Hi Everyone - This is my first post, first gun and first time shooting with it! It went really well, that is the gun fired great with 150 rounds of blazer fmj's. I did notice that at 20 ft and 35 ft i was hitting low and to the left. Any thoughts on that? Am I jerking the gun or are the sights in need of an adjustment? many thanks in advance- Chas
m&p 9
- Thread starter pickck
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MMac
Member
Sounds like you are. This past week I also purchased an M&P 9, love it!
LedFowl
Member
Welcome to the forum. I think we all started out low and left. Some of us are still there. 
You are most likely anticipating the shot and/or the recoil which can cause you to flinch. It will take practice to overcome. Here are a few things to consider.
I've seen a lot of new shooters hold their breath when anticipating the shot. That will cause you to shake and the gun will move all over the place. Try this, before each shot, take a breath. Then, when you begin to squeeze the trigger, let it out slowly. And, let the actual shot be somewhat of a surprise. Practice this slowly until it becomes second nature to you.
I've seen a lot of new shooters hold their breath when anticipating the shot. That will cause you to shake and the gun will move all over the place. Try this, before each shot, take a breath. Then, when you begin to squeeze the trigger, let it out slowly. And, let the actual shot be somewhat of a surprise. Practice this slowly until it becomes second nature to you.
Rangel
Member
Heya Pick, welcome aboard,
Thiokol's got some spot on advice and I'd try that first, as I hear about that particular scenario with a number of S&W M&P 9's in particular--probably too many doing that for them all to be coming out of the factory 'not quite right'. I doubt if it's a problem with the gun.
Different caliber guns move in different ways, even different brand guns of the same weight and caliber move differently. Developing/refining correct breathing, consistent habits/ergonomic movements and knowing your guns idiosyncrasies takes time. A cup of coffee or a couple coca colas effect my accuracy for sure--I typically shoot too high then.
But some guns are just 'that way' sometimes due to the way that particular barrel turned out and adjusting the sights can be an ongoing PITA of little help. In that case--you and the gun 'meet in the middle'.
Thiokol's advice can only help, but if not enough, you might consider aiming a bit high and to the right and just remembering to do that with that gun, if changing your technique doesn't work.
I know that with a bow and arrow, when I had an apple on my head, my exwife always adjusted her aim lower.....LOL
Thiokol's got some spot on advice and I'd try that first, as I hear about that particular scenario with a number of S&W M&P 9's in particular--probably too many doing that for them all to be coming out of the factory 'not quite right'. I doubt if it's a problem with the gun.
Different caliber guns move in different ways, even different brand guns of the same weight and caliber move differently. Developing/refining correct breathing, consistent habits/ergonomic movements and knowing your guns idiosyncrasies takes time. A cup of coffee or a couple coca colas effect my accuracy for sure--I typically shoot too high then.
But some guns are just 'that way' sometimes due to the way that particular barrel turned out and adjusting the sights can be an ongoing PITA of little help. In that case--you and the gun 'meet in the middle'.
Thiokol's advice can only help, but if not enough, you might consider aiming a bit high and to the right and just remembering to do that with that gun, if changing your technique doesn't work.
I know that with a bow and arrow, when I had an apple on my head, my exwife always adjusted her aim lower.....LOL
chuck s
Member
Low/left is the classic trigger jerk issue, but the wheel chart was created back when we all shot DA revolvers.
Treat the M&P trigger as a two stage trigger. Take the slack out first and complete the trigger press when the sights align. Release to reset and shoot again. Pulling straight thru can put you back on the DA revolver shot wheel again.
-- Chuck
Treat the M&P trigger as a two stage trigger. Take the slack out first and complete the trigger press when the sights align. Release to reset and shoot again. Pulling straight thru can put you back on the DA revolver shot wheel again.
-- Chuck
Murdock
Member
Ensure that the pad of your trigger finger is what is pressing the trigger, not the crease of the distal finger joint.
8th SPS USAF
Member
MP 9
Try different back straps. This will change you finger position
Try different back straps. This will change you finger position
jon_e_mac1
Member
I was low and left as well when I first started shooting. I first started positioning the front sight at the 6 o'clock of the target and stayed low and left. I now cover my target with the front sight and I'm now just a little left at the 10 yard range. 80 rounds of PMC bronze 115 gr blew out the X and the inner half of the 10 ring on a B27 silhouette target. Out of the 80 rounds, I had one shot left in the 9 ring, and 1 shot low left in the 9 ring. As someone said earlier, take up the slack until you feel the trigger kinda hold, then squeeze. There is a good bit of slack on my MP9 trigger.
I shot low/left too the first few days after I bought my M&P 9. The guys I shoot with all agreed it was recoil anticipation flinch. Focus on your front site, target should be "blurry" in the background, don't think about the report, squeeze with pad of finger. And yeah, breathing helps too, but I have a hard time paying attention to it!
Something else that's worked for me is dry fire practicing at home - four rules of course - just getting used to the way the trigger feels helped me a lot.
Also, just putting as many rounds as you can through the gun, as often as you can. After a while, you don't even notice the recoil. I've found I don't shoot down and left at all when shooting a match - too many other things to think about than the recoil.
Something else that's worked for me is dry fire practicing at home - four rules of course - just getting used to the way the trigger feels helped me a lot.
Also, just putting as many rounds as you can through the gun, as often as you can. After a while, you don't even notice the recoil. I've found I don't shoot down and left at all when shooting a match - too many other things to think about than the recoil.
That doesn't work for everyone. I've read a lot about what makes a good trigger pull, and from what I can tell it's a clean pull which needs to be STRAIGHT back toward the rear. I have large hands with long fingers, so using the pad of my trigger finger results in me pulling the gun right. If I use the crease, I can pull straight back. This is exceptionally obvious to me with smaller firearms like my Kahr PM9 with Crimson Trace. Dry firing with the pad of my trigger finger shows me the laser snapping right, whereas with the crease of my trigger finger the laser never moves.
