Pull shots down and left

[hyrise]

My first pistol is a new XD40 and shot it last week but seem to pull down and left of aim. Friend shot it and had no problems aiming. What am I doing to cause the pull? Antisipation of the recoil? Bad grip?

[SDJim]

http://www.pointmanspage.com/gallery/v/gunsngear/ShootingMisc/handgun_shooting_symptom_chart.jpeg.html

[HighLander51]

Stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control are the fundamentals of shooting. Without seeing any of that, it could be one or all involved. The charts shown are for one handed BullsEye shooting. Google up Rob Leatham how to grip a handgun.

[Maltese Falcon]

I have same problem occasionally, anticipating recoil and jerking the trigger.

Must practice regularly.

.

[omnitravis]

My best advice would be to get some snapcaps and practice, practice, practice. I greatly improved my shot in a matter of weeks without even going to the range.

[diveRN]

I have same problem occasionally, anticipating recoil and jerking the trigger.

Must practice regularly.

^^^^^ this.

[trigger945]

hyrise, this is not unusual. Some still experience this or have experienced this in the past.

jessegpresley said it well above. It takes practice and continued focus to shoot better.

Hang in there and enjoy the journey!

[lolkopter]

I have same issue. Just bought snap caps on amazon

[Hank15]

Trigger control is the most critical component of handgun accuracy. Case in point: I can shoot a tighter group with my .150 wide rear sights and .115 wide front sight than people with target sights...and my vision without glasses is about 20/40 or 20/50. And the reason is...trigger control.

As others have pointed out, using snap caps will help tremendously. However, the snap caps are only half of the solution, which is knowing what you're doing wrong. The other half of the solution is knowing how to fix what you're doing wrong.

Have an experienced shooter press the trigger for you.

By that I mean to have your stance, posture, grip, trigger finger placement all in place. And when you're ready to shoot the gun, line up the sights, place your finger on the trigger, and have the experienced shooter press the trigger for you.

If you shoot at Prado or Raahauge's I can show you exactly what I mean.

Good luck and hope you conquer this obstacle.

[BoJackUSMC]

Just need more practice.. which means spending $$$$..

[hyrise]

Thanks for the replies. Kinda what I thought and the pointmans page tells it all, thanks SDJim. I have snapcaps and will start practicing the trigger pull and equal pressure of both hands. Was thinking more support with left hand to stop the drop. I think what jessegpresley says about the finger position will help cause I tryed also with the middle phalanx and didn't change anything.

[NapalmCheese]

By that I mean to have your stance, posture, grip, trigger finger placement all in place. And when you're ready to shoot the gun, line up the sights, place your finger on the trigger, and have the experienced shooter press the trigger for you.

Sounds like a way to rub up on girls...

Anyway I occasionally have the same problem. Once I settle down and focus on squeezing until after the shot (squeeze and follow through) I shoot better.

[Just_some_guy]

The trick for me is to squeeze the trigger while exhaling and follow through the firing. Something seems to relax and steady body-wide with the exhaling, which helps focus. Keeping that relaxed, yet firm grip all through the squeeze usually plants one right in the orange.

[myk]

Lots of good 'info here. The snap-cap/dry firing drills work, and it helped me to learn how to keep the sights from moving as I pulled back. The problem I have to deal with now is anticipating the recoil and, or flinching...