Sighting in a P95?

[sicboy13]

After 3 trips to the range and hundreds of target rounds, I am begining to think my sights are off but I am still pretty wet behind the ears when it comes to semi auto's in general...

a few questions...

1. How accurate are semi's out of the box in general, I know there is a chance for any model or brand to have variations, etc.... but I own only one, the P95 so that is all I have to base it on...

2. Aside from asking an experienced shooter to fire my P95, is there a way to tell if its my aim that sucks or my sights that need adjusted?

3. Are the sights on a p95 difficult to adjust?

Thanks in advance for reading this and sorry if its an old subject, I searched and gave up after scouring the first few pages of results...

 

[K_W]

The rear sight on mine was slightly out of line when i got it. Shoots fine now that a gunsmith corrected it.

Look real close at the base of the rear sight and make sure it is perfectly centered.

 

[Mike J]

http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf/files/Ta ... Handed.pdf
If your sights aren't off this might be helpful-it has helped me. If you are left handed there is a left handed version available at the same site. My experience is that the firearm/sights aren't the most likely problem I am.

 

[sicboy13]

http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf/files/TargetRightHanded.pdf
If your sights aren't off this might be helpful-it has helped me. If you are left handed there is a left handed version available at the same site. My experience is that the firearm/sights aren't the most likely problem I am.

Thanks! I have seen this target before, I am going to try it... I can tell you tho, my groupings end up all low and to the left... at least I am consistantly off target

Last weekend, my buddy and I were shooting at the 25 yard lane I believe, and we were shooting his rifle, well, we tried my P95, each fired 15 rounds at a small 1 foot diameter target, and neither of us even hit it...

 

[Mike J]

That target has helped me Sicboy that & dryfiring. It's hard to do with a Stock Ruger sight because it's slanted but my at the time LEO Bro-in-Law told me to dry fire with a penny on the front sight to work on a nice even pull. Of course the first thing to do is unload the gun & remove all ammunition from the room before beginning this drill. It will make you aware of how much you move the gun while pulling the trigger. It also helps save some money. Another thing you can do is have a friend mix some dummy rounds in with a mag so when shooting & the gun doesn't go off you will see it if you have a flinch etc.

 

[sicboy13]

That target has helped me Sicboy that & dryfiring. It's hard to do with a Stock Ruger sight because it's slanted but my at the time LEO Bro-in-Law told me to dry fire with a penny on the front sight to work on a nice even pull. Of course the first thing to do is unload the gun & remove all ammunition from the room before beginning this drill. It will make you aware of how much you move the gun while pulling the trigger. It also helps save some money. Another thing you can do is have a friend mix some dummy rounds in with a mag so when shooting & the gun doesn't go off you will see it if you have a flinch etc.

aaah, good advice...

another silly question then, is it ok to dry fire a semi auto?

 

[outofammo]

You can dry fire your ruger as much as you want.

 

[BuckJM53]

Sicboy13 ... While the P95 was not designed to be a target pistol (by any stretch of the imagination), it should be able to consistantly produce sub 2" groups (two hand standing) at 20 - 25 feet if you're able to do your part. With that said (given the fact that you are a relatively new shooter), there may be a number of issues going on here (apart from the sights) that can negatively affect your accuracy.

1. The best way to test the sights is to shoot the gun off of a rest or a sandbag as this greatly reduces the human error factor. If the sights are truely improperly adjusted (not shooting to your point of aim assuming that you are getting a correct sight picture), you should still get a relatively small and consistant group, however the group will be somewhere on the target other than the bullseye. Note here that your only sight adjustment on a P95 with factory sights, will be a "windage" adjustment by drifting the rear sight to the right or left (a hammer, a punch and a little patience are required for this adjustment if it becomes necessary).

2. If the test from the rest demonstrates that the sights are aligned OK, then it's likely that your shooting mechanics need some help. It's not uncommon for new shooters to have poor accuracy due to a multitude of factors including: improper stance, poor sight alignment, poor trigger control, limp wristing, recoil anticipation, etc. To start you down the right path, I am including a link (with a diagram) for your review that may help diagnose problems that you are experiencing. http://www.targetshooting.ca/docs/grp-analysis.pdf .

