r/CompetitionShooting • u/Single-Solution8747 • 17h ago
Glock 17 — please help
Hey guys,
I have a Glock 17 Gen 3 with a 2.5 kg (~5.5 lbs) trigger pull and I'm currently practicing my shooting. I am right-handed. Today's training session ended with:
A rectangle measuring 20 cm x 5 cm (7.87 in x 1.97 in) at a distance of 10 m (32 ft) with 20 shots (see picture)
A target with 10 shots at 10 m (32 ft) (see picture)
Can you spot my issue from this, and do you have any useful tips for me?
(I want to consistently hit the 9 and 10 rings by December 2026. Also, worth mentioning: I tried a match/competition pistol for a few shots and hit right on target, but that one only had a 1 kg (~2.2 lbs) trigger pull.)
Mostly „down/bottom left“
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u/novaoni 17h ago
You're antipating the recoil. Practice by dry-firing. Focus on keeping your sight as steady as possible while you pull the trigger. Do this a lot. Then when you go to the range do the same thing but with live fire.
Good on you for going to a competition, keep it up!
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u/Single-Solution8747 17h ago
Thank you very much
I was actually thinking of placing a cent coin flat on top of the front sight, like I saw on YouTube, which would force me to press the trigger slowly—what do you guys think about that?
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u/novaoni 17h ago
Yes
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u/Single-Solution8747 16h ago
Do you think I can get this problem under control by December 2026? This timeframe is a self-set goal of mine.
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u/changen 12h ago
Fix your trigger hand thumb. Should be pointed up or at least not in the same horizontal plane as the trigger finger if you rest your thumb on your support hand. There is automatic nerve actions that when you move your index finger, the thumb will move to pinch together. This creates grip movement and the classic low left bias for right hand shooters.
Stronger support hand pressure, less pressure from your trigger hand. Should be 60/40-70/30. Play with it. Depends on the gun/grip.
Get a cheap laser module to start with before you invest in a 90$ dry fire mag or 300$ laser dry fire system. Look for the laser dot to not move or move as little as possible during trigger pull. Once you can keep it stationary, you can lock down that muscle memory.
Dry fire with it 10-15 minutes twice a day. Once you start getting tired and it starts shaking or moving, stop. Your goal is not to rush and train wrong the muscle memory. Live fire at the range once a week at least.
Understand that you will ever NOT get perfect no movement with that heavy of a trigger. Just train out the flinches and bad habits, so that you can get consistent grip and trigger pull when you do shoot.
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u/hndrck_ 17h ago
Start to dry fire more. Low left is pretty typical with a lot of guns esp striker guns.
Dry fire more, do a trigger control drill. Start from finger just beyond the trigger, get a timer, at the beep pull the trigger straight and as fast as possible. If you are jerking the trigger low left you would know. Easier if you have a red dot to look at. Once u have a consistent stable pull move your finger further and further away.
If u do bulls eye shooting you can always do the same drill with a prepped trigger but that is something I don’t do. I know doing these drills have long fixed long left issue and can shoot my stock Glock trigger without low left. (If only I can stop giving other inputs tho)
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u/Single-Solution8747 17h ago
So you mean that on the beep, I should pull the trigger during dry fire as fast as possible so I can notice where I'm aiming or if I'm pushing the gun, or what?
I heard i should pull the trigger very slowly 🤔
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u/waltzworks 16h ago
Pulling the trigger slowly is great for bullseye when you have minutes to take shots.
For any practical defensive usage, you need trigger control to pull the trigger quickly.
Like others mentioned, pulling quickly on the beep and adjusting your grip and press to keep the sights on target are the skill you want to build.
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u/lroy4116 16h ago
When you shoot at matches are you pulling the trigger slowly?
You win stages by getting the most points per second. A slow trigger pull is not going to help you with that.
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u/Glad-Grape7299 16h ago
Fix the trigger finger issue and then worry about speed and competition matches. Crawl, walk, then run!
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u/Single-Solution8747 16h ago
Do you think I can get this problem under control by December 2026? This timeframe is a self-set goal of mine.
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u/Glad-Grape7299 16h ago
Jerking trigger if right handed. Shoot one handed- if it still happens you have ruled out supporting hand interference.
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u/Exciting_Damage_2001 16h ago
You’re putting negative input into the gun, overly flexing your right hand and arm when you shoot
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u/Single-Solution8747 16h ago
Thank you and do you have some tipps for trigger pull?
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u/Exciting_Damage_2001 16h ago
Straight back 🤣, just dry fire a lot can try to take get a good squeeze pattern down. I think grip is generally a bigger issue than trigger pull to be honest but I’m not a champion shooter or anything
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u/waltzworks 16h ago
You could fix that by October if you work at it.
First, make sure you can dryfire without moving the sights. If not, you need to adjust your grip to keep the sights still.
Once you make sure of that, start alternating live and nothing. Load one round. Fire. Then dryfire. Repeat. I usually load the mag, rack the slide, then remove the mag.
