Range Report

[adams020604]

I went to the range today, and from the moment I walked in picked up my goggles, headset, and target, I set myself up to fail. I went to my booth and loaded my clip, and fired off 8 rounds. There was a guy there that we are going to name bob for right now. He heard my shooting and saw the scattered shot. So he walks up to me and is like " you need to line up your shots and let the shot break at the wrist." I took his advice and shot and did pretty well. I also let him shoot from my gun and when he shot from Hi Point C9-9mm the first thing he said was " You sights arent aligned correctly,come shoot with my gun and see the difference." I do and he dead center of the target. I realize my sights are a little high and when you shoot they go to the left a little bit, so I compensate for that by shooting to the right hoping the shot will hit the target.But, in the long run, my experience will stay with my for a lifetime. Please believe I will be back in the range on monday of next week.

 

[Smokey Joe]

So, what's the problem?

Adams--The more you shoot, the better you'll get. Don't quite see how you "set yourself up to fail."

If your sights are off, take the gun to a QUALIFIED GUNSMITH.

I don't quite understand "Bob's" "letting the shot break at the wrist," but if the advice helped you, good.

Rather than depend for advice on whoever wants to talk to you on the range (and with whatever their qualifications are or aren't) IIWY I'd find someone who is (1) knowledgeable, and (2) at the range often, like a staff member, to get advice from. Then consult them frequently. Failing that, I'd seek out a local class in shooting.

Many very good shooters are happy to help a newbie--or a not-so-newbie--to improve. All you have to do to receive lots of good advice, IMX, is to demonstrate that you are serious about learning. But I'd try to get the advice of the demonstrably good shooters.

But it's like any physical skill--Practice, practice, and more practice, will make you better at it.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

That looks about like the the first time that I went shooting, now most shots land in the red. I assume that your Hi-Point is your first pistol, while I have never owned one, I hear that while they are very rugged and reliable, they aren't that accurate. My advice is (if you can afford to) pick up good .22 cal pistol like a Ruger or a Walther, they aren't too expensive, they won't cost much to shoot, and will be accurate enough to improve your shooting.

The nice thing about .22's is how difficult they can be to shoot accurately, every little movement will have a large effect on shoot placement. You can buy a 1000 rounds of .22 for the cost of 50 round of 9 mm. Spend a lot of time with .22's and when you go back to larger calibers, you will see a dramatic improvement.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Another thought

Adams--Thefabulousfink is right--a .22 pistol is a GRRRreat training tool. I'd lean toward the Ruger Mark II if you can find one with a bull barrel and adjustable sights. Then put a set of Herrett's grips on it, and you are set, unless you also want to upgrade the trigger, in which case Volquartsen makes an easy-to-install upgrade. With all of that, you have a serious target pistol, at about 2/3 the price of a S&W Model 41 or a Beretta. Failing to find a Mk II, Ruger now makes the Mk III, which is the same thing except California. It'll still shoot better than you ever will. If you should just happen to luck into an old Mk I, it came with a better trigger out of the box than a Mk II with the Volquartsen upgrade! But Ruger lawyered the trigger down when they designed the Mark II.

I would steer away from this new Ruger Hunter model. Looks snazzy, but the plain-Jane 5" bull barrel target Ruger is not only cheaper, but more accurate. Sorry, I forget in which gun mag I read the writeup.

Anyhow, I had a Mk I for years and years, and now use a Mk II for league bullseye pistol shooting. Bought the Mk I as a pistol competitor in college, specifically because it fit into an impoverished student's budget, and was still nice and accurate. If the chance came up I would buy another Mk I in a heartbeat.

Enough maundering! A .22 target pistol will teach you to SHOOT. If you're serious about getting good with it, you'll have to shoot oftener than 1ce/wk, though. But that would be true of any pistol.

