correct shooting to the left with a glock

[DieselMcBadass]

Started shooting my glock 19 mostly now, coming off of a cz75. Ive shot both close, slow fire and semi rapid. When i shoot real slow, focus, the group is tight and centered so i know the sights are zeroed in (except shooting 2 inches high, a glock thing it seems.)

When i speed it up i keep pulling my shots left. Need to figure out how to start correcting this.

[ctay]

For me - the fastest the way to improve my shooting with a Glock was to put it down. Some guns fit me - some don't. Instead of hammering a square peg into a round hole I just moved on to another platform.

Probably more helpful - take a look at this graph. Pistol Group Analysis

[GuildSF4]

Try dry fire at a blank wall and watch the sights (pulling the trigger fast). Adjust your finger/hand to where you are pulling the trigger straight back when you are pulling it rapidly. Also rapid fire into a brem and watch the sights (make sure you are not blinking).

(Just stuff to start with.)

[DieselMcBadass]

the glock fits me great, ergonomically, triggger wise...6.1 pounds vs my usual 4.5, thats throwing me off, also the cz had a real good break.

[Sin-ster]

It's simply a matter of improper trigger control.

Glocks tend to magnify this by virtue of their ergonomics-- and seemingly regardless of the individual shooter's hand size and shape! In other words, the combination of the trigger's travel, shape and positioning tends to cause the same/similar incorrect trigger press across the full spectrum of shooters.

You can HELP to overcome this to some degree by being aware of, and possibly altering, the position of your finger on the trigger. I find with ALL pistols that I wind up moving the trigger surface closer to the tip of my finger during quick firing, and it caused more left-pushes (as a right handed shooter) with the Glock than with any other pistol. Though it's BETTER to teach yourself to press the trigger straight to the rear regardless of finger position, you can "cheat" it a little by keeping your contact point more towards the center pad or even the first distal joint.

I've also found that dropping the finger lower on the trigger face, even to the point of slightly dragging the inside-bottom surface of the trigger guard, gives you more room for error in your trigger control. I believe it's a combination of two factors-- 1) altering the angle of the trigger's camming action, thereby facilitating a more consistent press, and 2) eliminating the possibility of "frame drag" with your trigger finger, which can also cause shots to be pushed off in the opposite direction.

Consider those options, but know that one way or another... the real cause is that you're moving the gun/sights around during the trigger press, by virtue of your trigger finger.

A drill to possibly help you out--

Load your mags up. Start with 10 rounds, then go to full capacity as you start seeing better results.

Run a single open target out at 7-10 yards.

Fire a perfect Alpha, recover the sights as you let the trigger out to reset.

Fire another perfect Alpha, and repeat the process.

Speed up your shots each time, gradually decreasing your splits but NEVER exceeding the pace that your sights dictate. (I.E. Keep shooting A's!)

You should end with your last 3-5 shots (of 10) at your typical/maximum "shooting and calling A's" pace.

Obviously, the goal is to teach your body to keep that same "slow fire" trigger press even when you're shooting at maximum speed. Yes, things are going to break down and your group will open up-- but the trick is to maintain an acceptable semblance of that perfect press to guarantee hits at speed.

[TerryT]

It's simply a matter of improper trigger control.

Though it's BETTER to teach yourself to press the trigger straight to the rear regardless of finger position, you can "cheat" it a little by keeping your contact point more towards the center pad or even the first distal joint.

When I first got my Glock, pushed my rear sight all the way to the right and I could shoot good groups. I was absolutely consistent in my bad trigger press. Thought it was the gun. when doing the white wall drill, I have the least sight movement when I put the contact point almost at the first joint. My sights are back in the middle and everything is good. Still slip up sometimes at very fast speeds.

Why would you go from the CZ to the Glock? I am actually going the other way after 18 months of fighting the Glock ergonomics.

[Eyefly]

I think a lot of us struggle with the glock. If you stick to it, you will figure it out. It took me about two years of dry fire practice to figure out how not to shoot down and right. As it has been stated before, it's all in the trigger. Perhaps it's the angle of the grip that makes us pull the trigger in an incorrect way.

I wish the answer to your problem was more simple, however you just need more practice. Just start dry firing every day and you will get a grip on it.

[eric nielsen]

It's not easy. I had the best results getting my fingertip to pull toward the bottom-left portion of the trigger face - in other words by the end of the trigger press, the finger is working around and past the center "safe-action" lever. Picked that up off a David Tubb rifle-shooting video.

