how accuratte are you with a semi auto pistol?

[NW-GSP]

I feel that I do really well shooting clay pigeons with my shotgun but my pistol skills are lacking.

When shhooting my pistol I can keep all my shots in the center mass area on the human body targets but I want to shoot better, I tend to shoot left or low left

[Dhoey07]

What kind of sights do you have?

[C-Money]

Do you shoot left handed? Try pulling the trigger with the tip of your finger. 

[NW-GSP]

I am right handed, stock glock sights

[wraithen]

Have someone put a spent brass somewhere in your mag. You'd be surprised how much that trigger will get you.

[NW-GSP]

Wraithen I will do that the next Tim I shoot, great way to see if I'm trying to compensate for the recoil

[DoubleJ]

Have someone put a spent brass somewhere in your mag. You'd be surprised how much that trigger will get you.

 

Another thing I have always found helped me with Glocks is to increase shot speed.  Taking your time and aiming correctly is fine but, that trigger will kill you on accuracy.  Try kind of letting the wrist snap guide you.  pull the trigger, let the gun snap back and you should notice, if the gun is not to powerful for you, that your wrist should snap it right back down on target.  pull again right away.  If you do a magazine on a clean target, you should notice that your groups will be at the least, no worse than they already are, and probably better.  With a good trigger, I always could take my time but, with my Glocks, I let the wrist snap be my guide.

Next thing I'd tell you is to get the 3.5lb trigger for it.  Really smooths it out

[h20hunter]

When I find myself shooting low left I usually am anticipating the shot and pushing down on my strong (right) side. I remind myself to focus on sight picture and trigger squeeze and let the shot break. I'm usually back on at that point.

As far as how accurate am I? Probably not as good as some and maybe better than others. I usually set my targets at 20 or 25 feet. If I can punch holes in center mass and keep the shots tight I consider that good enough. If the threat is closer, they are dead. If the threat is farther away I have time flee if possible or I guess get a gun with longer reach.

[high country]

I like to shoot my 10" gong at 50-75 yards. I find that a small reactive target increases my hits a bunch.

[demontang]

I always practice at longer range then the standerd 20-25ft. I will normaly place my targets out 25-35yds, and practices reflex shooting at the range. Which I normaly just pull my pistol and shoot not thinking about my sights or anything that way if Im in a hard spot its just nature granted I dont do that nearly enough now. Like I always see the training guys say, shooting great at 20ft comes natural when you practice at 25yds or more.

[high country]

Learn to shoot both eyes open also....mucho easier to stress shoot imo.

[JLS]

I feel that I do really well shooting clay pigeons with my shotgun but my pistol skills are lacking.

When shhooting my pistol I can keep all my shots in the center mass area on the human body targets but I want to shoot better, I tend to shoot left or low left

Shooting low left is a classic sign of anticipating the recoil and pushing the trigger.

Do some dry fire drills.  Focus on PRESSING the trigger, you know the gun is going to go off, who cares?  Mentally talk to yourself while you maintain your sight picture.

[Hyde]

This may help

http://www.clear2target.com/pdfs/PistolWheel.pdf

[groundhog]

My accuracy improved in leaps and bounds when I started shooting .22 autos like the Ruger Mark 2 Target and S & W mod 41.  It is great practice and a lot of fun. You can shoot 500 rounds and it doesn't break the bank and the target .22s are more accurate.  If you shoot thousands of rounds through a 22 you will shoot better when you pick up the Glock. Pick a spot and aim small miss small.

[44 Flattop]

Spend more time paper punchin'.  I don't care if it is offhand or from a good rest.  When you can get your groups down into the sub 2" range at 25-35 yards, your obvious flinch will be at least partially resolved.  A flinch will ruin a group....

