Inconsistant grouping and gripping

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ChasMack

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I'm an old man (60 with tri focals) but I am going to enter my first GSSF indoor match Saturday. I have been shooting fairly regular. I don't have a lot of money for bullets, although I do reload. It makes it cheaper but still, I need to pay bills first. Anyway, I have been shooting my Glock 19 4th gen and I really like the gun. I will be shooting it stock with the factory sights. My question is consistancy with the Glock and it's grip.

I have days where I can drill out a 2-3" hole at 10 to 15 yards (not real often) and days where I am all over a 8"X11" sheet of paper. I can then take out my M&P on the same bad day shooting the Glock and I always shoot the M&P better. Could it be I should stick with the M&P, which I can't use in GSSF, tough it out with the G19 and hope for the best Saturday, drink less coffee :)?
I have always had a love hate relationship with my Glocks, mostly because of inconsistancy. I am even thinking of selling my new G17 because I am worse with that even. Practice has helped a lot along with dry fire but still...I feel I should shoot the G19 well ALL the time or at least 90-95% of the time. If anyone has a few clues I am all ears....maybe eyes for on here :)!
 
Technique is an issue -- and others might address that.... Or visit the Bullseye website, here:

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/getinto.htm There's a lot there that you won't find useful, as GSSF and Bullseye are greatly different, but marksmanship is marksmanship, and some Bullseye techniques can help any shooters.

BUT one of the things that might surprise and help you is avoiding caffeine altogether on the day of the shoot, until the competition is over: no coffee at breakfast, softdrinks, etc. Water or juice only. (It's something that many pros do, and it's part of the Army Marksmanship Training Unit's team routine. I've found, in my case, that it does make a difference. On those days when I was all over the target, I later realized that it was -- to some extent -- arguably caused by caffeine intake.)

I've also found that eye glasses with the strong eye lens set so you can see the front sights clearly, and the other lens set so that you can see the target, lets you find the target and align the sights better, FASTER than using tri-focals. Believe it or not, it's not critical that you see both the target and the front sight clearly at the same time -- you'll see the sight as a general blur, but if you see the sight clearly, you'll do fine.

(That was recommended by an opthamologist who specialized in working with big-name athletes.) You optician can do this for you, or can tell you what sort of (larger-lensed) reading glasses you need... then buy two pairs -- with lenses that can be removed -- and build a single pair that matches what the optician says.

I'm not in love with Glocks, but shooting IDPA, I've had some of my best times shooting a Glock 34. (I have a M&P Pro, but haven't tried it in competition, yet.) If you havent upgraded your trigger with Ghost components, that may help a bit.

And check out IDPA. A bit more costly than GSSF, but almost the same level of fun.
 
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The grip angle and spongy trigger of the Glocks take some getting used to.
More dry firing will help.
Do it a couple of times a day before going to the match.
It should help.
The targets that are used at the Glock matches are not small.
So, if you can consistently keep your rounds within an 8x11 paper, you might still do quite well.
And 60 ain't near old enough to complain about yet.
You haven't even begun to seriously deteriorate.
 
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I learned with my first (1989) Glock 17 that consistant grip is critical to good accuracy. Hand placement and pressure must be the same for every shot. It doesn't matter very much whether you use a hard grip (wringing out a washcloth) or a medium grip (driving a nail with a hammer) as long as your grip is the same for each shot. That's my take, anyway. YMMV.
 
competitive shooting is largely a mental game. Learning about yourself and how to find your 'comfort zone' is incredibly important to being able to shoot your best and show consistency. You must not have any distractions; it is very zen-like.

(ranked Expert in NRA bullseye)
 
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