What am I doing wrong?

K

KBP75

New member
I just got a new Ruger sr9c and can't get it to shoot where its sights are pointed! It shoots low every time! I read the manual and turned the rear sight adjustment screw several times clockwise as it says in the manual to raise the point of impact. Did I read it wrong? Maybe I should turn the screw counterclockwise to raise the point of impact? How many clicks to raise the point of impact 1 inch at 10 yards, 20 yards? Thanks for any ideas!:confused:
 
Could you tell if the rear sight was moving when you turned the screw. Since this is a new gun, it could be bound with lube, etc from the factory.

Have you tried dry firing to see if you are pulling down as you squeeze the trigger?
 
What kind of ammo are you using? What range are you shooting at? The detailed information about the sights will be in the manual.

I would shoot a round at 5 yards, turn the sight about 10 clicks, and shoot another, to see where it went. Repeat until you are on target. Also keep in mind that you probably want to do this with the ammo you will be carrying, if the gun is for carry use. Also probably not a bad idea to try from rest just to make sure it isn't you.

Mine shoots to point of aim with everything I've put through it.
 
Yes! As blchandl2 said, try some dry fire drills.

If you fire from about 10 yards and the groups is very small, you may have to adjust the sights. But if at 10 yards you are not keeping your shots within about 2" or less, it's probably just a problem with your shooting.

New gun, so you may just need to get used to a new feel, and learn to use it.

I have a KelTec 380 with no sights at all. It shoots about 3" left at 15 yards. I used to think it shot low too, but after firing about 300 rounds from it, I found it was me that was shooting low. Now I can keep the shots in a group about the size of a goose egg at 15 yds. They are dead level, but 3" left. When I first got the gun I shot about 6" low and into a group about 6" around. It was mostly just my shooting.

Dry fire a lot, and shoot a few magazines from your Ruger every day or at least 3 times a week and see how you improve. If you start to group tightly, and it's still low, then you can cut the front sight down a little bit to bring the muzzle up. Only do that AFTER you can shoot tight groups consistently.
 
Before you mess with the sights are you shooting it from a bench to be sure it's not you rather then the gun? 9 times out of 10 it's us and not the gun.
 
For right handed shooters:

target.jpg
 
You didn't mention if this only happens with the SR9c, or if you have had similar results with other handguns. Does this happen with other guns?
 
I would bet its not the sites but rather how you are pulling the trigger, as others said. Your best bet is to get someone else to shoot the gun and keep up the dry fire practice.
 
KBP, hang on!

You've told us what you've identified as the problem (low shots). You haven't told us where you've stood (or any other shooter position), and what distance you've fired at the paper target. Have you been able to group your shots in a small area from say 12 feet, 15 feet? This is arguably the distance where more handgun 'gunfights' occur. They don't typically happen anywhere close to 15 yards.

Give us some background, so we can know what you've attempted, and accomplished up to this point. :D

If you failed to mark, or note the factory position of the rear sight before changing it, you may have lost that reference (starting) point for purposes of this discussion.

Accuracy.jpg
 
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Everyone`s advise on making sure it is not you causing the gun to shoot low is correct, but no one corrected you on which way to adjust the sights if you have determined it is not you.
You did turn the rear sight the wrong way. To raise the point of impact, the rear sight screw should be turned counter clockwise.
 
A friend of mine has one of these. He started to move his sights before he was familar with the pistol and how it shoots. If theere is any doubt of where a pistol shoots, I would recommend the following.

1. Let someone else shoot it. Perhaps shooter error or not. May enforce or dispell what you think is happening.

2. Bench rest the pistol on a sand bag or purpose built pistol rest. Fire and check results.

3. If shooter error is disproved, and rested fire is off, proceed to adjust sights to compensate.

Never adjust sights first without verifiying sight picture for the firearm you are shooting or making sure you are not the issue. All new pistols will take some adjustment to the shooter, not the sights, before an informed decsion should be made using the above. This is my personal experience and I have been the issue more than the pistol. Sight picture for each make is distinct and some may be regulated for different distances or certain loads. Take that into account before moving sights.

Example: Spinger 1911, had to bench it to verify it was me, sights were correct. After that I could punch the center out of a target at 25ft. Using 230 gain fmjs it was dead on, switch to 200 grain fmjs, it shot low with same point of aim.
 
I don't have a Ruger pistol, so I'll assume WSM MAGNUM is correct about which way to turn the screw.

In general, though, if you want to bring the point of aim up, turn the screw in whichever way raises the rear sight.

Similarly, if you want to bring the point of aim to the right, turn that screw in whichever way pulls the rear sight to the right.

For those oddball guns where the front is adjustable, it would go opposite the intended correction. Those are few and far between. Adjustable rear sights go in the direction you want the correction to go.
 
I have an SR9. You definitely turned the sight adjustment screw the wrong direction. If you are shooting low you want to turn it counterclockwise to raise the rear site thus making you raise the front of the gun when shooting. Later if you find out it your shooting technique thats the problem, you can always adjust the rear site back down. When I bought my SR9 it was shooting high. I turned the rear site adjustment screw clockwise, lowering the sight and making POA the POI.
 
I have an SR9. You definitely turned the sight adjustment screw the wrong direction. If you are shooting low you want to turn it counterclockwise to raise the rear site thus making you raise the front of the gun when shooting. Later if you find out it your shooting technique thats the problem, you can always adjust the rear site back down. When I bought my SR9 it was shooting high. I turned the rear site adjustment screw clockwise, lowering the sight and making POA the POI.
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Finally! So many posts, so little reading of the original post and which way he was turning the screw. But then, the same mistake was made in the Shooting Times I just got the other day concerning a 1911 adjustable rear sight. The "expert" suggested brilliant remedies to raise the point of impact without noticing that the guy stated that he had lowered the adjustable rear sight all the way down, and "...it was still shooting low...".
 
The Ruger manual leaves a lot to be desired on adjustment for point of impact. Thanks for everyones help. The charts will help once I TURN the sight adjustment the correct way! I am not new to shooting revolvers or pistols. I adjusted the sight DOWN instead of up! Now it shoots to point of aim! Counterclockways was the correct way to raise the point of impact. Now I just have to practice! Thanks to all! PS the sr9c is SWEET!:)
 
If your barrel drops even 1/8th of an inch while pulling the trigger, the shot will be about 8" low @ 30 feet (4" barrel). I had that problem when I started shooting my new Sig 220 Carry. after about 3 weeks, my groups are right at the point of aim. Just keep shooting it...
 
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