Guns you just can't shoot.

[SummerStriker]

I am having a very frustrating problem. I have two glock 43s and a 34. I have rented and shot numerous other glocks including the 17, 19, and 43x. I have found all of them, including my personal 34 and one of the 43s to be just about the same. If they are big enough for me to get my pinky on the grip, I shoot them about as good as I set out to learn to do.

With one major exception--the second 43 I bought.

Its trigger is much stiffer than any other glock I have fired. Worse, it has a 12 O'Clock aim so the bullets hit low at any distance, especially at 25 yards where I am trying to shoot from. And I bought aftermarket sights that I knew weren't quite right. So I bought a brass punch and a soft pad, and have been trying to align them better.

My other little Glock 43 I can shoot 25 yards just fine.

It is so hard because the trigger and the 12 O'Clock are especially challenging for me. I'm not an exceptional shooter. I can't make YouTube videos about my groupings. So when I zero it at 25, there is so much slop I have to draw a best fit line through the holes. I walk it in to 15 yards but even there, no matter how lightly I tap the sights, I move my group all the way across the paper if I move it at all. I can't find the right pressure.

I believe I perfectly zeroed my 34 with the red dot to 25 yards. It took me like 12 shots and it is dead on because red dots are so much easier.

I don't know what to do. I was thinking of giving up and trading it in, but maybe I should just go buy a red dot for it. I don't want to give up though. I wish I could make the front sight taller.

You ever have this kind of problem?

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

I don't know what to do. I was thinking of giving up and trading it in, but maybe I should just go buy a red dot for it. I don't want to give up though. I wish I could make the front sight taller.

You ever have this kind of problem?

Yes I've had this issue. I bought a HKVP9SK which I like quite well, and it shoots as good as my full sized guns. Then I bought a fullsized VP9 and it sucked balls. Absolutely shit trigger, fucking sights way off. I spent $200 on trigger upgrade, and another $80 on sights. In the end it shot marginally close to the SK model.

So I sold it and bought two Glocks, a 43X and a 48. (Both of which had shit triggers) So I bought trigger kits and night sights. They are fucking half-assed marginal now, so they sit in the closet as loaner guns for company, and if I carry I take the VP9sk.

My Opinion:
If the gun isn't jiving for you, maybe better to ditch it for one that does.
I mean a 1911 can be tuned and fixed and made into something that shoots like great ones. But these plastic fucking guns nowadays? I don't know. Some seem good while other identical ones are just shit.

Do you need the aggravation of owning shit?

 

[SummerStriker]

@Chesten_Hesten i hear ya. That does sound very annoying. I guess I'll take one more crack at adjusting it in a couple weeks and if it is still shit, I am going to sell it and see if I can buy my first real metal gun. Thank you

 

[Hatorade]

Glocks aren't built for accuracy, especially the 43. That's a pistol designed for concealed carry. 3-7 yards is what you should be practicing at with a pistol like that.

If you wan't a pistol for shooting out at distances like you're talking about, get a full size pistol with a single action trigger like a 1911 or something that's DA/SA like a Beretta 92 or a CZ-75. Even a full size Glock-17 with a trigger job is going to be vastly more accurate than a little compact carry gun.

 

[SummerStriker]

Glocks aren't built for accuracy, especially the 43. That's a pistol designed for concealed carry. 3-7 yards is what you should be practicing at with a pistol like that.

If you wan't a pistol for shooting out at distances like you're talking about, get a full size pistol with a single action trigger like a 1911 or something that's DA/SA like a Beretta 92 or a CZ-75. Even a full size Glock-17 with a trigger job is going to be vastly more accurate than a little compact carry gun.

I already dedicated some time to it. I can hit an 8" target 9 out of 10 times with my G43 at 25 yards. The good one anyway. I was hitting 5 out of 10 at 100 yards once I found where to hold. If it isn't unusually off, I think they shoot pretty straight.

 

[Hatorade]

I already dedicated some time to it. I can hit an 8" target 9 out of 10 times with my G43 at 25 yards. The good one anyway. I was hitting 5 out of 10 at 100 yards once I found where to hold. If it isn't unusually off, I think they shoot pretty straight.

