Im having issues at 25 yard and barrier 15 yard. I shoot low on both, very low. I have to aim at the chin. I do not know why or understand why shot placement is so far off. I know it's me not the gun. I had a shooting instructor watch me shoot both 15 barrier and 25 yard he could not figure out what I was doing wrong was well. any help or tips would be great. I have quals coming up I need the help. if the answer is aim for the chin, I guess I can accept that, but it bothers me. This is a duty firearm and may use it in self-defense. I am very well drilled to aim center mass, under stress I'm sure that is where I will aim.    The gun:9mm M&P 2.0 suppressor sights.

Mix some sunny rounds into your live mag while at the range. That should make any recoil anticipation apparent. If you’re not anticipating recoil, you ar e most likely looking over your sights at the moment of firing by moving your focus from the sights to the target. This can be very hard to see by an observer. Keep your focus on the sight through the entire firing cycle. Good luck.

yes ! we did put snap caps to diagnose, it was not a big issue. the instructor and I shot a steel hostage target, at 15yards my rounds would consistently hit low left, low left, low left, I was hitting the hostage head with every round. I was aiming right corner of the round paddle target. could it be the back trap size? Im really at a loss, normally I shoot well with a handgun. out of 5 qual runs I passed twice, once with 81 and second with a 94(100 points possible), I failed to qualify in 3 runs. hitting or missing at the 25 yard and 15 yard determines sucess.

This sounds like anticipation.  If you think it is the gun, let someone else shoot it, or shoot it off a rest.  Maybe it is, but probably not. If you don't eliminate the gun as a probable cause, you will always have it in the back of your mind as a "maybe" and may never really address the root issue - you.  Dry fire practice done well can really help.

Its me, no question about. i will work on dry fire

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<—— NOT A PRO SHOOTER😉





How does that gun fit your hand?  They are on the smaller side for smaller hands iirc.

I have small short sausage fingers, a glock 22 gen 4 or 5, the one with the grip adjustment kit with them, I pull them all off and shoot the smallest possible.  My finger could use even more reach on the trigger so I rotate my hand (right) counter clockwise around the grip for a better straight finger pull.  It is not a perfect grip but a compromise that works for me.  

If you have too much finger on the trigger the instructor training manual says you pull the gun, too little finger and they say you push the gun off target.


this is one version of that chart instructors use
https://aegisacademy.com/blogs/test-blog-post/pistol-correction-chart

I don’t say it’s more than a general guide like the link opines on the chart too.,




Did you just try snap caps or have the instructor load a magazine for you with both live and dummy rounds?  The ball and dummy drill where you don’t know what is in the chamber can reveal a lot more than knowing you are pulling the trigger and expecting no recoil.

Dry fire doesn’t hurt either, and conscious follow through with the shot, not over gripping or muscling the pistol or limp wristing and letting the gun recoil where it wants.

the instructor loaded mags with live and dummy rounds. Again, no obvious tell of what Im doing wrong.

You're "dipping" (anticipating recoil) --- Every shooter dips once in a while --- It's just a matter of how much.

You could be dropping your shoulders at the time of the shot. Or...you do not have your wrists locked down at a 45 degree angle. Whereas...you'll have your wrists locked down so much, that you can't dip no more. Don't try to fight recoil by dipping your unlocked wrists. Having them locked down at a 45 degree angle...will hopefully go a long way in preventing any dipping issues. And try to relax your shoulders, along with having your elbows slightly unlocked in the Isosceles position.

If you still flinch...go work-out your problems with a 22 pistol.

And...with shooting a new pistol that you're unacquainted with (like the trigger pull): Shoot it bench-rested for at least 10 shots.

update: I think it was dipping/ fatigue/heat (it was 98 degrees) combined with getting use to the trigger. I took the gun out again at the 15 yard in door range.  I Shot at 15 yards (not 25 but I have far more confidence now) with zero problems but the trigger on the M&P is horrible. The reset is the most noticeable frustrating thing about the trigger.

May I suggest that after the sear breaks...let your trigger finger off the trigger, and give a forward slap to your trigger finger at the inside portion of the front trigger guard.

I know that one pro pistol shooter (I forgot his name) does it that way, but he only has a 2 pound trigger pull.

If it’s low left not straight low I would try to tighten up the left hand a bit make sure it’s doing plenty of work that and try to work on isolating the movement of the trigger finger so your not squeezing the whole grip with the rights when you pull trigger. Also for the barricaded shooting one thing I’ve seen our guys do is try to use the barricade as a rest by doing so they tend to push a bit more than normal and will drive shots. Typical barricades for qual are generally flimsy.

"Springfield's Rob Leatham on Gun Grip"

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Update swapped mp 9 2.0 for mp 9 core with red dot. I no longer shoot low at 25 yards. I think it had to do with geometry.my hand and the length of trigger travel before the break. I know that sounds like some BS. It might be but it's the only explanation I can think of. Simply swapping the gun fixed an issue I had struggled with for months. Thanks to everyone that helped.