Why do we shoot some handguns so well, and others so poorly?

Confidence In Your Gun

I have a Glock 17, but I shoot most other gun more accurately. When the plated [reloads] bullets go thru the target sideways and the trigger is long and mushy, and the barrel has play at the hood. None of this is conducive to accurate shooting. Even the factory is ok with this execpt the handloads.
A S&W model 17 in 22 rimfire will shoot much more accurately. Better trigger, better barrel, and just better quality.
Those CS agents at Glock are proud of their " accurate " guns, or so they say. Good shooting, Lyle
 
I often shoot my Buckmark worse than my other semi-auto pistols**.

However...
It doesn't naturally "point" for me.

I do my best with weapons that I can bring into firing position, instinctively, and have them on target. With a natural "point", a firearm is much more effective than something that requires concentrating on sight picture.

What I think has happened here, is that you've found a grip angle your body likes. Pull your pistols out of the safe/closet/cabinet, and see which ones naturally "point" on target for you. Then, think about which ones you do best with. You'll probably be surprised at the simplicity of the concept.


**For the record, my Buckmark has been through hell. It's an old-school Buckmark "standard", from the first offering of that model designation. If everything goes as planned, it will surpass the 125k round mark over the next week (round count is so high, the slide and barrel are mushroomed from normal use). It is still incredibly accurate. It's just that it's not a natural grip angle for me; I have to think about sight picture when shooting it.
 
"Feel" is VERY important. When I was looking for a .22 target pistol years ago I found the S&W M-41 to be an excellent example of a high quality pistol that just didn't feel right in my hand and that I could not shoot well.
 
Another trick I heard --- shoot the best 6 shot group you can at 10 yds. The goal is to shoot a 1" group ( so all shots are covered by a quarter ). Shoot one 6 shot group when you start your practice. Shoot another at the end of your practice .......if you can't do it ...go home and put the quarter in the Jar. ( the jar in my house, makes a lot of money ...) ....but I'm not letting it win !
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I'd have a problem doing that. Floor isn't strong enough to support the weight of the jar:rolleyes:
 
Then suffer the embarrassment of a gun that goes CLICK as your hand jerks forward to meet the recoil--just like it does for every real shot.

MOST of us do that to one degree or another. How many of you can drop the hammer on an unexpected dummy round and not push forward?
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Yup, I know I'm guilty of this from time to time. When I catch myself doing it, I immediately switch to a 22 and try to clean myself of the anticipatory push. And I've learned that about 35 to 40 shells through my 12 gauge Mossberg 590 is about the limit. After that point I start pushing the barrel down and forward. Every now and then I do it so severely that I end up short shucking it, in spite of always wracking it like I'm trying to break it :D.
 
I think all other things being equal, a well-built straight-blowback action will out shoot a well-built recoil-operated action every time, IMHO. More consistency in in the "aiming mechanics" of the gun from shot to shot. No worries about barrel-to-slide lock up consistency and all of that.

Don't know how to use that logic to explain revolvers unless the cylinder gap or cylinder lock up figure in in similar ways.

All things not being equal, the fact that as others have mentioned the stock Buckmark has a great trigger, great ergonomics and a long target heritage combine to form no small advantage.

Just my thoughts.

-cls
 
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