Do lighter bullets go low and left??

O

Olibobwa

New member
Do lighter bullets go low and left? I have 3 snub 38's and all three shoot to the same POI which is about 6in low and 3in left @ 20ft. This was done from a rest with Winchest White Box 130g fmj ammunition. Also confirmed low and left with +P self defense stuff.

I know that heavier bullets tend to hit higher but this left stuff sucks.

Guns used are 2 taurus 85's and 1 S&W 37.
 
Lighter bullets do usually shoot lower, but the left part sounds like a trigger control issue. Have you had anyone else shoot the gun to see if they get the same result?
 
I don't think it's trigger control. I have a model 19 snub and shoot it straight with wwb 38's and full house magnums:confused:
 
I have to agree with the trigger control issue. If you were using the exact same gun but different types of ammo (different loads) I would think perhaps the ammo were the issue. But you stated you used a different gun. Each gun has a different breaking point on the trigger and if you rotate from one gun to the other, than the feel changes. Until you get used to the feel of the different trigger, you could be slightly jerking it, or perhaps holding your trigger finger different which would affect where the round goes.

In most cases, if it is your gun and you're used to it, it should not take more than a couple of rounds to acclimate from one gun to the other. I find that if I shoot my .45 which has a ultra smooth trigger, I am dead on. When I switch guns to say, my HK USP 9mm, the trigger feel is totally different and it takes me about 4 rounds to regain trigger control, regardless of the fact that I have probably put about 50,000 rounds thru the HK.
 
Lighter bullets may shoot lower, but I doubt it would be that noticeable at 20 feet. I would think you'd have to shoot from further away to notice the effect of bullet weight. Snubs are tough to shoot, so I bet it is trigger control. Shoot off of a rest and see what happens.
 
I agree that trigger control is at least part of it. I have to fight the same thing myself when I shoot a snubby but no problems with a full sized revolver.
 
It is not the ammo.

The difference in the weight of a 158 gr. bullet and a 130 gr. pill may cause a 3" difference in poa/poi at 20 yards. But at 20 feet, less than 7 yards, the difference will be barely noticeable. The difference, you describe, will be with the shooter.

Also the K frame snub is a much easier gun to shoot well. A J frame snub is particularly challenging.

tipoc
 
I wouldn't be too fast on the trigger control part. While I have never seen bullets hitting left with lighter bullets or lighter loads in my handguns I have seen it in rifles. Specifically a Winchester 94AE. When I would use my BlueDot reduced loads POI was low and left. Substantially I might add, like 8" low and 4" left at 50 yards.

LK
 
I wouldn't be too fast on the trigger control part. While I have never seen bullets hitting left with lighter bullets or lighter loads in my handguns I have seen it in rifles. Specifically a Winchester 94AE. When I would use my BlueDot reduced loads POI was low and left. Substantially I might add, like 8" low and 4" left at 50 yards.
Click to expand...

If not the shooter, maybe it's because of the barrel twist? Just a wild guess.
 
In handguns, it is normal for faster (not necessarily lighter) bullets to shoot low. The reason is barrel time. Recoil begins the instant the bullet begins to move, so the gun is recoiling upward while the bullet is still in the barrel. If the bullet gets out of the barrel before the barrel rises to the point of aim, the shot will be low. If the bullet is slower and does not exit until after the barrel rises above the point of aim, the shot will be high. Depending on a lot of variables, a fast bullet can strike anywhere from 4 to 8 inches low at 25 yards.

In fixed sight guns, the sights are set to compensate for this, but only for one load (for .38 Special, it is the standard 158 grain round nose bullet load).

Jim
 
I almost always shoot low and left, by 2 -3 " at 25 feet, no matter what, 38 special or .357 Magnum.

I'm going to try and attach a target that has been a great help to me in stopping this. If this works I hope someone will be able to use it.
 

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Olibobwa:

Lighter bullets have a tendency to shoot lower on a target than a heavier bullet because the bullet is in the barrel for a shorter period of time. With all pistols the bullet is moving down the barrell while the pistol is in recoil so the heavier bullets stay longer in the bore producing a higher bullet strike. A change in bullet manufactures can have an effect of bullet strike also. Try several brands of 158 grain bullets and see where they strike the target. One brand should move your bullet's point of impact to a satisfactory point. Remember, a J frme smith is a defencive gun and in a seroius situtation you will be point shooting at ten to twenty feet. Pinpoint accuracy is not needed. Center mass is large when shooting defensibly.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
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Mr. Hughes is correct on this. All else being equal, the lighter bullet will hit lower on the target than the heavier bullet no matter the velocity or bullet type. This may vary some from gun to gun and load to load but in general it holds true and for the reasons Hughes stated.

But, as I said earlier, at 7 yards the difference is usually not so dramatic as a consistent 3" difference.

tipoc
 
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