I was out shooting my new 1911 today.  I was practicing at 7 and 15 yards, two handed standing.  At 7 yards I was getting about 2 1/2" groups, while at 15 yards I was getting about 6" groups.

Now I know I need to still practice more because I believe I can improve even more (I mainly shoot rifles).  But what is the overall opinion of these groups?  Is this about average for a somewhat beginner?  

Opinions???...Suggestions???


Sgtar15

Practice, Practice, Practice. Try dry fire practice at home. Also let a more expierienced handgun shooter shoot the gun and see what it is capable of. This is probably about average for most casual handgun shooters but you will be surprised what you can do with a little practice.

You're about as good as me and I consider myself an intermediate.

I can take my time and squeeze them off that good but it takes about 3 seconds a round.  

Now I'm working on speed.  I want to be able to double tap 2 at a time.  

What type of 1911 pistol?  
What type of ammo?
Without knowning this, we are comparing apples to oranges.

If you have a chance, bench the pistol(machine) and see what it is capable of shooting.  Then use that bench mark to judge yourself.

P.S. Lose the 230 hardball ammo, Start with a 185g load.
 

Right now if your shooting ball ammo, that is not the limiting factor for a 6" group.

I shoot the 230-hardball ammo exclusively (because its cheap).  I can consistently shoot 4" at 50' (Springfield Loaded).  3" on a good day.
Funny thing is that I usually shoot better groups when outdoors.

I totally agree with Dano on his suggestion for ammo however, I would keep shooting the cheap stuff to you fine-tune your trigger-pull and stance.
I suggest that if you use the weaver stance to reduce the degree of angle as much as possible or imitate the isosceles stance. You won't see to many competative shooters using the weaver stance.

... sgtar15, ever practice with your 1911 using a pencil and paper taped to your wall?

Quoted: ... sgtar15, ever practice with your 1911 using a pencil and paper taped to your wall?

Uhhhhh...no???

Sgtar15

Quoted: ... sgtar15, ever practice with your 1911 using a pencil and paper taped to your wall?

I'm lost, what are you doing here?

… OK, I’m serious with this so try it sometime. It really helps your firing technique.

Take a piece of white paper and carefully draw a few well-spaced 1/8” dots on it. Tape it to a wall about 36” away from where you are going to be sitting or standing with the bottom of the page at or above eye level. If this is a finished wall you may want to back the paper up with a piece of cardboard.

*** REMOVE THE MAGAZINE FROM YOUR 1911 AND THEN REMOVE THE ROUND FROM THE CHAMBER ***

Check again that the 1911 is unloaded.

Sharpen a new pencil using a mechanical sharpener. Slide the pencil down your barrel keeping the pistol roughly pointing up so the pencil doesn’t slide forward. Muzzle should be about 18” away from target.
Take aim at one of the dots. Cock the hammer, aim and pull trigger. Shoot a hundred times or so.
Keep firing until you can tighten your groups.
It’s great rainy day practice, you’ll see.


(added: "Cock the hammer, aim and pull trigger")

Do you shoot the pencil out?  or what is the trick here?  sorry if I am the only one that doesn't get it.

Winston_Wolf, you lost me on your pencil thing.

Is the pencil going to fly out of the pistol and dot the wall?

Most new shooter have a tendency to fight the slide on a 1911.  They will push forward and down when pulling the trigger.  Granted that dry firing will help their aim and style, but as soon as they return to live fire, they start to fight the pistol again.

The best way for a new shooter to learn the 1911, is to start with a light load. The lack of recoil lets them mindset on a steady hold and smooth trigger pull. And, not on fighting the recoil and slide. When dry firing, your aim point should not change, even after the hammer has fallen.

Maybe that was your pencil idea. To barely hold the pencil to the paper and fire the pistol without drawing a line, only having the dot.

Quoted: Do you shoot the pencil out?  or what is the trick here?  sorry if I am the only one that doesn't get it.

... Yes, when the hammer is cocked and you fire, the inertia of the firing pin is enough to launch the pencil across a room. At closer ranges as descibed above you can actually hold groups!

The other thing I would practice is shooting from a kneeling position, one knee on the ground.  I think it is a slightly more accurate (stable) position, and probably a more useful "real life" position.