Author Topic: Consistently shooting to the left (Read 1848 times)

Leatherstocking · « **on:** August 09, 2008, 04:16:36 PM »

Not my gun, but me. Started with my revolver, a Ruger GP 100. Was driving me crazy and I figured it must be the gun. I also now own a Springfield XD9 and a Buckmark and I generally shoot consistent groups to the left with both of those guns too. So it must be me. I am fairly new to handguns. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong and how to fix it?

torpedoman · « **Reply #1 on:** August 09, 2008, 05:55:53 PM »

most likely it is in your trigger pull ,you are pushing the gun to the left,try using just the pad of your finger on the trigger.

rockbilly · « **Reply #2 on:** August 10, 2008, 05:22:58 AM »

Left and high usually indicates “anticipated recoil” and heeling the gun. Heeling is where you have a tendency to push with the heel of your shooting hand. This usually develops as a result of fear of recoil, or fear of muzzle blast.

Try working with a revolver; have a friend load the gun while you are not looking. I like to use a .357, and load one-two .357 bullets at random, fill in with a couple of mild .38s, and then a couple of empty cases... If you find the gun barrel tilting up and to the left when you snap on an empty you have located the problem. To overcome the problem…….continue to practice using the same method of loading while concentrating on sight alignment and trigger control..

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** August 10, 2008, 10:23:40 AM »

Are we over looking the obvious here?

Just how consistent are you? Are you shooting good groups? Are those groups really consistently about the same amount left?

If so then DUH adjust the sights after all that's why they are called ADJUSTABLE sights.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #4 on:** August 10, 2008, 10:46:31 AM »

All good advice. Thanks. I think it is in the trigger pull, but I have tried several different amounts of trigger finger. Not sure it is the recoil fear. Like I said it happens even with the Buckmark. It must be in the trigger pull. As for moving the sights, on the Ruger, I've already got the rear sight slid over as far as it goes. Good groups? Not sure what that should be with a handgun, but everything is certainly clustered. I guess groups were about 3" at 25 yards. Maybe not great, but consistent enough to see that it was not erratic. That's with the Buckmark and Ruger. I don't put too much weight on what I did with the XD9.

Old Syko · « **Reply #5 on:** August 10, 2008, 12:27:22 PM »

Quote

I've already got the rear sight slid over as far as it goes.

Okay, not trying to sound glib but did you move that sight in the correct direction or are you building in the problem accidentally?

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #6 on:** August 10, 2008, 02:57:15 PM »

I moved them the right direction

Old Syko · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2008, 03:38:26 PM »

Quote from: Leatherstocking on August 10, 2008, 02:57:15 PM

I moved them the right direction

If that's true your problem is worse than suspected. Considering the amount of adjustment in Ruger sights you should be measuring in feet instead of inches of compensation.

Savage · « **Reply #8 on:** August 11, 2008, 04:32:13 AM »

Get somone with known shooting ability to coach you on the basics, grip, sight picture, and trigger control. The problem should be easy to correct. Don't give up!!
Savage

Camba · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2008, 05:42:57 PM »

I do have the same problem as you have. When shooting from the bench, I consistently shoot right on and make good groups. As soon as I try it off hand, my shots not only open up a lot but they are at least 4 to 6" to the left of point of aim. A fellow "Hunt Chat" forum guy named Catfish advice me to load some 240gr lead bullets with 6 grains of Bullseye (found on the SPEER manual) and practice until I don't flinch any more. I did it for a while. I was getting really god at it. Seems that I need to go back to that again because flinching is as bad as quitting smoking... it seems to come back again and again. I wish the health insurance would cover flinching therapy to recover to your good shooting habits.

Camba

Mikey · « **Reply #10 on:** August 12, 2008, 12:56:23 AM »

Leatherstocking: which of your handguns is the toughest to deal with?? How well, or not, does it fit your hand (I may once have liked the look of the Colt Python but the grip was just all wrong for my hand - of course I was too dumb to think of getting a grip made to fit my hand....)

Are you just able to hold onto the pistol/revolver or do tehy seem 'big' for your hand?

Do you shoot from a rest or free-style? Do you shoot one handed or use both? Do you use hearing and eye protection or not? Do you experience severe or painful recoil or blowback of gases or lead particles to your face?

I own a S&W j-frame (small one) snubnose - when I first got the gun the grip was so small the gun would literally rotate in my hand whenever I fired it and I couldn't get the darn thing to hold still while I was shooting and all my one-handed defensive shooting groups were off to the left.

This issue begs answers to more questions than we have already asked. I don't want to be flip but we need more info. It's not like the poor fella who suffered a terrible accident and had his entire left side cut off - but he's all right now........kinda like the guy who fell into the upholstery machine - he's fully recovered now. We need some more info. HTH. Mikey.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #11 on:** August 12, 2008, 12:50:58 PM »

Hey Mikey,

Good questions. And to those others that provided constructive advice - thanks! They all feel good in my hand. I spent quite a bit of time handling them and checking that out before I bought. It's probably worst with the .357 so it is quite likely a flinching thing as Camba suggested. As for your other questions:
- was shooting from a rest
- two handed
- ear protection, but no eye protection
- no blowback and recoil did not "seem" excessive (and I should note that with the .357 I see the same pattern with 125, 157 and 180 g)

no guns here · « **Reply #12 on:** August 12, 2008, 11:08:58 PM »

let's see... if it happens with all three guns then it can't be the gun. Obvious. That leaves grip, rest, flinching and eye-dominance.

