Shield problem POI low and left

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ctkenc

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Have about 600 rnds though my new 9 mm Shield and am very frustrated with results ....Poi is consistently low and left at 25-30 ft.
I have tried many brands of ammo and have had other experienced shooters try it, all with same results.
Problem can be as bad as 6-9 inches low and 5-7 inches left.
I have many other guns and have been shooting IDPA etc for several years without anything this frustrating.
Hoping you have suggestions and or experiences to share .... I have no problem getting these replaced by a LGS if there are some good night sights out there that will fit the Shield, especially if I could order a shorter front sight or a taller rear sight to help cure the low POI .... Or even Adjustable Sights.

Thanks
 
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The problem is you not the gun, not what you want to here but it's the truth. You and all of the other "experienced" shooters who are shooting low/left are shooting groups what you'd normally expect in a newb. You need to work on trigger control, this is something that does sometimes happen to veteran shooters when they first start shooting the shield, has a lot to do with how small the grip is compared to what they're used to shooting.
 
DocSunShine said:
The problem is you not the gun, not what you want to here but it's the truth. You and all of the other "experienced" shooters who are shooting low/left are shooting groups what you'd normally expect in a newb. You need to work on trigger control, this is something that does sometimes happen to veteran shooters when they first start shooting the shield, has a lot to do with how small the grip is compared to what they're used to shooting.
Click to expand...


I don't entirely disagree with you but just to clarify, I'm 73 and have been a shooter since age 10, but none of that says you are not right.
I noticed that with my Glock G26 the sights look perfect when dry firing etc but with the thinner Shield the sights look like they are already biased o the left.
Today I used my Range Bag as a bench rest and really concentrated on all the shooting disciplines and did much better than when standing freestyle, all of which says you are probably right.
Still, I would love to have adjustable night sights on it.
 
ctkenc said:
I don't entirely disagree with you but just to clarify, I'm 73 and have been a shooter since age 10, but none of that says you are not right.
I noticed that with my Glock G26 the sights look perfect when dry firing etc but with the thinner Shield the sights look like they are already biased o the left.
Today I used my Range Bag as a bench rest and really concentrated on all the shooting disciplines and did much better than when standing freestyle, all of which says you are probably right.
Still, I would love to have adjustable night sights on it.
Click to expand...

Yeah do a search for the million other threads about shooting "low and left". It's a shooter thing and not a gun thing. A simple search and you will find several good threads about this.
 
Doc has it 100% correct. He is so correct that I can predict that you are shooting low and left when shooting with your right hand as the dominate hand. If you want to shoot low and right simply change to your "weak" hand.

What you are doing is a combination motion.

First you are pushing the gun left with your trigger finger just as the trigger breaks. You'll want to do some dry fire practice and experiment with finger pad position on the trigger to resolve this.

Second, you've developed a Push Flinch. Meaning you are pushing the muzzle down in anticipation of the recoil. If you don't believe this load a couple of snap caps in a magazine and watch how much you flinch when you get to that snap cap.

Note, there isn't any shame in having developed a Flinch, it happens to every handgun shooter at some point. Hickok 45 admits to flinching, I am constantly working on a tendency to flinch, it's a completely natural reaction to a loud sudden noise and jolt to the hand or body. Heck, I still remember the first time someone in the next lane fired off a S&W 500 Magnum, jumped so hard that when I looked down my feet were 2 feet off the floor.
 
I too was shooting low left when I first got my 9mm Shield. i didn't shoot like this with any other gun i have. I got my gunsmith to do a trigger job to lighten up the trigger to about 4# and the low left problem immediately went away. Now I shoot groups that are very good, even for a small gun. I'm happy.
 
You can still drift the sights on your pistol if you find after awhile it is still shooting left. The shooting low would require you to replace the front with a shorter one. Or as stated above a lighter trigger may cure the problem.
 
scooter123 said:
Doc has it 100% correct. He is so correct that I can predict that you are shooting low and left when shooting with your right hand as the dominate hand. If you want to shoot low and right simply change to your "weak" hand.

What you are doing is a combination motion.

First you are pushing the gun left with your trigger finger just as the trigger breaks. You'll want to do some dry fire practice and experiment with finger pad position on the trigger to resolve this.

Second, you've developed a Push Flinch. Meaning you are pushing the muzzle down in anticipation of the recoil. If you don't believe this load a couple of snap caps in a magazine and watch how much you flinch when you get to that snap cap.

Note, there isn't any shame in having developed a Flinch, it happens to every handgun shooter at some point. Hickok 45 admits to flinching, I am constantly working on a tendency to flinch, it's a completely natural reaction to a loud sudden noise and jolt to the hand or body. Heck, I still remember the first time someone in the next lane fired off a S&W 500 Magnum, jumped so hard that when I looked down my feet were 2 feet off the floor.
Click to expand...



Scooter .... It is uncanny how much and how well you figured out what I m doing w/o even having seen me shoot. I think you nailed it.
Back to the Range to concentrate on what you, and others, pointed out.
Thanks
Ken
 
Ken, it's only because I've been there done that so many times that I can now actually feel it when I'm flinching. The solution for me is to work on achieving a rather Zen like state when firing my guns. Kind of relax, feel the trigger, become one with the machine. As corny as it sounds it's actually a good way to relax and does wonders for my shooting.
 
