dumb question?

[God.Then.Guns]

1) can you zero a handgun?


2) do different handgun sights have different zeros?

the reason i ask is, i am still a relatively new shooter and shoot my first match on sunday (GSSF). my groups were decent but all my shots at 25 yards were high on the target.

Just curious to see what experienced shoots have to say. i understand zeroing a rifle and offsets at different yards, just wondering if its the same-ish on a pistol.

thanks cal gunners you guys are awesome

[God.Then.Guns]

ps. I'm going to practice my 25-yard shooting at the range tonight so we will see how that goes :P

[boopiejones]

Depends on the gun and the type of sights. Some have very little adjustability without replacing the sights altogether (like a glock) and others have sights that allow for windage and elevation adjustments (like the target sights on some 1911s)

[dfletcher]

1) can you zero a handgun?


2) do different handgun sights have different zeros?

the reason i ask is, i am still a relatively new shooter and shoot my first match on sunday (GSSF). my groups were decent but all my shots at 25 yards were high on the target.

Just curious to see what experienced shoots have to say. i understand zeroing a rifle and offsets at different yards, just wondering if its the same-ish on a pistol.

thanks cal gunners you guys are awesome

Yes you can zero a handgun, although doing so doesn't make it more accurate but rather, as you noted, closer to your intended point of aim. Consistently placing your shots in a good group but not to point of aim can also indicate a flawed shooting technique.

I tend to use a "6 o'clock" hold - place the taget just atop the front sight with a sliver of light between its bottom and the front sight's top. Since you're hitting high that approach may help. Also, given the same caliber higher velocity, lighter weight bullets tend to strike lower than heavy, slower moving bullets. So you can to an extent "zero" your handgun by using diferent loads.

If you're getting good groups that's 90% of the battle.

[newbutold]

Hand-guns are absolutely able to zero. Not all will shoot repeatable into the same hole from a rest.

What gun are you shooting? Some are very good and some are junk.

[God.Then.Guns]

I'm shooting a stock glock 17 with 10-8 sights ( black U notch rear and red FO)
and a bone stock glock 30

my groups are actually better with the g30

[TKM]

Are you trying to use the same sight picture with the stock sights and the FO?

The FO will always be a little lower than the top edge of standard sights. If everything else is the same this will have you shooting high.

[God.Then.Guns]

Honestly, I think I was, I think I was lining the FO with the top of the rear sight instead of lining the top of the front and rear

[God.Then.Guns]

So I practiced tonight and sorta figured it out. This was at 25 yards
Don't mind that high right shot.. I totally jerked the trigger lol

[MrOrange]

Can you?

You have to.

Fixed sights are adjusted with a file and/or hammer, or a sight pusher if yer fancy. I had to lower the front sight on my Commander, by the time I got done the dot was at the edge of the sight. Also one of the reasons I don't like dots on sights, sometimes when you line up the dots, the outline of the sights (normal sight picture) is off, so you have to decide which one you want to go with. Besides, it's just personal preference, but for me dots are distracting and I don't need them, so I just paint over them.

By the looks of that target, you got it figured out.