Grip - you said it was a two handed hold from a rest, right? What happens from standing? One-handed? Two-handed? Isosceles? Weaver? If you hit dead on from an unsupported position then you know it's the rest or possibly your grip while using a rest. If the problem persists from an unsupported position, then you eliminate the rest and your grip as a cause.

Flinching - only way to tell is with a buddy loading for you and surprising you with an unloaded gun, or with a video, have a buddy video your shots, review and see what it looks like

Eye-dominance - my daughter used to consistently grip right handed and then try to align it with her dominant left eye from a right handed grip and stance. Black out your off hand eye (tape over glasses, not a buddies fist) and see if that helps. If you happen to be left eye dominant and right handed, I "think" that throws your shots left.

Just my ideas...

ngh

Lone spur · « **Reply #13 on:** August 13, 2008, 12:06:43 AM »

If you're flinching I suggest picking up a recoiless air pistol. If the gun moves at all when shooting one of these it's definately something you're doing. I use one quite regularly in my basement to work on trigger control and just enjoy some cheap shooting. And don't worry you won't have to spend a months pay on some olympic class gun, the Daisey Powerline 747 can be had for as little as $140.

Mikey · « **Reply #14 on:** August 13, 2008, 12:40:32 AM »

Camba: some insurance companies do pay for therapy, but not 'flinch' therapy - ya gotta billit under 'Group Therapy'......

Leatherstocking - I would go with what no guns here recommends - have a friend watch or video tape your shooting to see if you are flinching. Something's just not right here if you group like that even from a rest with a 2 handed hold because that would have to be a pretty noticeable flinch. HTH. Mikey.

XD9 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 13, 2008, 02:05:27 AM »

http://www.degrata.com/pdf/commonshootingerrors.pdf

I found this shooting diagnostic tool that may help you out. It diagnoses common shooting mistakes based on where you're hitting the target.

Here's another one:

http://www.users.interport.net/g/w/gwhite/DIAGNOSE.PDF

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #16 on:** August 14, 2008, 03:12:34 PM »

Wow! This is why I love this site. You guys are great. Many thanks for all the advice. I'll be shooting with a friend on Sunday, though I have had other guys watch and they say they don't notice anything. I will try some different positions too, though in the past I think I did the same thing off hand as well as from a rest. It's not an eye thing. I am right handed and right eye dominant. Been shooting for 30+ years but until the last three it was always long guns. My guess is I just need to work on grip and trigger control with the handguns. Thanks again!

SharonAnne · « **Reply #17 on:** August 14, 2008, 10:41:57 PM »

lean to the right

Mikey · « **Reply #18 on:** August 15, 2008, 01:34:55 AM »

Owwwww.

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #19 on:** August 16, 2008, 03:41:34 AM »

What the heck, I'll try that too!

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #20 on:** August 17, 2008, 11:42:21 AM »

Well, went to the range today and I think I figured it out. Was shooting 38+P's out of the Ruger and mainly adjusted my grip and trigger finger placement. Seems the key was to use more finger on the trigger so that I was pulling straight back. I know that most folks say to use less finger, and that is what I have been doing for a while now. But I think when I did that it tended to make me push the gun to the left as I squeezed off.

SharonAnne · « **Reply #21 on:** August 18, 2008, 08:23:58 AM »

(sees reputation as 'expert' fading fast LOL)

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #22 on:** August 18, 2008, 02:32:39 PM »

OK- that went over my head. Who is the expert?

torpedoman · « **Reply #23 on:** August 18, 2008, 05:13:00 PM »

glad you got it worked out

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #24 on:** August 19, 2008, 01:41:26 AM »

Quote from: SharonAnne on August 14, 2008, 10:41:57 PM

lean to the right

I say sight picture! I started shooting the handguns well years ago when I learned to keep the sights in sharp focus and to let the target blurr out. You wouldn't think that a blurry target would do you any good but even very small objects (such as a Squirrels head) will have a large center when doing this.

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 22, 2008, 08:06:41 PM »

its frustrating ,i know .. when i passed my ccw test i noticed more than half the shots were left of center..same in practice.i always figured it was the small gun big hand combination..22 beretta. same thing but worse with the kel tec.380 but i was able to correct it by building the grip to fit my hand an putting an rubber grip cover over it..
good luck. the fun pt is solving these kinda problems ..for me anyway..

Sweetwater · « **Reply #26 on:** August 22, 2008, 08:26:47 PM »

Quote from: SharonAnne on August 14, 2008, 10:41:57 PM

lean to the right

Hmm, believe this only works when your pants are baggy and the sun is in your face! LOL! (From Bob Hope, Son of Paleface)

And we are all experts, even if it's only in our minds!

Regards,
Sweetwater

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 24, 2008, 01:57:14 AM »

Check this:

Leatherstocking · « **Reply #28 on:** September 01, 2008, 04:28:40 PM »

Hey BlkHawk,

That's nice. I am (was) in one of those two zones from around 9-11:00. Confirms for me that my problem was probably "too little trigger finger".

Gun 4 Fun · « **Reply #29 on:** November 09, 2008, 09:53:01 AM »

I believe that you got a lot of good advise, especially from, BlkHawk. Well technically that was a photo, but it shows you what to look for. Most people tend to pull the trigger by bending their finger at the joint between the hand and finger, when they should be concentrating on using the first joint out on the finger. The first method will cause you to push to the left on your shots. The second allows you to pull back in more of a straight line with the target.
Good luck and let us know.