New Shield consistantly shooting left

blackwaterstout · November 2, 2013, 04:34 PM

I just put 50 rounds through my new Shield. This is the first striker ive ever owned and of course the trigger feels much different than my CZ75 in single action mode.

What I noticed was that I consistently shot about 3-4" left from 21'. I could keep the groups pretty tight but the only way I could hit the center target was to aim 3-4" right. I had good precision but poor accuracy. I don't now if this was my fault due to the different trigger feel and maybe I was squeezing too much with my finger or if the gun needs the windage tweaked. I was by myself so unfortunately I wasn't able to let someone else shoot to see how their accuracy was.

When I bought my CZ there was a ballistics report included that showed a 5 shot grouping from the factory which was excellent. The Smith did not include ballistics (as far as I can tell). Surely they wouldn't ship it from the factory being off that much would they?

IdahoG36 · November 2, 2013, 04:49 PM

I would recommend shooting it more and getting familiar with the trigger. It is not uncommon for people to pull their shots to the left, if right handed, with a heavier DA trigger pull.

If you are sure that the issue is gun related and not the shooter, you can also adjust the sights to make the gun hit POA. If you are hitting left, drift the rear sight to the right a little.

g.willikers · November 2, 2013, 04:59 PM

Check your grip.
For a right handed shooter,
Holding the gun excessively hard with the gun hand, can bind up the trigger finger, and can easily cause the gun to shoot left.
Make sure you're not over gripping and preventing the trigger finger from being flexible enough to operate properly.
Also check to see if your trigger finger isn't pushing on the side of the gun.
There should be plenty of daylight between finger and the side of the gun.
And try it with only the pad of the first joint on the trigger.
Too much finger over the trigger can cause the gun to angle left, too.
Some good pictures of proper finger to trigger placement:
http://www.tannersgun.com/trigger-fi...t-squeeze.aspx

wpsdlrg · November 2, 2013, 06:59 PM

If the gun is producing tight groups, but consistently away from the POA, then the odds are that technique is to blame. In other words, it's probably you. Pistol shooting is ALL about technique.

As others already said, you need more time with the trigger. Focus on smooth, clean trigger pulls, without changing your grip as you do so. You obviously have consistency of technique down, or you wouldn't be getting tight groups. You just need to tweak your technique a bit.

Dry firing is a very useful practice medium. It is easy to watch for front sight movement, while dry firing. This is much more difficult while doing live fire. I'd highly recommend your spending some time on dry fire practice. It really is far more useful than it might seem to be.

Wreck-n-Crew · November 2, 2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

I would recommend shooting it more and getting familiar with the trigger. It is not uncommon for people to pull their shots to the left, if right handed, with a heavier DA trigger pull.

That ^^^^ plus make sure your finger placement is right, don't pull with the joint of the finger on the trigger it will go left every time.

RX-79G · November 2, 2013, 07:38 PM

Shoot it with your left hand, from the bench or ask someone else to shoot it. Any one of those should produce different results if the issue is really your trigger pull or grip.

4" off at 21 feet is a lot for someone who already shoots decently.

blackwaterstout · November 2, 2013, 07:55 PM

Appreciate the tips. I may go to the range tomorrow for more practice. I'm sure its me and not the gun.

Truth be told I know how to safely handle firearms but I've never had much formal training in proper grip, stance, etc. I've always just shot in a manner that felt comfortable to me. Its likely my current shooting style is more tailored to a short easy trigger pull from that of a revolver or single action semi-auto. As I said the trigger on the Shield is vastly different from my CZ.

I probably do have a tendency to pull the trigger with the bend of my finger joint rather than the pad of my finger tip. I took your recommendations and practiced dry firing. The gun tip did tend to move left as the trigger would break. I kept trying to keep it neutral and it will take a lot of practice to develop muscle memory and get consistent results.

Thanks again for the tips.

ritepath · November 2, 2013, 07:56 PM

I shoot my new (last Saturday) shield to the left also. To be fair I also shoot the 9c to the left. Along with a slight left 1-2" with my SR45. I don't do this with my hammer fired pistols, LCP or 642. ???

Maybe it has to being near West Virginia?

ShipWreck · November 3, 2013, 11:47 AM

I have had a shield about 18 months now. I had the same problem initially, until I started putting the trigger against the SECOND joint of my trigger finger. That solved my pulling issue.

btmj · November 3, 2013, 09:19 PM

My buddy recently got a SW shield. It is now is every day gun. Recently we were shooting, and we compared his shield to my Walther PPS. The two are very similar, and after shooting both side by side, it was hard to find fault with either, or even to find much difference... I could be happy with either one, but when I went shopping a couple of years ago, the shield was not on the market. If it were, I may have bought it instead... hard to say.

