Sig P250 subcompact in 9mm...anyone have one & tips to improve accuracy

[kmrcstintn]

a few months ago I purchased a Sig Sauer P250 subcompact in 9mm; nitron finished slide w/ night sights; $415 @ Shyda's in Lebanon; I like it more than it likes me...what I mean is that with the longer double action trigger my groups are larger than I like; I have tried slowing down, but this fatigues my trigger finger due to the longer concentric squeeze on the trigger for each shot;

anyone own a P250SC and what tips do you have to improve accuracy? thanks

[mccula]

Although it can be tough to deal with long DA pulls, I find the 250 isn't too bad- yes it is a very long pull, but it is very smooth and pretty light.
Focus on consistency- you need to be SQUEEZING, not pulling the trigger the same way every time regardless of how fast/slow you are shooting it. Make every shot count- if you don't get a sight picture settled in as best as you can, don't take the shot- give it a rest and try again. Follow through with each shot and don't release the trigger until at least 1 second after the shot breaks. I find when I am shooting for accuracy counting to "2" after each shot helps a lot with follow through. Keep your eyes on the front sight! Everything else should be blurry. Align your sights with the bullseye, and focus only on that front sight throughout each shot.
Start slow and work your way up. When you transition to quicker shots, you'll be focusing on the front sight a lot more but that's another beast.

[mythaeus]

If you try a new gun and have issues with shooting it accurately as you have with other guns, you need to get back to your fundamentals. Just about the only thing that you need to accommodate for is a slightly different grip on mouse guns. All things being close to equal, fundamentals don't change.

Here is your code for fundamentals:


Seems to me that long trigger is your issue. Do a better job of following through. I tell shooters who have problems with follow through to press the trigger all the way rearward, count to 1, THEN let the trigger reset. This forces complete follow through.

Al

[LostBits]

I've found that using the target below really helped me with pistol shooting in general but especially with double action guns. With the longer trigger, you may be anticipating the recoil. Another thing that you could try (if your range allows it) is to video tape yourself pulling the trigger. Then you can watch what you are doing and potentially doing wrong. I've done this a lot especially when I was teaching my wife how to shoot.

[SauerGrapes]

Lots of practice....I had a 250 compact for a couple years. I got to the point where I could shoot tennis ball size groups with 5 shots in 10 secs @50'. Follow through is crucial with handgun shooting as was stated.

[harold63]

Keep your eyes on the front sight! Everything else should be blurry. Align your sights with the bullseye, and focus only on that front sight throughout each shot.

Uhhh?? Not to be argumentative, but you have to keep your EYE on both sights at the same time while you line them up with the X or B'sE. Everything should be clear, from the sights, to the target. If anything is not clear, see an optometrist. Not a joke.

[radareclipse]

I think the trigger is fantastic, just different than many. Do dry firing at home, isolated without distractions. Put a post it note on the wall with an "X" on it.
For some, the slightly longer length of the compact version of this could be easier.

[harold63]

but this fatigues my trigger finger due to the longer concentric squeeze on the trigger for each shot;

what tips do you have to improve accuracy?

As another poster said, fundamentals, for sure. If that is not an issue with you, it will be when your finger starts to fatigue. Imagine a weightlifter picking up 500 lbs. The first time he does it, he can do it easily, without shaking. After twenty reps or so (he is a strong MF) be begins to tire and "trembles" when he lifts. Your finger does the exact same thing. When your finger "trembles" due to fatigue, your muzzle will move around, and it only has to move a couple hundredths of an inch to start fanning your hits out. Also, you can have muzzle shake no matter how slowly you squeeze the trigger, especially if your trigger finger, flexor, and forearm muscle tires.

Find an old Red Ryder BB gun or an air soft pistol (I use a Glock ASP) and do slow fire with one every other day for a month, 1/2 hour per day (anything with a HEAVY trigger will work). You can do this watching TV, or while getting a backrub from the Mrs., if you have one. This will condition the flexors in your index finger and the muscles in your forearm that the flexors are conected to. Also, stretch the flexors in your trigger finger for about 30 seconds after each session (do this by pushing your trigger finger straight back over the top of your wrist).

The shorter a pistol is, the more spread out the group will be, even if the muzzle is off center of the X the same distance a longer pistol is. For example: an 8" long gun will hit 2.025" from the X if the muzzle is off center 3/100", at 15 yds. A 5" long gun will hit 3.25" from the X if the muzzle is 3/100" off center, at 15 yds. Remember, it doesn't take a lot of shaking for your muzzle to be floating around, 3/100" off center of the X. The more conditioned these "trigger" tendons and muscles are, the less you will shake under the stress of slowly squeezing your long, DA trigger.

Edit: Don't tear your gun up dry firing it trying to get in shape. Get conditioned, then dry fire it, some, if you need to. It saves wear and tear on your firearm and lets the crap guns take the abuse.

[harold63]

I've found that using the target below really helped me with pistol shooting in general but especially with double action guns. With the longer trigger, you may be anticipating the recoil. Another thing that you could try (if your range allows it) is to video tape yourself pulling the trigger. Then you can watch what you are doing and potentially doing wrong. I've done this a lot especially when I was teaching my wife how to shoot.

For this target to be effective, your pistol must be sighted in, perfectly. Also, you should use the target at the distance the pistol is sighted in at. It is merely a reference.

Lebanon is my home, BTW. Now, I live in the sticks on land so flat, it was no wonder people thought Columbus was crazy. The only thing here that resembles a hill has a bunch of ants living in it.

[mccula]

Uhhh?? Not to be argumentative, but you have to keep your EYE on both sights at the same time while you line them up with the X or B'sE. Everything should be clear, from the sights, to the target. If anything is not clear, see an optometrist. Not a joke.

Well, I shoot both eyes open, which is why I wrote "eyes". There's nothing wrong with shooting one eye open, but both eyes open gives you the advantage of seeing more of what's going on, and once you've been doing it awhile you can shoot that way just as accurately.
As far as focusing on both sights, I disagree, because the human eye can only focus on one thing at a time. If you focus on both sights, they'll both be blurry. Everything I've ever read recommends lining the sights up on the bull, focusing on the front sight, and then breaking your shot. I used to try and focus on both sights, and what happens is either they're both fuzzy or one goes in and out of focus