Why do I stink at shooting 9mm?

[Edmond]

I mean, I can't shoot 9mm as well as my .40, .45, .38 or .357 mag. My groups are extremely loose and I have a flinching problem.

But I don't have those problems with the larger calibers, especially the .45. I shoot very tight groups with the .45.

The 9's I shoot like that are Glocks, Sig's and HK's. The .40's and .45's I shoot are Sig's, Beretta's and Glocks.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

[10-Ring]

Does that mean you don't want that POS P2000? I'll give ya $50 for it

Seriously...what kind of ammo are you using? Me, I shoot 9mm, 357sig, 357 mag & 45 acp the best while the 40 has found its way out of my collection. The best I got for you is to not give up, buy a lot of practice ammo & be patient.

 

[Majic]

You flinch with a 9mm, but not a .40SW? If you can shoot a heavier, more powerful caliber without flinching then the lighter, weaker caliber should be no problem. Are the 9mm pistols you are shooting compacts and the .40s and .45s full sized pistols? Have you tried slowly shooting one shot at a time and evaluating each shot?

 

[JaxNovice]

I have the same problem. I pound the .45 tight and am all over the place with my 9mm.

 

[TC-TX]

Two Questions:

Plastic or Steel?

SA/DA or DAO?

 

[Azrael256]

Different recoil between 9mm and .45. You're reacting to the snappiness. If you start teaching basics to new shooters, you'll observe the same phenomenon. The 9mm cartridge looks all nice and small next to the big .45, but the shooter thinks the .45 is easier to shoot. It actually puts more force into their hand, but it doesn't feel like it's trying to jump. The new shooter's biggest fear is not the impact of the recoil (after a couple rounds they see it's no biggie), but rather the gun getting out of control. Frame size and loading have a lot to do with that. I've seen new shooters absolutely eat up .44mag in a big heavy revolver (if they have enough arm strength to hold it comfortably), but flat-out refuse to shoot more than one round from a Seecamp .32.

And absolutely none of us are immune to developing a flinch. Every single shooter here has had to deal with it on more than one occasion.

The big noise and harder hit from big cartridges can be dealt with with a very few rounds. The snappy recoil and muzzle flip from a small, high-pressure cartridge will cause a flinch that is best dealt with through dry-fire practice.

 

[Edmond]

All ammo was WWB.

One of the Sig's was DA/SA, P229 in .40 while the other was DAK P226 in 9. I was horrible on DAK but I think it may have been because of the Crimson grips on the P226, which was too big for my hand.

HK's were DA/SA, both in 9.

You already know what the Glock and Beretta's are action wise. Glock's were 9 and .45 while the Beretta was the 96.

It's like I have no problems with the larger calibers. Maybe I'm underestimating the smaller caliber of the 9mm and then realize, "whoa, this thing kicks."

 

[jfanzen]

i had that same problem.. i mean ive only shot once im below novice but i shot a berreta 9mm and a kimber 45.. i was like man the kimber is so much more accurate than shooting the 9mm.. actually "I" was morea ccurate.. weird...

 

[Lucky 7]

One thing that really helps:

RELAX!!!!!

Its that simple...stage the trigger if its DA. That really helps. If its single action SA, take your time with breaking the trigger. Get some snap caps and practice... A LOT!

Regards,
L7

 

[JaxNovice]

I guess a shooting flinch is like the putting yips. They come out of nowhere and can totally screw you up.

 

[Onmilo]

Simple answer, mental conditioning.
You have convinced yourself that you are unable to shoot the 9mm accurately and when you spend range time with the caliber your mind does everything possible to ensure that your decision is valid.

Positive thinking is a powerful thing.

 

[ZeroCool]

I find the 9mm harder to control than the .45 because of the "snappiness" that others described.

Now, I'm not a particularly good shot with any caliber, but I am better with my kimber .45 than with my walther p99 9mm, and i have had the walther 2 years longer! I am also not particularly good with my buddys beretta 92 9mm.

I like the "push back" recoil of the .45 better than the "snappiness" of the 9mm. Too bad ammo is double the price

 

[RecoilRob]

WWB 115's don't shoot worth a darn in my pistols. Try some 147's and see if your grouping doesn't improve.