Since there is already a thread on Glock accuracy I wanted to get some tips on how to shoot one accurately. With every Glock I’ve ever tried I pulled my shots left [I am right handed]. I am no beginner and have relegated myself to DA/SA and SA only guns. I want to like the Glock, there is much to like. What have some of you done regarding pulling shots with a Glock? I know I’m not the only one.
Thank you.
It’s called “glocking your trigger” I still do it to some extent. I know pretty experienced shooters who have their sights adjusted for their trigger glocking.
My shots will pull left edge of a 4"X4" square at 15 yards… and that’s with slow fire, extra effort.
When I was practicing a lot and jumping from one gun to another it also happened to me… magically cured itself with a few magazines, and if I only shot the glocks then I was really accurate with them (no problems hitting small targets at 25 m). But transition from a 1911 with a fine trigger to a glock and nearly always it required brain/grip/finger adjustment.
To me, adjusting the sights was never an issue, I found it was much better to get used to the gun than adjust it to my trigger jerks or whatever, no matter how repeatable they seemed when I just grabbed the gun coming from another with a much nicer trigger.
I agree. Adjusting sights to accomodate bad shooting shocked me!
I have the Same G22 that I first carried over 10 years back. I didn’t used to glock my trigger when I was younger. But I do it a little now… both on my G17 and the Same G22.
It could possibly be the weapon, but I would check this by sandbagging the pistol from a bench and shooting it. Have more than one person do it if need be, preferably a very good shooter. Another option is to let a second person who knows what they are doing, to operate the trigger independently.
For myself I have less issues on the Gen4’s due to the smaller grip size which allows me to maintain the grip that I want while getting a better reach on the trigger to get the type of pull that I desire. I am very far out on the last pad of the finger, with a very pronounced curl in the trigger finger and no frame contact which means that I only engage the face of the trigger in a straight to the rear movement. This results in no side influence on the trigger or the frame of the pistol. On the Gen 3’s and earlier this is more difficult for me to achieve with a larger grip size and I need to adjust my grip or I may start having frame contact with my trigger finger and a bit of side influence on the trigger itself and I may start pushing the weapon to the left as I pull the trigger.
I’m a novice shooter and a new to Glocks. My shots also tend to group left. Can you explain what “glocking the trigger” is?
Thanks,
CJ
I spent much of my life shooting in formal NRA and military competition with tuned S&W revolvers, match-grade 1911s, match-grade Garands and M-14’s, and custom Model 52 and Model 70 Winchesters. The Glock’s longer, heavier trigger is so utterly different that retraining myself to master it has been a major undertaking.
The first thing I had to do was realize that my previous standards for accuracy were not realistic. They came from a precision rifleman’s mindset that had been applied to handguns and then distorted by the excessive focus on hardware that plagues all gamesmen.
Then I had to make myself understand that I’m not training to shoot unrealistic courses of fire with unrealistically modified weapons–I’m training to win fights using gear, techniques, training, and tactics that simply didn’t exist when I was starting out.
The main thing that helps me shoot a Glock well is a new trigger stroke. Waiting for a surprise break as I would have with a proper match trigger takes so long that it actually makes groups bigger. Instead, I use the same vigorous, smooth press that I’d use on a staple gun, and it has cut my groups roughly in half. I also use a VERY firm grip–much firmer than I ever used on the match guns of my youth.
Live and learn, I guess.
Okie John
Thanks for this.
I’m going to look into it as soon as I get home from work tonight.
Okie John
Some years back I picked up a G17 to see if I could learn to shoot it decently and love it. I fought its (ok, MY) poor groups for a year. In frustration I brought out a 1913 production Colt 1911; 9# pull, knife-edge front and shallow round notch rear sights, and elevation and windage known to be off. I allowed for the holdoff and that old warrior dumped a respectable group into the target for me. Not quite state of the art or the pinacle of high speed-low drag, but it did an honest job for me. In spite of much effort (and some cursing) I could never shoot that Glock for beans. I finally traded it off for two used DA wheelguns and felt good about it.
A while back I picked up a Sigma 9mm for grins, and it shoots quite well for me without the drama. Go figure. Maybe I need a S&W M&P but space in the safe is at a premium nowadays.
Maybe there is a trigger mod for the Glock that makes it shoot like a Gold Cup, but I don’t have the time or inclination to track it down.
