Natural accuracy with a G41

[Frankhenrylee]

Hey folks,
Gotta say this is a great forum for uhh, pistol trianing. I cut straight to it. I'm a rookie shooter, only get to the range about once a month(lack of $$$) and I can only practice shooting from a low ready or slow fire accuracy. I ccw a G19. I can shoot surprisingly accurately at a fast pace, but lack the ability to shoot really accurately with it at any distance. The 10-10-10 drill is a no go with this gun, but I can put rounds in multiple 6" targets at 5 yards about as fast as I can pull the trigger.

I rented a G41 and was amazed at how well I shot it. Why does it seem like I can't go wrong with the G41, but my G19 and other 9mm Glocks that I've shot are usually left and high. Another anomaly is that if I shoot one handed I'm much more accurate. Obviuosly on the 9's my support is cause of the inconsistency, but have no idea how to fix it cause it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything wrong.

I have smallish hands and the G41 feels like its too big. The flip side of this is because of the size I only seem to be able to grip it one way. the 9's have more room for error. The extra real estate on the side of the grip gives my support hand a nice flat spot to grip to as well.

I also have a G30 gen3 and the results are not the same as the G41, but my groups are centered instead of left like the 19.

Am I fighting an uphill battle with the 19, when I can pick up a G41 an drill bullseye's? I really can't afford to shoot .45, but the accuracy results give me much more confidence.

Does anyone have any pointers as to how I can clean up my technique? I think I'm going to ccw the 19 regardless.

[Failure2Stop]

Have you attended any training in relevant skills?

From Tapatalk:
Jack Leuba
Knight's Armament Company: Military/Govt Product Liaison
F2S Consulting: Director of Shooting Stuff

[Frankhenrylee]

I haven't for two reasons. One is cost. The other is that I don't know if I shoot well enough to go to a class.

Could an instructor really help me that much just by watching me shoot? May be worth it.

Before shooting the G41 I would've said that I'm not a very good shot, so it at least proved to me that I don't totally suck. I can only figure that the grip shape is forcing my hand and trigger finger into using better technique without me really noticing that I'm doing anything different.

[OnionsAndDragons]

You don't have to take a class to get some training.

Ask around here if there is anyone that offers instruction in your region. An hour or two of personal instruction can give you a lot of diagnosis and correction for fundamental issues, and get you a plan for working at the range alone.

That said, if you are comfortable working from a holster, and have the decent close range baseline you mention; you are definitely good enough to take an intro/base level class. As long as you can safely manipulate your weapon and have reliable gear, you meet the requirements for pretty much any intro.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Sir Guy]

Even an introductory course that properly addresses the fundamentals (like grip) is better than nothing. There's a real risk of developing bad habits on your own that will be harder to unlearn later.

[Frankhenrylee]

Not a bad idea. Always thought I could figure this out myself, but it couldn't be any worse than blowing through another $500 in ammo and having the same result. I'm in Arkansas. Any recommendations?

[TR675]

See if there are any local NRA courses. I am sure there are.

You don't need a "name" instructor to learn the basics of pistolcraft.

[Robinson]

I once picked up a S&W Sigma pistol with an atrocious trigger and proceeded to shoot an entire magazine into the bullseye of a target at 7 yards. This proves nothing except that everyone is different and may have different results with different guns. The experiment did not motivate me to buy a Sigma, but rather to keep practicing and try to improve.

In your case with the G41 (a really nice pistol) the result may come from the size and shape of the grip, the length of trigger reach, recoil characteristics, or several things at once. It's possible for a gun to feel great in the hand but you may not shoot it very well. Or the opposite could happen.

I am not a Glock owner, but I have experimented with them enough to know that I shoot a G17 much better than a G19. Other folks don't have the same result. It seems a lot of people shoot the G19 really well; personally I shoot larger guns better than smaller guns even though I don't have really big hands. I would choose a G41 over a G19 any day, even for concealed carry. That doesn't mean it's the right choice for you.

The suggestions for getting some instruction are good ones.

[Jared]

If you can find a local instructor that can correctly help you with the fundamentals, and back that up with a lot of dry fire practice, you can go a long way with a minimum of cash outlay (assuming the local instructor's fees are reasonable). As has been stated, even a couple hours of good instruction can help a ton.

If you just can't find anyone, then you can learn a great deal by experimenting in dry fire, but you absolutely need to make sure you're doing it correctly to reap the maximum benefits. I love dry fire, and it has helped me a ton, but it is very possible to screw yourself if you aren't honest with yourself when training this way. If you do decide to go this route, buy Ben Stoeger's Practical Pistol Foundations, and his three books (Practical Pistol, Skills and Drills, and Dry Fire Training). Stoeger's material is very USPSA focused, but it can absolutely set you on a path to being a better technical shooter.

[Jesting Devil]

I'll second the dry fire and Bens books, they're the basis of almost all my training and improvements. I think some disciplined dry fire and live fire drills focusing on the material in those books and elsewhere will get your problems sorted out.

Personally I'm wary of recommending local instructors without some vetting of their ability and knowledge. Several of the "instructors" in my area are NRA certified but really can't shoot all that well and would not be my first choice for a new shooter to spend money on if they're looking to improve.

What helped me when I first started shooting glocks was learning to really watch my sights closely. They will always tell you what is happening and you can adjust technique from there. Good sights help a lot with this. Really crushing my support hand around the gun and focusing on smooth trigger presses with no sight movement also helped a lot. Again, Ben Stoegers Fundamentals book can really help and the others have some great drills to keep improving with.

Interestingly I know several other people (that I would call fairly decent shooters) who also shoot the large frame (.45) glocks more accurately with less effort than any of the small frames. So it's not that weird.