Zero question: Same dot, different shooter

[JPG]

This is probably a silly question: assuming ammo, trigger control, and grip are all equal, if 2 shooters of different height, arm length, etc, shoot the same gun - will the dot be zero for both of them?

I bought a used open gun, and the original owner can get great hits with the gun (granted, he is a GM). When I shoot it (@10-15yds aiming at a 1" sticker on a USPSA target) I can group, but the group is about 2-3" low of center.

My defacto thought is that it must be me and not the gun, but because my groups are tight but low, I started thinking it may be the zero.

Thoughts?

[Hi-Power Jack]

Dot sights shoot low at close distance - because the dot is 2- 3" above the bore.,

Try shooting at various distances (5, 15, 25 and 40 yards) and see what happens.

And, yes, he may have used the top of the dot for a reference point - you may be

using the bottom part.

And, he may have had a much tighter grip on the gun.

And, if your ammo is different from his, that could also affect it.

I'd sight it in for YOU.

[al503]

Could have been bumped during shipping?

Make sure the sight and mount are secure, also. They can work loose.

I know some who sight in at 50 and some who sight in at 12 yards. If the previous owner sighted in at a longer distance, that may be why you're shooting low.

[danjordan78]

When I lived at the Olympic Training Center we did a study. Interestingly enough, there is good reason why you can't sight in a gun for someone else. We found that different people actually look thru different parts of their eye, thus look thru sights differently. Some of us looked thru the center of the pupil, while others looked thru spots off-center of the pupil. Put a mirror with a small hole in it over a scope or a peep sight and you will see what I mean. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't when you are trying to shoot someone else's gun.

With handguns the problem is certainly more pronounced because of changes in grip and strength, and throw the vision part in and there can be significant differences. Never would I assume that because someone else sighted in a gun, that it would be the same for me. It might be close, or might be spot on if you and the other person match up. But more than likely there will be a small (or large) difference in point-of-impact. When teaching basic pistol classes I find that two partners at 15', shooting the same gun, might be 3"-4" different in POI.

Is one of you right or wrong? No. Each of you just shoots the gun a little differently. Sight it in for yourself.

[ickus]

Two Eyes or one?

[Toolguy]

From what I can tell, it has a lot to do with how each person holds the gun. Sounds simple, but there are a ton of variables there. Some of them are: size of hands, shape of hands, grip strength, amount of grip strength used, placement of strong hand rotationally on the grip, placement and use of weak hand, tightness of thumb(s), etc. All this dictates where the shot will land on the target because the gun is moving in recoil as soon as the bullet leaves the brass case. Where the gun has moved to at the time the bullet leaves the barrel determines where the shot will land. The heavier the recoil the more difference there will be between any 2 shooters.

[JPG]

Two Eyes or one?

Both eyes FWIW

Good comments folks - I just wanted to be sure I wasn't screwing up a perfectly good zero because of my lack of skill.

Looks like I'll be heading to the range soon