Shooting technique - low and left

[ShotShell-207]

Hey guys,

I've had my glock 21sf for about a 2 months now. I've been going to the range every other week or so to get practice sessions in (about 100 - 200 rds or so each time).

At first my shots were going all over the place, but with a little bit of practice, I'm able to shoot consistently now. However, I'm consistently shooting low and left. So in order to actually hit a bullseye on my targets, I aim up and right from the center mass.

If I'm shooting 8 inch targets from 10 yards, my point of aim is at the 2 o'clock position (4 inches from center of mass) and my point of impact will group about 1 inch at center mass. I've also tried shooting from the trigger reset to avoid jerking the trigger with excessive pull. I'll occasionally get a hit in where the point of impact is where the point of aim is, but even that hit is slightly low and left.

At first I thought maybe it was just this particular gun set up (sights, trigger, etc.), but I started renting some of the guns at my local range and found this shooting habit of mine to be consistent with at least 3 other guns (HK USP 45, Glock 19, and a Sig Sauer 1911). I'm pretty convinced it's my shooting technique.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[Excaliburr]

Could be a shooting habit like limp wristing, but I am thinking something else is going on here. Are you by chance left eye dominant? That would be my first guess. I am and all handguns with iron sights I shoot left of center. Either I have to drift the rear sight to the right or I have to compensate (like you are) for my shooting to be accurate. The height I am not too concerned with as that can be a variety of factors like height of target vs your height (leads to trajectory issues) and how about the fact that you are shooting at 30' rather than say 21' which is conceal carry qualifying distance. At my local range with one of my .357 I am sighted dead on at 25' and at 50' I have to aim 4" low. All about trajectory. That is why it is important to practice and sometimes I write an index card with this information and keep it with the gun. Of course that info can be blown to heck if I load some ammo in a different way. Know the gun, know the ammo you are using and keep it simple. Do not change or else you will have to re-test.

[foreppin916]

My first handgun purchase was a glock 17 and I always shot low left as well. With practice now at 25 feet I can make decent groups.

are you right handed? if so this is a common "theme" among glock shooters is low left. It just getting used to the trigger on the gun. I know I used to pull the trigger and it would pull the gun to the left. Just really concentrate on pulling the trigger strait back.

google "shooting correction wheel" and it will show you if your hits are in certian areas what your doing wrong and "low left" is marked as "jerking"

It took me a good 500 rounds to get used to the glock trigger. Google that image and print it out and throw it in your range bag its very helpful for handgun shooting

good luck and congrats on the glock purchase
[IMG][/IMG]

[kdruff2]

I would agree with the other CalGunners before me in this thread about the low left shots. I also went thru the samething and still experience it from time to time - especially during stressful situations (not in combat or anything like that but in competitive shooting matches).

If this helps, for me, the problem really boiled down to "slapping the trigger". The advice i received, which I found useful, is to learn where your shot breaks on the trigger pull. You want to remove as much of the trigger pull as possible so only the minimum pull is required to break the shot on the gun your using.

And the only way you can learn the above is by putting in the trigger time at the range. As mentioned before, it's the most common problem for new right handed shooters. But the good news is, this issue is curable. For the more extreme examples, I've heard of shooting coaches taping the shooters wrist and hands to the gun.

Once your shooting accuracy improves, and your grouping gets tighter, at the range, take it to the next level by shooting in matches or on the move. This next level will expose flaws in your technique that's not there when standing still at the range.

Eitherway, it's going to be a long and fun journey (I'm currently in it!).

[limitdown]

You're right handed.
You're tugging the trigger too hard.
Typical low and left.

[Pistolgrip Pump]

Try dry firing in your house exactly how you would at the range. Is the front sight moving at all when the trigger breaks?

[ShotShell-207]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I am right handed and left eye dominant as some of you seem to have deduced. I'll definitely work on the trigger technique some more to eliminate that from the equation.

As for the the flinching and dipping, what do you guys suggest for practice methods?

[P5Ret]

I literally saw a guy cure himself overnight of this problem when I went to firearms instructor school. He shot nice tight groups but not point of aim, one of the instructors gave him a drill to do at home. Safety first empty the gun ammo in another room, get an old school pencil with an eraser, tape a piece of paper to the wall, put the pencil in the barrel stand so that the tip of the pencil is no more than a couple inches from the paper slowly and smoothly pull the trigger. The goal is to have one spot on the paper where the pencil hits multiple times.
I know all the snap cap folks are going nuts right now about dry firing into an empty chamber, but I have seen this corrective measure work.

[bedowinn]

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

2:43 in
I actually tried this and it helped a lot.

[Mr.1904]

My first handgun purchase was a glock 17 and I always shot low left as well. With practice now at 25 feet I can make decent groups.

are you right handed? if so this is a common "theme" among glock shooters is low left. It just getting used to the trigger on the gun. I know I used to pull the trigger and it would pull the gun to the left. Just really concentrate on pulling the trigger strait back.

google "shooting correction wheel" and it will show you if your hits are in certian areas what your doing wrong and "low left" is marked as "jerking"

It took me a good 500 rounds to get used to the glock trigger. Google that image and print it out and throw it in your range bag its very helpful for handgun shooting

good luck and congrats on the glock purchase
[IMG][/IMG]

This target will be your best friend. Remember, trigger control is absolutely KEY in shooting accurately. Slow, smooth, and steady. You're probably just yanking back on the trigger instead of a slow, consistent push to the back.

[Mr.1904]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I am right handed and left eye dominant as some of you seem to have deduced. I'll definitely work on the trigger technique some more to eliminate that from the equation.

As for the the flinching and dipping, what do you guys suggest for practice methods?

Shoot with both eyes open!

And honestly, just practice. Empty your gun and practice pulling the trigger. Straight back. Put a dime on the sight post or end of the slide and pull the trigger. Over, and over, and over. You'll get the hang of it. Most self taught shooters have to go through this. I'd also recommend going to a pistol course.