I suck with my Glock

[Miles42]

As others have stated here the key is training it will carry over as far as shooting any type of hand gun

 

[rhino]

Without watching you shoot, my best guess it's either:

1. A trigger control issue, or
2. Your visual focus is shifting to the target and away from the front sight before the projectile exits the barrel; or
3. A combination of 1 & 2.

We can help you if you want to be helped.

First off, I'm a noob. I probably haven't even shot 1k rounds in my life so I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I bought a g23 in early 2012, and aside from the perfect shot every once in a while, I consistently hit 3 or 4" low at 21ft. My brother is way better with it so I know it's not the pistol. And my groups weren't great but at least on target with both an m&p9fs and an xd9sc. Oh and it doesn't matter if it's got the stock barrel or the 9mm conversion barrel, 3 to 4" low like clockwork so I ruled out the possibility that I just suck with .40 based on that. I'm open to the notion that a g19 would be better...

So my question is should I sell it and get something I'm better with (leaning towards an m&p9c) or is it possible to fix that with training? I really don't like the idea of just accepting that I suck at shooting glocks and just getting something else, but that's probably better than betting my life on a pistol that I'm no good with...

 

[evsnova74]

If you and your brother shoot them all low I would suggest a range trip with someone else who shoots Glocks and has a similar model. Let him/her shoot yours and compare to your results. Shoot his/her gun and compare results. If he/she is a better shot with both as far as accuracy and precision are concerned then you know it is in the shooter and get some decent training. You may end up getting some free help from an experienced shooter with a new to you way of gripping a handgun and then you can enjoy a few hours at the range honing in that skill. If it is shooter and you do not see a quick improvement then call the day short and get training. Learning incorrectly can/will result in poor muscle memory that you will fall back into. Which is still something that I deal with.

Sorry, what I meant by that was we're both approaching it the same way, as far as sight picture. He's good with all of them, and I'm only low with the glock. I'm certain that it's all me.

 

[evsnova74]

I've always known the necessity of and wanted to get training, but now I'm convinced it's a higher priority than getting another pistol. That's all I needed. Thanks for the input everyone, now where should I train.... first? lol Better start reading some reviews I guess...

 

[rhino]

I have an opinion!

 

[RMC]

Sorry, what I meant by that was we're both approaching it the same way, as far as sight picture. He's good with all of them, and I'm only low with the glock. I'm certain that it's all me.

I would use some shooting bags and shoot from a good rest. Don't worry about hitting the bullseye as much as aiming at the same spot each time. You want to find out how and where the gun is grouping after eliminating as many of the outside variables as you can. After that you can determine if the problem is you or the gun.

Remember to "SQUEEZE" the trigger smoothly and slowly instead of jerking it. You'll know if you're squeezing because you will be surprised when the gun fires.

Beyond that, it takes practice, practice, practice. Keep asking questions, observe the techniques of others, and practice.

Did I mention "practice"?

 

[churchmouse]

First off, I'm a noob. I probably haven't even shot 1k rounds in my life so I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I bought a g23 in early 2012, and aside from the perfect shot every once in a while, I consistently hit 3 or 4" low at 21ft. My brother is way better with it so I know it's not the pistol. And my groups weren't great but at least on target with both an m&p9fs and an xd9sc. Oh and it doesn't matter if it's got the stock barrel or the 9mm conversion barrel, 3 to 4" low like clockwork so I ruled out the possibility that I just suck with .40 based on that. I'm open to the notion that a g19 would be better...

So my question is should I sell it and get something I'm better with (leaning towards an m&p9c) or is it possible to fix that with training? I really don't like the idea of just accepting that I suck at shooting glocks and just getting something else, but that's probably better than betting my life on a pistol that I'm no good with...

The trigger on a glock will make an un-trained or low round count operator shoot low. The length of take up tends to make you pull the nose down before you touch off the round. Trigger finger and grip discipline are the answer. Hard to explain but easy to show. If your brother will watch the nose of the gun as you fire it he will see it drop a bit as your trigger finger pulls back. If you need to prove this to yourself, buy or borrow a laser bore sighting tool. Un-load the gun and verify it is safe. Repeat, un-load and verify. Put the bore tool in the barrel and turn it on. Grip the gun as you normally do. Put the laser on a point and try to hold it there as you run the trigger. Most folks will find the laser will fall off point just as you reach the end of stroke on the trigger. This method will work.

