Hey guys, I’m new to shooting and picked up a sig P320 M18. I was shooting low, even while having my sights lined up. Took my time trying to adjust but was still shooting low. I ended up aiming to the upper part of the target to start correcting my shot, but I shouldn’t have to do that? I’ve shot a few times before with different guns...and did pretty well until I shot my sig. thoughts? Any tips you guys can give me for my next range visit?

Have you spent any time dry firing? The key to beginning marksmanship is front sight focus. Some of the cool kids will tell you differently, but here's why. When you are first myelinating your grip, stance, sight alignment, etc., you need to be certain you are doing it correctly. Focus not only on the front sight, but the top edge of the front sight. After the process is myelinated, you will find yourself looking through your sights when shooting closely and quickly.

Here's a piece I wrote for TTAG. Most of my business these days is novice classes.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns....how-to-aim-a-pistol/

If you are shooting low and to the left try putting more finger on the trigger.
Have you checked to see that you are not flinching. If not, put a snap cap ( dummy cartridge) in you pistol and fire the pistol without knowing when the dummy will be fed into the chamber. That will tell you whether you are flinching. Then load one round in the chamber and take the magazine out. Practice that way pulling the trigger on the empty chamber until the flinch disappears.

this might help:

A lot of folks shoot Sigs low at first. Instead of the six o'clock hold, Sigs have a combat sight picture where you place the front sight over where you want the bullet to hit. Using this alignment raised my shots to the center of the target. Hope this helps.

Thank you guys! I’m going to the range Sunday so I’ll let you know how it goes. Appreciate all the tips! Also, does anyone know where to buy hulk ammo online that isn’t crazy expensive?! Everyone is out!

I'll bet you are right handed. Shooting low (usually left too) is a function of anticipating recoil and compensating on a right handed shooter. Together with the physiology of the right wrist......leaves the point of impact low and left. Have a friend load your mags with random snap caps. You fire the gun. You'll see what you are doing on the first snap cap. It'll be obvious. Work on it from there. You want zero movement of the gun when the snap cap is struck in the chamber.

quote:

Originally posted by Halloweenguy85:
Hey guys, I’m new to shooting and picked up a sig P320 M18. I was shooting low, even while having my sights lined up. Took my time trying to adjust but was still shooting low. I ended up aiming to the upper part of the target to start correcting my shot, but I shouldn’t have to do that? I’ve shot a few times before with different guns...and did pretty well until I shot my sig. thoughts? Any tips you guys can give me for my next range visit?

1) Bench the gun.
That means get a table, chair and sandbags.
Set up a target at about 20 yards (or whatever your comfort zone is).

2) Get comfortable and shoot a group with the pistol well supported on your sandbags.
Try Center Hold (see my attached pic)

3) I like 6:00 Hold and Center Hold.
Combat hold is fine for close shooting.
I like to shoot longer distances, so I do not like Combat Hold because it covers up my target.

So determine what "hold" you need and either adapt to it or change your sights for the "hold" that you prefer.
It's that simple.

quote:

Originally posted by gtnc:
A lot of folks shoot Sigs low at first,,,

Then they change the front sight and make the gun useful.

Never owned a SIG I didn't change the front sight on.

"Combat sights".... aka "Only shoot big things up close" sights.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

quote:

Originally posted by gtnc:
A lot of folks shoot Sigs low at first,,,

Then they change the front sight and make the gun useful.

Never owned a SIG I didn't change the front sight on.

"Combat sights".... aka "Only shoot big things up close" sights.

They're for blind people.

Feel free to send me an email. You really need a good instructor to diagnose and help you keep from developing bad habits. There is a network of Rangemaster-certified folks all over the country. I'm sure we can find one close to you.

If you are flinching and many of us do flinch, you can try some simple drills. Try dry firing & focusing on front sight and thinking of isolating your trigger finger and repeat something silently such as "slow squeeze." In addition, load a magazine with every other round as a dummy, snap cap, knowing the sequence. So you can teach yourself to relax when shooting the dummy, non-recoil rounds.

A PO who runs/works at SIG Sauer Academy has another version with inserting mag, chambering a round, removing mag, firing 1 live round and 1 dry fire. Repeat as often as possible.

Hope that these suggestions help.

quote:

Originally posted by Halloweenguy85:
Thank you guys! I’m going to the range Sunday so I’ll let you know how it goes. Appreciate all the tips! Also, does anyone know where to buy hulk ammo online that isn’t crazy expensive?! Everyone is out!

Simple way to figure it out or at least start to is let someone else, with shooting experience, run a magazine through it and see where they hit. Since it is a p320 you can even let a Glock shooter do this.

In my limited experience in shooting over the past 20 years what I've learned is it is almost always the shooter and not the gun.

Get some snap caps. Practice. And then have some one mix the snap caps in the mag so you don’t know. Pretty obvious, if you flinch or anticipate recoil, etc. There could be other things such as slapping the trigger or jerking the trigger. Have live instruction or help will be very useful.

The center hold to me makes the most sense to me, especially with black target sights. Dotted or fiber optic sights are ok for the combat hold - dot on target.

But the 6 o'clock hold makes no sense to me. It would only work on a target of known size at known distance - aka bullseye paper. For slow fire competition maybe it's better, but for any kind of self-defense shooting it seems misplaced.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
The center hold to me makes the most sense to me, especially with black target sights. Dotted or fiber optic sights are ok for the combat hold - dot on target.

But the 6 o'clock hold makes no sense to me. It would only work on a target of known size at known distance - aka bullseye paper. For slow fire competition maybe it's better, but for any kind of self-defense shooting it seems misplaced.

I like 6:00 out to 25 yards and then switch to center hold for longer distances.
6:00 Hold is hard for people to wrap their heads around.

It's about how you were taught and what distances you shoot.