I have noticed that for me to hit the bullseye I am having to aim about 4 inches up and to the left. Once I aim at that spot off the bullseye, I can keep hitting it pretty well. I just would like to know what I need to do to aim with my sights and hit that spot. This happened to me with my stock sights and has continued the same with the new Advantage Tactical sights. I am thinking it is because I am right handed but my left eye is dominate, although I use my right eye to aim and feel comfortable. Goofy! So basically I can hit target but focus 4" northwest at 20ft out.
Have someone (a good shot) test fire the pistol. If his point of impact is the same as his point of aim, then it's your cross-eye dominance. If not, the sights need to be adjusted. Do you aim with both eyes open?
No I do not have both eyes open, I close left and aim 4" NW with right eye. Great suggestion on getting others to test aim.
So if someone else aim is on target what does that mean for me? What would I need to do? Test shooting with left eye and if aim is on just get comfortable with the left?
First things first. Easiest possiblity to eliminate is sights being off-target. Once you know the sights are OK, then it's your perceived sight picture. Do you have an extra pair of shooting glasses and electrical tape? Cut some strips of tape and cover first the LEFT lens. Test fire with both eyes open. Then, remove tape and this time cover the RIGHT lens. Test fire with both eyes open. Which method was more accurate? We use this method to determine favored-aim eyesight. When you close one eye, the brain processes the visual information on the basis of knowing one-eye-closed. If the closed eye is actually your dominant eye, the brain compensates for the change in depth perception unconsciously (point of view). However, if the view is blocked (as in the case of covering the lens), there is no visual information to process from that eye, and since the brain knows the eye is open, there is no compensation for change in point of view. Does that make sense?
How large is your pattern? If a 5-round string is much larger than a golf ball, it would be tough to rule out a handling problem on your own. You've also mentioned it's happened with more than one set of sights, which would lead me to suspect a handling issue. I would have someone else shoot it too, to rule out the possibility that it's something you're doing inadvertently. Also, use someone else's known-accurate gun and confirm that you're shooting to point-of-aim. I was jerking the trigger and patterning consistently in the bottom-left corner of the target. Handed the gun to my brother, and he was patterning on the bulls-eye, just like he was with his gun. I picked up his gun and what do you know, I was shooting bottom-left. If that's what's happening, work on your handling, which will tighten up your groupings. Fixing it by adjusting the point of aim will bring you back to the center, but your groups will never tighten up. For right handed shooters:
Okay, yes. I love testing. Thank so much happersniper1, your always full of great information for me (and others, I'm sure)
So I will test this out I. The next few day, maybe this evening. But say my left eye is covered but open, and my aim is on using right eye, what would I do from that point on, always have my left eye covered?
No, you train the brain to accept input from the right eye for primary focus. Do this by constantly practicing shooting with shooting glasses that have a covered left lens. If you close your left eye, you are back at square one with the brain reinterpreting visual input to compensate for the closed left eye. Eventually, the brain will be able to process uncompensated visual input with both eyes open, and you will no longer need to cover the left lens. Now, here's a question: how is your grip? Where are the fingers of shooting and support hand. Are you more accurate shooting one-handed without any monkeying around with closing or covering any eye?
Well my grip is comfortable and how I was taught to hold a handgun. Blackstrap tight into pocket between forefinger and thumb, left hand palm on left side grip over right hand and left fingers wrap around front of grip. (that was hard to write out) No fingers on front of trigger guard! I have not tried shooting one handed yet, as my G26 has only been with me for about 3 weeks and I wanted to get good with it first. But I should try one handed also in my test this evening.
I did notice it was my grip. I did not have the blackstrap placed correctly between my thumb and pointer finger. It now aligns straight with my forearm. After doing this my shots then were opposite from where they started (NW 4") Now they were East & SouthEast 3 to 4 inches. So then I realized I was squeezing my shooting hand thumb to much. I then relaxed it but still had it lightly touch the side of firearm and these two things highly improved my aim. I tried this form first with the G26 then Ruger Mark III Target 22 cal., G34, and a Baby Desert Eagle and aim was much better. Even stuck on some quarter size stickers on the targets and was able to hit them within 4 to 5 shots.