I miss the days when issue guns came in S&W blue boxes, only held 6 shots, and decent triggers were the norm. Que sera, sera.
Something that helped me was reading a comment by LAV about shooting a Glock like a revolver. Trying to make it break right now will throw shoots. Pulling smoothly through is more likely to yield a centered hit. Guns like 1911’s allow one to be sloppier for the same accuracy on target.
John, I actually shot some video a long time ago on this topic related specifically to the Glock and the Gen3’s and Gen 4’s. I can’t remember if I posted it on my channel however? I still have a ton of raw video dating back months that I haven’t had time to get to. However I do have video explaining my grip and trigger finger placement and how I run my trigger finger. Video’s in my sig line. 
It’s a slight lateral trigger jerk… pronounced in the Glock’s long, staple gun like trigger action.
Dry firing and watching your front sight for zero movement is a good way to improve it.
Mahalo. I’ll check it out tonight.
Okie John
This is partly why alot of people really like the - connector and NY1 spring combo. It facilitates smooth operation of the trigger since there is no discernible shelf. You simply press through the entire motion of the trigger until the shot goes off.
I agree 100% with what you’re saying as every time i prep and press through my rolling break i hit where i want. I call my shot every single time i try to press through the shelf as going low left.
Like Surf said one of the biggest issues with the Glock platform is that depending on hand size it is very easy to influence the frame via the meaty portion of your index finger during the trigger press. Your trigger press may be 100% spot on via repeatable grouping but that flesh is pressing on the frame causing leftward grouping.
I have this problem too :mad: I have been working on it buy firing 5rounds then dry firing 5 times over and over and it has significantly helped. Also I watched surfs video on how he works the trigger which helped me as well. Im still at the stage where I have to really think about the trigger pull as if I start speeding up my shots all start grouping left again :o for some reason I dont have this problem with any other pistol haha… but im determined to become proficient with a glock
Knowing what you’re doing wrong is a HUGE step towards correcting your issues. What you are doing is “pushing” the gun under speed. You’re not independently operating your trigger finger and watching your sights. Relax your strong hand and increase grip pressure with your off hand. Remember, when you tighten your strong hand you’re going to influence the frame even more with the flesh of your index finger.
Keep working at it.
I too have a Glock shooting deficiency but am determined to improve. I have all original components in mine, with no “trigger job” or modifications of any kind. At 10y it’s not bad but once out to 25y, things become quite apparent with groups opening up to the left but never to the right. I figured that I just need to shoot more at that distance but after reading this thread I think I have something specific to work on… I often feel my trigger finger sliding along the bottom of the inside of the triggerguard as I depress the trigger. How much could that be affecting my shots?
Dry firing and watching that front sight for the slightest movement is good practice.
I mean… it doesn’t take much. I can barely catch it… but that’s what pulls those shots left. It’s not so much a flinch from shooting a magnum load… it’s just the bio mechanical interface of the human hand and the trigger action.
2 years ago or so - I picked up both a G17 and an MP 9 - wanting to compare them to the 1911s I’d shot for the past 40 or so years. I WANTED to switch to a 9mm weapon - but I had to shoot it well enough to make it worthwhile. I also knew up front that there would be teething problems. At any given distance - the Glock was 2x the grouping of the 1911s, and to the left. The M&P (which I eventually sold) was 2x the group size of the Glock - but at least IT was centered like the 1911s. Well - teething pains were more like oral surgery - because I REALLY wanted to switch to the Glock. I could deal with the fact that - for me - it isn’t as accurate as the 1911s, as it was still fine in terms of “combat accuracy” (whatever that truly is:). OTOH - the “left” thing bothered me - to the point where I slid the rear sights to “correct” it.
Well - have since found a shooter-based solution (and have picked up yet another G17:). FOR ME - instead of pressing the trigger with the distal phalanx of the trigger finger like I did on the 1911s, I simply switched to using the intermediate phalanx! Problem solved!!! I seem to now “know” when I pick up a 1911 (more & more rare these days) to use the distal pad, and to use the intermediate pad of the finger when shooting tupperware. As usual - YMMV.
As I did not have this problem with the “other” plastic pistol, I’m leaning towards saying that there IS something (don’t know exactly what) about the Glock design that “brings out” the shift to the Democratic side of things:)
john - trapped in Illinois:(