Aiming diagnosis

[joelogic]

How can I figure out what I am doing wrong. I aim straight and the bullets hit about 4" left at 15yds. When I lock my arm and lock my legs the bullets go where I want them to. Am I just not holding my gun tight enough? I remember reading a magazine article that explained what you were doing wrong depending upon where the bullet impacted. Maybe I am tweaking my wrist when I pull the trigger. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[dirtykoala]

dont hold it too tight. use the meaty portion of your finger between the tip of your finger and your first knuckle.

http://shootingsafely.com/correction.jpg

i may be wrong, but im assuming that chart is reversed if your shooting left handed.

[Josh]

usually if you shoot only left or right it means you are tensing up right before the shot and squeezing down on the grip.

When you tense up and squeeze the grip right before the shot it shifts the gun horizontally.

Dont death grip the gun, relax. All that is needed is a firm grip. Youre not trying to choke the life out of them.

[joelogic]

That pic is great, it is exactly what I was talking about. Looks like I am Anticipating recoil, too little trigger finger, or tightening fingers. Thanks, I will try a looser grip tomorrow.

[BamBam-31]

Unlock your arms and legs a little. Locking them transfers recoil rearward too harshly, and that might lead to a flinch. Unlocking your arms in particular will give you a little bit of a cushion. Try an isosceles stance with a high thumbs grip. Point the pistol straight out from your chest (not at an angle, as with a Weaver stance). Hold the pistol firmly (like a firm handshake), but not too tightly (death grips lead to muscle fatigue, which in turn leads to shakey hands). Mix in snap caps / dummy rounds to see if you're flinching.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[maxicon]

Dunno what kind of gun you're shooting, but dummies are a great exercise, especially if you're shooting with someone else who can load up a few mags for you. Revolvers make it easier - randomly leave 1 or 2 cylinders empty, give it a spin, and start shooting.

Be sure you're pulling the trigger slowly and carefully. Speed's no good without accuracy. Start very slowly - feel the grit in the trigger, feel the stages and the creep and the break - so that it's a surprise when the shot goes off. Once you've got good trigger mechanics down, the speed will come.

Another very useful tool for this is a laser, if you have a way to mount one. It'll show when you're messing up your trigger pull, stance, whatever, in real time. Even an inexpensive $25 gun show laser will work fine for this.

[joelogic]

I like the snap cap idea. I can load the mags and just shuffle those. It's a HK USP 45 so I could put a laser on it.

[fairfaxjim]

dont hold it too tight. use the meaty portion of your finger between the tip of your finger and your first knuckle.

http://shootingsafely.com/correction.jpg

i may be wrong, but im assuming that chart is reversed if your shooting left handed.

That chart is an excellent aid, and yes it is reversed left to right for left handed shooters.

[joelogic]

Thanks for the tips, I kept it looser today and shot much better.