Grip and sight adjustment on a 'new for you' pistol

[MichaelB]

Perhaps similar to Swoffer and his Izh-46m, I had trouble yesterday with the sights on a Walther GSP. I was inspecting one that's for sale, and spend a long time just figuring out how to hit the target: I eventually found that by clicking elevation and windage to their limits I could hit the upper left quadrant... by aiming at the lower right bull-dog clip holding the target in place!

Perhaps the sight threads are filthy and gummed up, but I think it's that the grip just didn't suit me: taking hold naturally and comfortably simply pointed the barrel way off.

Is this common?? In this case the grip didn't look particularly unusual or modified, and to date nobody has told me that I have weird hands. With every other pistol I've fired (not many, admittedly) I've at least been able to see where the shots are going.

[Spencer]

You do have a (removable) sight blade on the rear sight?
The sight blade carrier has a rear sight notch and looks like the real deal - it is meant to take a blade and many have been fooled (me included).

The replacable blade clicks on to the two little buttons on the back of the carrier and raise the rear sight by quite a bit.

Spencer

[MichaelB]

Thanks. I didn't notice anything odd about the rear sight at all; and if it were missing entirely, then everything would have 'grouped' downward, no?

I am interested, though, in just how personal grips can be, and how far off a new gun can feel.

[Mike Taylor]

Another thought, and I apologize if this is already known to you:
You said, "...that by clicking elevation and windage to their limits I could hit the upper left quadrant... by aiming at the lower right...".
You also mentioned, "With every other pistol I've fired (not many, admittedly)...".
Are you aware that the Walther sights (and some other European pistols, too) are marked differently as compared to American pistols? For elevation, the Walther sight is marked "T bei H" with a counterclockwise arrow below the T and a clockwise arrow below the H. While not a correct translation (I'm told), the word "bei" should be interpreted as "if". In other words, if shots are H (high), turn the screw in the direction of the arrow, ie clockwise. If shots are T (low) turn the screw counterclockwise.
Similarly with the windage, if shots are L (left), turn the windage screw CCW and if shots are R (right), turn the screw CW.
This is just the opposite to American (and other) pistols where only a letter (or word) and an arrow are shown. In these latter instances, you turn the screw in the direction of the arrow to move the sight blade in the marked direction. That is, if your shots are low, you turn the elevation screw in the UP direction (to move the rear sight up and thus raise your group on the target). If your shots are left, you turn the windage screw in the R direction to move the sight blade (and your group) to the right.
With both types of sights, you end up moving the rear sight blade in the same direction, its just that the lettering identifying the direction to turn the screw is opposite.
That could explain why your group was high and left if you kept turning the Walther screws in the direction of the T and R arrows (your group would only get higher and more left).
Again, I apologize if all of this is known to you.
Mike T.

[MichaelB]

Good point, thanks. But my "very few" have all been European, so for once the Americans seem the odd ones! (This tickles my Australian soul...) And I had the manual open just to be sure to be sure.