Instruction question

M

Milestone

Inactive
Hey Folks,
I'm a new member and I have a small issue. A lady who came through one of my basic classes is shooting high with a pistol.. Not a hard fix mind you if I could just diagnose the issue. She's never held a firearm before, let alone actually fired one, but, in the short time we had on the range, she was a pretty quick study. Her trigger pull is good for a novice- fast, but not jerky, her grip/stance/breathing are all good and, according to her, sight picture and alignment are right. She described to me everything that she should be seeing. Yet, she's still hitting high- 4-6 inches high @ 15 feet. My opinion is that she's extending her arms a litte more and leaning slightly toward the target as she's pulling the trigger and that's causing a rise when firing- but, I couldn't determine that for sure. She's accurate enough- combat accurate as the phrase goes, but she wants to know- as we all do- that she's going to hit where she intends.
Any thoughts on this at all?
 
Could try video taping from the side as she fires. Then view in slo-mo or frame-by-frame pause.

If she seems to be doing everything right and the point of impact is consistently off, it must be the sights.
 
The sights aren't adjustable for elevation, they're standard fixed sights. The sights are accurate and no one else in the class had an issue like this.
My thought is that she's doing something just prior to the shot breaking that's causing the muzzle to raise.
I've offered for us to work together some more to see if we can fix it...

Thanks for the advice...
 
For a novice to shoot high, if the sights are correct, it is probably a matter of anticipating recoil by pulling back on the support hand prior to ignition. By pulling back on the support hand, a little more at the top of the grip, the muzzle will tend to rise. Think of it as the opposite of pushing to compensate for recoil.

Rick
 
Did an instructor shoot the gun to make sure it wasn't the sights?

Also she might be loosening on the grip as she pulls the trigger, a natural reaction when trying to isolate the movement of one digit. Or she is heeling, which is pushing forward with the "bottom" of her strong hand.
 
What type of pistol and what caliber? Perhaps she's holding it too loosely and the recoil is causing the muzzle to rise while the bullet is still traveling down the barrel?

Have her try shooting the same pistol from a bench rest.
 
"But what is "Thumbing" mentioned in the picture?"

That's a shorthand description for tightening up your grip just before you fire, so that the thumb of your hand presses sideways against the frame; this shifts the point of impact away from the side that your thumb is on, but "thumbing" is just easier to say :-)
 
'Thumbing' is change of pressure on the frame by one or both thumbs. 'Lobstering' is change in grip pressure by the fingers and/or hand.

What basic class is this (what is the name of the course)? Did she shoot from the seated position with a rest? If so, where was her POI? There are several things that could be affecting her POI. Have you tried loading her mag with some snap caps mixed in with the regular ammo? When you are watching don't get caught up on watching the target. What her shoot and then look at the target to see the POI. What is the width and then the height of a 10 shot group she fired on a target at a specified distance? What caliber and model of firearm is she firing?
 
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