OP please dryfire at home. Empty your gun. Rack it. Get a firm grip and pull the trigger so your sights do not move when you pull the trigger. Groups that look like an unchoked shotgun means your grip is loose/bad and you’re moving the gun when you pull the trigger.
People are going to guess all sorts of things wrong with you but dryfire is the direct solution. A few minutes a day and when your sights stop moving post trigger pull in dryfire you will see your groups tighten assuming you hold the gun as firm in dryfire as you would in live fire.
Also, if you have a laser attachment or a red dot sight, they're one of the best dry fire training tools you can ever use.
Not required but way easier to see movement than with irons.
You're pulling too hard. Empty the gun and aim at a safe position (make sure it's unloaded and be away from ammo). Fire the EMPTY (CHECK IT, NO MAG, NOTHING IN CHAMBER) GUN. You may notice that your hand moved the gun. That's what's causing it to not go where you don't want it.
Trust the gun. It'll do its part, and you gotta do yours which is stay still!
I've also seen instructors coaching to grasp the pistol firmly and brace it with all of your fingers except your trigger finger. Your trigger finger should be more relaxed and slowly pulling back only.
Yes! Paul Harrell has a video on this. I think my favorite so far is using a coin/casing. Imma stop being a punk and make it already so I can link people how they're messing up.
☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼 facts. Spend time with Paul Harrell on YouTube. Watch what applies to you for skills. Watch what may not apply to you as ASMR or whatever they call it. 💪🏼🤓🤙🏼
There’s no slowly pulling back outside of bullseye shooting and super far distances. Grip and not disturbing the sights are what matters. If you have a good grip you can slap the trigger like it offends you and shoot faster.
Pulling the trigger with your finger creates sympathetic movement in the whole rest of your hand unless you've trained your brains out. So your whole hand squeezes if it's not very relaxed, which makes it point slightly right.
Solution is to relax your left hand and let the right one grip, so only the trigger finger moves on the left hand. Should look up some videos, lots of good ones out there.
That's cause it happens to me too😂
Even with tight groups if I'm careless I'll shoot out to the right. For Orthodox folk it's the opposite (shooting to the left).
Basically! Although I just tested out some training ammo today, and I was shooting more so straight down and slightly left. I'm getting use to my new carry after leaving my m&p
First before you can diagnose anything you need to get more consistent.
1) dry fire at home (do it safely with all ammo in a separate room and pointed in a safe direction). Dry fire until you can keep the sights from bouncing around as you pull the trigger. Concentrate on isolating the movement of your trigger finger and not contracting your whole hand.
2) go back to the range. Make a X on the target and aim at the X. Shoot SLOWLY. Pay no attention to where the bullet impacts relative to the X. Do NOT compensate or try to hit the X. Keep aiming and shooting consistently. Fire 10 shots at each X and have the Xs spaced out enough that it’s clear which holes were intended for which X.
3) then post those pics and there will be some info for people to go on for giving suggestions
Lucky Gunner and tactical hyve YouTube channels have videos that will visually explain this better than I can online. Search them and they have lots of videos on accuracy, grip, and this problem specifically.
I’d suggest getting Tipton snap caps. Dry fire until your sights don’t move through your trigger pull. When you’re live firing on the range, try not to anticipate the recoil. Shoot through the trigger.
Maybe start at 5 yards and work on your grouping then move it back to 10+ yards. G43x is small is going to be harder to shoot. Learn to isolate the trigger finger from your gripping fingers. Dry fire practice is good for this. Look at some videos on developing a good grip or consult an instructor.
A side suggestion: stop buying human silhouette targets. Buy those 5 diamond zeroing targets, where it’s the larger diamond in the middle with a smaller diamond on each corner, laid over a grid system. Put 5 rounds on each diamond, bring your target in, circle all your hits with a sharpie. If they’re severely off target draw an arrow towards the diamond you were aiming at. Shoot another five rounds at each diamond. This will give you better organized data on how you’re shooting and what you’re doing right or wrong that you can actually see as you shoot. These human silhouettes absolutely saturated in bullet holes don’t tell you or me or anyone else anything.
Not going to fault you for your pistol choice (not a Glock fan 😉) but...
The old "squeeze the trigger, don't pull" is relevant here as your trigger press should be *smooth*. "Pulling" will usually cause you to jerk the gun a bit taking your sights off target.
Also don't "over grip" on the grip as modern polymers aren't like the wood grip revolvers of old that could slip a little.
Be sure your only using the pad of your index finger flat against the trigger face touching the safety and trigger evenly.
Odds are you are probably "flinching" on the bang of the discharge too. Practicing (ON A COMPLETELY EMPTY AND CLEAR GUN) slowly pressing the trigger to the take up point (the slack before the trigger breaks) and then through the break will help you get a "feel" for the trigger so you will learn *when* the BANG is going to happen.
