Rounds Impacting Left Of POA?

[Scrod314]

Hello... I shot my Smith and Wesson 411 today. I'm hitting just left of point of aim at 15 yards. Decent groups (for me) but consistantly hitting to the left. I shoot right handed. I gripped the pistol a little harder with my left hand and stiffened my left arm a bit. This helped a bit. Any thoughts on why I might be hitting a little left? I may be anticipating recoil, but I don't know.

 

[WheelGunMan]

From what I understand, recoil anticipation will subconsciously have you shooting low and left as your hand will dip just prior to ignition. The left part comes from the tendons in your arm. I'm thinking grip or location of finger on trigger.

 

[railroader]

Has this gun always shot left for you or is this something new? It just could be the gun shoots left and you need to drift the rear sight to the right a little.

 

[Scrod314]

The gun has always shot a little left for me. I had a friend shoot it who is an exceptional shot. He was dead on. He said no mechanical or sight issues. Of course he is 20 years younger and has had quite a bit of training and practice. He basically eats, drinks, sleeps with his guns. It's just my technique.

 

[Riomouse911]

Without watching you in person, I will also surmise you are gripping tighter with the right hand as the guns trigger is close to letting go in subconscious anticipation of the recoil.

I catch myself doing this, it’s my number one bad habit.

Easiest way to see if this is your issue: have someone load your mag or cylinder for you. At the start let them know to sooner or later slip a fired case/dummy round in randomly. it’ll show up a lot (if you’re prone to it) after you’ve fired a few dozen rounds first and they then sneak one in.

Practice the breathing-sight picture-trigger pull-follow through basics, obtain and maintain a good grip and have a conscious effort not to flinch. This will help you overcome the tendency.

Stay safe.

 

[Boattale]

Move the rear sight? In the direction you want to move POI.

 

[Pat Riot]

Try moving your trigger finger a little further into the trigger guard on the trigger, maybe up to the first joint of your finger instead of using the tip of your finger to squeeze the trigger.
This was my problem. I had good grouping but I always shot to the left except with DA revolvers with stiff triggers. I was dead on with them. I figured out I was putting a little more finger into the trigger to get a better pull.
With the finger tip I was unknowingly pulling the trigger but also pushing the gun a little to the left with each squeeze of the trigger.

 

[cfullgraf]

With semi-auto pistols, I tend to shoot left of aiming point. It does not seem to happen with revolvers though.

I found if I change my grip on the semi-autos, I can get point of aim to match point of impact.

But, I'm having difficulty gripping the pistol the same way every time.

Drifting the sight to the right is an expedient solution but I'm working on my grip to make it natural to get point of aim to match point of impact.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Without knowing a lot more, I can't really say what the issue is.

However, I can give you some advice to establish at least a "baseline" to help narrow things down.

Do some resting benchshooting. Sit down at a bench, support your hands on something stable to minimize movement, and do some really slow fire shooting while paying close attention to maintaining your sight picture as you slowly squeeze the trigger.

Doing this will minimize body movements of all kinds which could affect your shooting and help determine at the least whether it's the gun shooting left or something you're doing with the gun that's causing it to shoot to the left.

If you're now shooting at the point of aim, then you can say that the gun is functioning fine and there's something about the way you're handling the gun which is causing you to shoot to the left. Whatever that is, you can be comforted in knowing that if you can maintain your sight picture up until the moment the action breaks and the bullet fires, you will hit at point of aim.

When I had an issue years ago right after I bought my Beretta 92FS, I narrowed it down to a difference in triggers between my new Beretta and my other pistols (Colt 1991A1 and AMT Automag II). Both my other pistols had triggers which moved straight back in their frames. The Beretta's trigger, however, pivots. Understanding this difference in triggers enabled me to focus my training where I needed to...trigger control. That brought my shooting right back to point of aim again.

 

[Frankl03]

Most likely trigger control. How you pull the trigger will impact your point of impact.

Dry fire exercise. With your pistol unloaded. Pick a point of aim watch your front sight and slowly pull the trigger. Watch the front sight as you pull. The point of the exercise is to go through the trigger pull without the front sight moving.

Typically if I pick up a pistol I have not shot before say a Glock 17 and fire a round it will be most likely low and left.

Hope that helps!

 

[murf]

But, I'm having difficulty gripping the pistol the same way every time.

this is how i grip all my handguns: http://www.bullseyepistol.com/zins.htm

i index my shooting hand palm crease to the edge of the grip and my shooting finger joint to the trigger edge. when i draw, i index my shooting finger along the slide (keeping the same palm crease index). my grip stays the same all the time this way. my trigger squeeze stays the same, too. this also fixed my consistently left hits with my glocks.

luck,

murf

p.s. i forgot to mention this is for one or two handed, right or left handed shooting. it makes weak handed shooting a breeze once you learn how to shoot weak handed.

 

[film495]

hold your normal grip, but watch the front sight as you dry fire, bet it jumps to the left on your follow through as you pull the trigger. adjust grip as necessary.

 

[whughett]

I know automatically that any hand gun I shoot will be high left from point of aim. I just roll with it and adjust a bit low right. But I’m not a bullseye shooter shooting for points so I’ve never really tried to find out why. I use a two hand basic Weaver stance and grip.

 

[Otto]

 

[Rule3]

Heck somebody has to post this

 

[Odd Job]

If your groups are good, I would adjust the rear sight as others have said. I had this same issue with a Vektor CP1 and adjusted the front sight (you cannot adjust the rear sight on that gun).

 

[Otto]

Look at the bright side....you now have an excuse to buy another gun.

 

[whughett]

I’ve be told the charts posted are for a one hand bullseye hold. Not So?

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

If your groups are good, I would adjust the rear sight as others have said. I had this same issue with a Vektor CP1 and adjusted the front sight (you cannot adjust the rear sight on that gun).

I wouldn't do this until the problem has been determined to be the pistol itself.

 

[Rule3]

I’ve be told the charts posted are for a one hand bullseye hold. Not So?

Could be. I don't really know. Then there is this one:

 

[Riomouse911]

Much of the info on these types of charts work whether two handed or one handed. When I catch myself anticipating and clench my fingers shooting two handed, my shots can still go low-left. (Right handed shooter)

One other trick I’ve seen used to help facilitate a smooth and consistent trigger pull is to hold the unloaded gun in your normal grip, then have another person carefully place an empty cartridge case on top of the front sight (if it’s shaped so one can balance on it). Pull through the trigger cycle until the hammer/striker is released while trying to keep that case on the sight.

It is amazing how much our hands will move when going through these motions… and a fraction of an inch off at the muzzle can easily become a few inches as the yards increase

Again, I didn’t make this up nor does it help in every situation. It’s just another thing I’ve seen instructors try to help shooters out.

Stay safe.

 

[AJC1]

Have you ever considered it being your vision. I was shooting high and left so consistantly across multiple weapons I knew there was an issue. I got corrective lenses for a slight astigmatism and now do great. Getting older sucks

 

[Boattale]

I'm sticking with adjust sights IF groups are reasonably tight and consistent in positioning away from POA.

 

[Scrod314]

I definitely think my vision has something to do with it, although I also think I just suck with a .40 S&W round. I shot my 9MM Ruger P89 today and had decent groups. I only shot 40 rounds, though.

 

[WhoMe?]

hold your normal grip, but watch the front sight as you dry fire, bet it jumps to the left on your follow through as you pull the trigger. adjust grip as necessary.

This. And pick up a cheap bore laser. Watch the laser on a target while you dry fire. You'll likely learn a lot about your grip and trigger pull.