First Shots Ever With A 1911

[doulos]

I finally got a chance to fire my Sig XO today for the first time. This was the first time I ever fired a semi auto handgun of any kind much less a 1911.
I fired 100 rounds of magtech factory 230 grain FMJ. The gun never failed to feed. I consistently hit a bit low and to the left. I fires some off hand groups at 15 and 20 yards. I could keep most shots at 15yards in a 5 inch circle with a stray here and there. My last 6 shots at 20yards were resting over my coat off the tailgate of my truck went into a upside down v pattern 1.75 by 2 inches. That proves the gun can shoot. All in all the gun is easier to hit with than some of the revolvers Ive shot.

The recoil was much less than I anticipated, but I have shot .44 mags for many years. The gun points very well and is comfortable to shoot.
the trigger was pretty good also.

I dont know how im going to bring the point of aim higher with these sights.
The only thing I can think of is to get a lower profile front sight.

Other than that I really liked shooting this gun. It was fun. This could be addictive.

P.S. I'm not used to looking for brasss. With my revolvers I go to the range with 100 I come home with that many.
Out of the 100 shots fired I recovered 91 casings. I ordered 500 Starline I should of ordered a 1000

[Bigeasy]

Congrats on the 1911 - My favorite style of auto pistol.

I'm not sure of the sights used on that gun - Would it be possible to slightly file down the front sight?  If not, someone should make a slightly shorter replacement.  You should be able to drift the rear sight to adjust windage. 

Larry

[doulos]

Thee Sig Xo uses Novak contrast 3 dot combat sights. Im gonna just drift the rear sight abbit and shoot some more to see if its my grip or the ammo i was using.
If not there are adjustable sights that will fit it.

[Eltweed]

Before you go altering the sights you might want to experiment with how you grip your pistol and how you position your finger on the trigger.

[SteveHawaii]

Before you start messing around with your sights, you might want to check out this thread on the Sig Forum:

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=430601935&m=3620006042

And congrats on your new Sig.  Awesome firearm.

Steve

[doulos]

Before you start messing around with your sights, you might want to check out this thread on the Sig Forum:

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=430601935&m=3620006042

And congrats on your new Sig.  Awesome firearm.

Steve

thanks
Interesting thread. I don't see those types of numbers on my sights that one of those links shows.

I shot and held like Ive done for every handgun. Using the top of the front blade as my reference to hit.
i was actually concentrating handling the gun safely (so different than revolver shooting)_and on keeping a high grip and a consistent trigger pull today.  Even though I was a bit low and to the left I was consistently low and left. I think I'm going to put a few more hundred rounds through it before I attempt to change anything

[Mikey]

A folded jacket off the back of a tailgate is not the most secure of gun rests but you mentioned a good group with the last shots - was that group also low and to the left?  I would suggest concentrating on my grouping first, with a better and more stable rest,  to determine if it is the pistol or you that is shooting low and to the left - IIRC, I believe that groups low and left used to indicate that you are jerking the trigger - it doesn't take much. 

Don't mess with the sights until you ascertain postive grouping.  Bring a friend to shoot the pistol and see if it shoots to the same poa, then you will know if it the sights or you.

[doulos]

A folded jacket off the back of a tailgate is not the most secure of gun rests but you mentioned a good group with the last shots - was that group also low and to the left?  I would suggest concentrating on my grouping first, with a better and more stable rest,  to determine if it is the pistol or you that is shooting low and to the left - IIRC, I believe that groups low and left used to indicate that you are jerking the trigger - it doesn't take much. 

Don't mess with the sights until you ascertain postive grouping.  Bring a friend to shoot the pistol and see if it shoots to the same poa, then you will know if it the sights or you.

Yes, that last group was also low and left.

[cwlongshot]

That is correct, for a right handed shooter, hits low and to the left indicate jerking trigger.

I agree with others about not adjusting sites. Learn the gun, allow your self to gain experience shooting it. Don't allow your brain to get in the way. Your creating musle memory here. It does not sound like it's very far off. If you are infact snatching at the trigger, you will notice the groups improving and moving upwards. As you gain proficiency. 


Just go shoot  and enjoy it!

CW

[SHOOTALL]

try a slower load for a higher hit on the target . If gun is for self defense and its only a couple inches low maybe it would be wise to leave alone as most tend to shoot high under stress , they often look over the rear sight to see the threat better.

[SteveHawaii]

I have a Sig P220 with night sights.  They're set up from the factory with combat sights, where you need to line up the three dots, with the front dot covering your POA.  Works good for home defense, since all you see at night are the three dots.  But it will cause you to shoot low if you're using the top of your front sight as the POA.  I may change mine later on to target sights since that's how I primarily use the gun.  I also have the .22 conversion which is set up with target sights.  I'd sort of like to have them the same.

Here's an article on the Sig site that describes adjusting sights for the P series.  I imagine the 1911 has a similar page.

http://www.sigsauer.com/upFiles/CmsContent/documents/OwnerManual/UniversalSightPusher.pdf

Hope this helps,

Steve