In any case, we were doing some long range shooting, and at 31 yards (from his truck to the wood pile), both guns would shoot into an 8 inch circle. That is damn good for a pair of pistols which are only a hair larger than pocket pistols.

These PPS's and Shields are small guns, with a fairly sharp stiff recoil. It is a little bit challenging to shoot them well. Trigger discipline is important, as all the posts above have emphasized. It is important to focus on the fundamentals while shooting. There is a huge difference between a full size service 9mm Like a glock 17 or a Sig 226, versus a SW Shield. With a full size, you can shoot fast and accurate... with the small guns, you can shoot fast OR accurate. With the small guns, you only have 7 or 8 rounds anyway. It is best to practice getting the sights rapidly aligned on target, and then smoothly squeezing the trigger... Absorb the recoil, get the sights aligned again, and smoothly squeeze. An accurate double tap with these little guns is Jerry Miculek territory. Aim each shot, and squeeze each shot.

For me, there is a "sweet spot" on my trigger finger. I find the base of my fingernail, and the spot on the opposite side of my finger is my preferred trigger spot. I prefer the same spot whether I am shooting a pistol, a revolver, a rifle, or a shotgun.

zanthope · November 5, 2013, 09:41 PM

I have a .40 Shield. When I received it for Christmas last year, it shot far to the left like yours. It wasn't me, it was the gun, apparently a common problem.

The rear sight cannot be moved, you have to move the front sight to the left.

It is VERY difficult to move the front sight as it is put in place with a hydraulic press. You'll need to read up on this before you attempt adjustment. I boogered mine and ended up with a set of Trijicon HD's on it, which are great.

breakingcontact · November 6, 2013, 12:51 AM

Ensure magazine and chamber are empty.

Dry fire. It will show you what you're doing.

blackwaterstout · November 10, 2013, 02:29 PM

I got a chance to put another hundred rounds through the shield today. The dry fire practice and form tips really helped me out. The results were very good. The gun did not shoot left at all. Also got my wife to empty a few magazines. She can easily hang with me as far as accuracy. She has the potential to be a very good shot. She's just not very comfortable around guns. I need to get her in a training class to increase her comfort level. I think if she wasn't so apprehensive to be around guns she might enjoy shooting more.

She commented that she really liked how the gun fit her hands much better than my CZ does. The trigger on the 75BD is a stretch for her fingers but the Shield fit pretty well.

btmj · November 10, 2013, 11:58 PM

congratulations... you have just taken your first steps toward better marksmanship. Just remember, a weapon like this is difficult to shoot really well... So don't expect to be punching 25 yard bullseyes anytime soon. But great shooting is not required, it is a self defense weapon... Someone on this site (forgot who) likes to say that the typical self defense shooting involves 3 shots or less, in 3 seconds or less, at a distance of 3 yards or less...

Tactical Jackalope · November 11, 2013, 09:33 AM

Quote:

This is the first striker ive ever owned and of course the trigger feels much different than my CZ75 in single action mode.

Not the gun. And that's okay, just keep practicing with it. A little less finger on the trigger too maybe since you're at the range. Just to learn it better.

blackwaterstout · November 20, 2013, 09:24 AM

Back to the range to put another hundred rounds through the shield. This time I had a buddy with me. Used cheap WWB target loads. This time I didn't shoot quite as precisely. My grouping weren't as tight but they were generally centered properly on the bullseye.

My buddy shot a few mags through the gun and it was his first time shooting a striker. He did okay but his shots were generally high. He was not used to the trigger pull and thought it was odd.

I think that makes about 250 rounds through the gun. I did have a dry fire near the end of the box. Probably attributed to the cheap Winchester ammo more than the gun. I stuck it back in the gun and it fired the second time around.

dean1818 · November 22, 2013, 06:22 AM

This may sound funny, but use a bicycle tire inner tube as a grip.

The shield has a smaller grip out of the box than my M&P 45c

I found a thicker grip, brought my finger placement to a more natural place on the trigger

It may help

mohawkdcg · November 22, 2013, 03:37 PM

Interesting. I'm planning to pick up a Shield and hope I don't have that issue. I have a Glock 23 that shoots 3" to the left out of the box. At 3 yards it was putting 10 rounds in the same ragged hole but about 2" to the left. I moved rear sight as far as possible to right to compensate.

My M&P40c and G27 are dead in. Wonder if S & W will repair Shield if you get one like that? Sounds like DIY is not easy.

