Deteriorating Scores!

[peterz]

Three weeks after my late January neck surgery, my doc let me resume shooting (10m AP). My scores improved steadily if slowly until in late June I was regularly getting in the mid-eighties for a 10 shot string. Suddenly, earlier this month, everything went to hell in a hand basket!

Nearly 1/3 of my shots go into the white over an arc from about 12:30 to about 3:00. I can sometimes but not always feel my trigger finger pull the gun to the right, and I noticed that I have a tendency to turn the pistol to the right when I grip it. Can somebody give me some idea what I'm doing wrong, and some modifications to grip, stance, or trigger pull that might help?

I'm shooting an old FWB C-20 pistol with unmodified factory grips. It seems to me that I need to add putty to the grip somewhere, but I can't find a good diagram that would tell me where to add to start correcting things. And I don't understand why the deterioration should come on so suddenly. I do have an IZH-46M, and am not having as much trouble with it. I can still pretty much hold the 8-ring.

Thank you!

[Mike M.]

I'd bet on two things.

First, you probably are putting your trigger finger too deeply onto the trigger. Move the trigger forward if you can.

Second, you don't need putty. I think sandpaper is in order...take some wood off the grip near the base of the thumb. This will rotate the gun to the left.

[peterz]

Thanks! It helped a bit; maybe I need to move the trigger further forward.

I know somewhere I've seen pictures of how different additions or subtractions from a grip shift the aim point. However, I haven't been able to find an example now that I need one. Can somebody point me to a link that will help?

[RB6]

Here's the quick fix ......

Pull the trigger straight back

Problem solved

[Jack Milchanowski]

http://www.pistol-shooting.com/ left hand side choose grip modifications

I can highly suggest purchasing this book. It is at the top of my list for pistol shooting.

Come see us in the woods.
Jack

[peterz]

Here's the quick fix ......

Pull the trigger straight back

Problem solved

Completely true, and before the beginning of July I was doing so. I am trying to understand why I somehow seem to have picked up a bad habit. Do you have any useful ideas on how to change my trigger pull? I have moved the blade forward about 4 mm, and that helps.

[Isabel1130]

Here's the quick fix ......

Pull the trigger straight back

Problem solved

Completely true, and before the beginning of July I was doing so. I am trying to understand why I somehow seem to have picked up a bad habit. Do you have any useful ideas on how to change my trigger pull? I have moved the blade forward about 4 mm, and that helps.

There are many things that could be causing your problems. I have seen my scores go up and down significantly in air pistol with more than one cause. Are you dry firing much? You may be using too much or too little finger on the trigger but it is tough to tell without isolating all the other factors, Once you feel pretty confident in your hold it is easy to get into the mind set of trying too hard which can generate all sorts of errors from attempting to snatch the shot, (jerking the trigger) giving up on the shot, holding the gun up too long (trying to be too perfect) holding the gun too tight. looking at the target as opposed to the sights. You can change one thing that will trick your mind for a while and lead to better scores but it often wont last. I suggest finding a way to shoot on one of the computer devices with someone who knows how to analyze the patterns. It will at least tell you what you are doing right and then allow you to narrow down what you are doing wrong, and it may not be just one thing. Until then try shooting a blank card and focusing on keeping the sights aligned as you pull the trigger. If that brings your groups back, you will have eliminated one potential problem (looking at the target) and be able to find a way to start assessing the others. Isabel

[2650 Plus]

Peterz , you have gotten some fine long distance coaching. Isolate down to one idea and train with it until either it helps or does not . then move on to the next best idea and repeat the practise steps. If all else fails to resolve your problems, Start your trigger finger moving sooner or a bit faqster. What I am suggesting is for you to speed up the rythm of your shot delivery. I am sugesting that you may have become cautious and have not been commiting to a some what aggressive shot sequence. Good Shooting Bill Horton

[ciscovt]

As usual I think 2650 has also given some good advice. I am quite new to AP but not to BE pistol. I have found that I tend to be too precise and take too much time on breaking the shot with AP.
Just this last Thursday I determined that as soon as I started to apply pressure on the trigger I would commit totally to sqeezing it straight through as long as I had attained good sight alignment. I started the trigger as I came into my aiming area from below, as is my habit. I broke each shot in less than three seconds usually about two. The result was really satisfying. I did have three out of twenty that got a away a little, but the other 17 were sub 9 ring. I only had time for the 20 shots but I will use the same technique next time.
Trusting your hold is sometimes a tough thing to do. By speeding up my delivery, I was saying, "have confidence. Your ducks are in a row, just deliver the shot."
Your shooting history shows that you can consistently break good shots. Be confident that you know what to do and allow yourself to do it.

Cisco
Vermont

[peterz]

To all those who posted with good advice, and to all those who sent me PMs or contacted me in other ways, Thank you!

I'm slowly getting the rightwards twitch under control. A lot of thinking and dry firing, a very small amount of tinkering with the grip (because it was good psychologically), and a great deal more concentration on letting go when the sights aligned, and the good shots are increasingly frequent.

--pz