The Glock trigger system has a bare minimum of parts but still ended up easier to shoot than 90% of the guns that were available in the late-80s when it came on the market. It has limits you can't safely go past, and since then there are some new guns are able to go a little better.

[JaeOne3345]

Make sure you are gripping hard with the support hand.

[glock1]

I was shooting to the left also. I am repeating others but it works for me. Trigger in the first distal joint(which I know is very subjective) and a very firm grip(not a death grip but close) with both hands especially the weak hand. Increasing the grip strength makes it much more difficult for the front sight to move off target. Also consider strengthening exercises for hands and forearms. It really made a difference for me.

[AZonePrecision]

(For a right handed shooter) align front sight to the left of rear sight, literally pointing the gun left of target while in your shooting stance, grip, etc. PULL, repeat PULL it into alignment with the muscles in the back of your right fore arm. Holding that muscle tension, apply your finger to the trigger, and simply add pressure until it gives. That is the sensation of a correct straight to the rear trigger press. It will work for all guns; in dry fire the front sight should be more still than ever before. If you incorrectly "curl" your finger into the trigger, you'll lose that tension in the back of your right arm, and the sight will wobble, and go left... It's tough replicating any "sensation" outside of practice in real life, but practice it enough and it will incorporate itself...

[JimmyZip]

(For a right handed shooter) align front sight to the left of rear sight, literally pointing the gun left of target while in your shooting stance, grip, etc. PULL, repeat PULL it into alignment with the muscles in the back of your right fore arm. Holding that muscle tension, apply your finger to the trigger, and simply add pressure until it gives. That is the sensation of a correct straight to the rear trigger press. It will work for all guns; in dry fire the front sight should be more still than ever before. If you incorrectly "curl" your finger into the trigger, you'll lose that tension in the back of your right arm, and the sight will wobble, and go left... It's tough replicating any "sensation" outside of practice in real life, but practice it enough and it will incorporate itself...

I do not know if this works for all people, but this is how I stretch and flex my arm when I warm up for dry fire. That is a trip, I have never had anyone explain this quite so well. Thanks!

[Waterfowl-widowmaker]

concentrate on the trigger reset, that's the trick to shooting a glock

[fishsticks]

You can HELP to overcome this to some degree by being aware of, and possibly altering, the position of your finger on the trigger. I find with ALL pistols that I wind up moving the trigger surface closer to the tip of my finger during quick firing, and it caused more left-pushes (as a right handed shooter) with the Glock than with any other pistol. Though it's BETTER to teach yourself to press the trigger straight to the rear regardless of finger position, you can "cheat" it a little by keeping your contact point more towards the center pad or even the first distal joint.

I've also found that dropping the finger lower on the trigger face, even to the point of slightly dragging the inside-bottom surface of the trigger guard, gives you more room for error in your trigger control. I believe it's a combination of two factors-- 1) altering the angle of the trigger's camming action, thereby facilitating a more consistent press, and 2) eliminating the possibility of "frame drag" with your trigger finger, which can also cause shots to be pushed off in the opposite direction.

Lots of good tips in this thread. I too have struggled with pulling shots left. Today in a live fire practice I tried several of the ideas, the one in bold helped the most. By the end of the session I was shooting smaller, more accurate groups than I have in a long time.

Thanks to everyone you posted on this one - good stuff all.

[ChuckB]

Make sure you are gripping hard with the support hand.

+1 on what JaeNe3345 said. I've actually found that my left hand isn't strong enough to grip as hard as my right hand (working on that) so I've had to lighten the grip of my right hand to have a balanced grip between the two.

From what I've seen with my shooting, low and left is a trigger issue while high and left is a grip issue.

Edited May 15, 2013 by ChuckB

[greatlakes08]

Anyone having trouble shooting low? Is this due to trigger and ergonomics as well?

[Grump]

IME, low and low-left for a right handed shooter is usually bucking the recoil.

Also known as the flinch.

"Welcome" the back and up impulse, don't pull the pistol's sights back on target until AFTER the shot breaks.

Ball and dummy = a lot of tap-rack-bang drills at the same time. Dry fire can help a lot. Mentally thinking of the recoil as something that happens and to ignore while I do MY JOB of sights first, press when good, helped more.