I've handgun hunted for 3 decades and shoot thousands of rounds per year.  But it doesn't take many weeks of not shooting before skills start to degrade.  So the first thing I do, whether revolver, semi auto or single shot is to sit down and start working at shooting little tiny groups.  Shooting rocks, pop cans or man sized targets will do very little for shooting skills.  But when you can shoot a 1-2" well centered group everything else becomes a cakewalk.

44

[JackOfAllTrades]

If you practice....

5" Kimber 1911 that's been tightened up a bit shooting 45acp target loads...   

One hand. 50yds. 50rnds. 50 minutes. Iron sights for this first target. Red dot sight for the second target.

[jeepasaurusrex]

"Aim small, miss small"

Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to marksmanship. I was taught not to aim center mass at a target, but pick out a small feature. Be it a number on the ring, a small dot drawn on the kill zone of the target, etc. I focus on that small point and concentrate on that spot. The sights will naturally follow. When the gun fires, it should actually surprise you.

With my Beretta 92F that has an 80lb trigger with 4" of creep( ) I can consistently hit a 4" diameter gong 25 yards with it by using these techniques.

[fishngamereaper]

All good points.....Remeber- Push/pull, front sight, trigger PRESS.

And to get over anticipation, dry fire more than live fire. Bad habits are only re enforced if you continue to live fire without fixing the problem.

[jyerxa]

Damn! That is 50 yards!!! 

I'm a *censored*y shot. 

[wraithen]

Something else that helped me a lot with my glock is only let the trigger go forward until you feel the trigger reset. That improved my accuracy immediately by a lot. Just be careful as it's easy to get yelled at for an accidental double tap  The last bit of advice is on every shot remember to focus on the front sight. I'm still trying to get that last one down myself.

[runamuk]

Jeepasaurrus I think your gun is related to my ruger....I only have a 22 but I practice on golf balls and shotgun shell soilders at at 10 to 30yds I am good enough... sent the pistol off for trigger work the slop is annoying....

[jyerxa]

"Aim small, miss small"

Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to marksmanship. I was taught not to aim center mass at a target, but pick out a small feature. Be it a number on the ring, a small dot drawn on the kill zone of the target, etc. I focus on that small point and concentrate on that spot. The sights will naturally follow. When the gun fires, it should actually surprise you.

With my Beretta 92F that has an 80lb trigger with 4" of creep( ) I can consistently hit a 4" diameter gong 25 yards with it by using these techniques.

That must be it. I could never shoot well on a flat two dimensional paper target. But give me a pine cone to shoot at and I could make that dance around all day. (Not really, I'd blow it to pieces.) It is the way we focus on the target.

[fillthefreezer]

If you practice....

5" Kimber 1911 that's been tightened up a bit shooting 45acp target loads...   

One hand. 50yds. 50rnds. 50 minutes. Iron sights for this first target. Red dot sight for the second target.

hes not telling you the size of that target is a picnic table...


(kidding)

[JackOfAllTrades]

If you practice....

5" Kimber 1911 that's been tightened up a bit shooting 45acp target loads...   

One hand. 50yds. 50rnds. 50 minutes. Iron sights for this first target. Red dot sight for the second target.

hes not telling you the size of that target is a picnic table...

(kidding)

Proof!  (A standard Colt 1911 magazine) (50yd target)

I will add though... I shoot thousands of rounds from my 45's every year. 

[Bean Counter]

My range goes to 25 yards. I carry a compact 40S&W. Im usually 100% on a man sized target to that distance. +1 to the above on aim small, miss small. If I wanted to get better id shoot smaller targets, not look for a 50 yard range.


I don't carry a.handgun to hunt or to win competitions. I carry it to shoot people who endanger my family or myself. While my situational awareness extends as far as I can see, some legal fuzzyness arises in shots farther than seven yards as far.as articulating  an emminent.threat to your life.

[Helix]

see avatar for answer... That was the first shot from a Taurus PT1911AR.  A surprize trigger break is the key to good handgun shooting.  Try shooting your handgun from a rest to make sure it is sighted in then work on trigger pull, straight back even pressure every time will yield the best accuracy your gun is capable of. 