 

[evsnova74]

The trigger on a glock will make an un-trained or low round count operator shoot low. The length of take up tends to make you pull the nose down before you touch off the round. Trigger finger and grip discipline are the answer. Hard to explain but easy to show. If your brother will watch the nose of the gun as you fire it he will see it drop a bit as your trigger finger pulls back. If you need to prove this to yourself, buy or borrow a laser bore sighting tool. Un-load the gun and verify it is safe. Repeat, un-load and verify. Put the bore tool in the barrel and turn it on. Grip the gun as you normally do. Put the laser on a point and try to hold it there as you run the trigger. Most folks will find the laser will fall off point just as you reach the end of stroke on the trigger. This method will work.

Now I do take up the trigger slack to the breaking point and try to squeeze slowly, then follow through and wait let out to reset so that I can distinctly hear and feel it, then repeat. Idk if that's what you were thinking that I wasn't doing but I guess I'm not a total noob. I just didn't want anyone thinking for a second that I was blaming the glock itself...

I once noticed someone a couple lanes over using a laser, and every time they shot it jumped all over the place and none of the shots were landing correctly.

 

[evsnova74]

Where does the sight go when you are doing dry fire practice?

Nowhere really. Maybe I'll try to get some video of me shooting so I can see what the heck I'm doing. But yeah, I'm all about getting some training asap.

 

[churchmouse]

Now I do take up the trigger slack to the breaking point and try to squeeze slowly, then follow through and wait let out to reset so that I can distinctly hear and feel it, then repeat. Idk if that's what you were thinking that I wasn't doing but I guess I'm not a total noob. I just didn't want anyone thinking for a second that I was blaming the glock itself...

I once noticed someone a couple lanes over using a laser, and every time they shot it jumped all over the place and none of the shots were landing correctly.

The method I mention involves a bore laser and it is a dry fire exercise to see what you are doing and if you need to practice with different grips etc. It is also possible you are not using sight alignment properly.
I was not trying to say you were wrong in your technique but only that it may need to be "Tune up" a bit.
I have changed my grip and trigger finger technique a few times since reading in these threads. Change is sometimes awkward at first but with trigger time you can adjust.

 

[RMC]

The trigger on a glock will make an un-trained or low round count operator shoot low. The length of take up tends to make you pull the nose down before you touch off the round. Trigger finger and grip discipline are the answer. Hard to explain but easy to show. If your brother will watch the nose of the gun as you fire it he will see it drop a bit as your trigger finger pulls back. If you need to prove this to yourself, buy or borrow a laser bore sighting tool. Un-load the gun and verify it is safe. Repeat, un-load and verify. Put the bore tool in the barrel and turn it on. Grip the gun as you normally do. Put the laser on a point and try to hold it there as you run the trigger. Most folks will find the laser will fall off point just as you reach the end of stroke on the trigger. This method will work.

Thanks for posting that. I think it's an excellent idea.

 

[evsnova74]

The method I mention involves a bore laser and it is a dry fire exercise to see what you are doing and if you need to practice with different grips etc. It is also possible you are not using sight alignment properly.
I was not trying to say you were wrong in your technique but only that it may need to be "Tune up" a bit.
I have changed my grip and trigger finger technique a few times since reading in these threads. Change is sometimes awkward at first but with trigger time you can adjust.

I gotcha. Yeah the reason I mentioned the person shooting badly with the laser was that I could see how that would be a good training tool, I was amazed at the movement of it and the poor performance despite having a laser. I think I've seen what you're talking about, it's basically a cartridge that flashes a red dot where the bullet would have gone when the striker hits it?

 

[churchmouse]

I gotcha. Yeah the reason I mentioned the person shooting badly with the laser was that I could see how that would be a good training tool, I was amazed at the movement of it and the poor performance despite having a laser. I think I've seen what you're talking about, it's basically a cartridge that flashes a red dot where the bullet would have gone when the striker hits it?

