Question about small pistol accuracy...

[jasona]

Yesterday I took my newest purchase (Beretta APX Carry) out to the range to see how I liked it. As far as how it felt in the hand, how it felt shooting it, etc, I like the pistol.
But...
Either it shoots WAY low, or it's not very accurate. I had the targets out at 15 ft and if I aimed at the lettering at the top of the target, I'd either be hitting the bullseye or about 1/2-way between the bullseye and the lettering. Now, this is a carry-size pistol (3" barrel) so at that range it was accurate to within a "minute-of-a-bad-guy" but also with this being my first carry-size pistol, should it be more accurate?
All my other pistols are full-size (92FS, Jericho 941, 22lr 1911) It does seem somewhat logical to me that the shorter barrel of the APX is going to be less accurate, it won't be a tack-driver, so if that's the case, then I'm going to be good with it. If, however, it *should* be more accurate than that, then I'll probably start by contacting Beretta and see where that goes.

[december1979]

How were your groups, if they were nice and tight but not hitting where you are aiming, it's you. Your stance, grip, sight alignment all play a factor and it will vary with each type of gun. A good friend of mine got a Beretta PX4, when I shot it for the first time my shots were barley on the paper but he was shooting right in the bulls eye, I think sometimes you just need practice with that particular gun. So it's not that it's inaccurate it's just the way you are shooting it.


Try slow fire with good factory ammo bench resting it, if the shots are all over the place the barrel may be bad. Also have someone else shoot it see how they do.

[GreaseMonkeySRT]

If fundamentals of grip and trigger pull aren't near flawless, switching guns will quickly show that. Different guns will cause people to grip differently, and therefore effect trigger finger placement and pull. This seems to be more common with small guns because there isn't enough room for one hand.

It's possible the sight might not be set right or you might be flinching which usually causes rounds to hit low. Try dry firing to see if you're flinching (have someone record you) and try bringing a full size gun to the range and compare. If someone else is at the range, have them shoot it too and see what happens. Ya just gotta add and remove variables until something follows.

[Leader]

I'd tend to agree that it is most likely you.
S-I-L just came to me with the same problem, gun shooting low.
Both he and a friend (instructor) had tried it.

To demonstrate, he shot a full mag and put 16 rounds in an 8" paper plate at ~21'.

I didn't even have to try it .

[dirtmcgirt76239]

https://www.usacarry.com/proper-sigh...s-to-accuracy/

Sight Picture is the placement of the properly Aligned Sights on the Target. Once you have your Front and Rear Sights in the proper relationship to each other, the question then is “Where do you place the sights in relation to the target?” What is the “Sight Picture?” Do I put my Front Sight in the middle of the bullseye, at the bottom of the bullseye, at the top to cover-up the entire bullseye, or where? Well, the answer is it depends. Guns which are sighted in for a Combat Hold mostly require the shooter to place the Front Sight where it covers the exact center of the target (Center-Mass Hold), while guns sighted in for a Target Hold usually get their accuracy when the Front Sight is aligned at the center of the bottom of the bullseye (Six-O’Clock Hold.) Self-Defense handguns usually (not always) use the quicker but less precise Combat Hold. There are several variations and personal preference plays a key role.

Various handguns come from the factory with a given “hold” or Sight Picture manufactured into the gun. Some are designed for a Center-Mass Hold, others for a Six-O’Clock Hold, still others for a Sub-Six-O’Clock Hold, and even others with a Cover-Up or Dead-On Hold, etc. Confusing and a problem to deal with your various guns and their manufactured Sight Pictures. A shooter must know the proper Sight Picture for each of his/her guns. I recently bought a very nice H&K P30, LEM, Version 1 pistol and didn’t initially research or discover the standard Sight Picture for it. I assumed a Center-Mass Hold and was consistently hitting 3-4 inches off low. I discovered from the H&K Forum that the P30s are designed for a Cover-Up Hold. So, I switched Sight Pictures for that gun and was back to good hits with my 2-inch groups . So, learn from my mistake and learn your standard Sight Picture from the manufacturer and practice it. If your Front Sight POA is off only .03 inch, you miss the target POI by approximately 8 inches at 20 yards or so. Be able to make the transition among various holds for your different guns

[dirtmcgirt76239]

read that, then in your directions there is often a picture explaining visually what to do.

[jasona]

So, did the suggested research and yeah, it's almost certainly me.

Per the manual, it's a 6 o'clock hold sight and seeing as my groups could only be called that in a very loose sense, I'm going to have to get back out to the range again and this time bench rest it and see how that does for starts. Any suggestions on the bench rest? Can I just use my range bag, or the range I go to has (or at least in the past had, I didn't notice last trip) these heavy plastic triangle things (similar to, or actually these: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...-shooting-rest) or should I see if they've got sandbags to use (or just spring for a bag for myself?)

[Divegeek]

Another thing to consider is which combination of bullet weight and powder charge work best in your gun. Some guns like 115 gr cheapies, while others need 127 gr or more to be accurate. Plus, accuracy with cheap practice ammo isn't what matters in a carry gun. If you can't find a good self defense hollow point to shoots accurately, then you have a real problem.

[Ol` Joe]

Short sight radius, small grips, long trigger pulls, often as not quite heavy, and loud(er) reports are not conductive to accurate shooting without a lot of practice. I see a lot of people at the range trying to shoot at 10-15 yards with 2” barreled revolvers, or little LCP’s and finding they can only keep about half their shots on paper, the misses are usually low btw.
The majority of these people are ladies whom were talked into buying one of these guns by their 1911/ G40 carrying husband/boy friend because they have small grips and are light weight so they fit “ lady sized hands, the light weight is easier on the weaker sex, or they are easier to hide in women’s clothing”.
Yes they conceal easily and, are great last ditch in your face defensive pistols but, they are poor range guns for the majority of shooters.


BTW, they are just as accurate in capable hands as any other carry gun. Barrel length has little to do with accuracy. Proper twist, quality materials, and workmanship can make every bit the equal of longer tubes.

[10x25mm]

So, did the suggested research and yeah, it's almost certainly me.

Per the manual, it's a 6 o'clock hold sight and seeing as my groups could only be called that in a very loose sense, I'm going to have to get back out to the range again and this time bench rest it and see how that does for starts. Any suggestions on the bench rest? Can I just use my range bag, or the range I go to has (or at least in the past had, I didn't notice last trip) these heavy plastic triangle things (similar to, or actually these: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...-shooting-rest) or should I see if they've got sandbags to use (or just spring for a bag for myself?)

A sort of firm couch pillow on a bench can provide point of impact quite near where it is during offhand shooting of a pistol. You tend to apply too much downforce on firmer bags and rests, resulting in a lower point of impact than you will obtain offhand.

Dry firing practice offhand is always a good way to sort out these problems. Take a buddy with you and have him load the pistol for you single shot out of your vision. Have him load it sometimes, and sometimes pass it to you cocked but unloaded. Observe the rules of safety and keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction during the pass. You will quickly see whether you are pulling the pistol down when the pistol is unloaded but you think the pistol is loaded.