November 2, 2013, 04:34 PM	#1
blackwaterstout Member Join Date: July 9, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 86	New Shield consistantly shooting left I just put 50 rounds through my new Shield. This is the first striker ive ever owned and of course the trigger feels much different than my CZ75 in single action mode. What I noticed was that I consistently shot about 3-4" left from 21'. I could keep the groups pretty tight but the only way I could hit the center target was to aim 3-4" right. I had good precision but poor accuracy. I don't now if this was my fault due to the different trigger feel and maybe I was squeezing too much with my finger or if the gun needs the windage tweaked. I was by myself so unfortunately I wasn't able to let someone else shoot to see how their accuracy was. When I bought my CZ there was a ballistics report included that showed a 5 shot grouping from the factory which was excellent. The Smith did not include ballistics (as far as I can tell). Surely they wouldn't ship it from the factory being off that much would they?

November 2, 2013, 04:59 PM	#3
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Check your grip. For a right handed shooter, Holding the gun excessively hard with the gun hand, can bind up the trigger finger, and can easily cause the gun to shoot left. Make sure you're not over gripping and preventing the trigger finger from being flexible enough to operate properly. Also check to see if your trigger finger isn't pushing on the side of the gun. There should be plenty of daylight between finger and the side of the gun. And try it with only the pad of the first joint on the trigger. Too much finger over the trigger can cause the gun to angle left, too. Some good pictures of proper finger to trigger placement: http://www.tannersgun.com/trigger-fi...t-squeeze.aspx __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.” Last edited by g.willikers; November 2, 2013 at 05:04 PM.

November 2, 2013, 07:55 PM	#7
blackwaterstout Member Join Date: July 9, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 86	Re: New Shield consistantly shooting left Appreciate the tips. I may go to the range tomorrow for more practice. I'm sure its me and not the gun. Truth be told I know how to safely handle firearms but I've never had much formal training in proper grip, stance, etc. I've always just shot in a manner that felt comfortable to me. Its likely my current shooting style is more tailored to a short easy trigger pull from that of a revolver or single action semi-auto. As I said the trigger on the Shield is vastly different from my CZ. I probably do have a tendency to pull the trigger with the bend of my finger joint rather than the pad of my finger tip. I took your recommendations and practiced dry firing. The gun tip did tend to move left as the trigger would break. I kept trying to keep it neutral and it will take a lot of practice to develop muscle memory and get consistent results. Thanks again for the tips.

November 2, 2013, 07:56 PM	#8
ritepath Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,419	I shoot my new (last Saturday) shield to the left also. To be fair I also shoot the 9c to the left. Along with a slight left 1-2" with my SR45. I don't do this with my hammer fired pistols, LCP or 642. ??? Maybe it has to being near West Virginia? __________________ There's only one...

November 3, 2013, 09:19 PM	#10
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	My buddy recently got a SW shield. It is now is every day gun. Recently we were shooting, and we compared his shield to my Walther PPS. The two are very similar, and after shooting both side by side, it was hard to find fault with either, or even to find much difference... I could be happy with either one, but when I went shopping a couple of years ago, the shield was not on the market. If it were, I may have bought it instead... hard to say. In any case, we were doing some long range shooting, and at 31 yards (from his truck to the wood pile), both guns would shoot into an 8 inch circle. That is damn good for a pair of pistols which are only a hair larger than pocket pistols. These PPS's and Shields are small guns, with a fairly sharp stiff recoil. It is a little bit challenging to shoot them well. Trigger discipline is important, as all the posts above have emphasized. It is important to focus on the fundamentals while shooting. There is a huge difference between a full size service 9mm Like a glock 17 or a Sig 226, versus a SW Shield. With a full size, you can shoot fast and accurate... with the small guns, you can shoot fast OR accurate. With the small guns, you only have 7 or 8 rounds anyway. It is best to practice getting the sights rapidly aligned on target, and then smoothly squeezing the trigger... Absorb the recoil, get the sights aligned again, and smoothly squeeze. An accurate double tap with these little guns is Jerry Miculek territory. Aim each shot, and squeeze each shot. For me, there is a "sweet spot" on my trigger finger. I find the base of my fingernail, and the spot on the opposite side of my finger is my preferred trigger spot. I prefer the same spot whether I am shooting a pistol, a revolver, a rifle, or a shotgun. Last edited by btmj; November 3, 2013 at 11:50 PM.

November 2, 2013, 04:49 PM	#2
IdahoG36 Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 2,993	I would recommend shooting it more and getting familiar with the trigger. It is not uncommon for people to pull their shots to the left, if right handed, with a heavier DA trigger pull. If you are sure that the issue is gun related and not the shooter, you can also adjust the sights to make the gun hit POA. If you are hitting left, drift the rear sight to the right a little.