Yup. Not expensive and sometimes useful. I have used mine to train my kids, sisters, brother, their kids and so on. It does show you how much a little movement will throw off your shot. I have sat in the easy chair working on my trigger discipline while watch the walking dead. Kind of makes it an interactive event....................

 

[j706]

The easy majority of new Glock shooters hit low. As stated above it is trigger control. Glocks are actually quite accurate. However they do take a fair amount of practice to master. During our qualifications I usually have to take a few of our guys back to 80 yards shooting at steel. I have found this helps tremendously. We do a few mags like this until they start getting hits, then go back up and qualify. It always works.

 

[__Doc_]

wow. I really misread this thread title

 

[nomadicmutt]

Sounds like a classic case of recoil anticipation. New shooter, snappy cartridge, others can shoot it fine, consistently low point of aim despite consistently on-target sight picture, etc...

Here's what you do (while you're waiting to get some training):
Get some snap caps and randomly distribute them with your live ammo in your magazines. Then go to the range and fire away. When you hit a snap cap instead of a live round, laugh at yourself as you fling the barrel of the gun downwards in anticipation of the recoil that didn't come. Practice malfunction drill with snap cap. Rinse, repeat.

Then when you're bored of that, just go home, clear your gun, and aim at a point on the wall. Pull the trigger SUPER SLOWLY (we're talking 5 sec/trigger pull), making sure the sights don't move. Do this a few hundred times to get the muscle memory down.

I used to be the king of flinching. This is speaking from experience. It's not the gun; it's you.

My Sig P250 DAO was great at diagnosing recoil anticipation. It's got such a long, consistent trigger travel that everyone thinks it's going to shoot long before it actually does. Watching someone flinch two or three times per trigger pull was a highlight of bringing noob friends to the range.

 

[lucky4034]

Is the solution simple? Which sight picture below are you using to hit your target? If you are using sight picture #3... that might be your problem. The glock guys probably know best, but more than likely sight picture #2 is the correct sight picture for glocks.....

 

[evsnova74]

My Sig P250 DAO was great at diagnosing recoil anticipation. It's got such a long, consistent trigger travel that everyone thinks it's going to shoot long before it actually does. Watching someone flinch two or three times per trigger pull was a highlight of bringing noob friends to the range.

Funny you should mention that, I forgot that I shot a p250 this last time as well, but I have no idea where I was hitting. When my time was up I had like 4 rounds left and just gave 'em to the guy in the next lane who mentioned he was shooting .40 earlier, so he let me shoot his sig. This last trip was the one where I was really going to concentrate on trigger pull and try to get in the same frame of mind as when I'm dry firing, which seems so perfect and motionless. Even with the sig, I'm pretty sure I wasn't anticipating anything, I just pulled slowly and could see the hammer moving at an even, fluid speed but I was low with it too. Well, I think I was. He had this target of a big rat and I couldn't really tell where I was landing, but I know it wasn't the rat's eye (what I was aiming for) or above it... I know exactly what you're talking about though, that sounds just like this little keltec p11 I have. Long, heavy trigger pull that I'm terrible with because I'm anticipating it.

And with the glock I know I have a tendency to kinda pull it all at once and there's probably some recoil anticipation in there too, but what drove me nuts was when I gathered myself and just told myself to slow down and pull slowly, slowly add more pressure until like a previous poster put it, I'm taken by surprise by the shot, and it's STILL low. Then as I mentioned earlier every once in a while I'd have just a perfect shot, which told me that I am capable of shooting well with it, I've just got a subconscious mental block of some sort.

 

[evsnova74]

Is the solution simple? Which sight picture below are you using to hit your target? If you are using sight picture #3... that might be your problem. The glock guys probably know best, but more than likely sight picture #2 is the correct sight picture for glocks.....

I'm using #3, that's what I was trying to describe earlier. Wouldn't #2 just make me shoot even lower though?

 

[serf]

Training helps... that being said I have been in your shoes somewhat. Your edc should be something you are confident in and fits you. As time wore on I found myself favoring other pistols and seemingly moor accurate with them. Take some time and shoot as many funds as you can. If you find other guns suit you better then you should switch.