Are any of the shot patterns shown on the diagram similar to what you are experiencing on your targets?

 

[railroader]

Shoot closer, say 10 yards and from a rest. That way you will be able to hold the gun steady enough to see where it shoots. If it shoots either right or left of the target move the rear sight in the direction you want the point of impact to move. If it hits left move sight to the right. Just the opposite if it hits right. There's a knack to shooting handguns. I have been shooting them for years but sometimes I've got it and sometimes I don't. Mark

 

[sicboy13]

Thank you everyone - and yes, BuckJM53 - this one describes me perfectly -

Low Left Placement
Possible Causes
1. Jerking: applies excessive pressure
to trigger, pushing it down and
to the left.
2. Canting the pistol to the left and
dropping the barrel.

I normally shoot from the close handgun lanes, its adjustable from 5, 7, 10 yards. I suck at all distances.

We dont normally shoot the handguns from 25 yards, but man, non of my shots even ended up in the same zip code as the target. Granted, it was a small, leftover target someone left out that i fired at for kicks and giggles... I need to get a large target and see if I can even hit the paper from that distance if I ever try that again.... is 25 yards a pointless endeavor with my P95? if so, I wont even waste the ammo...

 

[Mike J]

I haven't shot a P-95 but I can keep everything on a 25 yard pistol target with my P-944 at that range though it looks more like a pattern than a group. I blame myself more for this than the gun. I usually don't shoot at that range. I would suggest starting off to shoot at 7 yards. When you get where you shoot well at 7 yards I would back the target out to 10 yards. When you get to where you shoot well at that range you can back it out to 15 and so on. I hope you don't get offended by my suggesting this site www.corneredcat.com The site was designed for women but has a lot of good information for any new shooter. Articles on stance, grip, & trigger pull.
There are some people on this site that are a lot more knowledgeable than me I am sure you will get some good suggestions.

 

[BuckJM53]

I normally shoot from the close handgun lanes, its adjustable from 5, 7, 10 yards. I suck at all distances.

We dont normally shoot the handguns from 25 yards, but man, non of my shots even ended up in the same zip code as the target. Granted, it was a small, leftover target someone left out that i fired at for kicks and giggles... I need to get a large target and see if I can even hit the paper from that distance if I ever try that again.... is 25 yards a pointless endeavor with my P95? if so, I wont even waste the ammo...

sicboy13 ... while 25 yards can be accomplished with reasonable accuracy with a P95, the additional distance at this point will only serve to accentuate the problems that you are experiencing at shorter distances (example - if you are shooting 3" low and left at 7 yards, the same shot will likely not even be on the target at 25 yards. Accordingly, lets get you better at shorter distances first. From your description, I would suspect that your low left problem is a combination of anticipating the recoil (low) and pushing the point of aim left due to poor trigger control. I would suggest the following dryfire practice to help with the problem:
1. Cock the hammer so that the pistol is in the single action mode.
2. Place a nickle on the slide just behind the front sight.
3. Point the unloaded pistol in a safe direction and set up a proper sight picture (carfully concentrate on the front sight only).
4. Using just the pad of your index finger, sqeeze the trigger just to the point before the trigger breaks (hold it there a second).
5. Finish the dryfire shot without the coin falling off the slide.
6. Practice this exercise (in single action mode - cocking the hammer each time) until you can consistantly complete the shot without knocking the coin off the slide.
7. Once you get the hang of this in the single action mode, practice the same exercise in the double action mode.
I may be wrong, but I suspect that mastering this technique will improve your accuracy during your next range visit significantly. Hope it helps ... good luck!

 

[sicboy13]

I normally shoot from the close handgun lanes, its adjustable from 5, 7, 10 yards. I suck at all distances.

