Wobble Area Sometimes Twitchy

First red dot I used was on a revolver (big dot, like the whole 9 ring at 50) and it bounced around so much I switched grips. Some improvement.

Then put a small dot on a .45 and noticed that what I thought was a much better wobble area (from the iron sight days) was still pretty bad but still noticeably better than the revolver.

Still using irons with the .22, AND shoot better scores with it. A lot of that is more consistent ammo and zeros. And less recoil = more time for sights & trigger in TR/RF.

But in some recent sessions, even the .45 is bouncing all over the 5-ring!!! Hard to get it to settle down to an 8-ring wobble area, and I seem to have lost the frequency of it slowing down to a 9-ring wobble.

As I go into dry firing and experimenting with variations all the way up to the legendary "death grip" on the handgun, any suggestions besides Euro-style glove-fitted custom grips? I know that time on target, live or dry, is key, but I want to get the most out of that time.

Thanks!

I struggled with intermittent tremors for YEARS that reflected in a hold that made the dot look more like a line than a dot.  I tried all of the fundamentals, diet, looke for physical problems, and learned that for me it was about nerves.  I didn't FEEL anxious, but it was holding my performance back.  "Over trying" is what Lanny Bassham calls it in his book, "With Winning in Mind".  If you haven't read it, you should.

Warming up and stretching the back and shoulders, and achieving good posture is essential.

Before you start your string of fire in sustained fire courses, or before your shots in slow fire, you should take a deep breath.  The point of this breath is to engage the diaphragm, breathing more from the lower abdomen than from the chest.  The best description I've heard of this is the 6-2-7: breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 2, out for 7.  It will help to slow your heartbeat, and reduce your stress just before your shot or string.  You'll find it will help you focus as well.

We all twitch more some days than others.  After an 18 year layoff I found that I could hold the gun okay but I had no endurance.     After 30 rounds of slow fire the dot wobbled more and my scores dropped way off.  Made the decision to shoot slow fire at a timed fire cadence.   The more I shoot the steadier I seem to get.  You older guys get on a light weight training program.  If you sit around and let if go it is VERY hard to get back.  Just a minimum amount of work and it will stay a long time.

Not sure how much of this is just doing it more and getting conditioned, or a recent change in grip technique, but the zig-zag is now down to the 8-ring or smaller most of the time, with longer and longer periods of holding still.

A LOT like standing position with the rifle. I knew a guy who could shoot a clean 100 standing on the NRA targets at 50 feet (no X-ring that close) in smallbore. His time totally still on target was amazing.

Anyway, the change I've tried is to add a bit of sideways squeeze with my fingertips, being opposed by the insides of the knuckles over on the other side. I have always before just pulled straight back into the heel of my hand with the middle phlanges of the three gripping fingers.

Learned years ago that I would get high shots if I started relaxing the pinkie finger's grip while easing pressure up on the trigger.

Anyway, adding the fingertip pressure so there is more of a full-circumference squeeze seems to be helping.

Any other suggestions or observations???

Grip is all in what works for you, regardless of what some say and teach.  I have several friends, masters and high masters that grip with all there fingers, you wont know if you don't try.

The ideal world is when your wobble is reducing, the location (area) is improving, and the trigger finger is pressing all at the same time.