Rugar SR9C inaccuracy problem

[KyleKidd]

First off, since this is my first post I would like to say hello to everybody.

I just bought myself a Ruger SR9C to conceal carry and have fallen in love with the gun.

I do seem to have a problem at the range though. I've been practicing my shots at at 7 yards, and my grouping is very spread out. The shots are all over the place, with as much as 15inches of spread between them.

I'm fairly practiced with guns in general, but I'm not ruling out operators error. I shoot standing up, left foot a step in-front of the right with my body slightly turned to the right. The gun sits in my right hand with the left palming the bottom of the magazine.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Ratster]

Guessing the problem is technique. Check out some vids on You Tube. You might want to try a couple different stances and grips. Find what's comfortable. Then you can work on sight picture and trigger pull. Work on technique at home with dry fire exercises. My personal favorite is the penny drill. Unfortunately you can't use an SR series pistol for that.

If you can afford it, get some training from an instructor. Then again, you are only going to get one person's point of view. There is a lot of helpful information here and on You Tube if you take the time to find it.

A year and a half ago, I was exactly where you are with the same gun. Today, I practice a 50 ft. My groups are roughly 6" with the occasional stray. Not great by any means, but not bad for being a self trained noob none the less.

Seriously though, I am willing to bet that 99% of the problem is technique. Getting rid of that "palming" grip is the first thing I would do. Work hard and practice often dialing in on your sight picture and trigger pull.

Again, there are a lot of good people here that are very helpful. They will give you some great advice. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

 

[Rei40c]

I was going to say the same as Ratster, so many possible problems it "could be". As said the teacup grip is probably not your best bet for the SR. Sure it will work fine but the ergo's on it are really for the more traditional thumb stacking grip.

I have an SR40C and its hard to imagine how I could shoot it well with the teacup grip with the 15 round mag in. Perhaps it would be easier with the 9 round mag. With the large mag cupping my hand on the bottom would separate my hands and I think would cause a big loss in stability and grip quality.

My only other thought would be what kind of ammo are you using? Reloads? factory range ammo and what grain of bullet? I know it sounds crazy but I've found I shoot heavier bullets better (I use 180g .40 S&W), some like lighter rounds And shoot them better.

Failing that like Ratster said - technique. My biggest obstacle was the trigger pull. Take a breath exhale until comfortable and concentrate on keeping the site still until it breaks, and follow through. Forget being fast, speed will come later. If it takes you 30 seconds to get off one well placed shot fine, do that over, and over, and over again.

 

[freedomcosts]

Agree with above, but will add a couple of things- first the grip, I think you need to raise your support hand up, join the base of t=your thumbs together, kinda...thumbs either straight out or down, but I actually have my strong thumb down, left thumb straight- straight left keeps gun from moving left/right. Next thing that came to mind is how many rounds have you fired? Will take a couple hundred to really get used to recoil..a lot more to get really accurate- but try and start out right, don't learn it wrong or will be harder to correct (thus theexpert training that was recommended-). Final idea from me, hold the gun still until the bullet has left the barrel- follow thru- remember, the bullet will go where the barrels pointed when it actually leaves the barrel- when you pull the trigger, hold that sight on target as much as possible after the explosion. And good luck- we love the 9c too.

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

To help isolate the problem, here's a couple of things to try:

1. Have someone who is real proficient with that piece shoot yours.

2. Shoot from a seated position with your forearms rested on a sandbag, shooting rest, or a rolled up beach towel.

Item 2 won't eliminate problems like trigger control or inconsitent grip, but it should tighten things up real fine. If it does, then you just need more ammo and range time.

If Item 2 doesn't tighten things up, then I'd find someone who's a real good shooter and do Item 1. If that person can't get good groups at 7 yds, I'd start thinking it's a gun problem.

 

[KyleKidd]

Thank you for all your kind replies.

I should of mentioned I'm using American Eagle ammo. Its pretty much economy ammo at $14 for a box of 50.

They are 115 grain full metal jacket according to the box.

I've shot about 150 round though the gun already.

I'm going to do as some of you suggested and read/watch about proper ways to stand and hold the pistol.