We dont normally shoot the handguns from 25 yards, but man, non of my shots even ended up in the same zip code as the target. Granted, it was a small, leftover target someone left out that i fired at for kicks and giggles... I need to get a large target and see if I can even hit the paper from that distance if I ever try that again.... is 25 yards a pointless endeavor with my P95? if so, I wont even waste the ammo...

sicboy13 ... while 25 yards can be accomplished with reasonable accuracy with a P95, the additional distance at this point will only serve to accentuate the problems that you are experiencing at shorter distances (example - if you are shooting 3" low and left at 7 yards, the same shot will likely not even be on the target at 25 yards. Accordingly, lets get you better at shorter distances first. From your description, I would suspect that your low left problem is a combination of anticipating the recoil (low) and pushing the point of aim left due to poor trigger control. I would suggest the following dryfire practice to help with the problem:
1. Cock the hammer so that the pistol is in the single action mode.
2. Place a nickle on the slide just behind the front sight.
3. Point the unloaded pistol in a safe direction and set up a proper sight picture (carfully concentrate on the front sight only).
4. Using just the pad of your index finger, sqeeze the trigger just to the point before the trigger breaks (hold it there a second).
5. Finish the dryfire shot without the coin falling off the slide.
6. Practice this exercise (in single action mode - cocking the hammer each time) until you can consistantly complete the shot without knocking the coin off the slide.
7. Once you get the hang of this in the single action mode, practice the same exercise in the double action mode.
I may be wrong, but I suspect that mastering this technique will improve your accuracy during your next range visit significantly. Hope it helps ... good luck!

That's sounds like some very good advice, thanks!

I have read dry firing a center-fired pistol can still damage it; you are positive this won't hurt it?

 

[BuckJM53]

That's sounds like some very good advice, thanks!

I have read dry firing a center-fired pistol can still damage it; you are positive this won't hurt it?

sicboy ... I would venture to guess that I have dry fired my P95 several thousand times in addition to over 6,500 live rounds (I have yet to have a single failure of any kind). The Ruger website says the following regarding dry firing P series pistols:

Q. Can I dry fire my Ruger P-Series and .22 pistols?
A. Yes. All Ruger pistols can be dry fired without damage, and dry firing can be useful to familiarize the owner with the firearm. However, be sure any firearm is completely unloaded before dry firing!"

If your concerned, purchase some snap caps for it.

 

[Predator2525]

sicboy13, i agree with buckjm53 and railroader, i always start any gun from a rest, close range, and concentration on point of aim, grouping is what you want to find and once found can be corrected on sight adjustment. in your case windage of course is through adjustment, however height adjustment is different.

 

[sicboy13]

sicboy ... I would venture to guess that I have dry fired my P95 several thousand times in addition to over 6,500 live rounds (I have yet to have a single failure of any kind). The Ruger website says the following regarding dry firing P series pistols:

Q. Can I dry fire my Ruger P-Series and .22 pistols?
A. Yes. All Ruger pistols can be dry fired without damage, and dry firing can be useful to familiarize the owner with the firearm. However, be sure any firearm is completely unloaded before dry firing!"

If your concerned, purchase some snap caps for it.

When in doubt, read the instructions, right!? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, not trying to step on anyone's toes or anything but you actually have to move that rear site in the direction of your bullet placement.
So if your shots are hitting to the right, move the sight to the right. If you're hitting to the left, move the sight to the left.

I just fixed the sights on my P95 too

 

[outofammo]

Hey, not trying to step on anyone's toes or anything but you actually have to move that rear site in the direction of your bullet placement.
So if your shots are hitting to the right, move the sight to the right. If you're hitting to the left, move the sight to the left.

I just fixed the sights on my P95 too

Wrong! You move a rear sight the direction you want the impacts to go. If you are hitting to the right, drifting the rear sight to the right will move the impacts further right. If you moved it right you have to bring the front of the gun more to the right to line up the sights.

When adjusting sights always move the rear sight in the direction you want the impacts to go or the front sight in the opposite of the direction you want the impacts to go.

 

[sicboy13]

Ok, so I am going out to the range this Saturday with hopefully 2 other buddies who know how to shoot, I am going to really test the accuracy on this sucker.

 

[Bkat]

Good advice from BuckJM53, but if you drift the rear sight, be sure to first back out the screw that's on top of it. You can avoid any scratches by placing a cleaning patch between the sight and the drift punch before you take the hammer to it.

My P95 shoots pretty low at 25 feet with a normal front sight picture , so I have to use a high front sight picture to get the elevation right. But the groups are close enough for government work and for a close quarters, self-defense handgun.

Bkat