Shooting low left

[anchors]

What am I doing wrong?With my 640-1 at 10 yds I always seem to shoot low left 85% of the time.Should I have the tip of my finger or up to the first joint on the trigger? Am I anticipating recoil???

 

[David Sinko]

If you are a right handed shooter and use just the tip of your finger, there is a tendency for the finger to slip and push the shots low and left, especially if your finger is not well conditioned. I prefer grooved triggers so that my finger doesn't slip, and when it does slip the shots tend to go low and left. How are you managing to use the tip of your finger when shooting a J Frame? I have small hands and I can't figure out how to do that. I have to use the crease out of necessity. Just yesterday I was shooting my 940 at 25 yards and I can actually shoot smaller groups with the 940 that I can many of my larger revolvers.

Dave Sinko

 

[florida1098]

I'm not being a smart a-s but I had a 340PD that the barrel was not lined up correctly from the factory. I've been qualifying with J frames off-duty my whole 28 year career, so I was able to compensate with the 340 and shoot on target but it needed to go back to S&W and have the barrel properly linrd up to the frame correctly. All I'm saying is there is a possibility the gun is off. Maybe dropped, maybe banged around or just not factory correct.
Be safe

 

[Big Foot]

Here is the Wheel of Misfortune: not always right; but something to look at.
http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/photos/weapons_firearms/shooterswheelofmisfortuneace.jpg

 

[peyton]

My thought is you are adding pressure to the grip just as you fire it with your wrist flexing downward.

 

[s&wchad]

I was RO at the club pistol range yesterday and had a left handed shooter with his new Springfield XD .45 grouping low and right at 7 yards. The groups were about 6" off center at 4 o'clock. He asked me about adjusting the dovetail sights. I showed him the correction chart we have on the wall, but the prescribed fix didn't seem to make any difference for him. He also had a Bersa .380 that he shot to POA.

I asked him to try the XD right handed (two hand hold) and the first shot was dead center. He let me try it (benefit of being an RO), I fired two shots off a supported rest and it shot POA for me.

I wanted to see if he might be flinching, so with his consent I took his gun and ammo into the next portal, racked it empty and handed it back to him. "Click", wicked flinch down and to the right (he's a lefty) and I didn't have to say a word... he saw it too. We went thru that drill a few times, he did some dry fire practice and the last I noticed he was drilling the center of the target.

… then again, it could be the gun. It's not hard to narrow it down.

 

[Cool Hand Hodge]

low left is a dead give away for jerking the trigger %95 of the time

 

[SmithNut]

low left is a dead give away for jerking the trigger %95 of the time

Agreed, however.....
Since the OP indicates that he's shooting a M640 - DAO - I'm wondering if it's the way he's shooting, i.e., pulling it back in one motion, or whether or not he's tried staging? Pulling back in one motion, and how his finger is positioned on the trigger will definitely give the same results, in other words - a controlled jerk... If that is such a thing.
Anyway, I'd try slow, methodical - trigger pulling, i.e., staging, as a way to test what is going on, and maybe adjust shooting style as appropriate. True double action shooting does take some time and practice to properly control, I find using the hinge/first joint of the trigger finger as the contact point helps a bit, FYI.

 

[H Richard]

 

[Barn Boy]

When I am practicing, I always load five not six rounds and then spin the cylinder before I close it. ( So I don't know where the empty chamber is.) Then I can see what I am doing right and doing wrong when it hits the empty chamber. Try it and see what happens.
Randy

 

[Cool Hand Hodge]

The cure to all shooting woes...good form and trigger controll. I find the best cure to low and left is suprise fire...and a weaver stance...at least for somone getting back to basics...always works for me! I shoot ALOOOOOOOOT, and every once in a while i have to take a refresher course in the fundamentals.

 

[wolverine]

What am I doing wrong?With my 640-1 at 10 yds I always seem to shoot low left 85% of the time.Should I have the tip of my finger or up to the first joint on the trigger? Am I anticipating recoil???

Anchors, I had the exact same problem when I first got my 442 J-Frame.. For me adding a grip with a little more extension behind the back strap helped immensely as that straightened out my trigger finger more natural & made pulling the trigger STRAIGHT BACK easier to do repeatedly..

I quickly found out that hand position on the J-Frame grips is paramount to shooting those little devils to point if aim..

So in order here is what helped me conquer the J-Frame..

First- was to get a grip that allowed better hand position & control (that made a noticeable difference)

Next- was to play with trigger finger position on the trigger until I got better groups (still a bit low left "I'm a R/H shooter")

Next- was to dry fire the heck out of the little beast on a spot on the wall. I could actually see the front sight slightly pulling low left just before hammer release.. Lots & lots of dry fire practice made my trigger finger stronger & helped me stay dead on target until hammer fall (you need to really concentrate on the font sight on that short barrel gun)

The above got me decent enough to stay on a paper plate at 17 yards (not real great groups but good enough for a short range defense weapon)..

I still wasn't satisfied as I shoot my XD compact & 1911 much better (2"-3" groups at 20 yards)..

Lots more practice & I am getting better but still not where I want to be..

So I added the Wolfe 14 lb rebound spring & little lighter hammer spring & that made a significant difference (for me anyhow) as it allowed a smooth pull all the way through until hammer drop & kept me from tensing my strong hand during the trigger pull-through..

As of this writing I petty well shoot 3"-4" groups at 17 yards but still get an occasional flyer (high right & I haven't figure that one out yet)..

I guess this is a long winded way of saying lots of dry fire & lots of range time & it will come around.. Maybe try some different hand grips also..

Wolverine

 

[anchors]

Thanks for the replies.I'm going to have to get some std 38 spl and practice the heck out of the gun and me.I don't reload and 357 is expensive.