[FC]

Sounds like that crappy Glock trigger is helping you build a flinch, get a trigger job done on your gun.

[JackOfAllTrades]

'If I wanted to get better id shoot smaller targets, not look for a 50 yard range.'

I don't carry a.handgun to hunt or to win competitions. I carry it to shoot people who endanger my family or myself. While my situational awareness extends as far as I can see, some legal fuzzyness arises in shots farther than seven yards as far.as articulating  an emminent.threat to your life.

OK.. Smaller target.  50'.     I do carry a handgun to hunt with, for competition, and protect self & family.   But, I tend not to carry my competition guns. It is the thugs best guess to figure out when I'm not. Be rest assured though, I am quite accurate with a snubby revolver too.  True reference to protecting one's self at closer range though. All you need to accomplish is consistency at less than 10yds or so.

[ArrowH]

A couple of things for you to try. Use a 30/70 grip. 30% grip in strong hand/ 70 % grip in weak hand. This will place more force on your left hand pulling the gun back towards the right. Use the index finger of your left hand and press up on the bottem of the trigger guard as you are shooting, this will compensate for the downward pull. These should help you hold a tighter group on center of target. Also make sure your thumbs are laying parallel to the slide along the frame, and not over lapped.
One good way to pratice trigger control..i.e. press the trigger, is to use a electric drill for dry fire trigger press control. This will teach you to put constant pressure on the trigger, and you can see the results as they happen.

[AWS]

Don't shoot handguns much anymore because I can't see the sights or if my vision is corrected enough to see the sights I can't see the target.  I used to shoot bowling pin matches.  I used a Star PD that was as accurate as any Goldcup I've handled.  Sitting resting my elbows on my knees at 70yrds i could keep 5 in a 4" circle.  My accurized HiPower would shooting off sand bags on my bench consistantly ring a 12x16 gong at 200yrs.  I used to hunt fox, rabits and squirels with the PD.  Now I just pack a small 41mag for close in stuff.

[sirmissalot]

I didn't see anyone mention milking the grip. This is where you squeeze the grip of the gun hard (to where you're almost trembling) as you squeeze the trigger. This really helped tighted up my groups. Sounded stupid when I first heard it but after reading about it a little I tried it and it really helped tighten up my groups.

[magnanimous_j]

Damn! That is 50 yards!!! 

I'm a *censored*y shot. 

It's a Kimber. The gun makes a huge diference. I am not a semi auto fan. I like my 6" S&W, but I am almost as good with my Kimber. Got rid of the rest of my semi auto's. And before anyone jumps all over me, that's just my prefference.

I have a couple semi's, but in my heart I will always be  a wheelgun man too

[GoldTip]

I hardly ever punch paper with any of my pistols, in fact cannot remember the last time I did punch paper with them.  Usually I will set up several pop cans and just go to work on them, anywahere from 20' to 25 yards.  I shoot good enough no one would wanna be those pop cans.

[Bean Counter]

Damn! That is 50 yards!!! 

I'm a *censored*y shot. 

It's a Kimber. The gun makes a huge diference. I am not a semi auto fan. I like my 6" S&W, but I am almost as good with my Kimber. Got rid of the rest of my semi auto's. And before anyone jumps all over me, that's just my prefference.

I have a couple semi's, but in my heart I will always be  a wheelgun man too

Even though I primarily carry a semi auto, I don't knock revolvers. For one thing, they're far more reliable than semi autos. Also, they have the advantage of being able to shoot through say a jacket pocket without impedement of the slide getting caught up on your clothing. I often carry a revolver as a BUG. I'm not even worried about capacity. I have long heard ad populum that the average number of shots in a self defense shooting is between 1 - 3 shots.

[Helix]

averages are deceiving. 

In a sample size of 25 with 24 one shot incidents and one 75 shot incident the average is 3.96.

just saying.  I like having a reload handy.