Range Report, help me get better!

[Aces and 8s]

So I took my 4 pistols out to the range this morning. Definitely not a beginner shooter, but there is plenty of room for skill improvement. Brought out my Charles Daly 1911, Taurus M65, Glock 22, and Springfield XD9. My groupings are ok, but I am not sure what I may be doing wrong and would like some pointers and things I should work on from the experienced here at calguns! Anything I can improve on to get my groupings tighter would be great. For some reason I shot like crap with my Glock today. All suggestions and critiques welcome, good or bad.

All targets were about 10 yards out. Between 25-30 rounds each.

Charles Daly 1911 (.45)


Taurus M65 (.357)


Glock 22 (.40)


Springfield XD9 (9mm)

[CK_32]

Well for one those groups aren't horrid.. And you probably just had a bad day but again they could be a lot worse..

Another thing is suggest if your really trying to shrink the groups stick to one firearm and concentrate on the fundamental basics.. But switching gun to gun probably isn't helping.

My $.02

[huckberry668]

these 10-yard groups aren't too bad assuming all your shots landed on the target shown. They all group fairly center which means you have most of the fundamentals down. 40SW isn't an easy caliber to shoot well in a light weight gun like G22 so don't be discouraged. Just need a lot more trigger control is all. you may be shooting a little too fast. If you aim small you'll group small.

there is a phenomenon I call the 'live round syndrome'. Whenever the chamber is loaded the shooter tend to forget the fundamentals. I tell all those I coach to 'make every shot count'. which really means to shoot slowly and make sure you don't fire a round without going thru the fundamentals.

Bottom-up approach. Pay attention to and repeat this for every shot:

1. Stance - same exact comfortable, natural & supportive stance. legs, torso, arms, shoulder, neck tension.
2. Grip - same exact purchase, grip pressure, finger position.
3. Sights - same exact front sight focus, front/rear sights alignment, sight picture (sight alignment on target).
4. Trigger control - finger pressure and leverage (squeeze directly back).
5. Follow-thru - Keep holding the gun like you did before it went off. let the recoil take its natural course and don't fight it.

If you focus on all 5 above, you should be able to keep your eyes open and see the last sight picture and muzzle flash. And you'll be able to 'call your shots' and tell where it landed. It is easier said than done and that's why there not many good shots.

[Blackhawk556]

I've posted this video when ever people ask this question. This video really helped me improve my shooting no joke. http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_u...?v=-Yohikhl9_c

[Aces and 8s]

these 10-yard groups aren't too bad assuming all your shots landed on the target shown. They all group fairly center which means you have most of the fundamentals down. 40SW isn't an easy caliber to shoot well in a light weight gun like G22 so don't be discouraged. Just need a lot more trigger control is all. you may be shooting a little too fast. If you aim small you'll group small.

there is a phenomenon I call the 'live round syndrome'. Whenever the chamber is loaded the shooter tend to forget the fundamentals. I tell all those I coach to 'make every shot count'. which really means to shoot slowly and make sure you don't fire a round without going thru the fundamentals.

Bottom-up approach. Pay attention to and repeat this for every shot:

1. Stance - same exact comfortable, natural & supportive stance. legs, torso, arms, shoulder, neck tension.
2. Grip - same exact purchase, grip pressure, finger position.
3. Sights - same exact front sight focus, front/rear sights alignment, sight picture (sight alignment on target).
4. Trigger control - finger pressure and leverage (squeeze directly back).
5. Follow-thru - Keep holding the gun like you did before it went off. let the recoil take its natural course and don't fight it.

If you focus on all 5 above, you should be able to keep your eyes open and see the last sight picture and muzzle flash. And you'll be able to 'call your shots' and tell where it landed. It is easier said than done and that's why there not many good shots.

Lots of good advice there, thanks! I do tend to get overly excited and shoot a bit too fast. I try to take a breate, exhale, then hold before every shot. I'll keep your tips in mind next time out.

Blackhawk, The video link posted didnt work for some reason.

CK_32, your .02 makes plenty of sense. I just find I can't abide by it, I love all my pistols and they each need to be fondled equally. Haha

[Mr.1904]

Good shooting bud. I'd suggest slowing down and focusing on your trigger pull. Consistent, even, solid push straight back. And for the Glock work on your trigger reset. It'll help

My .02

[dem0critus]

Dude, those groups aren't bad at all. Like others have said focusing on the trigger pull is really what makes the difference. Dry firing drills will help a lot too. I practice by aiming at a point, and trying to get the least possible movement out of the sights while breaking the trigger. If the front sight shakes at all when you're pulling the trigger that's going to effect your shot.

[kb58]

What really worked for me (read: pointed out the problem) was to have someone load a bunch of dummy rounds into the mag without you knowing where they were in the stack. Not knowing whether the next round is live or not quickly reveals whether or not you're anticipating the shot and flinching.

My targets tend to look like your second one, all of them biased left. The most memorable shot was when I just "decided" that the next round in the chamber was a dude and honestly didn't expect it to fire - it hit dead center. However, when I knew the round was live I'd always pull it to the left - a habit that's proving hard to cure.

(If no one's around to load dummy rounds, a laser works nearly as well to show where you're pointing. Every time I'd approach where I knew the hammer was about to drop, that darn little spot on the target would start flinching to the left... Like I said, it's been hard to cure.)

[Aces and 8s]

Hmm, that's interesting. How does one cure the flinching to the left.

[scglock]

It's all about fundamentals and lots of practice.

[HighLander51]

You need a video of you shooting to diagnose anything. It starts with the fundamentals, stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control. If you really want to improve you need to take shooting lessons. Find your nearest USPSA or IDPA club, they generally have shooting lessons. In the meantime, watch one of the greatest shooters on the planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48

[sammy]

You can watch a video or listen to posters here but nothing helps more than one on one training.

Where are you located? Many nice guys here willing to help.

I shoot at USI in Concord. If you are willing to come out we can get your groups cut in half or better in one afternoon.

PM if interested,

Sammy

[TKM]

You are going to drive yourself nuts trying to master four pistols at once.

[Aces and 8s]

You can watch a video or listen to posters here but nothing helps more than one on one training.

Where are you located? Many nice guys here willing to help.

I shoot at USI in Concord. If you are willing to come out we can get your groups cut in half or better in one afternoon.

PM if interested,

Sammy

I'm in Simi Valley. Not sure where Concord is. Lol

[kb58]

I'm in Simi Valley. Not sure where Concord is. Lol

San Francisco area.