Why Can't I Find a 9mm I Shoot Well

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94045

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Why can't I find a 9mm Carry Gun I shoot well. I am not a particularly good shot but this is getting ridiculous.

Shield .45 ACP
6 Round Flush + 7 Extended + 7 Extended = 20 Shots
1 Second Cadence at 7 yards = Usually around 180 Score (1.0" 10-Ring and 3" 8-Ring)

Kimber CDP 1911 .45 ACP with Alum Officers Frame and 4" Barrel - Usually upper 180's.

M&P 2.0 Compact 4" .40 S&W - Usually lower 180's (20 round total with one mag change).

Why cant I find a 9mm that I can shoot that well. They all seem "sharp" to me even with 115's which I think makes me pull about 10% of my shots. I can't seem to break the habit of anticipating recoil with a 9mm. Why do the .40 and .45 not bother me?

PS I know it makes no sense but I can't seem to fix it.
 
94045

What have you been shooting in the way of 9mm.s? I have found that the most comfortable 9mm. that I shoot is also the most ergonomic to me: that is the Browning Hi-Power. A few other guns that I also feel this way about are the SIG P229, the CZ P01, the CZ P07, the Colt Commander, and the Ruger SR9c. Some 9mm.s that I don't do as well with are just about any Glock, the Beretta Model 92, the Springfield Armory XD, and the S&W M&P.
 
Try different loadings. My 9mms always had good luck with 147gr rounds. They can be hard to find so I keep some 124gr and 115gr on hand as an in case measure.
 
Missing information: what 9mms are you shooting?

Pick one of your guns not in 9mm that you shoot well, then get that same gun in 9mm.

Use heavier bullets in 9mm to reduce the snappiness. 147 or 158 grain will feel completely different.
 
Why do the .40 and .45 not bother me?

9mm
... makes me pull about 10% of my shots. I can't seem to break the habit of anticipating recoil with a 9mm ... I can't seem to fix it.
My Shield 9mm (smallest 9mm I have) shoots fine, especially after the trigger broke in (Like you, I shoot 45ACP and 40S&W well)


I teach point shooting and Shield 9mm is shot accurate by many shooters and I regularly perform fast double tap head shots at 7 yards consistently.


Perhaps try these shooting drills that will help you with fast and accurate defensive shooting - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-help-me-speed-up.824618/page-4#post-10902245

Starting with grip - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-help-me-speed-up.824618/page-4#post-10902444

And shooting without moving the front sight - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-help-me-speed-up.824618/page-4#post-10902452
 
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Yes, they are smaller 9mm. Why would I shoot a Shield .45 with no issues with the Flush Mag (Even with +P) and have issues with the 9mm with the Extended Mag (Roughly the same length) and 115 grain range ammo. Does 0.04" Width and 2 oz really make that much difference?

I have been contemplating dropping a 9mm barrel in my M&P 2.0 Compact to see what happens. I know I shoot it as well as any striker fired pistol.

I may try some Fiocchi 9mm 147 I have laying around and see if I like the impulse better than the 115's.

Incidentally, to put my hand size into the equation I have relatively broad hands (3.5 Fingers on a .45 Shield with Flush Mag or 9mm with Extended) with short fingers.
 
I had a similar situation when I first shot 9mm. Did much better with 45. I found that I was flinching and had learned to compensate without trying. Bad habit that. The recoil impulse was different in a 9mm so my subconscious compensation didn’t work real well, and I was pulling my shots.

I worked on my flinch, trigger discipline, and keeping my eyes open when shooting, and 9mm started working for me. In essence I realized I had a bigger problem.

I’m not saying that’s your issue, just that it worked for me. So maybe shoot a gun you shoot well, and pay close attention to what’s going on. If you diagnose what you’re doing right, it might help you figure out what you’re doing wrong when the 9mm is introduced.
Good luck.
 
If you have the ability to rent different guns at a range I would recommend that you try this.

I did this and found that Glocks worked for me better than other firearms. I found that single stacks, though easy to conceal, just didn’t work for me in regards to consistent accuracy. I found that other double stacks just didn’t work for me either. I am not trying to push a brand of gun here, I am saying that I tried different configurations to find out what worked for me and I found it.

Something else I found was that I had some bad habits that I didn’t realize I had until I started training myself to shoot left handed. I jerked the trigger and anticipated the shot by bracing at the last second. This was really amplified for me when I switched hands. I am more conscientious of it now and have improved greatly with both right and left handed shooting.

I am using a two handed grip with a Weaver stance. I recently went back to two handed shooting after years of shooting one handed. This is a result of Cowboy Action Shooting as a Duelist. I need to switch hands and shoot two handed due to wrist arthritis. Old dog relearning old tricks, I guess. Haha.

Don’t beat yourself up so much. Keep trying. It’ll come.

Bearcreek had some good advice. Have an instructor work with you. Maybe they’ll see something that may help.
 
