If you bench a pistol and it still throws groups the size of a dinner plate, there’s no blaming the shooter. Some guns just aren’t built with the kind of precision you’d expect—or they were never meant to be. Loose slide-to-frame fit, bad barrel lockup, inconsistent triggers, or poorly machined parts can all lead to wide groups even when you’ve eliminated recoil management and grip from the equation. If you’ve ever rested a pistol and watched it spray rounds all over the paper, one of these models might sound familiar.
Hi-Point C9
The Hi-Point C9 is known for being cheap and functional, but not for accuracy. Even from a rest, it can be a scattergun. The fixed barrel helps a bit, but the blowback design combined with a heavy slide and gritty trigger don’t lend themselves to tight groups.
Some shooters report decent results at close range, but once you stretch out past 10 yards, things start to open up quickly. It’s a gun built for basic function, not precision. You can sometimes tune a mag or try different ammo to tighten it up slightly, but most of the time, you’re better off accepting that it’s not going to punch tight holes no matter how still you hold it.
Jimenez JA-380
The JA-380 is one of those pistols where even locked in a vise, it’ll struggle to hit the same place twice. These guns have very loose tolerances and cheap internal components that don’t support consistent mechanical performance. Barrel fit is poor, and the trigger is vague and long.
Accuracy isn’t even in the top five priorities for this platform. It’s designed to be tiny, cheap, and disposable. At best, you might get a decent group inside 7 yards, but even that’s inconsistent. If you try to run groups from 15 yards on a rest, expect to be frustrated. There’s no magic fix here—it’s built to function, not to group.
KelTec P-11
The P-11 tried to be a lightweight double-stack 9mm in a small package, but one thing it never delivered well was accuracy. Even from a rest, group sizes often stretch wider than they should, and that’s mostly due to a gritty, heavy trigger and questionable barrel fit.
The slide and barrel lockup are loose enough that you get a fair amount of play when it cycles. That variability shows up on paper. Some rounds will stack okay, but then others will drift wide with no clear cause. Combine that with an inconsistent break and long reset, and even rested shots don’t land where they should. It’s a carry gun that’s meant to go bang, not punch the 10-ring.
Taurus PT22
The PT22 is a tip-up barrel .22 that looks fun and shoots fast, but accuracy isn’t its strong suit. Even benched, these guns tend to throw rounds wide due to a very basic sight picture, short sight radius, and loose barrel fit.
The trigger is long and squishy, and you don’t get a crisp break to work with. That matters less in a close-range plinker, but when you’re on a rest and still can’t tighten things up, it becomes clear this isn’t a precision pistol. Even with match-grade .22 LR ammo, you’re still going to see flyers and irregular groups that make you question if the sights are doing their job. They’re not.
Raven MP-25
This little .25 ACP was never built for accuracy, and it shows fast. The barrel isn’t fixed, the sights are more decorative than functional, and the overall design leans more toward “cheap and concealable” than “precise.” You can put it on a rest, but that won’t change what it is.
At best, you’ll hit center mass on a silhouette at close range. Beyond that, group sizes open up fast. Mechanical looseness and poor machining mean there’s a lot of variability in where rounds end up. It’s not really worth trying to group this pistol from a rest—you’re better off accepting what it is and using it within its limits.
Walther P22
The Walther P22 is a compact .22 that feels good in the hand, but accuracy from a rest has always been a sore spot. Part of it comes from inconsistent barrel lockup and light slide mass. Another part is that it’s picky with ammo.
Even when you find a round that cycles reliably, you might still see groups that open up more than expected. It’s a fun range gun and good for training grip and fundamentals, but for bulls-eye or tight group work, it’s not the right tool. From a rest at 25 yards, it’s not uncommon to see groups that wander well outside the tight circle you were aiming for.
Beretta 21A Bobcat
The Bobcat is a handy little pistol, but it’s not built for tight groups. The fixed barrel helps some, but the sights are tiny and hard to use, and the long trigger pull makes it hard to keep things consistent, even from a rest.
You’ll get groups on paper, but they’ll often look like buckshot patterns rather than clusters. The .22 LR chambering should help with recoil and precision, but the platform’s size and mechanical play keep it from taking full advantage. Even with slow, careful rested shooting, your best groups often still leave you disappointed.
Remington R51 (Gen 1)
The first-gen R51 had plenty of issues, but accuracy was one of the most frustrating. Even when locked into a rest, many shooters found inconsistent groups that wandered off zero. The hesitation-blowback system contributed to unpredictable slide timing and wear.
Add in a trigger that didn’t always break the same way and a barrel that didn’t consistently return to the same lockup, and you’ve got a recipe for wide groups. The second-gen version fixed a lot of things, but the original model earned a reputation for printing patterns more than groups—even when the shooter was doing everything right.
SCCY CPX-1
The SCCY CPX-1 is a budget-friendly 9mm that’s often recommended as a carry gun, but accuracy from a rest is not its strength. The long double-action trigger makes it hard to get a consistent break, and the barrel fit leaves room for movement during cycling.
Even when rested, group sizes can wander, with flyers showing up regularly. Some shooters can get acceptable accuracy at 7 yards, but when you back up to 15 or 25, you start seeing more spread than you’d like. It’s not unsafe or broken—just not precise. It’s made to go bang reliably, not punch clean holes.
Phoenix Arms HP22A
The HP22A is fun and affordable, but it doesn’t excel in mechanical accuracy. Even with high-quality .22 LR ammo and a steady rest, group sizes often remain wide. The short sight radius, basic sights, and slide fit all contribute to this.
The barrel is fixed, but other elements of the gun introduce inconsistencies. You can bench it all you want, but it’s still going to toss a few rounds off target. It’s good for plinking or casual use, but if you’re expecting tight little clusters at 15+ yards, you’ll likely be disappointed.
Taurus Curve
The Taurus Curve was a strange design to begin with, and accuracy was never its selling point. The gun has no traditional sights, the grip angle is unusual, and it uses a contoured shape that prioritizes carry comfort over shootability.
Even from a rest, the trigger is stiff and inconsistent, and the internal mechanics don’t do it any favors. Shots wander even when you try to slow down and hold steady. It might hit paper up close, but it’s hard to get any real precision out of it. Rested or not, it’s not a gun you buy for accuracy—you buy it because it fits in your waistband without printing. That’s about it.
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
