Shooting problem, looking for advice/help

[srtboise]

Hi all,

I'm hoping you can help me figure out a problem.

I have 2 1911s, one 5 inch and one 3.5 inch "officer" size compact

My buddy has a 4 inch 1911 with an "officer" size frame.

I shoot my full size just fine, POI=POA
I shoot my 3.5" compact about 3" left of POA @ 7-10 yards
I shoot my buddy's compact just fine, POI=POA

My buddy shoots all 3 just fine, POI=POA

I have also had a couple others shoot my compact and POI=POA.

I am right hand and right eye dominant. I have tried all sorts of grip variations and finger placement on the trigger. One handed, both strong and support hand. No matter what I do POI is always left of POA only with my compact.

In addition, I shoot other platforms (CZ clone, double action revolver, TC Contender, Browning Buckmark, Ruger MKII, Glock, etc) and, when I do my part, POI=POA.

I was originally going to tap the rear sight to the right a bit but everyone else shoots this thing straight.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks,
steve

 

[F-111 John]

I shoot my Glock 26 to the left. Everyone tells me I jerk the trigger, yet I shoot all my other firearms just fine. It is my Glock, so I drifted the sight to the right.

 

[ZeSpectre]

If you are shooting a group, consistently, but the group is in the wrong place then the sights might need adjusting.

If you are not shooting a group (and by group I mean something you could cover with a closed fist) then it's not the sights.

 

[bgw45]

Based on the OPs statement that he shoots his 5 poi=poa, then this is what I would check.
Compare trigger pull weights
Are you holding each the same
Using that same ammo
See differences when dry firing

 

[srtboise]

Based on the OPs statement that he shoots his 5 poi=poa, then this is what I would check.
Compare trigger pull weights
Are you holding each the same
Using that same ammo
See differences when dry firing

I don't have a trigger pull gauge but the trigger on my 5" is much more crisp with no creep. Not sure if is any lighter than the compact. The compact has noticeable creep but is still a better trigger than any other handgun I own, other than my 5".

I hold them both the same but have tried different grips with the same results.

Same ammo.

Zero sight movement when dry firing.

Thanks
steve

 

[Ed Ames]

Are they using the same type of sights?

Maybe relevant to this thread: I had a handgun that, the first time I took it out, shot low and to the right for me but dead on for a buddy. After more practice I realized that POI actually varied for me depending on lighting conditions. I replaced the sights and have been much happier. I think it was a misalignment between the silhouette of the sights and the dots so that they disagreed (a manufacturing or design defect) and I was using the silhouette while my buddy was using the dots or vice versa.

 

[srtboise]

Hmm...my 5" gun has plain black target sights and my compact has xs night sites. I will have to clarify how my buddy is aligning them. I have been focusing on aligning them as the manufacturer specifies...

Thanks
steve

 

[9mmepiphany]

Sounds like you just answered you own question.

XS sights don't give you much feedback of lateral displacement of the front sight and it doesn't help that the top of the front sight blade is rounded either. If you try to hold the front Dot above the vertical stripe on the rear blade, you aren't watching the front sight.

My personal recommendation would be to just ditch the XS sights for a more conventional rear notch and flat top front blade

 

[srtboise]

Thank you all for your suggestions and input. I think I will drift the sight and see how it goes.

steve

 

[SynapticSilence]

The other explanation is that you have a very slight aberration in your trigger mechanics that is within limits on the 4" and 5" pistols but amplified more with the shorter 3.5" barreled 1911. The shorter a barrel is, the more degrees of deflection that will be seen by any slight deviation in trigger pull. You could very well be getting center target hits with the longer barreled pistols and yet see a deviation in the one with 3 1/2". That would explain better why your friends are hitting dead on with all three of your 1911s, while you're shooting left with the 3.5".

 

[greenmountains]

This happens to me on some guns that I don't often train with. The answer for me is what part of the finger ends up on the trigger. I don't know if your compact has a smaller grip circumference (slimline grips, etc.) but I would be willing to bet you are getting more of your finger in the trigger guard/ past the trigger. Perfect example is shooting glocks. When I go from my m&p/1911s to a glock, for whatever reason my finger ends up further into the trigger guard. Next time you shoot your compact try to focus on putting the first pad of your finger on the trigger and pull straight back. Every reset focus primarily on the trigger, it's hard to do if you've constantly focused on the front sight your whole life. If I just grab a stock glock and start shooting, boom, low left, boom, low left, boom, low left. Switch the sights and change my finger position, POI=POA. Hopefully this helps! Could be lots of things but this is my experience w/ shooting left.

 

[F-111 John]

The shorter a barrel is, the more degrees of deflection that will be seen by any slight deviation in trigger pull.

I'm sorry, but I don't buy that. If the grip and the trigger are the same, the barrel length has nothing to do with how many degrees the barrel swings. The only thing that barrel length will affect is the sight radius, and with a longer barrel, the same number of degrees of shift of the barrel will result in more misalignment of the sights.

Therefore it is easier to get a more precise sight picture with a longer barrel.

 

[SynapticSilence]

Duh. Yep, you're right. Sometimes I engage my brain and sometime I don't. There's a reason my wife is an engineer and I'm a psychologist, I suppose. What I should have said (and didn't) was what you said, F-111. Thanks for resetting my brain to the right configuration. With luck, I can maintain it for a while.

 

[srtboise]

Hi all,

I drifted my sight over the weekend. Just took a wild guess as to how far to go. Made it to the range today (indoor range near work, makes for a great lunch break) and both guns now have nearly identical POI in relation to POA.

Thank you all for your input and advice.

steve

 

[strambo]

Hmmm...but you said your friend (and a couple others) shoots your compact POA-POI, if his sight picture and fundamentals are sound, that would mean your are jerking the trigger or anticipating recoil when shooting your compact. If this is the case, drifting the sight is bad ju-ju vs. fixing the underlying problem.

Personally, I always find a known high level shooter to shoot my pistol before I drift a sight. I want to be positive it isn't me. With all those other shooters shooting it POI-POA, it sounds like you are the issue unless their technique is flawed the exact same way for each person. Something to think about...

 

[psyshack]

You don't like shooting it. May seem simple. But it's the truth. I don't like shooting compact 1911's either.