 

[adams020604]

Okay, I understand what you guys are saying. My post wasn't to see if I shoot a gun of another caliber. My post was to see if me making adjustments to my shot would be better, as opposed to getting another gun. I'm actually happy with the gun that I have now, I am just trying to get used to using this gun, just in case anyone threatens my family or anything other than that this is the gun I intend on using with my CCW if you guys catch my drift. So again, I understand what you guys are saying and I appreciate all the feedback. All I am asking is should I compensate for the fact that my sights are a little off by shooting a little to the right or what? sorry if I did offend anyone for this post

 

[LHB1]

I think it is better to get your sights corrected so that the gun will hit what you aim at. Try a few different brands of ammo; the impact points may be different. Then get your sights corrected for the selected ammo. Shoot a few targets while aiming AT THE TARGET, some shooting from a rest and some with no rest. If your sights are not the adjustable kind, take the gun and a couple of targets to a competent gunsmith and see what it will cost to correct the sights. Note that this may require the front sight to be replaced AND the impact point can change if you shoot a different brand of ammo. If you are shooting all over the target, you may want to wait until your group size shrinks a little AND impact point stabilizes before doing this. Just my .02

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[michiganfan]

Adam Shooting is practice practice and practice. I started about five years ago with targets similar to yours. With a few good pointers from this board and several thousand of rounds later I can do some pretty nice groupings. Practice practice and practice.

 

[adams020604]

Now that is the response I was looking for, I appreciate the positive feedback Im recieving from you guys, so Im wondering, how long does it take for Hi Point to send back your weapon once you send it in for repairs?

 

[trickyasafox]

glad you made some improvements today! its always a much more satisfying day at the range when you fix an error

 

[Sport45]

If you don't mind my asking, at what distance was that target set? That will give us a better idea of your starting skill level. May not be as bad as you think.

I suggest you start with a 1" black dot on a 11x17 sheet of paper at 5-7 yards. I think you'll see your group size diminish rapidly in a couple of weeks. By using a smaller target you will force yourself to "aim small, miss small". With acres of black it's hard to hold the sights in one spot. I find red and green targets to be harder to shoot with open sights than plain old black on white.

 

[OleSarge]

Sight Adjustment

No need to send your C9 to the gunsmith or factory. The C9 has adjustable sights, and by the way is quite accurate.

 

[DragonFire]

I maybe wrong but ...

even if your sights are not adjusted correctly, you should still be able to have a nice grouping. The group just wouldn't be where you're aiming.

If you're placing shots all over the target then you are doing something inconsistently, probably several things.


That being said, I still agree with the advice given here. Get some training from a competent instructor, and then practice, practice, practice. Keep in mind that if you keep practicing exactly what you're doing now (and blame the sights for the poor groups) then you will just be teaching yourself some bad habits.

 

[.40-.45]

if you learn something each time you shoot you will improve

glad to hear you are headed bactk to the range!!!!


when you get there and you load your "MAGAZINE" remember what worked last time

keep shooting

 

[Waitone]

My advice would be to make sure your mechanics are correct. Then strive for repeatability. Your goal should be to create a nice ragged hole with few if any outlyers somewhere on the target. That shows repeatability. Then adjust your sights to hit point of aim.

Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

 

[nicadflyer]

When I started shooting pistols a few years ago, I was told to "start close." I started with the target ten feet away and aimed at the x. It took a long time till I had good groups (2-3 inches). Then the target was put a little father away and the practice repeats. I also do this with new guns to check the aim point. By the way my Hi-point C-9 is very accurate and fun to shoot.

Paul

 

[AStone]

Nicadfler, welcome to THR.

Newbies by the drinks here (assuming you're over 21).

If so, I'll take a Pale Moon Wheat Ale, and box of 9mm Ruger 124 gr. Golden Sabers.
____

All: glad to see this thread. It's timely given my last range effort with my pistol. Not horrible by any stretch, but clearly some room for improvement.

Will be reading. Thanks in advance for ideas.

Nem

 

[nicadflyer]

My wifes shooting at 5 yrds

 

[JohnKSa]

Assuming those are roughly life-sized targets and were shot at 15 yards or less, I wouldn't worry about adjusting your sights at this point. When your groups get down to about the same size as the red spot on the target, then you can adjust the sights to move the center of the group to the center of the target.

At this point, you need to work on technique. The advice about starting with a .22LR pistol is good, as recoil and muzzle blast are very distracting to new shooters. You need to learn to shoot first, then the second step is learning to deal with blast and recoil. Trying to do both can lead to difficulties that may take a LOT of work to eliminate.