I lost my mojo - Strings to the left

I lost my mojo, last summer I was shooting sustained fire in high nineties, but something has happened and I can't figure it out.  I shoot right handed.

With my mojo lost, my shots are strung out from the X to the 6 ring, straight to the left.  Charts says "too little trigger finger".  I have tried different placements of the trigger finger with no real cure.  It is hard to see this happening with dry firing with a 2 second trigger squeeze or even a jerk,  I suspect my first couple of shots are the center shots and 3, 4 , & 5 go further left.

I have been struggling with this for a number of months now, trying different things with no solution.  

Any ideas on what might be happening?  How I can figure this out?  What is the cure?

Thanks.

You have a crisp trigger pull?
Jon

Jon Eulette wrote:You have a crisp trigger pull?
Jon

Yes, crips trigger, SW 41 and a modified range officer.  And I have tried more finger, less finger, web grip versus slab grip.   Just can't seem to find what works or what I lost.

In my opinion, the Chris trigger is the enemy, unless you are young, and really strong and can hold like a statue. Soft crisp with fast break or short roll is your friend. Crisp triggers are hard to shoot well. When shooting you have to wait for the shot to break. Crisp trigger can make you wait a week until it finally goes off. Lends itself to forced shots. Your shots sound forced.
Jon

Hiya,
Are you calling the shots in the center and to the left? If you aren’t able to call their location when they break, your may not be looking at the sights/dot as the shot breaks and your stance is rotating you to the left. Does the pistol return from recoil in the center or to the left? Just some things to think about, not saying it’s the answer.

Tom

I’m no one to advise, but I am curious. Did this start all at once or gradually? Did something change? More training? Less? Long break? Glasses? Grips? Take up salsa dancing?

I am envious of your score. The only thing I will say is that you still have mojo. You have to it can’t just disappear.

The 
We 

RodJ wrote:I’m no one to advise, but I am curious. Did this start all at once or gradually?  Did something change? More training? Less? Long break?  Glasses?  Grips? Take up salsa dancing?

I am envious of your score.  The only thing I will say is that you still have mojo. You have to it can’t just disappear.

Last summer I spent one or two days a week at the range practicing RF.  Time and rapid fire was my weakness.  After several months of practice, Somehow I found the groove and I could shoot high nineties consistently.  Then the later part of September I lost a very close friend that devastated me.  I laid off two months.   No practice, no nothing.  When I picked up the practice and regular shooting, I have the left hand strings.

Calling shots for me in RF is hard as it happens so quickly, but often I am surprised to see the string off to the left.

I am particular about my stance, I set that at 3 minute prep and chalk it or dirt scuff it.  My dot is returning to the center after the shot.

Pf, I’m really sorry to hear that about your friend and, obviously, the relationship you two had… everyone that reads your post will feel for you.  A good friend is like your XO… and he’s a pole star, rudder, ballast, wind.  Personally I believe that part of immortality is the permanent mark that we leave on others and that they then in turn pass to other lives. Put your friend and that relationship that only you two have in your pocket next time you go shooting.

I’d also listen to the real actual bullseye advice of others like Jon Eulette. Hell, I do listen to him, because he’s putting a roll trigger in my modified RO.

RodJ, thanks for the kind words - I like that, put the relationship in my pocket.    

Jon Eulette, I have no doubt that a roll trigger would make me a better shooter, but I was able to shoot RF rather well at one point, but lost it.  I just need to figure out how to get it back.  

I guess the choice is to go to the range and try different things until I find the combination of trigger and grip that works.  I guess it could be that in the process of shooting the five shot string, I am involving my other fingers in the process.  Two shot drills are fine, right where I want them.  Five leisurely shots are fine as well.  But using the Billseye Match app, I get the left string.  Maybe it is a mental thing.  Oh well, back to the range.  THe nice part about this is going to the range is fun.

pfeathers wrote:


Calling shots for me in RF is hard as it happens so quickly, but often I am surprised to see the string off to the left.

I am particular about my stance, I set that at 3 minute prep and chalk it or dirt scuff it.  My dot is returning to the center after the shot.

Hiya,

If you're surprised to see the hits on the left, you probably aren't looking at the front sight/dot at the moment the shot breaks for those shots. 

Humans really don't like loud noise and violent actions a couple feet from their faces and tend to either blink or look away right before they think the shot is going to break. With a "crisp" trigger, it's very predictable, with practice, to anticipate the moment, about 200 milliseconds before the shot brakes and look away to avoid the upcoming bang and flash. This is why a rolling trigger works better for some people as they can't pinpoint that moment reliably and they tend to watch the sight/dot all the way through to the shot break. 

Another aspect tells me you likely aren't watching the sight/dot consistently in rapid fire is that "things happen quickly" and you feel rushed. 10 seconds for 5 shots, even with a 45 ball gun is a lot of time per shot. If you focus on the sight/dot through the break, recoil and recovery event into the follow-up shots, you don't have to "find" the sight/dot between rounds. This will save you a bunch of time between breaking the shots, using this concept I don't feel rushed and I can call every shot. 

Well, hope that helps a bit, I'm not saying it's the answer but hopefully, is was entertaining reading,
Tom

Crisp triggers require “waiting” for shot to break. They are unforgiving if you try to force the shot. There’s a very fine line between waiting for shot to break and helping the shot off. Helping leads to forcing which for a right handed shooter is generally to the left of center.

If you’re going to shoot a crisp trigger it needs to break fast. If your waiting and waiting for shot to break its not a good trigger job.

I would dry practice getting shots to break within two seconds of settling. Then on next range trip alternate; one dry fire shot, one live fire shot. Do this until you get your centered shots.
Once you’ve got your good single shots and are comfortable, start shooting 5 good shots no time limit. Once you’re comfortable with shooting centered shots, start increasing speed between shots. Gradually increase until you are shooting RF cadence. As always keep the trigger moving.

This is what I would do specifically for this issue.

Jon