I'll take a picture next time I'm at the range. Hopefully things will get better.

 

[freedomcosts]

One thing about the 'problem', sure is fun tryin' to fix it. Having to shoot more and more rounds to get it straightened out- what a bummer----not. Enjoy.

 

[Clovishound]

If you are concerned it is the gun, and not you, having an experienced shooter give it a shot, might settle that for you.

 

[luckybaer]

http://youtu.be/ysa50-plo48

A fellow forum member over at the FN Forum shared this video with me.

I pulled a handful of key concepts from the video above that really helped with my consistency. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

 

[revhigh]

I'm no fan of Ruger semiauto accuracy, but 15 inch groups at 7 yards is NOT the gun.

You need to practice dry firing in your living room with a coin balanced on the front sight. When you can aim at something, pull the trigger, and maintain the sight picture without the coin falling off, you should be ready to go, which will be no easy task with the long, gritty, heavy trigger pull.

REV

 

[Lateck]

I too recommend that you follow the many GOOD suggestions listed so far.

My SR9c has a smooth good triger and I can put rounds more or less where I am pointing. About 2~3" at 7 yards with out really trying.

Practice..... (I know that is what you want to hear......)

Good Luck

Lateck,

 

[KyleKidd]

I'm heading to the range today. I'll post a picture of my results when i get home.

 

[KyleKidd]

Good news!

After improving my technique, my shots were all within about 2 inches of each other at 7 yards.

After moving to 15 yards, they were at about 3-4 inches.

I think I just need some more practice at the range.

My biggest problem I think was that I was focusing on my target. After I started to focus on the front sight my shots all started to fall in a tight grouping.

Also I switched from the "teacup" hold to the thumbs parallel hold.

 

[wrdwrght]

Funny thing about shooting. You don't need someone else to tell you when you're shooting well. :)

 

[Fat B]

In terms of grip and stance, you have 2 major schools of thought, the weaver stance and the isoscoles stance. I'll let you google them instead of going in depth explaining them but the grip is just as important as the stance. Many top rated shooters shoot in the isoscoles while I prefer the weaver as it's more of a fighting stance. Neither way is wrong or right, it'd just what you feel comfortable with.

Last, don't be afraid to practice from 3 yards away when shooting and a lot of dry fire at home!

 

[Fat B]

In terms of grip and stance, you have 2 major schools of thought, the weaver stance and the isoscoles stance. I'll let you google them instead of going in depth explaining them but the grip is just as important as the stance. Many top rated shooters shoot in the isoscoles while I prefer the weaver as it's more of a fighting stance. Neither way is wrong or right, it'd just what you feel comfortable with.

Last, don't be afraid to practice from 3 yards away when shooting and a lot of dry fire at home!

 

[Leucoandro]

.....which will be no easy task with the long, gritty, heavy trigger pull.

As to long, testing my SR9c next to my Glock 17 G4 and Glock 21 G4, and they all three seem to be the same length.

I have an easy fix for the gritty heavy part.

-Take the striker out and clean and dry the channel, and the striker.
-Wipe down the exposed internals of the action. Spraying the internals out with compressed air can help as well.
-Conservatively apply dupont silicone with teflon to the action parts inside the frame. Make sure to get some into the rear of the trigger where the trigger bar connects.
-Apply a dry lube to the striker and inside the striker channel. I used action magic II for this, but I suspect Remington Drylube would work as well.
-Apply a tiny bit of the dupont silicone with teflon lube to the plastic parts on the rear of the striker.


After doing this to the SR9c, and dry firing it some, the trigger pull measures an average of 4 lb 7 oz.

After doing this to the Glock 21 G4, and dry firing my pistol some, the trigger pull measures an average of 4 lb 9 oz.

I have not done this to my Glock 17 G4 yet. The trigger pull still measures an average of 5 lb 2 oz.

Now the trigger pull on my SR9c feels shorter and crisper than it does on my Glocks. I think that this is due to the slight stacking on the Glock trigger, which my Ruger does not appear to have (or has to a lesser extent). The Glock also feels a bit more like a 2 stage trigger, while my SR9c feels more like a single stage trigger.


Charlie