9mm shooting to the left.

[TMF]

I never thought shooting a gun would have so many variables to be accurate.   but i need to get better before I go for the permit.

 

Get your permit.  Yes, it is important to be accurate with your weapon, but it is equally important to be able to protect yourself. 

 

I would strongly suggest finding a good day or two pistol course where you can get some instruction.  No reason to break the bank on it with some sooper dooper whiz bang doorkicker course.  Any reputable trainer can get you to the 80% solution in no time.  It's the fundamentals that you need to focus on, and it's difficult if you don't have someone there to show you what "right" looks like.  I shot pistols for 15 years before I learned how much I didn't know in a single day of instruction.  Once you have those fundamentals you can build on them yourself, but the best starting point is having an experienced instructor guide you through. 

 

I'd equate it to a recent skill I've acquired which is fly fishing.  A member here was nice enough to take me out and show me what right looked like.  I sucked.  But I learned the fundamentals and was able to build on that since on my own.  If I had just jumped into it on my own with no guidance other than YouTube videos and suggestions from people on a forum I'd have given up a long time ago.

[glock55]

One way to tell if its you or the gun is to mount a laser on the gun and dry fire while looking at what the laser does. If the laser dot goes to where the bullet has been hitting you can be sure it's not the gun. This is one of the best ways to work on trigger control. Just be sure no Ammo in gun or the room you are practicing in.

[Jesse]

Ill try the laser. Also do you guys think my rubber grip I have on the gun could be cause me issues? Makes the handle rather large but my hands fit it good.

[graycrait]

Always breathe as normally as you can when shooting, until you get to the level where breath control matters.  For most of us that is never.

 

#1) Grip the gun with the forearm in exact alignment with the barrel.  Can you easily engage the full face of the trigger to the first knuckle bend of your shooting finger?  P95s are sort of "big" and some/many shooters would find themselves having to cock their hand forward to fully engage the trigger face with the shooting finger.   This is seen in  a lot of women who get handguns purchased for "their own good" by their husbands. Why would I know that?  The problem then becomes an issue if you are shooting a lot in that the recoil will be into the basal thumb joint, which often ends up with some grip issues that impair consistent shooting. Sure, we can adapt to anything if we have to, but if we don't have to we can probably be a better shooter.      

 

#2) 300 rds is nothing.  Trouble is ammo is in expensive and in short supply.  You have to shoot a lot. Contrary to popular belief American men are not born with a shooting gene. It takes practice and lots of repetition. When you can get as many mags as you can afford and have a friend reload.  And shoot 2-400 rds at one setting, developing a rhythm and pace where you start to get a feel for what the gun will do.  Don't worry about groups, but shoot at 5 yard targets.  Remember to breathe and have fun.

 

When I had my right hand index finger damaged and poorly repaired, I started to look at handgun shooting a little differently.  That is why my Glocks got carved up.  Before the accident I could shoot just about anything "well enough," afterwards I learned more about ergonomics, muzzle flip, recoil and how to shoot a bit better.  I also started shooting a good bit left handed, although right eyed dominant.  I CCW LH almost exclusively now.  I trust my left index finger under stress more than my right.  But when I am at the range I like to shoot right handed but the RH index finger tires out before I want to quit shooting (back about 8 months ago when you could get ammo at reasonable prices).

 

#3) Get a decent .22LR.  Someday there well be .22 ammo again at prices less than 10 cents a round.  You can learn a lot about hand gunning by shooting a lot of .22LR.  Get a .22 pistol that fits.  I would recommend the cheapest Ruger MKIII 22/45 you can find.

 

Listen to shooting advice wherever it is given regardless of what you think of the speaker/writer.  If the person talking is a good shot there is likely something to be learned, even if it is only one small thing.  

 

Again, when shooting breathe... unless you are a great competitive shooter you will not Zen like lower your blood pressure, slow your heartbeat and shoot between beats.  When I am trying to shoot 200 yard 2" targets with .22LR rifles I see my heartbeat in the cross hairs all the time.  So in hand gunning, unless you are a bullseye competitor, tell yourself to breath all the time.  taking a breath is less debilitating than what occurs to your body when respiration is impaired, just like any other physical and likely any mental activity.

[timcalhoun]

This is one of the best tutorials I am aware. The only thing he didn't cover (if memory serves) is to keep both elbows slightly bent and grip more with your support hand than the strong. I like 70/30. Basically you hold the gun with your support hand and operate the trigger with the strong hand.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48

[graycrait]

That Todd Jarret video is great.  Remember that the 1911 was designed for the man of the day back in early 1900's when I believe the average size man was about 5'7" in those days.  1911 grips fit just about everyone, then you can have fun finding the best trigger shoe for your finger. I love 1911s for the trigger alone, but not the weight or overall size in a reliable 4.25 - 5".  I know the previous poster has more experience with the 1911 than I do, but it is a hard to beat pistol to learn to shoot a pistol, due in part to its simplicity of design, reliability, and that versatile trigger design.  Grip slabs can be various shapes to meet shooters' needs also.  If you want some fun with a 1911 get a 9mm with a .22 conversion upper.  

 

Another comment, if you played sports, any sport, ball, martial or racquet sport, recall your ready reaction position for that sport, how you balance and shift position to move in any direction, same stuff applies to shooting, nothing new to learn there. 

 

The P95 is a reliable gun that is relatively easy to control if you just shoot a lot of ammo through it to get its feel.  One of my friends, who had a P95 when he was starting out was confounded as to why he wasn't better.  (I think he thought he was missing the American male "shooting" gene).  I took 250-300 rds of 9mm and plopped them down in front of him in a mesh bag and told him to start shooting.  He had never shot that much ammo in one setting before.  As he got more familiar with shooting the gun, its overall feel, how it flipped/recoiled and how the trigger felt we started to see his overall groups size diminish and center themselves as he had the stance and arm extension, in a balanced ready position just like Jarrett showed in the video.  I hardly said anything to him at all as he had the very basics.  I reminded him to breath.   Can't beat repetition, even or especially safe dry firing, coupled with some very basic techniques.  Why do they have batting cages, golf driving ranges, etc?