Missing information: what 9mms are you shooting?

Pick one of your guns not in 9mm that you shoot well, then get that same gun in 9mm.

Use heavier bullets in 9mm to reduce the snappiness. 147 or 158 grain will feel completely different.

Try something metal with some weight to it, like a Beretta 92, or a Ruger P89.
 
Depending on your view, it might be an "oh well".

I'm a pretty decent cook, but I suck at baking. And I don't really care to improve. So I have a famous chicken recipe but not a cookie recipe.

I'm also great at bench press. But suck at squats. Guess I'll never compete competitively in a powerlifting meet.

I guess I could go on. But if you don't have a desire to be amazing at 9mm, you can just accept you aren't amazing at 9mm.
 
Principles remain the same. Caliber, platform and environment change. Adapt. Put your issue into perspective in a big picture kind of way. I don't claim to be an expert and i am not an instructor but i'll share my experience and give some advice thats worth what you paid for it.

I learned to shoot handguns with the purchase of my first - an SAA clone in 45 colt. Relatively easy gun to shoot with light loads. After a few hundred rounds i would hit a quarter at 7 yards pretty regularly. Next handgun was a 1911 type. I could shoot that gun very well. I was confident going over to a glock would be easy. Not the case, i was all over the target. It took me about 500 rounds in an afternoon to settle in, figure out the trigger and learn to shoot that type of gun. Now it isn't a problem. Be dedicated and you'll get there.

The perspective you could gain on the issue is to shoot something big. Something with recoil that makes experienced shooters flinch and is just downright uncomfortable. I suggest something along the lines of a 454, 460 mag or 500 mag. These guns make you work, they teach you to flinch and require concentration. Not that flinching is good but it is a benefit because you learn to control it and once you have a grip on controlling the flinch you're most of the way there. I've heard people say that 40 S&W from a compact is snappy or moderate 357 loads are uncomfortable from the j frame guns- in comparison they're a walk in the park to the savage recoil the big guns produce
(Generally). It's similar to the baseball player with the weighted rings on the bat, after shooting 20 rounds from a truely hard kicking gun the 9mm will feel comical. This may or may not help you, it helps me. If you fall in love with big bore revolvers in the time you spend with one thats the icing on the cake and that addiction can show you the reality of whats out there. It can help you gain speed and confidence with service type handguns. For me at least, after 50 rounds of stout 454 casull the 10mm i normally shoot seems like powder puff stuff. But i did and still do flinch until i settle down, concentrate, breathe and clear my mind. Shooting is a discipline and a fleeting skill, not like riding a bike. Train, shoot and shoot some more. You'll get there, nothing worth doing is easy.
Or just do like me and ignore the 9mm completely (flame suit on). I just never found a niche for it to fill.
Goodluck.
 
Novice here, but...flinching is an inherent reaction to the anticipation of recoil, so it sounds like you are shooting lighter 9mm's that have sharper recoil than the .40's and .45's you're shooting. The three keys to overcome a tendency to flinch are: practice, practice, and practice. I find if I maintain a very firm grip and shoot with both eyes open (and try to avoid blinking) I start to lose my flinch.

Shooting while fatigued or poorly rested also contributes to my tendency to flinch.
 
I have been contemplating dropping a 9mm barrel in my M&P 2.0 Compact to see what happens. I know I shoot it as well as any striker fired pistol.

Great idea.


I may try some Fiocchi 9mm 147 I have laying around and see if I like the impulse better than the 115's.

Yup, the recoil impulse is very different. If you like that, try some 158 gr ammo, too.
 
What do I know, but ...

I’m looking into the Mantis X to see what my hand and the barrel do as I fire.

Also, I found I shot my CZ75 like crap until I put some wider grips on.
 
Why can't I find a 9mm Carry Gun I shoot well. I am not a particularly good shot but this is getting ridiculous.

Shield .45 ACP
6 Round Flush + 7 Extended + 7 Extended = 20 Shots
1 Second Cadence at 7 yards = Usually around 180 Score (1.0" 10-Ring and 3" 8-Ring)

Kimber CDP 1911 .45 ACP with Alum Officers Frame and 4" Barrel - Usually upper 180's.

M&P 2.0 Compact 4" .40 S&W - Usually lower 180's (20 round total with one mag change).

Why cant I find a 9mm that I can shoot that well. They all seem "sharp" to me even with 115's which I think makes me pull about 10% of my shots. I can't seem to break the habit of anticipating recoil with a 9mm. Why do the .40 and .45 not bother me?

PS I know it makes no sense but I can't seem to fix it.
It is not the gun.
 
I'll go with that. The best thing as said before is to get a quality instructor to take a look at your performance. I always shot to the right. Damn guns always shoot to the right. Why are they made that way? Tom Givens looks at my grip - it's fixed. I can shoot an IDPA match with only 3 to 5 points down on a good day.
 
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