You can't fix that gun, how much do you want for that crappy piece of s*#t. I'd be interested.
 
When you do get around to changing the factory sights for night sights do a search here on Shield night sights. You will find what you need to know.
Shoot straight and be safe!
 
I would try shooting the pistol on a bench with a good sandbag rest. A good solid rest will help to remove a lot of the "Human Factor" and then you can see where the pistol is really hitting.
 
I shot low and left with my shield until I fixed the gritty trigger these things are known for and polished the sear, striker bar and block.
 
str8liner said:
I shot low and left with my shield until I fixed the gritty trigger these things are known for and polished the sear, striker bar and block.
Click to expand...

This.

I have a 9C and a 45C, both were always low/left until I did an Apex DCAEK kit and my groupings moved to the center and much tighter. Best money I have ever spent.
 
At 60, I can relate to the OP's question. A suggestion from somebody on this forum to somebody else was to use the first joint of the trigger finger - rather than the tip. It helped me immensely with bullets now going POA when I concentrate. I dislike the Shield trigger a lot - far too much pressure needed for my tastes. Try that as it may just for work for you.
 
If you have, or can borrow, a laser boresighter, you might want to check the gun with it.

I bought a Ruger LCR 357 about six months ago and I shot low left with it.

Eventually I tried the boresighter, and sure enough, the gun bore was pointed low-left by 4 inches across a room (16 ft).

I sent it back to Ruger, and they scraped it and sent me a replacement that shoots to point of aim.

Still hard to hit anything with, but at least now I know it's my fault. :D

Dave
 
If you are right-handed, the problem is more than likely...you.

Right hand shooters who jerk the trigger hit low and left.
 
Try pulling the trigger to the break point and then make sure you are on aim, maybe that might help you. My Shield has a great trigger, and I don't want to change it. I have a .40 compact to compliment my .40 Shield, and it has an Apex trigger in it. The trigger is better than the one in the Shield but not by much. I like the reset on the Shield much better but the pull could be a little less, time has smoothed it out some, but getting used to it has done me more justice. I take the Shield to the range with me everytime I go, and make it a habit to put at least two mags through it each visit. This is my EDC, and this keeps me acustomed to the pistol.
 
Ken, I had the same issue and frustrations with my Sig P290, sub-compact 9mm with DAO trigger and very short grip.
Just takes patience and experimentation to get better.
 
If I only had a dollar for every "gun" that shot low left I would be a rich man. LOL

My little J-frame has a bad habit of doing this when I try to shoot quickly DA. Funny thing is it won't do it if I concentrate on it. For some inexplicable reason it only acts up when I'm not paying attention. Hmm.
 
Last edited:
ctkenc said:
Have about 600 rnds though my new 9 mm Shield and am very frustrated with results ....Poi is consistently low and left at 25-30 ft.
I have tried many brands of ammo and have had other experienced shooters try it, all with same results.
Problem can be as bad as 6-9 inches low and 5-7 inches left.
I have many other guns and have been shooting IDPA etc for several years without anything this frustrating.
Hoping you have suggestions and or experiences to share .... I have no problem getting these replaced by a LGS if there are some good night sights out there that will fit the Shield, especially if I could order a shorter front sight or a taller rear sight to help cure the low POI .... Or even Adjustable Sights.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The trigger is WAY too stiff. It's causing you to pull your shots. Take the trigger pull down to 4 pounds or less and you'll be dead on...
 
ctkenc said:
I don't entirely disagree with you but just to clarify, I'm 73 and have been a shooter since age 10, but none of that says you are not right.
I noticed that with my Glock G26 the sights look perfect when dry firing etc but with the thinner Shield the sights look like they are already biased o the left.
Today I used my Range Bag as a bench rest and really concentrated on all the shooting disciplines and did much better than when standing freestyle, all of which says you are probably right.
Still, I would love to have adjustable night sights on it.
Click to expand...

I'm curious to know what pound pull is the trigger on your M&P?
 
When I first got my 40 shield my shots were high and left. A lot of practice helped me get used to the smaller grip and stiff trigger but I still wasn't satisfied.

Having the Apex Shield Carry Kit installed only lowered it to ~5.5#, but a very smooth pull. This made an immediate difference and the high&left problem went away the first day at the range with the kit installed.

Maybe the problem would have went away with a lot more practice to get used to the small grip and stiff trigger, but after trying the Apex I would never go back to find out.
 
Gave up on it after 750 Rounds with all results, including Bench Rested, 6-9" Low and Left plus Stove Piped FTE's and had Gunsmith where I bought it send it back ... He suspects a bad barrel for the totally unacceptable results.
Took my Glock G26 to the range and put 200 flawless Rounds in a sufficiently tight cluster on a Pie Plate target at 10 yards. With the Shield many o those rounds would have missed the pie plate entirely unless I used a totally artificial and unnatural sight picture.
So far, I think the Shield, or at least this one in particular, is not good.
 
I bought a new Colt Commander about 25 years ago that shot way to the left. After much trial and tribulation, I traded it for a full sized Colt Government Model. That one shot fine, and all the rest of my guns before and since shot to point of aim.

Sometimes it really is the gun.
 
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