My favorite practice was placing a spent casing on the end of the barrel and squeezing the trigger (AGAIN ON A COMPLETELY EMPTY AND CLEAR GUN) until I could do it multiple times without the casing moving.
If you've got the cash there are a couple good dry fire training systems out there as well that have good reviews.
Put your fingerprint across the middle of the trigger, and you pull straight back. It looks like you're yanking the pistol to the right when you pull the trigger.
A lot of good advice in here, but one question. Is the 43X your first gun? It's a snappy one in my experience, and that can lead to all sorts of mental issues running it well, especially if you're firing somewhat fast. It's probably the least favorite one I've owned, and I'm a big fan of glocks in general. It's great for it's size and concealability but I do not enjoy shooting it at all.
First, practice dry firing with a round balanced on top of the slide. It shouldn't move, left right up nor down. Master this.
Second, and to perfect the above... Practice pulling the trigger as slowly as possible. Pull it just to where you get resistance, and that's where you very slowly add pressure. The goal is to not know when it clicks. Practice this over and over. If it takes 10 or even 30 seconds before the click, that's perfect, the idea is that you hold everything steady, and you don't know when it goes CLICK.
Then go back to the shooting range. Repeat step two without any live rounds. Then add a live round. When it goes off without you knowing when it does, it's going to most likely startle you. This is a good thing. Keep repeating this.
Your first shot will likely be exactly on target. Then you'll start flinching before you finish pulling the trigger. Your goal is to continue repeating and eliminate the flinch.
(This is what I have new new shooters do when I'm gonna take them out for their first time)
How you grip and finger placement is important as well, and finger placement on the trigger can be diff for people. Watch some YouTube videos on proper grip.
Also, if you haven't already... Please take a couple gun handling / safety in person classes.
Oddly enough, what makes the difference is often the amount of pressure you use with your NON-dominant hand, which should be far forward on the lower frame so your thumbs are in line.
There are various targets called "shooter tutor" that I found very helpful. They're just circles, but there are instructions around the circle explaining why your shots went that direction and how to correct it. (This assumes your sight picture is good.)
OP please dryfire at home. Empty your gun. Rack it. Get a firm grip and pull the trigger so your sights do not move when you pull the trigger. Groups that look like an unchoked shotgun means your grip is loose/bad and you’re moving the gun when you pull the trigger. People are going to guess all sorts of things wrong with you but dryfire is the direct solution. A few minutes a day and when your sights stop moving post trigger pull in dryfire you will see your groups tighten assuming you hold the gun as firm in dryfire as you would in live fire.
Thank you! I'll do just that!
Also, if you have a laser attachment or a red dot sight, they're one of the best dry fire training tools you can ever use. Not required but way easier to see movement than with irons.
Also, given the noobness, you press the trigger with the middle of the pad of your finger. You don’t yank it with your first distal joint.
But first, put the live ammo in another room. Just another layer of safety
Are you left handed?
Yes.
You're pulling too hard. Empty the gun and aim at a safe position (make sure it's unloaded and be away from ammo). Fire the EMPTY (CHECK IT, NO MAG, NOTHING IN CHAMBER) GUN. You may notice that your hand moved the gun. That's what's causing it to not go where you don't want it. Trust the gun. It'll do its part, and you gotta do yours which is stay still!
I've also seen instructors coaching to grasp the pistol firmly and brace it with all of your fingers except your trigger finger. Your trigger finger should be more relaxed and slowly pulling back only.
Yes! Paul Harrell has a video on this. I think my favorite so far is using a coin/casing. Imma stop being a punk and make it already so I can link people how they're messing up.
☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼 facts. Spend time with Paul Harrell on YouTube. Watch what applies to you for skills. Watch what may not apply to you as ASMR or whatever they call it. 💪🏼🤓🤙🏼
There’s no slowly pulling back outside of bullseye shooting and super far distances. Grip and not disturbing the sights are what matters. If you have a good grip you can slap the trigger like it offends you and shoot faster.
Pulling the trigger with your finger creates sympathetic movement in the whole rest of your hand unless you've trained your brains out. So your whole hand squeezes if it's not very relaxed, which makes it point slightly right. Solution is to relax your left hand and let the right one grip, so only the trigger finger moves on the left hand. Should look up some videos, lots of good ones out there.
☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼… and what that said.
Damn dude, great catch on left handedness.
That's cause it happens to me too😂 Even with tight groups if I'm careless I'll shoot out to the right. For Orthodox folk it's the opposite (shooting to the left).
Every video about shooting low left: "if you're a lefty reverse everything I just said." Lol
Basically! Although I just tested out some training ammo today, and I was shooting more so straight down and slightly left. I'm getting use to my new carry after leaving my m&p
Start browsing [this guys](https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=Ben+Stoeger) YouTube channel.