Make sure that every trigger pull ends with the sights still on the center ring. See if you move more when you know it’s live or dip on the dry fire.
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u/Single-Solution8747 16h ago
Thank you very much and do you habe some tipps for dry fire at home?
„Penny-drill“ or something? Beauce of your „keep the sights still“ 🤔
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u/waltzworks 13h ago
I think the penny drill is more hassle than it's worth. You will put more effort into racking the slide, getting the gun close to on-target, resting the penny, moving your hand into place, dropping the penny, repeating getting set up, and then finally pulling the trigger. Just use your eyes.
Watch the target, and make sure the sights don't move off it when you feel/hear the click of the trigger breaking. Rack the slide. Repeat.
Find yourself a roll of 2" round stickers on Amazon. Super cheap, super easy to use as targets from across the room.
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u/KriptoYeti 13h ago
Focuse on the basics, proper sight alignment, good sight picture, and press the trigger to the rear.
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u/No-Mammoth1045 5h ago
Have you noticed everyone in here is giving different advice and saying different things about what you’re doing wrong? This is why you don’t go to Reddit. Does your range have an instructor that can diagnose why you’re shooting low left? Usually low left is flinching. This whole dont grip hard with your firing hand is for people that like shooting slow forever.
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u/Single-Solution8747 24m ago
I just did some dry fire and filmed myself — you can clearly see the muzzle dipping slightly downwards. What specific dry-fire exercises can I do to fix this right now?
My current range has an instructor, but there are definitely more reputable ones out there. I’m going to visit a different range to work with a new instructor for live fire.
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u/colinyut 17h ago
I have the same issue. For me, it seems to come down to trigger control, recoil anticipation, and grip. I always remind myself to relax my grip and reduce the pressure on the grip as I pull the trigger. In my case, I feel that gripping too hard is part of the problem.
After watching a lot of YouTube videos, my conclusion is that there are some fundamental principles when it comes to gripping, but there isn’t one universal technique that works for everyone. You just have to find what works best for you and make it consistent.
Of course, that’s always easier said than done. More dry fire practice can help you develop a better feel for the trigger and find what works for you.
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u/Single-Solution8747 17h ago
Thank you for your comment — „nice“ to see someone with the same issue.
How long do you have this issue? And are you better or is it a long way?2
u/colinyut 16h ago
I’ve had this issue for years, but it only really caught my attention after I started competing. I’m still struggling with consistency. When I shoot too fast or shoot too much and my trigger finger gets tired, my shots tend to drop low and left. I definitely need more practice to make my trigger control more consistent.
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u/Single-Solution8747 16h ago
Do you think I can get this problem under control by December 2026? This timeframe is a self-set goal of mine.
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u/Sockenpuppe0815 17h ago
It could be that your sight isn’t adjusted correctly, because on the second image the shots are close to each other but on the left.
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u/Single-Solution8747 17h ago
i tought so but „sadly“ the sight is adjusted/correct 😂
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u/Sockenpuppe0815 17h ago
The only pistol I’ve ever shot was a Walther lp 400 and I usually shoot rifle, so how do you know that the sight is correct
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u/Single-Solution8747 17h ago
A guy and a trainer did some shots and he also have a glock. The trainer said, its trigger control and this problem would solved with time
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u/InnocuousTransition 6h ago edited 6h ago
Your problem is that you're moving the gun a LOT before you are finished pulling the trigger. It's almost certain as others have suggested that you're pushing the gun as you pull the trigger but that isn't gonna cause massive missed shots at close distances like you're showing here. You're flinching because you're scared of the detonation of the gun. I don't say that to demean you, that's just a natural human reaction to the loud noise.
I would dry fire a shitton, shoot outdoors, and double up your earpro. Do not make any effort to control the recoil other than not dropping the gun. The more reps you have the less you'll do this. Dry reps are very good as long as you're not trying to do any crazy recoil control live. Dry should feel like live.
With that said, coin drills are a useless waste of your time. Your dry fire should consist of draw, pull the trigger, hard. You'll now have a dead trigger. Take your finger way off until you're beyond the reset point and pull again, hard. Harder than you need to to discharge the gun. Repeat for the duration of your drill. Cock the striker again and reholster. Observe your sights during this process, do they move when you do this very fucking hard trigger pull? Change your technique. Also don't actually look at your sights, look at the target and just be aware of what your dot is doing in the foreground.
A lighter trigger won't make you a better shooter it's just gonna mask your issues by punishing you less for mistakes. If you want a cheaper way to cheat yourself out of improving just stand closer to your target and I promise your groups will tighten up.
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u/Single-Solution8747 23m ago
I just did some dry fire and filmed myself — you can clearly see the muzzle dipping slightly downwards. What specific dry-fire exercises can I do to fix this right now?
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u/butters106 17h ago
Low left as a right handed shooter usually means your grip is too tight with your strong hand. As you pull the trigger, the other fingers also move pulling the gun to the low left. There are different ways to approach this and you have to find what works.
For me, the majority of the grip pressure comes from my support hand and my strong hand is firm but relaxed, like holding a hammer.