Why?
It's a self defense pistol. It's meant to be quickly deployed and fired rapidly. That's how you should be training with it.
If you like long range target shooting, why not just get a target .22 with a 6" bull barrel. You can shoot all day for $20

 

[SummerStriker]

Why?
It's a self defense pistol. It's meant to be quickly deployed and fired rapidly. That's how you should be training with it.
If you like long range target shooting, why not just get a target .22 with a 6" bull barrel. You can shoot all day for $20

Maybe in a self defense situation I'll only be half as good at 15 yards as I am at the range at 25. I watched a video yesterday of 3 cops firing dozens of pistols and rifle rounds into a suburban street to hit one guy once in the stomach. Seems like shooting in real life is pretty hard. Maybe I'll be shooting at a bad guy with a gun 15 yards away. Maybe he will have cover. Maybe I'll be at the mall and an active shooter will be blocking me into the Gap. Maybe he will have a vest on and Ill have to shoot him in the face without hitting anyone else. Maybe I'll have to shoot a dog off my kid while it has her by the neck. Who knows why I will have to be perfect. But of all the things in the world to have a low standard in, shooting bullets around my kid in my neighborhood isn't one of them. My plan for self defense is to not miss.

 

[Hatorade]

Maybe in a self defense situation I'll only be half as good at 15 yards as I am at the range at 25. I watched a video yesterday of 3 cops firing dozens of pistols and rifle rounds into a suburban street to hit one guy once in the stomach. Seems like shooting in real life is pretty hard. Maybe I'll be shooting at a bad guy with a gun 15 yards away. Maybe he will have cover. Maybe I'll be at the mall and an active shooter will be blocking me into the Gap. Maybe he will have a vest on and Ill have to shoot him in the face without hitting anyone else. Maybe I'll have to shoot a dog off my kid while it has her by the neck. Who knows why I will have to be perfect. But of all the things in the world to have a low standard in, shooting bullets around my kid in my neighborhood isn't one of them. My plan for self defense is to not miss.

Former armed security and body guard here.

You shoot someone at 45 feet, you better make damn sure you're being shot at, especially in a state where you're required to retreat.

Average defense shooting is less than 2 yards Even police shootings average just under 3 yards, and they have a very different set of rules with very different likely scenarios.

If you want to train for defense with a handgun, practice efficiently and safely drawing your weapon and getting on target (center mass). Practice doing it with both hands, from a seated position and from the ground as well. Shit happens REALLY fast in defense shootings. Take a defense course if you're serious about it. You'll learn a lot, and you'll get some great drills.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

@Chesten_Hesten i hear ya. That does sound very annoying. I guess I'll take one more crack at adjusting it in a couple weeks and if it is still shit, I am going to sell it and see if I can buy my first real metal gun. Thank you

For metal guns look at the various versions of the CZ-75.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Former armed security and body guard here.

You shoot someone at 45 feet, you better make damn sure you're being shot at, especially in a state where you're required to retreat.

Average defense shooting is less than 2 yards Even police shootings average just under 3 yards, and they have a very different set of rules with very different likely scenarios.

If you want to train for defense with a handgun, practice efficiently and safely drawing your weapon and getting on target (center mass). Practice doing it with both hands, from a seated position and from the ground as well. Shit happens REALLY fast in defense shootings. Take a defense course if you're serious about it. You'll learn a lot, and you'll get some great drills.

Great advice. The Active Self-Protection channel on Youtube is eye opening when it comes to how self-defense situations play out in real life.

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

Maybe in a self defense situation I'll only be half as good at 15 yards as I am at the range at 25. I watched a video yesterday of 3 cops firing dozens of pistols and rifle rounds into a suburban street to hit one guy once in the stomach. Seems like shooting in real life is pretty hard. Maybe I'll be shooting at a bad guy with a gun 15 yards away. Maybe he will have cover. Maybe I'll be at the mall and an active shooter will be blocking me into the Gap. Maybe he will have a vest on and Ill have to shoot him in the face without hitting anyone else. Maybe I'll have to shoot a dog off my kid while it has her by the neck. Who knows why I will have to be perfect. But of all the things in the world to have a low standard in, shooting bullets around my kid in my neighborhood isn't one of them. My plan for self defense is to not miss.

I agree with you here. When/if the time comes you'll likely not get to choose the distance or situation. You can control your proficiency however.

