Firing Help

[West Chester]

All of my shots are going consistently lower left of the target.

Glock 19 fixed sights 9mm 115gr FMJ Winchester white box rounds
15-20 yards More of a squared off stance with my feet slightly wider than my shoulders

The "shot" chart says this could be caused by tightening fingers or jerking or slapping trigger. I don't believe I am jerking the trigger, I am trying to push it straight back with only my finger.

Any advice on how to correct my shooting and/or any places in SE PA that teach lessons on how to improve?

[LittleRedToyota]

i think you might be flinching/anticipating recoil.

i have two suggestions:

1. take a course from a quality instructor...looks like you are already looking to do that. unfortunately, since i am on the other side of the state, i cannot recommend good instructors in your area.

2. dry fire with a coin balanced on the front sight until you can consistently press the trigger without disturbing the coin.

then dry fire about 1,000 more times.

then go back to the range and live fire.

as soon as you start hitting low and left again, stop live firing and dry fire 25 (or just a bunch of) times before returning to live fire.

rinse and repeat as necessary.


you *cannot*, imho, shoot (with live ammo) your way through a flinch. trying to will only further ingrain it and make it that much more difficult to overcome. dry fire is the way to overcome it.

[LittleRedToyota]

also, there is a video floating around the web somewhere by, iirc, todd jarrett that does a great job of explaining the proper (or, at least, *a* proper--that is used by most of the world's best competition shooters) grip and trigger press.

do a google search for todd jarrett pistol video or something like that.

[LittleRedToyota]

one further random though. make sure you are getting a "surprise break".

you should not know exactly when the shot will go off. that is key.

you should just steadily and smoothly increase the pressure you are applying with your trigger finger until the gun eventually goes bang (in a surprise to you).

start out trying to make your trigger press last a good second or two or even longer. very slowly and smoothly increasing the pressure until it just suddenly goes bang.

eventually, you can compress that time of your trigger press and still get a surprise break.

also, you should be able to see where the sights are as the shot breaks. really, really focus hard on the front sight. while pressing the trigger.

(dry fire this way, too.)

[LittleRedToyota]

oh, one more thought...

move closer to the target to start off. start out at no more than 5 yards and keep shooting from there until you can make one ragged hole (or at least a very tight group).

then back up to 7 to 10 yards and repeat.

then 15.

then 20.

then 25.

[West Chester]

This the one you were thinking of?

[bogey1]

anything else LRT? you must of forgotten something....

[LittleRedToyota]

This the one you were thinking of?

i cannot actually play the video at the moment, but that looks like it.

[LittleRedToyota]

anything else LRT? you must of forgotten something....

lol...actually, many things.

really it all comes down to this, though...

keep the sights lined up and on target through the moment the bullet exits the muzzle and you will (assuming the gun is sighted in which is generally not an issue with glocks from the factory) hit the target.

the bullet will go where the sights are "pointed" at the moment the bullet leaves the muzzle. the key is keeping the sights "pointed" where you want the bullet to go through that moment.

sounds so simple, doesn't it?

(of course, once you talk about multiple shots, there is also getting the sights to consistently come back on target which brings some other concerns into play with the grip--so the sights consistently return to the same spot--but ultimately it still comes down to having the sights aligned and on target at each moment a bullet is leaving the barrel.)

[SteveD]

Might also be too much finger on the trigger...use the middle of the pad, not the first joint. Too much finger will also push shots low left.