How to improve my pistol shooting technique?

WOW very good answers guys. If you are actively shooting, you need to spend much more time then you do at the range, Dry Firing, and practicing technique. I mean the entire discipline of firing shot after shot. From start to follow through. I always had a six pack next to my chair where I sit. Everytime I thought of it, lift that six pack, use your wrist to hold the handle with the six pack extended as if a handgun. Over and over, and hold it there steady as long as you can. This to strengthen your arm. My right arm is larger then my left, as you will find with many pistol shooters.

From what i am reading in the answers, well, it could not hurt to practice ALL the suggestions. Why not, couldn't hurt. While firing a .22 for practice is STILL practice, the best practice is using the gun you are actually going to shoot. Practice BASICS, and be fanatical about more practice. This IS training, training sessions.

The weight training while just sitting around and loads of GOOD dry fire practice I found to be of the most help myself. Always had a pistol next to me a target on the wall across the room, and practice the shot start to finish, as constantly as you can. I even had a .45 on my desk at work, and target across the room. ( this was before anyone was concerned in the least )

Added : The way I explain the trigger squeeze to beginners, I know you have experience with. But, I always say, " Try to squeeze the trigger so smoothly, so slowly, that the gun does NOT know you did it." Now, my mentor, my High school Rifle Team Coach always said to squeeze the rigger using your entire hand clamping down on the handle.

It's the way you are pulling the trigger that's causing your shots to go off aim. When you squeeze the trigger, you must not move anything but the trigger finger. This is because if your aim is perfectly on target, any movement in your hand will throw the point of aim AWAY from the center of the target. There are several things that has to come together when you activate the trigger for a shot:

Your body must be still and that means timing your breathe with your shots. Typically, most shooters would take 2 deep breath and letting out the 2nd one halfway, hold, and then shot. Your handhold on the weapon should be consistent. and correct in that your trigger finger should "hook" on the trigger by the first joint (the distal interphalangeal joint).

You mind must also be cleared of any anticipation of when the gun goes off. When you squeeze the trigger, it should "surprise" you when it goes off. You must not anticipate the recoil because your natural tendency is to jerk your hands to "beat" the recoil and in all likelihood you will jerk your hand before the gun actually fires.

Buy a SNAP CAP which is a dummy round with a spring in it to absorb the firing pin strike (which protects the pin). Unload your weapon and check it twice. Load the SNAP CAP and point the gun in a safe direction and practice dry firing your gun with all the above I mentioned - trigger control, synchronize breathing, and clear from anticipation. Train until it becomes second nature to you. Make it almost like a ritual you go through for each shot.

When I first started shooting handguns, all my shots were low and to the right (I'm a right-handed shooter). It wasn't a sight problem, either.

I was anticipating the shot. With a .22LR, it wasn't a major issue, but with my 9mm Para it was. You need to let the discharge of the gun be a surprise to you.

Practice dry firing and allow the break of the trigger to "sneak up" on you. Focus on not anticipating. If you must, get some Snap Caps and practice with them.

You might have a different problem, but I guarantee that dry fire practice will improve your shooting, either way.

I agree with august that it sounds like you are anticipating recoil.

It is easy to diagnose with a wheel gun in that you can randomize where the cylinder indexes with mixed empty/loadeds so that you dry-fire some, live fire some without knowing beforehand when you pull the trigger.

The similar test for autos is to use snap-caps to mix the magazine.

Either way, it should be that when you squeeze the trigger, gun doesn't move at all. And as august said, dry fire practice with that gun can improve this dramatically.

You are either pulling it down slightly as you pull the trigger, or the sights need adjusting to suit your shooting style - or a bit of both.

You could also try adding grip surfaces, if you don't already have them - eg.

http://www.tractiongrips.com/catalog/i22.html

Edit - it appears the M9 only has lateral sight adjustment - but lower velocity ammo will raise the impact point.

Dry fire often, if your weapon can handle it.

Wrap your non firing hand around your firing hand's fingers & clinch slitghtly.

Tighten your firing wrist.

SQUEEZE the trigger directly back with the center of your index finger's distal phalanx.

Focus on the front sight.

Don't anticipate the recoil.

Pull any & all take-up in the trigger before firing.

Practice.

Even though you are left handed you may be right eye dominant. There are a few ways to find out which eye is dominant. I typed "How to find eye dominance" into browser. Here's an easy one. http://www.wikihow.com/Determine-Eye-Dominance

The character, Horatio, in CSI Miami is right handed, but uses a left eye dominant hold.

practice practice practice, some people just take more time to get it right.

take some lessons from a pro....pretty hard critiquing your technique, from here....right ?