Doing something wrong with my Glock 17

[Roland Deschain]

Went to the range with my Glock 17 for the first time tonight and my accuracy was all over the place. So bad that I didn't even bother to take pictures of (or save) the targets. Let's just say it was embarrassing. I brought my Ruger GP-141 and was on target as usual. The Glock is my first semi-auto so I assume I must be doing something wrong. Looking for any advice or training in the San Diego area (live in Escondido and work in the Kearny Mesa area, am aware of American Shooting Center [where I went today actually] but looking for recommendations). Couple points of interest:

• I had accuracy issues with the rental XD9 and Glock 17 before I purchased
• Was shooting Winchester 115 grain
• Am left eye dominant and right handed :-(
• Tried shooting with both eyes open and closing my right eye
• Most shots hit inside the human target (when aiming center mass) but center mass and/or head shot was more of luck than intentional
• I put 200 rounds downrange today and didn't notice improvement

For reference here's six shots from my GP-100 a few months back (not great but MUCH better than my accuracy with the semi-autos)...

[AP1]

What distance were you shooting from? Could be simple as grip and stance. I know with my glock 17 the gun makes me look like a marksman. I'm in SD also.

[freethemouse]

Is it your trigger pull? I found that revolvers tend to have much better triggers, especially compared to striker fired pistols. I know the first time I shot the XD, I was all over the place. I took a lot of time, focusing intently on the front sight and pulling the trigger EXTREMELY slowly. Whenever the sights went out of alignment, I would stop pulling, and pull again when the sights were lined up. I would rest in between shots whenever I got tired or to catch my breath. Also try adjusting your grip where you can pull the trigger while keeping the gun stable.

Now I'm not a good shot by any means (I've only been shooting pistols regularly for 3 weeks) but I've improved A LOT shooting about 2-3 hundred rounds. I went from missing the paper target completely at 5 yards to hitting a 12" steel plate at 35 yards more often than not, and shooting fairly quickly at that.

My first pistol (CZ 75B) gets out of jail tomorrow, and I know that I'll need to work on my accuracy with that gun simply because the trigger is very different.

[CK_32]

Practice..

Focus on:

Grip
Stance
Trigger squeeze
Sight picture
Take your time!

It's always a learning experience.

[The Virus]

Sell it

[Whatisthis?]

Practice..

Focus on:

Grip
Stance
Trigger squeeze
Sight picture
Take your time!

It's always a learning experience.

This. Especially the trigger squeeze. Squeeze that trigger straight back nice and slow, without slowing down or speeding up. Just do it really nice and slow to start out, then as it becomes easier to do without you consciously telling yourself when the trigger break is, speed up. Nice and slow to me could be like one shot every 4-5 seconds. But I REALLY take my time when I'm struggling.

You want that trigger to break without you consciously telling yourself when it's going to be. Sometimes getting a good squeeze off is a game for me if I'm having a bad day. I try to think of it as getting my finger to consistently squeeze while my mind focuses on the front sight post and not the trigger; the mind and finger work independent of one another.

[Gary13]

Are you shooting the Ruger single or double action? Looks like SA to me. If SA it will take a while to get used to the heavier pull of a striker fired gun.

[Nynvolt]

It's trigger control. Takes some getting used to the Glock trigger. I also have a Flench, so it helps a ton for me to start off with my 2.25" gp101 with .357 then switch to the Glock. I won't push as bad since the g22 is such a soft shooter compared.

[Roland Deschain]

What distance were you shooting from?

Any where between 5 and 10 yards, mostly around 7.

Are you shooting the Ruger single or double action? Looks like SA to me.

Good call. This target was SA since it was the last 12 rounds of the day and my buddy and I were trying to decide who would buy lunch.

Is it your trigger pull?

Reading the posts and thinking about it more this is most likely my issue as it's one of the bigger differences between firing the Ruger and Glock. I'll go pickup some snap caps so I can practice trigger pull while not at the range. More range time is always a welcome thing as well so I'll keep doing that

[phdo]

Maybe you just need more practice. Semi-autos need some getting used to if you've been shooting revolvers.

[SilverTauron]

If its feasable, the OP should borrow or rent a different semi-auto for comparison purposes.

The reason is that shooter-to-weapon ergonomics can be a funny variable sometimes. Not all of us have identically sized hands and fingers, and as such a handgun which shoots like a laser beam for Person A could result in a mess for Person B. Some handguns no matter how well executed the fundamentals are will shoot poorly for some people because of this fact.

Unfortunately, the only way to know whether a weapon really is compatible with your grip and hands is by shooting it. Ive bought and sold some really nice guns because in the store the weapon fit ,but on the firing line things just didn't work out.

I bought a S&W 5906 earlier this year and loved how the gun pointed, fit, and all that jazz. I then took it to the range and shot an 8" pattern at 25 feet. WTH?

Picked up my Beretta and posted a 4" group at the same distance with the same ammo. Thinking the difference was because of practice alone, I spent hundreds of dollars and range time shooting the S&W alone to improve with it.

Last month, I took it to the range after 600 rounds of practice.

And shot an 8" group at 25 feet.

Sometimes it ain't meant to be.

[ElDub1950]

You said you have snap caps. Have your buddy load 1 or 2 snap caps in your mags randomly. When you hit the snap cap unexpectedly you'll likely see you are jerking the gun all over the place. Practice your trigger control this way until you're consistently steady when it goes click. Then move on to sight alignment etc. Pretty much impossible to hit anything consistently until you can work the trigger pretty well.

[CK_32]

You said you have snap caps. Have your buddy load 1 or 2 snap caps in your mags randomly. When you hit the snap cap unexpectedly you'll likely see you are jerking the gun all over the place. Practice your trigger control this way until you're consistently steady when it goes click. Then move on to sight alignment etc. Pretty much impossible to hit anything consistently until you can work the trigger pretty well.

Wow cant believe I forgot that.. #1 problem Ive noticed with all shooters is flinch. do as said above..

I myself even tho am very proficient in shooting my glock 17 or any hand gun will load up an empty chamber and take dry fire practice almost every other mag. No joke and I still catch my self flinching even when I know its empty. And go till I stop and then it fixes my groups almost every time. Human nature to adapt to recoil.

[Roland Deschain]

This. Especially the trigger squeeze. Squeeze that trigger straight back nice and slow, without slowing down or speeding up. Just do it really nice and slow to start out, then as it becomes easier to do without you consciously telling yourself when the trigger break is, speed up. Nice and slow to me could be like one shot every 4-5 seconds. But I REALLY take my time when I'm struggling.

You want that trigger to break without you consciously telling yourself when it's going to be. Sometimes getting a good squeeze off is a game for me if I'm having a bad day. I try to think of it as getting my finger to consistently squeeze while my mind focuses on the front sight post and not the trigger; the mind and finger work independent of one another.

You said you have snap caps. Have your buddy load 1 or 2 snap caps in your mags randomly. When you hit the snap cap unexpectedly you'll likely see you are jerking the gun all over the place. Practice your trigger control this way until you're consistently steady when it goes click. Then move on to sight alignment etc. Pretty much impossible to hit anything consistently until you can work the trigger pretty well.

Thanks for the tips. After a few hundred dry fires today I think I have better control of the trigger than I did before. However in my apartment, with a magazine full of snap caps, there isn't the anticipation of recoil that would cause me to flinch. So I'll definitely try out the surprise snap cap idea.

That said does anyone have any experience with the training provided by American Shooting Center in San Diego (Kearny Mesa/Clairemont)? I figure some sort of formal training can only improve my skills.