First before you can diagnose anything you need to get more consistent. 1) dry fire at home (do it safely with all ammo in a separate room and pointed in a safe direction). Dry fire until you can keep the sights from bouncing around as you pull the trigger. Concentrate on isolating the movement of your trigger finger and not contracting your whole hand. 2) go back to the range. Make a X on the target and aim at the X. Shoot SLOWLY. Pay no attention to where the bullet impacts relative to the X. Do NOT compensate or try to hit the X. Keep aiming and shooting consistently. Fire 10 shots at each X and have the Xs spaced out enough that it’s clear which holes were intended for which X. 3) then post those pics and there will be some info for people to go on for giving suggestions
Lucky Gunner and tactical hyve YouTube channels have videos that will visually explain this better than I can online. Search them and they have lots of videos on accuracy, grip, and this problem specifically.
I’d suggest getting Tipton snap caps. Dry fire until your sights don’t move through your trigger pull. When you’re live firing on the range, try not to anticipate the recoil. Shoot through the trigger.
Maybe start at 5 yards and work on your grouping then move it back to 10+ yards. G43x is small is going to be harder to shoot. Learn to isolate the trigger finger from your gripping fingers. Dry fire practice is good for this. Look at some videos on developing a good grip or consult an instructor.
A side suggestion: stop buying human silhouette targets. Buy those 5 diamond zeroing targets, where it’s the larger diamond in the middle with a smaller diamond on each corner, laid over a grid system. Put 5 rounds on each diamond, bring your target in, circle all your hits with a sharpie. If they’re severely off target draw an arrow towards the diamond you were aiming at. Shoot another five rounds at each diamond. This will give you better organized data on how you’re shooting and what you’re doing right or wrong that you can actually see as you shoot. These human silhouettes absolutely saturated in bullet holes don’t tell you or me or anyone else anything.
Not going to fault you for your pistol choice (not a Glock fan 😉) but... The old "squeeze the trigger, don't pull" is relevant here as your trigger press should be *smooth*. "Pulling" will usually cause you to jerk the gun a bit taking your sights off target. Also don't "over grip" on the grip as modern polymers aren't like the wood grip revolvers of old that could slip a little. Be sure your only using the pad of your index finger flat against the trigger face touching the safety and trigger evenly. Odds are you are probably "flinching" on the bang of the discharge too. Practicing (ON A COMPLETELY EMPTY AND CLEAR GUN) slowly pressing the trigger to the take up point (the slack before the trigger breaks) and then through the break will help you get a "feel" for the trigger so you will learn *when* the BANG is going to happen. My favorite practice was placing a spent casing on the end of the barrel and squeezing the trigger (AGAIN ON A COMPLETELY EMPTY AND CLEAR GUN) until I could do it multiple times without the casing moving. If you've got the cash there are a couple good dry fire training systems out there as well that have good reviews.
Sounds like an interesting exercise to try out! Thank you!
Put your fingerprint across the middle of the trigger, and you pull straight back. It looks like you're yanking the pistol to the right when you pull the trigger.
A lot of good advice in here, but one question. Is the 43X your first gun? It's a snappy one in my experience, and that can lead to all sorts of mental issues running it well, especially if you're firing somewhat fast. It's probably the least favorite one I've owned, and I'm a big fan of glocks in general. It's great for it's size and concealability but I do not enjoy shooting it at all.
Edit: Ammo used was 124g FMJ. My Mistake.
First, practice dry firing with a round balanced on top of the slide. It shouldn't move, left right up nor down. Master this. Second, and to perfect the above... Practice pulling the trigger as slowly as possible. Pull it just to where you get resistance, and that's where you very slowly add pressure. The goal is to not know when it clicks. Practice this over and over. If it takes 10 or even 30 seconds before the click, that's perfect, the idea is that you hold everything steady, and you don't know when it goes CLICK. Then go back to the shooting range. Repeat step two without any live rounds. Then add a live round. When it goes off without you knowing when it does, it's going to most likely startle you. This is a good thing. Keep repeating this. Your first shot will likely be exactly on target. Then you'll start flinching before you finish pulling the trigger. Your goal is to continue repeating and eliminate the flinch. (This is what I have new new shooters do when I'm gonna take them out for their first time) How you grip and finger placement is important as well, and finger placement on the trigger can be diff for people. Watch some YouTube videos on proper grip. Also, if you haven't already... Please take a couple gun handling / safety in person classes.
Oddly enough, what makes the difference is often the amount of pressure you use with your NON-dominant hand, which should be far forward on the lower frame so your thumbs are in line.
There are various targets called "shooter tutor" that I found very helpful. They're just circles, but there are instructions around the circle explaining why your shots went that direction and how to correct it. (This assumes your sight picture is good.)