Using A Dot

[LPatterson]

I have a C-More on its way for an open Glock I plan to use next year. I am super impatient so I put a cheap 42MM red dot on a Beretta U-22 Neos just to get some outside time in the 70 degree weather we have been blessed with. The trigger on the Beretta is long and hard but I thought it would help with trigger control. Shooting off of sand bags @ 15 yards, I thought I would never stop the dot from bouncing out of the 3" bullseye. Using a normal grip like I use with my 1911 caused the dot to bounce all over in recoil. It was only after I took what I thought was a very limp grip that the dot started to stay in the bullseye before and after the shot. I also discovered that if I happened to increase grip pressure trying for that perfect trigger break that the shot would leave the bull. I had a couple of 9MM Glocks that I had done 25 cent trigger jobs on so I thought I would try the super light grip shooting them. Not a problem, though the G26 shot a tighter group than the G17 with a 15# recoil spring & steel rod. The group tightened up with the factory recoil assembly, go figure.

The C-More is coming with a 6 mil dot so I will have to see how it likes the sun & BIG SKY that we are supposed to have the next few days. Talking to some of the Master shooters in the area, dot size has ranged from 6 to 12 mil so some extra modues may be in the future.

[joecichlid]

Using a dot: You will likely never be able to hold the dot perfectly still so it is about breaking the shot when the dot is on the target as it moves instead of trying to force the dot to stay still on the target. It just takes practice to get used to that and learning just when to break the shot. Dot or no dot the gun is moving all the time, the dot just allows us to see that movement a lot easier, much like when you use laser on the gun (just lets everyone see how much your gun is moving, not just you).

Joe W.

[LPatterson]

I've got the point about the dot moving before the shot, I'm an NRA instructor and we tape a laser pointer on guns so students can see their wobble zone. My problem is how much and where the dot goes after the break with a 22 and how do I manage movement with a 45? Changing from standard velocity 22's to high velocity (bulk pack Federal) moved the impact and dot movement. Impact point went left and dot movement went more up and right. After adjusting the dot to meet impact I was able to do 92 & 95% hits for a 100 shots on a steel A zone @ 25 yards slow fire. The problem is reducing the amount the dot moves after the shot and speeding up the 2nd break, transitions between A zones 6 feet apart is still hit and miss, with more misses than hits.

Got the C-More but the Aimtech mount for the G21 is causing the striker not to fall. I'm thinking that the screw is not holding the trigger bar tightly enough to move the safety plunger out of the way of the striker. It's got a Vanek trigger job with about a 1 1/2-2# pull so the fix will be to find a replacement for the Optima. The G21 is a Gen 2 without a light rail so unless I can do a frame swap I don't know of another mount choce.

[joecichlid]

Is your wobble muscle based or does it have a rythem to it such as your pulse? If it is muscle based wobble you just need to work on building your arm strength up. This can be done with weights or just over time as you practice. One way I have helped build up the muscles and cut down on my wobble is to hold some weight in my shooting grip at arms length for as long as I could then rest for a bit and keep doing that over and over. After some work your wobble should get smaller and smaller.

Joe W.