My Shots Are Low On 1911 45
“My pistol shoots low”
13-Apr-09 – 16:12 by ToddGI just spent 20 minutes visiting half a dozen different popular handgun forums. Every single one of them had threads started by someone claiming that his gun shoots low. How low? 6-12″ at 21 feet. 10″ at 25 feet. Three feet at 25yd.
The threads generally begin asking if the problem is the gun or the ammo.
The gun or the ammo!
Here’s a simple professional opinion: if your handgun is shooting three feet low at twenty-five yards, it’s you. I’m sure someone will be able to come up with an exception, but any major brand handgun with standard ammo will not be shooting that low.
The response from many shooters, especially less skilled shooters, is invariably, “it doesn’t happen with any other gun I have” or “I had some friends shoot it and it did the same thing.” Sorry, it’s still you. Just because you can shoot a single action target .22 well doesn’t mean that you can shoot a double action .40 S&W well. Just because the local Rangemaster says your gun sucks doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about no matter how many cool stories he has about learning to shoot sixty years go.
Cimarron 1911 Standard ($455.71) For history fans on a budget, reproduction-firearm retailer Cimarron offers a WWI-era 1911, complete with the military-style sights, vertical slide serrations at. My shots were all consistently low grouping around the 6 o'clock edge of the plate group. This was at 25 yds. I thought Hmmmmm. Must be me with a new pistol. American Eagle 230gr ammo. Over time this pattern repeated predictably. If I used a 12 o'clock hold the shots would group around the 'bullseye'. 1911 Troubleshooting: Feed Failures. Fully 95% of all feed-related failures are can be traced straight back to the magazine. The remaining few causes are due to the extractor and/or the ammunition, with only about 1% attributable to the gun.
So what to do?
First, try shooting the pistol from a support position, like a sandbag rest. This will reduce the effect of anticipating recoil. If that doesn’t magically fix things, though, you need to work on your fundamentals. This is the approach I recommend:
- Wall Drill. Practice this until you can press the trigger every time without the front sight moving out of alignment.
- Ball & Dummy Drill. Practice this until you no longer flinch at the end of the trigger press.
- 3×5 Card Drill. Take your time and get your hits.
- In each of those classes I fired about 800 rounds through my carry 1911 without cleaning it and with zero malfunctions. At the NTI last year, I dropped an impact target with about an eight inch square vital zone at approximately 80 yards, from an awkward position, with one shot from my carry 1911, while being filmed by a TV crew.
- At 25 yards aiming at the center it will go completely under the target. Shot my first 45 in 1971. I just don't go to the range much anymore. I got a new 10 22 and have been working on getting it sighted in with a scope and decided to take the 45 this morning to.
1911 45 For Sale
You’ll soon be amazed when that same gun & ammo that used to shoot a foot low at 21′ now suddenly hits a little notecard at twice that distance.
Sure, it’s possible that a factory gun with certain ammo will shoot a few inches low at 25yd. Heck, you might even notice a difference of an inch at 21 feet. But if it’s low enough that it bothers you, odds are it’s the guy behind the gun.
Who Makes The Best 1911 45 Acp
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
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