Don't understand. Shooting straight Left. No up or down just Left.

[lwt16]

Three things fix this shooting left problem for me:

1. Dry fire with a fixed spot on the wall to target. Lots of dry fire. I can tell when I "push left" dry as the front sight will move ever so slightly.

2. Backing off the trigger just ever so slightly and rolling my trigger finger down the face of the trigger while pressing back during live fire. I shoot a lot on steel so instant feedback at the 25 and out to the 50 yard line tells me if I am hosing up or not.

3. Keeping my left arm/elbow at full lock out. If I let that elbow dip, I'll push them left.

The way I discovered it was "me" and not guns was I would switch over to left handed two hand shooting and I would dial them in perfectly. My first PD academy taught me that. One of the instructors, a SWAT guy, refused to adjust my Beretta 96 sights as I had a tight group but to the left of the center. He told me to switch hands and of course, that magazine full went perfect center.

The dry fire, for me, is crucial. I'll dry fire hundreds of times while we watch some stupid show on t.v. My wife has got so used to a Glock striker falling she has tuned it out. When it's slow at work, I'll bust out a lot of dry fire as well as holster presentations.

I train more off the range than on the range.

Regards.

[RJ]

Agree very much on Dry Practice, especially Wall Drills.

Two things helped me "see" the sights during Dry Practice:

1) Wearing a AAA headlamp. Looks dorky but if you focus the light on the sight, you can really tell if it moves.

2) Buy a set of +2 magnification full lens safety glasses. These help me as I have to wear bifocals and they help me see the sight with my head at normal tilt.

[MattyD380]

This is also my biggest issue when shooting (for groups on paper). Honestly, it's not really a question of anything else: "Is it going left or isn't it?" My (admittedly unscientific) conclusions go something like this:

My hands are tiny. My fingers are tinier. And unless I can get a favorable trigger reach... I tend to push them left. I think this may correspond to what some described as "steering" with the trigger finger. I know they say pull the trigger with the pad of your finger--but when I can get closer to the crease of that first knuckle, I almost always do better.

So, the gun matters. For me, anyway. A Beretta 92 and a PX4 give me the right dimensions to keep the shots from slipping left. I really have no issues with either of those guns. For years, I'd group about 2 inches left with my P226. Was ready to sell it. Put on slimmer grips. Installed a short reach trigger... viola... that old German war horse shoots 'em dead center.

Caveat: I've had no formal instruction to confirm all of this. Just some things I've picked up on over the last few years of shooting. Maybe there are other things I'm doing wrong... but I will say, I've been able to pretty much correct the problem when shooting certain guns.

[StraitR]

Milking can also cause a right handed shooter to miss left without height deviation of impact. Something to consider if it's happening with both guns.

[John J. McCarthy, Jr.]

Do you dry-fire? If not you should start. Everyone benefits from dry-firing.

The objective of dry-firing is to learn how to press the trigger without the front sight moving. This can only be accomplished by doing it. Dry-fire with each gun and you will see how your trigger press is affecting the gun, then you proceed from there.

A strict safety protocol must be observed when dry-firing. Many folks can approach this training with a mindset of "I'm practicing with an unloaded gun, what could be easier?" It's that thinking that has caused negligent discharges .

Dry-fire Protocol:

- Choose a room where you will dry-fire and going forward only dry-fire in that room.

- Allow no ammo in the room while dry-firing.

- Pick one spot at which you will point the gun when you press the trigger and make sure what you're aiming at will safely stop a bullet in case of an unexpected boom.

- Hang a target on your aiming point.

- Remove the target when you are finished dry-firing.

[Gorris]

Actually Rich, I agree a ton with this (keep in mind I'm no shooting superhero either). Try this: look at your trigger finger when it's extended straight, and watch the "muscle belly" on the inside of that finger as you curl the finger like you were pulling a trigger. See that bulge happen on the inside of the section closest to the palm? That'll consistently happen every time. If that is up against the frame, it'll consistently push the muzzle away from it (left for a righty, right for a lefty).

So, if this is happening, and you sink the trigger finger in further on the trigger, it'll probably stay the same or maybe get worse. Use less finger on the trigger, and you move that meat away from the frame and the problem can go away. Note I said can, not will. If you get the trigger finger out far enough that you start pushing on the side of the trigger while it's pulled rearward, the problem may not go away.

After reading this post this is what I believe is happening to me. Is there a way to resolve this issue?

[Gorris]

2. Backing off the trigger just ever so slightly and rolling my trigger finger down the face of the trigger while pressing back during live fire. I shoot a lot on steel so instant feedback at the 25 and out to the 50 yard line tells me if I am hosing up or not.

I'm not sure what you mean by "rolling" your trigger finger down the face?

[John J. McCarthy, Jr.]

What you need to achieve is a straight back trigger press. The part of the trigger finger used to accomplish this differs somewhat from shooter to shooter, and even from gun to gun. Most shooters find the last pad on the trigger finger works best for semi-autos and the last joint of the trigger finger for revolvers. It's up to you to find your spot(s).

See above for my post about dry-firing.

[lwt16]

I'm not sure what you mean by "rolling" your trigger finger down the face?

I find that if I just jam my trigger finger in there and press, I tend to press towards the magazine release button/to the left. 15 yards and in it's no biggie.....my shots will be center and the world is good.

However.....


at the 25 or 50, this trigger finger action tends to push all my shots to the left of X......particularly with the 43 and 42 pistols and the full sized M&P. On the G17 and 19 I have Talon grips which must bring my trigger finger off the trigger just enough to prevent this goofy trigger press to the side.

So when slow firing, I have to consciously tell myself to "roll" the first pad of my trigger finger down the face of the trigger towards the bottom of it as I am pressing back. My finger falls in the middle of the trigger and then as the shot breaks, my finger is as low as it can go on the trigger and, for me, it must press it straight back on the fall of the striker. My shots correct and hit center.

Hope that explains it. Very shooter specific. At my agency, they are teaching to jam as much finger as you can in the trigger guard but that tends to exacerbate the left shots when it's my finger in the guard.

[Gorris]

I find that if I just jam my trigger finger in there and press, I tend to press towards the magazine release button/to the left. 15 yards and in it's no biggie.....my shots will be center and the world is good.

However.....


at the 25 or 50, this trigger finger action tends to push all my shots to the left of X......particularly with the 43 and 42 pistols and the full sized M&P. On the G17 and 19 I have Talon grips which must bring my trigger finger off the trigger just enough to prevent this goofy trigger press to the side.

So when slow firing, I have to consciously tell myself to "roll" the first pad of my trigger finger down the face of the trigger towards the bottom of it as I am pressing back. My finger falls in the middle of the trigger and then as the shot breaks, my finger is as low as it can go on the trigger and, for me, it must press it straight back on the fall of the striker. My shots correct and hit center.

Hope that explains it. Very shooter specific. At my agency, they are teaching to jam as much finger as you can in the trigger guard but that tends to exacerbate the left shots when it's my finger in the guard.

Thank you so much for the explanation. Might have to try that to see what happens.