1) Ask another known good shooter to try the gun, and see what results he or she gets. If its also still low left, see point 9) below. (The LEFT can be fixed by moving the sights, but the low can't be fixed without a new sight.)
2) If you can't find a good shooter, get yourself a small bag of rice or beans from the grocery store.
3) Go to the range, get ready to fire, sitting down, if possible. Move your target out to about 25 -30 feet. (25 yds is harder, especially with a new-to-you gun.)
4) shoot fewer shots. Maybe 4-5 at most, per target. That shows you how much YOU are varying in your shots. A big hole doesn't tell you much about your technique.
5) Rest the weak hand holding the gun on the bag, and SLOWLY squeeze off a shot. Do do a bunch, as 4-5 is enough!
6) Repeat. (Putting up several targets might speed things.
Note: This isn't a Ransom Rest test, but it will allow you to remove some potential human error.
7) If you're now on target, it was all technique. How to fix your technique?
- This is really common with folks moving from a hammer-fired guns to a striker-fired gun, and most overcome it pretty quickly.) Finger placement on the trigger may help. You may also be jerking the trigger, but doing it pretty consistently.
- Start by placing your finger on the trigger just to the left of the first joint at the end of the finger and work the finger in or out from there.
- You may be pushing the gun to the left as you pull if you're using the tip of the finger, and pushing or pulling it to the left or right if the joint of your finger is on the trigger. Big changes aren't necessary to see big results.
- The same sort of thing can happen if you're squeezing all of your fingers as you pull the trigger. You don't have to hold the gun in a death grip. Use your other hand to point it and keep it steady, and focus on moving your trigger finger only.
8) If you're now still hitting left, but the bullets are now more aligned with the center of the target), move the rear sight a tiny bit to the right (i.e., in the direction you want the point of impact to move to.) Move it just a little and try several shots. Adjust, if necessary.
9) If you're still low, but centered on the target, you can contact the gun maker and tell them how much you're low and the distance you used, and ask for a new lower front sight or higher rear sight. They should have one or the other. When the new sight arrives, you'll have to go through this drill again. (A brass punch and a small light hammer can be used to adjust the sight after it's installed. You might ask a local gunsmith to install the sight if you've not done it before.
Warning: some sight dovetails -- the slot in which it sets -- are slightly wider on one end than the other, and trying to take the old sight out and put the new one in can be perplexing if you push it in the wrong direction. Ask about that if you have to get a new front or rear sight.