Bullseye Shooting Practicing Problem

[Thomas Garrett]

I'm in the beginning of Practicing for Bullseye Competition but have a problem. I shoot 2 Colt Police Officers Pistol Match, 6" Barrels. One in .22, and the other .38 Special. at 25 yards i'm consistant within the 9 ring, 10 and x's. Now I've just picked up a Springfield .45 Auto. (new) and Benched it, it is consistant in the 10's and x's. When one handed (25 yards) i'm shooting high and to the right, groups are in the 6,7,8's. The groups are average 4 inches. all of my pistols sights are iron, no dots. What am i doing wrong? Any help will be appreciated.

 

[cavman]

The wheel of misfortune may help.

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/training.htm

It might be that you have a little flinch for some reason with the .45. Dry fire it a lot is always good. Have someone watch you as you shoot it (although sometimes the movement is really hard to see). Also get a couple of snap caps and put the snap cap in randomly with live ammo. When you are expecting a live round to go off and all you shoot is a snap cap, the results can sometimes be dramatic. (one may actually see a very visible movement when there should be none)

 

[Thomas Garrett]

Reply

I'm thinking "trigger" also. I didn't add this, I'm left handed, The trigger on the Springfield is alittle tighter than the others (brand new), "watching" for movement when firing, using just the end of my finger on the trigger when the round is released. sometimes it seems like the barrel moves to the left. but the target shows high right all the time. funny thing is i can aim bottom left of the 9 ring and i'm in the 10's and x's. so it dosn't add up. like i stated on a sandbag she is 10/x's. should i have the trigger weighed and lightened up to match my Revolvers??? Or is it a mental thing anticipating the "kick"? also, i keep a copy of the "wheel of Misfortune" with me when i practice (reversed), that's how i've been able to tighten up my groups. But as it is stating i'm "pushing"???

 

[cavman]

I, too, am a lefty. In that case, I had the problem that you also having. For about a year I had my first shot, and thankfully pretty much only the first shot of the day, go to the two o'clock position. After that I settled down. But a 5 to start the day was a bummer, especially when the others were good.

It mostly happened when I was thinking too hard; Slow fire. Also I found for me that if I was willing to accept an 8 or 9 and just put it up there and fire, the high and right disappeared. That is when I knew that it was all me.

For me it was anticipation of the shot, and took a lot of concentration to get rid of it. Drove me nuts. Because you are getting center groups off the bags, I would think it has to be mental.

Have you tried Sustained fire, Timed and Rapid to see if you are getting the same high and right? If you get in a rhythm, the anticipation may go away.

 

[Thomas Garrett]

Reply

Cavman, Thanks for the reply, No, I't dosen't matter which section i shoot (2700) slow or rapid. I've also changed my trigger finger location a few times, also tried wearing a "shortie" glove. That makes alittle improvement. The Springfield 1911-A1 has factory grips, I'm thinking changing to "Target" grips. On both of my revolver's i have lefthanded thumbrest Herritt's. Don't have any concern's with either of those. also on the .45 it has factory "combat" sights. it's to the point whereas if i can't shake the problem, i'm going to accept to situation and add adjustable sights from Springfield. ($130.00), and dial it in. Any ideas?? PS. i do notice i grip tighter with the .45 because of the grip safety. Could that be part of the problem?

 

[Mike OTDP]

If you are getting consistent results, you're doing everything right. Adjust the sights.

 

[Sunray]

"...all of my pistols sights are iron..." Like real men.
Do or have a trigger job done and think about have adjustable sights put on. If you can easily reach the trigger, the grips aren't the issue. Mind you, different grips can be more comfortable. Pachmayr rubber grips are good and not as expensive as any Herrett. As much as I like the ones on my S&W M41.
Look at the mainspring housing too. A flat one may feel better. Doesn't push the hand either. $11.05 to $23.70 from Gunparts and no fitting is required. One wee pin to get the spring out. http://www.e-gunparts.com/productschem.asp?chrMasterModel=0660z1911 GOVERNMENT SERIES 70
Then have a look at this. http://www.targetshooting.ca/docs/Pistol_Shot_Analysis.pdf
"...to match my Revolvers???..." No. Two different handguns. A target revolver is fine with a 2 pound trigger, but a pistol is not.
Oh, and dry fire until the cows come home. It's great practice for trigger control and sight picture.

 

[Thomas Garrett]

Reply

Well guys, went to the range yesterday, found a old MTU gunsmith there, talked, he watched me, well, the repair was a set of Pachmayr grips and a 1/4" trigger shoe. He also stated i had a problem with the .45 of bringing my head down to the right when shooting, whereas the revolvers i didn't. so, that repair was training for me to bring the .45 higher in front of my shooting eye so i won't "dip" my head. $42.00 later i'm "fixed", and yes, he shot it, and stated the trigger was alittle tight, but that would go away through time. he field stripped it stated it was very tight, and that Springfield did a very nice job with it. as for the sights he stated don't fix it if it ain't broke at 25 yards, now a 50 yards ( my indoor range only goes to 25 yards) it may be a consideration for adjustables. so for now i'm leaving it alone, learning the new 'Feel" and enjoying the 10's and x's. Thanks Guys for the Reply. PS. Sunray, I printed the Shot Analysis chart and it's going with me everytime i go to the range. Again Thanks.

 

[Sunray]

Hi. Don't forget the dry fire practice either. A door knob makes a good dry firing target. And get some upper body tone exercise. A 1911 weighs a bit over 2 pounds. Holding one still out on the end of your arm isn't as easy as it sounds. Upper body tone makes a huge difference. Mind you, if you can hold a revolver still, you're likely there already.
"...that would go away through time..." Have a trigger job done. It makes an enormous difference vs wearing the parts in. Just changing the springs(Wolf Springs) makes a difference. You'll want to change the recoil spring if you use lighter bullets or target ammo anyway. Cast 230 grain RN bullets with 4.5 grains of Bullseye shoot extremely well out of my Colt.