low shots

[Guest Jamesmb]

I picked up a 29-3 S&W at the last gunshow at the Expo Center. Went to CCA range and shot 50 rounds of 240 grain Georgia Arms Ammo HP and just about all the shots were very low at 7 yards. In the past, with a 357 and similar ammo, I have shot low and to the right consistently, something I must have been doing since others who shot that gun had no trouble grouping shots wherever they wanted to without adjusting sight. Now these shots on this gun are all straight down, not to the right, but much lower about a foot or so from where I am aiming. I tried aiming high, and get close to dead on. Any advice? Haven't tried adjusting the rear sight yet, but if its just me would like to see if I can correct my aim.

[Guest Grout]

Sounds like you are flinching ie dropping the muzzle slightly in anticipation of the recoil.You mention you did the same with a .357 mag.Do you shoot low with a 9mm,.38 spl etc?

[Guest Jamesmb]

When I shoot 38 Specials out of that 357 I had, was not as bad. When I tried 38 Special wadcutters I was right on the money, I shot 150 rounds of those then started up with a few 357s and they were much better. Must be my flinching

[DaveTN]

Could be a lot of things.

The first thing you need to determine is are you consistent.

Run a target out about 15-20 yards. Shot six at the bull. Don’t compensate, just shoot at the same place every time. Repeat with six more.

Are they grouped or all over the place? If they are grouped adjust your sights accordingly and try again. I don’t care how someone else shoots the gun; if you adjust it for you and you have good groups that’s all that matters.

Flinching won’t repeat and you won’t have good groups. If I’m with someone that is having problems I’ll load them up and make sure there is an empty chamber without them knowing it. If when they hit that empty chamber the gun drops like rock, they will realize what they are doing.

Different calibers (.38/.357) and even different manufacturers will impact at different points.

Look for the obvious. Is a sight or sight blade loose?

[TripleDigitRide]

Go to this link ( http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf.html ), look for the targets that look like the ones posted below, print off a handfull, and use them at your next range session. They worked very well for me.

Note: One is for left handed shooters, and the other is for right handed shooter.

Edited August 29, 2008 by TripleDigitRide

[Guest Medic908]

Triple Digit,

Excellent visual - thanks for sharing.

[TripleDigitRide]

Triple Digit,

Excellent visual - thanks for sharing.

No problem. I actually forgot to post the link. It's there now.

http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf.html

[Guest bazookazilla]

Could be a lot of things.

The first thing you need to determine is are you consistent.

Run a target out about 15-20 yards. Shot six at the bull. Don’t compensate, just shoot at the same place every time. Repeat with six more.

Are they grouped or all over the place? If they are grouped adjust your sights accordingly and try again. I don’t care how someone else shoots the gun; if you adjust it for you and you have good groups that’s all that matters.

Flinching won’t repeat and you won’t have good groups. If I’m with someone that is having problems I’ll load them up and make sure there is an empty chamber without them knowing it. If when they hit that empty chamber the gun drops like rock, they will realize what they are doing.

Different calibers (.38/.357) and even different manufacturers will impact at different points.

Look for the obvious. Is a sight or sight blade loose?

How do you remedy the flinch when you realize you're doing it? The barrel of my pistol drops about 6 feet when I expect it to shoot and it doesn't. I am not frightened of the shot and am not sure why I am flinching in the first place, but I cannot seem to make it stop.

[DaveTN]

How do you remedy the flinch when you realize you're doing it? The barrel of my pistol drops about 6 feet when I expect it to shoot and it doesn't. I am not frightened of the shot and am not sure why I am flinching in the first place, but I cannot seem to make it stop.

That’s not necessarily a flinch. Your mind is anticipating the recoil. You are griping the weapon too hard and all the muscles in your hands and arms are “pushing†the weapon forward. When the hammer drops and the recoil you are anticipating is not there the weapon drops.

You have to relax breath and touch the trigger off instead of jerking it (flinch). You need to have a firm grip so you can bring the weapon back on target, but not so hard of a grip that you are forcing the weapon around. You can’t stop the recoil so you just need to try to move with it.

Dry fire. I don’t dry fire without snap caps, but that’s a whole other subject. Dry fire the weapon and practice your stance and grip. Find a stance and grip that is comfortable for you. Dry fire and try to lightly “touch off†the trigger without the gun jumping. Then go to the range and try to apply that.

Many good shooters anticipate some and their gun will drop if the round doesn’t go off or if they hit an empty chamber. But if they put the rounds where they are suppose to be; that is all that counts.

Get a .22. for practice. I don’t buy into the whole “you need to start with a small caliber†idea, but a .22 allows you to crank off a bunch of rounds at a very low cost. This just gives you much more trigger time added to whatever your other calibers are.

[Eric]

Get a .22. for practice. I don’t buy into the whole “you need to start with a small caliber†idea, but a .22 allows you to crank off a bunch of rounds at a very low cost. This just gives you much more trigger time added to whatever your other calibers are.

I actually purchased a .22 conversion kit to practice trigger pull and handling on the same weapon I carry. This for me allows many rounds down range yet I continue to maintain the same grip, trigger pull, and basically the same sights. The kit works great and is a wonderful training tool IMHO.

I also shoot 9mm the same day. So I will shoot about a 5 to 1 ratio.

[Idaho]

I always use the term flinching for this, but as someone said above it is actually a push in anticipation of the recoil. I also thought the comment about a six foot drop was a joke at first, but then I remembered a friend who was shooting a 1911 (his only gun) at a standing target and hitting the ground in front of it.

Solution - dry fire...dry fire... and more dry firing.

I agree with the comments above. Practice dry firing. Concentrate on the front sight. You don't want the front sight to move when the trigger breaks. Nothing should change as you press the trigger. You want to press slowly and be surprised by the break.

If your gun has a flat spot on the top try dry firing with a quarter balanced on top. When you go to the range alternate between live fire and dry fire to see how you are doing.

When I was young I went to the library and was surprised to find some good books about shooting that included trigger control and sight picture. Look for it on the internet. (Look for "sight picture" and "surprise trigger break".)

PLEASE - PLEASE - PLEASE -If you are going to dry fire away from the range follow the safety rules. Clear your gun and put your ammo away

before you start and don't point your gun at anything you are not willing to kill.

[Guest bazookazilla]

The first time my wife went to the range with me, we rented a .22 for her to shoot first. I found that shooting the .22 was pretty boring in my opinion (I like the bang and the recoil) but I did shoot my .40 much better after shooting a couple of mags through the .22. Maybe this is something to look a little further into. Thanks for your help, gentlemen.