# shot my P226 for the first time- need some advice please



## WildWolf (Aug 4, 2009)

I love the gun! The only problem I am having is that when i shoot, I am consistently low and slightly to the right. How can I fix this? what am I doing wrong?


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## jdeere9750 (Nov 28, 2008)

WildWolf said:


> I love the gun! The only problem I am having is that when i shoot, I am consistently low and slightly to the right. How can I fix this? what am I doing wrong?


Others are probably better suited to tell you exactly what your doing wrong, but I thought that this target might help you pinpoint your error. Keep in mind, that this particular one is for right handed shooters. One for left handed shooters is also available. Good luck.

http://www.piedmontnrainstructors.org/resources/CorrectionChartRight.pdf


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Get some snap caps. Then point to a wall or..whatever and practice squeezing the trigger and watch where the front site goes.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

WildWolf said:


> I love the gun! The only problem I am having is that when i shoot, I am consistently low and slightly to the right. How can I fix this? what am I doing wrong?


My advice?

It's your first time, do not be too hard on yourself. 
Even seasoned shooters have issues with new-to-them firearms.

If you suspect the pistol, rest it on a sandbag and/or have a more experienced shooter fire it for accruacy @ 10y.

The pistol is probably fine. Practice makes perfect. Slow down and shorten your rounds between breaks. Search some of my posts here for advice to new shooters with accuracy issues.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

WildWolf said:


> I love the gun! The only problem I am having is that when i shoot, I am consistently low and slightly to the right. How can I fix this? what am I doing wrong?


Are you left-handed? Right-handed?

Shooting low means that you are jerking the trigger, or flinching.
If you are right-handed, shooting to the right might mean that you have too much index finger on the trigger.
If you are left-handed, shooting low-right means that you are "milking" the gun: you're squeezing the grip at the same time you're squeezing the trigger. Or you're both "milking" and jerking.

Don't "squeeze" the trigger. Don't "pull" the trigger.
Trigger control involves a smooth, slow _press_. It should be a press as directly to the rear as you can make it.
Further, when the gun goes off, it should come as a surprise to you. You should not know when it'll go off, so you can't preëmptively flinch. Keep the sights on the target and press.
Slow smoothness is what you're after. Don't try to be quick. Quick shooting comes to you automatically, after lots of slow, smooth practice.

Someone else suggested using snap caps, and dry-firing at a blank wall. This is excellent advice. It's how you learn trigger control.
Keep the sights steady, and do slow, smooth presses without any ammunition. (The snap caps are to protect the gun's firing pin from stress.)
Spend 10 minutes every day doing dry-fire trigger presses. Go to the range once a week and fire less than 50 shots, just to see how you're progressing.


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## WildWolf (Aug 4, 2009)

thanks for the advice. I am right handed and will try to improve this weekend. the dealer that sold me the gun said that dry firing the gun was not bad for it but letting the slide bang back in place was. Did I get bad advice?


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## dosborn (Apr 17, 2009)

Letting the slide slam shut shouldn't hurt, it does that every time you shoot it. But I could be wrong :smt102

The advice above from other posts on your shooting is perfect IMO.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

WildWolf said:


> ...[T]he dealer that sold me the gun said that dry firing the gun was not bad for it but letting the slide bang back in place was. Did I get bad advice?





dosborn said:


> Letting the slide slam shut shouldn't hurt, it does that every time you shoot it...


Not exactly.
When the slide "slams shut" while you're shooting, it is slowed by the cartridge it is feeding.
If you allow the slide to "slam shut" during dry-fire practice, it should be feeding a snap-cap from the pistol's magazine.

Once in a while, letting the slide run forward without something to feed is OK. But that's "once in a while," not "all of the time."


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## MauiWowie22 (Jun 19, 2009)




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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Thank you for posting that diagram.
It's most useful.
All new shooters should have a copy.

(I am embarrassed that I don't have one to submit, at times like these.)


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## WildWolf (Aug 4, 2009)

Thanks again. 

Is it bad to dry fire without a snap cap or a round in the chamber? what could break/ wear out?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

WildWolf said:


> ...Is it bad to dry fire without a snap cap or a round in the chamber? what could break/ wear out?


Most guns can be safely dry-fired without a snap-cap in the chamber to "catch" the firing pin, but it really is not a good idea.
To shoot well, you need to put in lots and lots of dry-firing practice, and that will eventually destroy one part or another of any gun, if there isn't something in the chamber to safely "catch" the firing pin or striker.
In some cases, a snap-cap is not necessary. Examples: a .22 rimfire, for which no snap-cap exists, and which (with very few exceptions) should _never_ be "clicked" without at least a fired case in the chamber; and a 1911 semi-auto, which could be dry-fired safely with a piece of leather or rubber inserted between its falling hammer and its firing pin, instead of a snap-cap in its chamber.
But why take a chance? Snap-caps are cheap insurance.

What will be injured?
In a .22 rimfire, the chamber itself will be burred and deformed by dry-fire practice.
In a Kel-Tec pistol, the screw which retains its firing pin will be so battered that it could become unremovable, and would have to be drilled out.
In a modern S&W revolver, probably nothing would be injured; and the same is true for a modern M1911 semi-auto.
But why take a chance? Snap-caps are cheap insurance.

However, using snap-caps requires thought. Otherwise, it could be a very unsafe practice.
Think about it: You will be dry-firing a gun that has a cartridge in its chamber!
That means that you will have to very carefully separate your snap-caps from your live cartridges. Best practice is that the two should never be in the same room at the same time.
Pick a space in which to dry-fire, and never let any live ammunition get into that space, ever. Keep only your snap-caps there. When you enter that space, always leave all of your live ammunition behind, somewhere else.
Don't take chances. Think. That, too, is cheap insurance.


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