A lot of my shots end up low & to the left.

[Magic_Man]

I'm a new shooter & a lot of my shots seem to end up low & to the left. Can anyone help me figure out what I'm doing wrong? :banghead: I'm right handed. Gun is in my sig.

 

[Solid]

Your twisting the gun when pulling the trigger.

You are also anticipating recoil and puching/flinching your hand.

 

[Magic_Man]

I figured I was anticipating recoil so I have also tried to make an effort to not do that, but I still end up shooting low & to the left. Maybe I'm holding it wrong?

 

[rcmodel]

Flinching / anticipating the shot going off and pushing the gun, or jerking the trigger. If you are shooting with a slightly bent elbow and tighten your arm just as the shot breaks, you will push the gun down.

http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf/files/TargetRightHanded.pdf

rcmodel

 

[Halo]

Here's a slight variation on the one above: http://www.is-lan.com/challenge/images/Pistol-Correction.pdf

This is derived from the US Army correction target.

 

[Muzzy_B]

Flinching / anticipating the shot going off and pushing the gun.

Yup, what he said.

 

[hnk45acp]

Assuming you are right handed, you are probably squeezing the grip when pulling the trigger. Take an unload pistol and just squeeze the grip you will see that it usually makes the gun point down and to the left.

 

[TylerDurden]

Snap Cap It

Find some snap caps and a TV set and practice. You will see your tendencies.

 

[SoCalShooter]

Here is what you need.

http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf/files/TargetRightHanded.pdf

Also what I started doing just last week was I loaded some blank 45 rounds that I alternate with normal rounds, that was suggested to me in the competition shooting forum.

 

[CountGlockula]

Bottomline: Take a basic handgun class.

I cannot emphasize how important these NRA courses are, especially for new shooters.

 

[nwilliams]

Also make sure you know which is your dominant eye. Shooting constantly to the left may indicate that you are like me, right handed but left eye dominant. Try pointing at something with both eyes open and then close one eye and then the other to see if your finger moves off target. If you are right handed and left eye dominant then you may need to squint or even close your right eye as you look at your front sight.

Also go easy on the trigger, you should be pressing the trigger not pulling it. Yanking the trigger will send your shots consistently low.

Training is essential if you want to start making one hole groups, it helps to have a professional critique your method first hand and tell you what you need to correct. There's only so much we can tell you, without seeing you shoot its really just a guessing game.

Good Luck!

 

[brian923]

aim high and to the right.

 

[jackdanson]

I do the same thing sometimes. A range officer said let me help you, he loaded a magazine and handed it to me.. my first shot was low left, as always, my second shot..click.. nothing!! But I did notice that when it should have fired my hand jerked the firearm forward and to the left. I was flinching. Once I noticed it, I just practiced firing very very slowly 2 to 3 rounds at a time, only paying attention to keeping the front site in focus as much as possible and letting the bang "surprise" me. I shoot much better this way.

 

[PennsyPlinker]

One of the biggest things to help me with this was buying a Crosman pellet pistol. By the time I put a little over 500 rounds through the Crosman, I have solved my problem and am now shooting out the center of the target with "real" guns with much more regularity. Not only that, I can shoot inside and for a lot less money with the Crosman.

 

[another okie]

"A lot of my shots end up low & to the left. "

First do a lot of dry fire.

Then, as suggested, get some snap caps. You can get at midwayusa.com, or natchezss.com, or brownells.com. Mix two or three in each magazine.

 

[rellascout]

Aren't those correction targets for single handed bullseye shooting not two handed shooting?

Check out this video. My bet is that it is grip and trigger finger placement. Too much finger and the pistol is not in the web of your hand as it should be.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4584332856867071363&q=handgun

 

[kamagong]

I have the same problem, although it's slowly starting to go away. I've taken all the measures that have been recommended here, but it's still something I struggle with. From what I can see it's just a matter of practice. The more trigger time I get the better I become. I'm still throwing a bunch of shots low and left, but it's happening much less frequently now.

I also think part of it is patience and mental discipline. I can usually tell when my shot is off, and more often than not it's because I jerked the trigger. But if I take my time and really concentrate I can (for the most part) hit what I'm aiming at.

I know what I have to do. Control my breathing, line up the sights, and slowly and steadily squeeze the trigger. Much easier said than done though. But it'll come with time and practice.

Don't stress out too much. Shooting is supposed to be fun.

BTW what are you shooting?

 

[CWL]

Trigger finger control will help. You need to develop habits that prevent you from slapping/jerking the trigger.

Get a good 'stress' squeezeball or hunk of clay, and practice pressing into it with just your trigger finger. By practicing on a medium that will only give-way in a controlled manner, it should teach you how to slowly "press" a trigger rather than jerking it.

 

[tacmedicp94]

+1 on the Snap Caps and dry firing. Doing these two things helped my accuracy a lot when started getting serious about shooting.

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Also, in-line with what SoCalShooter said, try dry firing during your shooting session.

IE> Dry fire a few, shoot one, dry fire a few, shoot a couple, etc.

 

[RPCVYemen]

If your shots are grouping low and to the left, maybe your sights are off.

When I started shooting my Blackhawk, most of my shots were high and to the left. I read all those charts and checked my grip, trigger control, etc., etc., etc.

Then a friend told me "not everyone sees sights the same way".

I adjusted the sights, and a my groups - I use the word loosley - clustered around the center of the target. Since then my groups have been getting smaller and smaller.

Mike

 

[Mad Magyar]

My bet is that it is grip and trigger finger placement

+1

 

[Phil DeGraves]

"aim high and to the right."

This is a terrible suggestion. Learn how to shoot properly. Do not chase your pattern.

 

[Magic_Man]

I did a little dry firing last night & right off the bat saw that I was jerking the gun low & to the left without even realizing it. I will do some more dry before I hit the range again & hopefully start to correct myself & shoot properly.

 

[okiewita40]

If your right handed and your shots are going to the left it could be that you don't have enough finger in the trigger. that would make the poi to the left. If your shots were going to the right them you would have too much finger on the trigger. As far as shooting low you may be trying to see where the bullet is impacting ( i.e. looking over the barrel ) .

I have seen a lot of cadets do this if they are not familiar with shooting handguns. JMHO.