November 2, 2013, 06:59 PM	#4
wpsdlrg Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2009 Posts: 826	If the gun is producing tight groups, but consistently away from the POA, then the odds are that technique is to blame. In other words, it's probably you. Pistol shooting is ALL about technique. As others already said, you need more time with the trigger. Focus on smooth, clean trigger pulls, without changing your grip as you do so. You obviously have consistency of technique down, or you wouldn't be getting tight groups. You just need to tweak your technique a bit. Dry firing is a very useful practice medium. It is easy to watch for front sight movement, while dry firing. This is much more difficult while doing live fire. I'd highly recommend your spending some time on dry fire practice. It really is far more useful than it might seem to be.

November 2, 2013, 07:38 PM	#6
RX-79G Junior member Join Date: October 27, 2013 Posts: 1,139	Shoot it with your left hand, from the bench or ask someone else to shoot it. Any one of those should produce different results if the issue is really your trigger pull or grip. 4" off at 21 feet is a lot for someone who already shoots decently.

November 3, 2013, 11:47 AM	#9
ShipWreck Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,744	I have had a shield about 18 months now. I had the same problem initially, until I started putting the trigger against the SECOND joint of my trigger finger. That solved my pulling issue.

November 5, 2013, 09:41 PM	#11
zanthope Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 258	I have a .40 Shield. When I received it for Christmas last year, it shot far to the left like yours. It wasn't me, it was the gun, apparently a common problem. The rear sight cannot be moved, you have to move the front sight to the left. It is VERY difficult to move the front sight as it is put in place with a hydraulic press. You'll need to read up on this before you attempt adjustment. I boogered mine and ended up with a set of Trijicon HD's on it, which are great. __________________ We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then it gets worse.

November 6, 2013, 12:51 AM	#12
breakingcontact Junior member Join Date: October 25, 2012 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 736	Ensure magazine and chamber are empty. Dry fire. It will show you what you're doing.

November 10, 2013, 02:29 PM	#13
blackwaterstout Member Join Date: July 9, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 86	Re: New Shield consistantly shooting left I got a chance to put another hundred rounds through the shield today. The dry fire practice and form tips really helped me out. The results were very good. The gun did not shoot left at all. Also got my wife to empty a few magazines. She can easily hang with me as far as accuracy. She has the potential to be a very good shot. She's just not very comfortable around guns. I need to get her in a training class to increase her comfort level. I think if she wasn't so apprehensive to be around guns she might enjoy shooting more. She commented that she really liked how the gun fit her hands much better than my CZ does. The trigger on the 75BD is a stretch for her fingers but the Shield fit pretty well.

November 10, 2013, 11:58 PM	#14
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	congratulations... you have just taken your first steps toward better marksmanship. Just remember, a weapon like this is difficult to shoot really well... So don't expect to be punching 25 yard bullseyes anytime soon. But great shooting is not required, it is a self defense weapon... Someone on this site (forgot who) likes to say that the typical self defense shooting involves 3 shots or less, in 3 seconds or less, at a distance of 3 yards or less...

November 20, 2013, 09:24 AM	#16
blackwaterstout Member Join Date: July 9, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 86	Re: New Shield consistantly shooting left Back to the range to put another hundred rounds through the shield. This time I had a buddy with me. Used cheap WWB target loads. This time I didn't shoot quite as precisely. My grouping weren't as tight but they were generally centered properly on the bullseye. My buddy shot a few mags through the gun and it was his first time shooting a striker. He did okay but his shots were generally high. He was not used to the trigger pull and thought it was odd. I think that makes about 250 rounds through the gun. I did have a dry fire near the end of the box. Probably attributed to the cheap Winchester ammo more than the gun. I stuck it back in the gun and it fired the second time around.

November 22, 2013, 06:22 AM	#17
dean1818 Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2009 Location: Frisco Texas Posts: 844	This may sound funny, but use a bicycle tire inner tube as a grip. The shield has a smaller grip out of the box than my M&P 45c I found a thicker grip, brought my finger placement to a more natural place on the trigger It may help __________________ An imperfect servant of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Buying American made, wherever I still can

November 22, 2013, 03:37 PM	#18
mohawkdcg Junior Member Join Date: April 5, 2013 Posts: 13	Interesting. I'm planning to pick up a Shield and hope I don't have that issue. I have a Glock 23 that shoots 3" to the left out of the box. At 3 yards it was putting 10 rounds in the same ragged hole but about 2" to the left. I moved rear sight as far as possible to right to compensate. My M&P40c and G27 are dead in. Wonder if S & W will repair Shield if you get one like that? Sounds like DIY is not easy.