a few inches, there's nothing to worry about.

If you absolutely cannot have rounds landing to the left of where you're aiming, get a rifle.

[bandaid1]

Allot of people here have given you some great advice. In my opinion, if you want to improve quickly, your best bet is, as a few have suggested, a shooting coach. You can see from all the advice that everyone is attempting to figure out what your issue is. However, a shooting coach can watch you while your shooting, and can point out what that is. It's allot easier to fix an issue, when you can see the problem.

[Frank Ettin]

1. Good professional training can make a big difference. In the long run, you can save a lot of time, grief and money.
   
   
2. The first principle of accurate shooting is trigger control: a smooth press straight back on the trigger with only the trigger finger moving. Maintain your focus on the front sight as you press the trigger, increasing pressure on the trigger until the shot breaks. Don't try to predict exactly when the gun will go off nor try to cause the shot to break at a particular moment. This is what Jeff Cooper called the "surprise break."
   
   
3. By keeping focus on the front sight and increasing pressure on the trigger until the gun essentially shoots itself, you don’t anticipate the shot breaking. But if you try to make the shot break at that one instant in time when everything seem steady and aligned, you usually wind up jerking the trigger.
   
   
4. Of course the gun will wobble some on the target. Try not to worry about the wobble and don’t worry about trying to keep the sight aligned on a single point. Just let the front sight be somewhere in a small, imaginary box in the center of the target.
   
   
5. Practice deliberately, making every shot count, to program good habits and muscle memory. Dry practice is very helpful. You just want to triple check that the gun is not loaded, and there should be no ammunition anywhere around. When engaging in dry practice, religiously follow Rule 2 - Never Let Your Muzzle Cover Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy." As you dry fire, you want to reach the point where you can't see any movement of the sight as the sear releases and the hammer/striker falls.
   
   
6. You'll want to be able to perform the fundamentals reflexively, on demand without conscious thought. You do that by practicing them slowly to develop smoothness. Then smooth becomes fast.
   
   
   1. I'll warn you that I'm a big proponent of good professional training. Among other things, there is really no good substitute for a qualified instructor watching what you are doing and coaching you based on what he sees. Remember that practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
      
      
   2. Practice also makes permanent. If you keep practicing doing something wrong, you will become an expert at doing it wrong. So some good training shows you what to practice and how to practice it. It thus helps you avoid bad habits which later on can be an awful hassle to try to correct.

[RKG]

If you chase precision, speed will follow. If you chase speed, your rounds go all over the place and you'll never learn to shoot.

[boondocker385]

Get a grip master to strengthen EACH finger on both hands.. also, get a laser for dry firing, it will help you know when you are making a mistake while dry firing. Use the pad of your finger on the trigger.

A lesson or two will help if you can find a good instructor in your area.

[Lost Sheep]

Stand in front of a friend and have him cover up one of his eyes. With your finger point at your friend's uncovered eye. Have your friend tell you which of your eyes was lined up with your finger.

(Edit: reference to using a gun has been removed. My thanks to Frank Ettin)

That is your dominant eye.

If a shooter lines up the eye on the side of the hand that is aiming the gun, this is the "normal" way to shoot. Dominant hand and dominant eye on the same side and the dominant eye lined up with the sights. A shooter whose dominant eye is NOT the eye lined up with the gun's sights may well be continuously off to one side. (Double vision under the influence of (Conflict between the eye lined up with the sights and the dominant eye may induce double vision. If the second image is lined up with the sights, instead of the proper view, you will consistently shoot to one side.

Second way to check this is to block the view of one eye. Cut a circular piece of paper about the same size as your safety/shooting glasses lens and put it behind one of your your shooting glasses lenses (id does not mater which, you just want to eliminate the potential for double vision). Closing one eye is expedient, but we don't want your attention diverted from the aiming and triggering processes.

If you block the non-dominant eye, you will probably get better groups, even if it is the opposite of your dominant hand. This was my experience. But it will not matter which eye you block, even if you don't know which eye is dominant.

Good luck. I look with anticipation to your report on this experiment.

Lost Sheep
.
p.s. Shooting with one hand and the opposite eye is not uncommon, so if you do, don't worry about it. Some schools of thought demand that if you shoot with the left hand, you aim with the left eye and if you switch to the right hand, use the right eye. I believe this is archaic, but some people still believe it. It does have some practical support, though, as in shooting around the side of a barrier exposing less of your head and body to return fire and to view.

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by Lost Sheep

Stand in front of a friend and have him cover up one of his eyes. With an UNLOADED gun (or using just your finger) point...

NO! Bad idea and a bad practice. Never do anything of the sort. Never let the muzzle of your gun cover anything you aren't willing to destroy. Don't even come close to unsafe practices. There's an old bit of doggerel:

Never, ever let your gun

Pointed be at anyone.

That the gun unloaded be

Matters not the least to me.

There are good ways to determine your dominant eye without pointing a gun at someone. This short article might be helpful. And you might also be interested in this thread on the subject.

[pax]

Interestingly, in several states it is against the law to point any gun, loaded or not, at any other person -- regardless of one's reason for doing so (and yes, these laws are distinct from laws about deliberately criminal assault). Too many gun owners don't seem to be aware of it, but it's on the books for a reason.

pax

[tallball]

I also start every shooting session with a 22, to get "in the groove".