I personally get a lot of mileage from drawing and dry firing, and drilling predominantly at 15 yards. To me its a split the difference distance. Doing the same thing closer is only easier.

Being proficient at 20 + yards is good stuff.

 

[Hatorade]

Great advice. The Active Self-Protection channel on Youtube is eye opening when it comes to how self-defense situations play out in real life.

Yup, I've worked with 2 different guys that had their gun taken from them.

One of them was comming out of a McDonalds back to an armored truck with a bank deposit. Some guy walked up a clocked him before grabbing the bag. He was able to get a shot off as the guy was over the top of him but he missed right as the guy stomped him out. He was in the hospital for a couple days. He got a concusion and a broken jaw. He also got his own personal gun stolen.

Fast forward 3 months later. Same dude walks up to another one of our guys at the same McDonalds and one punches his ass cold as he comes out the door before getting away with both the deposit and his gun. We're talking like 10k in cash. both times.

Both of these guys were former military. The guy that did this to them was some tall skinny crack head in his 50's that looked like Snoop Dog.

point is, if someone has the balls to commit a violent crime, you need to be extremily prepared to defend yourself in an instant. Most people aren't.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

point is, if someone has the balls to commit a violent crime, you need to be extremily prepared to defend yourself in an instant. Most people aren't.

Which is why I've become convinced that if you're gonna carry then there should be a round in the chamber.

 

[Hatorade]

Which is why I've become convinced that if you're gonna carry then there should be a round in the chamber.

Yup, an unchambered pistol is about as useful as a defense gun in a safe.

It's also why ankle holsters, fanny packs, purse holsters etc are worthless most the time. You wan't a gun ready to draw from your waist or a large pocket, and you don't want anyone to see it in most scenarios.

I like pocket carry with cargo shorts and a small DA revolver because I like the ability to both draw it quickly but also have it in my hand as a situation develops without looking like I'm reaching for my piece. In cold weather, I like mexican carry in a jacket pocket for the same reason.
I can draw and put a couple rounds of 38 fired double action on center mass from 20 feet all day. You can also light someone up with a revolver in a jacket pocket while it's still in the pocket.......suprise suprise fucko

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

You can also light someone up with a revolver in a jacket pocket while it's still in the pocket.......suprise suprise fucko

That's the one thing that would make me consider a revolver as a carry weapon.

 

[SummerStriker]

I dont know about the whole pocket revolver thing. Even with a DA 10 pound trigger, I dont trust that mother fucker not to go off on accident.

 

[SummerStriker]

I know I was advised against doing this, but I just watched a video on how to attach my own red dot to a 43. So, I ordered some thread glue (blue) a torque wrench, mounting plate and red dot for my glock 43. I just want to see if I can put this on and secure it myself. If I feel like I can hit with careful shots after the red dot is on, but I'm still fucking up on shots from the draw because of the higher trigger weight, I'll look into adjusting the trigger.

Like one poster said, I know that fixing a fucked up gun like this involves a lot of luck but I'll feel good if I can get control of it. I kinda hate having this thing sitting here on my desk for home defense in the living room with it half trashed. If I had to defend against someone kicking in my front door and a bullet went wide, all these Sherdog posts about it being a piece of shit wouldn't be good for me. lol I need to get rid of it or get it fixed asap.

I usually have my carry gun on me anyway. But I would like to have a second option for a carry gun.

 

[SummerStriker]

Follow up: I put a red dot on my G43 a couple days ago, sealed down with thread locker. Took it to an outdoor range today and zeroed the sight. Managed to shoot really well at 25 yards with it, better than I do with my other G43. The red dot makes an enormous difference.

The trigger still feels tight. I get this sensation that I am jerking the trigger or pulling too hard or whatever, but I was still landing shots on an 8" target at 15 and 25 yards, even when I felt like I was pulling the gun down. There is just something unusual about how the trigger makes me feel about shooting, but since I was hitting I guess it doesn't matter. I just don't know what to make of it.

 

[Protectandserve]

I've always shot glocks like shit. They just don't fit me right and the grip angle doesn't point well for me.

 

[Gus Fring]

I've always shot glocks like shit. They just don't fit me right and the grip angle doesn't point well for me.

Have you tried the Gen 5 glocks?