Why do i always shoot left?

[BowerR64]

Ive noticed with my pistols i tend to always shoot left just a touch. Last night i met my friend up at the range and he had a used CVA he picked up that he shoots pretty well so i tired it with my loads, filler and ball setup.

It shot just like mine do, ive never seen this gun before never even held it till today yet its shooting in almost the exact same spots i shoot mine. Just slightly left of the bull.

Am i pushing the trigger when i pull it or what is it that im doing? I almost corrected my 2 with a file on the rear hammer till i shot his now i know its me.

Then moved it back to 25 shot about the same way just a touch more to the left

Last time i took mine out i shot them like this.

 

[Schwing]

A couple of things come to mind. First, do you know your eye dominance? If not, you could be using the wrong eye to shoot. It is much more pronounced with hand guns than with rifles.

Second, and more likely, you are not giving the trigger enough trigger finger. Some shooters like to rest the very tip of their finger on the trigger and that often leads to shooting to the left (for right handers). Try centering the trigger between your fingernail and first knuckle. This might be the entire problem.

I would also add that the sights might need to be adjusted... It isn't always you

 

[INGarand]

Close your hand, and simulate pulling the trigger without a gun in your hand. This way you can feel how the hand muscles work. If you have movement to the left that will answer your question. From the group size it seems that you have everything else working. As stated, it could be the sights also.

 

[mec]

You came up with the textbook explanation- pushing the trigger. You might experiment with finger placement to see if altering it gives you a more straight-back pull.

 

[brushhippie]

This is a durn good question..I seem to be the right guy myself!

 

[CANNONMAN]

Yep, I think their right

Your right eye -vs- left eye dominance could well be spot on. Please note that you can be right handed and left eyed and even left footed or any combination therein. If you sight your target then open your other eye the target should remain still. If it jumps, you are shooting with the wrong eye. This can be difficult to adjust. But the practice is fun. Schwing is also correct on how much finger to use. Are you used to shooting a double action that requires much less pull? They are correct in finger pad placement and direct line pull. Agine, takes practice and practice is great full.

 

[4v50 Gary]

What mec suggested. Use only the pad of the finger.

 

[beeenbag]

Here ya go

 

[BowerR64]

my friend sugested i use kentucky windage

 

[Curator]

Bower64,

Shooting a pistol to the left when hand held as compared to resting on a sand bag is usually related (right hand shooters) to trigger pull. Actually your thumb may be the culprit. Try holding the handgun with your three fingers (middle, ring & pinkie) and the heel of your thumb. Place the center of the pad of your finger on the trigger and pull your thumb up near the recoil shield of your revolver without touching. Your trigger finger and thumb are related in being "opposable" and your thumb will bear down as you move your index finger rearward, slightly moving your gun to the left. By pulling your thumb away from the grio and keeping up and not touching, your groups should move to the center of the target assuming the gun is correctly sighted in.

 

[Hellgate]

Several of my revolvers "shoot to the right" a bit when shoooting duelist (I'm a leftie in the Frontiersman category). They don't hit to the right when others shoot them. I tend to put too much meat onto the trigger. Even though I know it is poor techique causing the POI to go right I still will tap the front sight over on my Remingtons (Uberti & Euroarms/ASPs) to make POA=POI.

 

[herkyguy]

Someone suggested to me to adjust where my palm cupped the grip. I slid my palm a bit deeper around the grip which made for a more natural trigger finger across the trigger. It worked.

 

[CANNONMAN]

Thanks Beenbag!

I have not seen this chart for years. Thanks for bringing it back from the old depths of memory. Nice! CANNONMAN

 

[Schwing]

do you know your eye dominance? If not, you could be using the wrong eye to shoot.

I have to revisit my own comment here. If you are right handed and left eye dominant (as I am), but shooting with your right eye you will almost always shoot to the right. If you are left handed and right eye dominant and using your left eye, THEN you will most likely shoot to the left.

This is not a 100% rule however. There are many shooters who are cross dominant (use the hand on one side but the eye on the other) who can simply close their dominant eye and be directly on target. Sadly, I am not one of those.

 

[Hellgate]

I am right eye dominant and shoot left handed. I use my right eye for the pistols and my left for the long guns.

 

[rcflint]

The fact that the gun may well weigh less than the triggerpull can rotate the gun when you press the trigger, particularly if you jerk it or press to fast and hard. Also,ssure you are not holding with too loose a grip. With your eyes closed, aim the gun, then open your eye to see where kit is pointed, and whether you settle naturally in to a sight picture. You may need to adjust ypour grip untill a sight picture is your "natural" hold.

The plow handle grip of a Colt SA revolver is not as easy to get consistant as is a 1911, fer'instance.