Diagnosing Range Shooting

S

SailingOnBy

New member
Hi all. I've been shooting now for about a month, but I've been having some troubles getting my range shooting more on target. I keep shooting high and to the left.

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What can I do to get my shots more regularly on target? I am shooting a Glock 19 Gen 4, this target is at 25 feet.

Thanks for any help!
 
sob,

The shots look pretty consistent at 11 o'clock which means you are getting repeatable hits as opposed to being all over the target. The first thing to do is to have someone else shoot the pistol off a sandbag rest at the same distance to see if it is a shooter error or the pistol's sights need to be adjusted.

Also one of the key things to do when first starting to learn to shoot is to take a pistol class. The NRA has an excellent beginning pistol class. It's better to learn the correct shooting method initially than to learn a wrong method and then have to un-learn it.

And congrats of the Glock 19. It's a fine pistol.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
I'm guessing you're right handed. In my experience, 90% of the time if a right-hander is shooting left, it has to do with their trigger manipulation and has nothing to do with the gun itself.

My guess is your elevation issues have to do with your sight picture, but there could be other causes as well.
 
Very nice shooting especially for a beginner, unless you're taking forever with each and every shot.
If you're not satisfied with the results, find someone to show you how to really shoot a pistol.
Yeah, we know.
Everyone who buys a gun is convinced they'll figure it out on their own.
Most folks cannot.
I sure couldn't.
When your target looks like the one above, but from 25 yards and with the same amount of holes in less than ten seconds, you'll know you're starting to get the hang of it.
Really, no kidding.
 
Actually for a right handed shooter, impacting the target to the left as shown would be not enough finger on the trigger or anticipating recoil. Another possible cause might be actual sight adjustment though i'd analyze other factors first.
As far as shooting high, at 25 feet depending on ammo, its quite possible the ammo shoots 3 or 4 inches high at that close distance, and may well be at bullseye elevation at 25 yards.
It could also be improper sight picture. Are you centering the front sight in the center of the x/10 ring? (center hold)?
Accepted practice is using a 6 oclock hold, or setting the bullseye, or in the case of the B27 target, the 10 ring on top of the front sight.
Sight alignment: are the tops of both front and rear sight level with each other and front centered in the rear sightnotch? Are you focusing your eye on the front sight and letting both target and rear sight go a bit blurry?
 
Without seeing you grip it or what your sight picture you use, it's not easy to say, except that what you are doing is consistent. First you need to get the fundamentals of pistol under your belt: stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control. Find your nearest USPSA or IDPA club and take shooting lessons from their top shooters. Hold your gun like this, and remember, it's not breath and squeeze, it's grip it and rip.

With the correct techniques and practice, you will be able to throw doubles while moving.

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Thanks for the replies so far everyone.

I'm a right handed shooter, yes. I'm firing a bit slowly as I'm trying to work on keeping my shots consistent and getting a solid grip/stance/sight picture\alignment/trigger control technique down before I start working on rapid shooting. Probably one shot every 3'ish seconds.

I've really gotten into shooting so far and I'd like to maybe try it competitively once I get more practiced. So far I haven't taken any marksmanship classes or anything like that, but I'm pretty much researching all this stuff every day on forums/youtube/etc.
 
go find yourself a local IDPA match. watch, ask questions, figure out what gear you need (gun, holster, double mag carrier, coat or vest, eye and ear protection, and some ammo), sign up at IDPA.com, return and have some fun. you'll learn lots, other folks there are almost always friendly and helpful. don't worry about your score (if you are like me, you'll be at the bottom of the score sheet for several matches, no biggie), learn what is being tested, learn the essential safety rules, and improve.

you can also find local matches at IDPA.com.
 
Make sure your gun is correctly sighted. Crooked sights suck, and will make your shooting worse then it is, especially if you try kentucky windage to fix it. Grab a bullseye target, place it at 25 yards and shoot with a typical marksmanship hold, meaning target on top of your front sight, sights lined up, focus on front sight.

Place your hands on a rest and fire slowly (take a break and a breather, but don't try to squint to see where the shots landed - shoot the same way). If the shots group up nicely but off center, your sights need adjusting. You can also have someone else try it out to see.

Have a correctly sighted gun, it's good for building confidence and vital for accurate shooting. If you know your gun shoots accurately to point of aim, you'll know that every messed up shot it was you who messed it up, and every hit in the X, it was you who did things right.
 
OP, start at 3 yards, not 25. When you can get a 5 shot group touching, move out to 5, then 7, etc. At some point your groups will no longer touch, but if you can shoot a 2" group at 25 yards, cold, you are better than 95% of all shooters.
 
9x45,

In his original post he mentions shooting targets at 25 feet, not yards. That's a reasonable distance for pistol practice.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
It was me who suggested 25 yards. I started at 27 yards (25 metres) but, well, on my range it's the only distance you can practice at so that has something to do with it, too ;)
 
Make sure your gun is correctly sighted. Crooked sights suck, and will make your shooting worse then it is, especially if you try kentucky windage to fix it. Grab a bullseye target, place it at 25 yards and shoot with a typical marksmanship hold, meaning target on top of your front sight, sights lined up, focus on front sight.
Click to expand...


That's where I would go first.
 
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