Horrible Shot?

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  • Doublehelix

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
    38
    Westfield
    I am not the greatest shooter in the world, but I am decent enough most times to at least hit the target, right?

    My first shot today (DW 1911 .45ACP) did not even hit the paper! I am talking a full-sized target that has 5 smaller targets on it! This is the size that fits into the indoor range clips... 16x24" maybe???? Whatever the standard size is.

    My first shot did not even hit the paper! How could that be? That has never happened before. Ever.

    Factory ammo (CCI Balzer Brass 230 Gr. RN).

    It went BANG, so I knew it wasn't a squib, but I checked anyway. Nothing. Everything looked fine. I picked up the fired brass, it looked fine. What the...????

    Any ideas or theories as to what happened? There is NO WAY that I could have shanked a shot that badly. No way. Everything felt fine, it felt like a good shot, nothing to call as far as a pull or anything.

    I am very stumped here.
     

    Topshelf

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    May 15, 2017
    105
    18
    New Albany
    How far away was your target? New pistol or used? The first time I shot a Glock 17 I had the same problem because I was not aligning the sights correctly. This does not sound like the same issue which puzzles me as well....:dunno:
     

    snapping turtle

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Dec 5, 2009
    6,463
    113
    Madison county
    Have a marlin 44 mag 1894. With certain ammo it will hit 16x24 sheet of paper at 50-75 yards but one might be 12 inches right then seven inches left and 13 low from point of aim. The third shot might hit the bullseye. The fourth 12 inches low just on the paper.

    the gun has an oversized bore and likes larger bullets than my smith 29 handgun. The smith will outshoot the rifle with those bullets at 50 and 75 yards.

    So if your barrel is overbite and the bullets under then maybe.

    Could also be the "the flash" was messing with you and catching them mid flight.
     

    Doublehelix

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
    38
    Westfield
    So I am as stumped as the rest of you, I am glad its not just me!

    This is a new gun, I have had it for just over a week, and had 300 rounds down it before today, and it has always shot amazingly well.

    After that first invisible shot, the rest of the session went fine, and in fact I had several 8-shot groups that had all the shots in one (large-ish) hole, with one or two strays that were within an inch or two of the main group. (Like I said, I am a decent shot, just not a great shot! One of these days I will nail all 8 shots more consistently without the one or two fliers...)

    I was shooting at 7 yards at the time if I remember correctly, this was my first magazine-full, and I usually start there and work back.

    Since the gun is new, I am cleaning after every 50 rounds until I reach 500 rounds, so the gun had just been cleaned and lubed before that disappearing bullet.
     

    Doublehelix

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
    38
    Westfield
    Might want to consider some professional instruction?

    I could always use some professional instruction, but that is not the issue here I don't think. I can usually nail all 6 plates on the ACC plate rack in 6 shots at between 7-8 seconds when drawn from a holster. Rarely can I not knock all 6 plates down with 8 bullets, even on a bad day. I know that is not blazing speed for some of you, but I am certainly able to hit a large target when slow firing at 7 yards. Even if I pulled the shot, I might be 2-3 inches from the bullseye, but I missed the paper entirely. Either that or the bullet disintegrated into thin air!

    It just makes no sense...

    I think I was basically aiming for the center of the paper, so I would have to had missed by 8-10 inches at 7 yards! That's crazy talk! :runaway:

    Haha... I guess *anything* is possible however. I'd be more apt to believe it if I felt that I pulled the shot, and then I would have felt like an idiot, laughed, and moved on.

    Back to the training question however, I am definitely interested, and will be in touch with you within the next week or so. I thought about taking that intermediate handgun class this coming weekend at ACC, but I'm not sure I can get away for it.
     

    Doublehelix

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
    38
    Westfield
    Next step; Have someone else shoot it.

    Not a bad idea, but that is the only time that this has happened out of 350 rounds now. It actually has shot perfectly for me for 349 out of those 350 rounds. My buddy has shot a few mags, and it shoots well for him as well.

    =======================

    The only thing I can think of is a phenomenon that I have *heard of* where the first shot can go errant if the pistol was not fully racked and does not go fully into battery. This is Internet Lore, so I have no idea how true it is. With a semi-auto, the force of the previous round racks the slide for the next shot, but the first round gets racked by hand and with less force. Maybe I had an issue with the magazine (I am having trouble with one of the DW mags) and something was fishy getting that first round into the chamber. Who knows... I am just fishing for answers here.
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
    113
    Btown Rural
    Not a bad idea, but that is the only time that this has happened out of 350 rounds now. It actually has shot perfectly for me for 349 out of those 350 rounds. My buddy has shot a few mags, and it shoots well for him as well.

    =======================

    The only thing I can think of is a phenomenon that I have *heard of* where the first shot can go errant if the pistol was not fully racked and does not go fully into battery. This is Internet Lore, so I have no idea how true it is. With a semi-auto, the force of the previous round racks the slide for the next shot, but the first round gets racked by hand and with less force. Maybe I had an issue with the magazine (I am having trouble with one of the DW mags) and something was fishy getting that first round into the chamber. Who knows... I am just fishing for answers here.

    My mistake, read wrong. Thought it was your first outing with the pistol.

    Factory ammo is not flawless. Stuff can and does go wrong with it.
     

    oldpink

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 7, 2009
    6,660
    63
    Farmland
    Considering that it appears that it was a one shot anomaly, I'm just about certain that it was a problem with the individual round fired, which could be from a number of causes: undersized bullets, over or under powder charge, poor bullet tension, other bullet defect, and about as many other issues as you can imagine.
    It occasionally happens with ammo, and that's even before going into the good old-fashioned issue that afflicts so many of us, flyers.
    The rest of the rounds hit more or less where expected, so don't sweat it.
    The QC on loads intended for serious business should undergo a bit more QC than plinking ammo such as that hardball Blazer Brass, and that'll be reflected in the price.
     

    t-squared

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    May 9, 2012
    1,765
    113
    Crown Point
    I've got a question for those of you that have been doing this a lot longer than myself. Is it possible oil in the barrel could have caused this, or helped contribute to it?
     
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