[Poppa Bear]

Support hand controls the gun and is responsible for sight alignment. Strong hand is not the strong hand in terms of pressure applied. The primary purpose of the "Strong" hand is to squeeze the trigger. With about 60 to 70% of the grip pressure being applied by the "Weak hand" and 30 to 40% applied by the "Strong hand" your trigger finger has less of a chance of throwing your sights out of alignment as you squeeze the trigger.

Take your gun and make sure it is empty. Then check it again. Now hold the gun in your normal firing grip and as rapidly as you can try to put 10 imaginary shots into the same spot on the wall. If you are rapidly squeezing the trigger and it is jerking the gun to the side just a hair then your whole hand is contracting as you squeeze the trigger which will have the effect of pulling your shots off. Relax your "strong hand" just a bit and try the same exercise. That slight relaxation should improve your ability to manipulate the trigger without causing the gun to be pulled off target.

[wmiller11]

Too much pad on the trigger will equate to a press that is canted to the left instead of straight rear ward pressure

[dsmw5142]

Support hand controls the gun and is responsible for sight alignment. Strong hand is not the strong hand in terms of pressure applied. The primary purpose of the "Strong" hand is to squeeze the trigger. With about 60 to 70% of the grip pressure being applied by the "Weak hand" and 30 to 40% applied by the "Strong hand" your trigger finger has less of a chance of throwing your sights out of alignment as you squeeze the trigger.

Take your gun and make sure it is empty. Then check it again. Now hold the gun in your normal firing grip and as rapidly as you can try to put 10 imaginary shots into the same spot on the wall. If you are rapidly squeezing the trigger and it is jerking the gun to the side just a hair then your whole hand is contracting as you squeeze the trigger which will have the effect of pulling your shots off. Relax your "strong hand" just a bit and try the same exercise. That slight relaxation should improve your ability to manipulate the trigger without causing the gun to be pulled off target.

This...

[frag316]

Too much pad on the trigger will equate to a press that is canted to the left instead of straight rear ward pressure

In my experience (both personal and training others), too much finger on the trigger results in pulling the gun right. Generally, too little finger on the trigger results in pushing the gun to the left.

Curling the fingers instead of pushing straight back will throw the gun in weird directions, too.

[Graham Smith]

Too much pad on the trigger will equate to a press that is canted to the left instead of straight rear ward pressure

Regardless of what gun you are shooting (pistol, revolver, rifle, whatever), your finger has to pull the trigger straight back. If it doesn't then you are going to tend to push the gun to the left or pull it to the right.

The general recommendations are to have the meaty part of your finger pad on the trigger, and to split the grip 60/40 between the support hand and the trigger hand. But bear in mind that these are "generic" recommendations. No two combinations of gun and shooter are going to be exactly alike. You have to figure out what's right for YOU - for your hand with your gun.

And bear in mind that some guns work better in some hands than others. I can point shoot a Glock just fine but can't hit a barn with a 1911. For other people it's the reverse.

Time spent just pointing at a well lit blank wall and pulling the trigger (on an empty chamber) is some of the best exercise you can get. It gets your hand(s) used to the gun and all that dryfiring smooths out the trigger action some (sometimes called the no cost trigger job).

[Ken_Bird]

For me - the fastest the way to improve my shooting with a Glock was to put it down. Some guns fit me - some don't. Instead of hammering a square peg into a round hole I just moved on to another platform.

Probably more helpful - take a look at this graph. Pistol Group Analysis

I could not agree more. I tried for 3 months to get it to work for me. It never happened. Sold them all and moved on. I am more then happy now.

[sfinney]

For me - the fastest the way to improve my shooting with a Glock was to put it down. Some guns fit me - some don't. Instead of hammering a square peg into a round hole I just moved on to another platform.

Probably more helpful - take a look at this graph. Pistol Group Analysis

I could not agree more. I tried for 3 months to get it to work for me. It never happened. Sold them all and moved on. I am more then happy now.

+1 and amen.

[Sandbagger123]

Everyone's hand is different. I've been shooting Glocks for years and can never get them to shoot centered unless I bump the sight to the right. Other people shoot the same gun and they hit to the right. i think its because when i was younger I broke my trigger finger, and when it healed, instead of going straight back when I close it, it closes at an angle.

Some people just bump the rear sight and live with it. some people dump them and move to something else. It a choice you need to make.