Some pistols can’t hold a group to save their lives—no matter how good the shooter is or what ammo you feed them. Maybe it’s barrel fit, maybe it’s the sights, maybe it’s the way the slide slaps back into battery with zero consistency. These aren’t guns that throw a flyer now and then. These are guns where you change ammo, change grip, adjust your aim, and the target still looks like it got hit with a shotgun at 20 yards. Below are pistols known for struggling to group, even when everything else is right.
KelTec P11
The KelTec P11 is compact and easy to carry, but good luck getting it to group consistently. It’s got a heavy double-action-only trigger and sights that feel more decorative than useful. The barrel lockup isn’t tight, and that shows when your shots wander off despite a solid hold.
Even when you try multiple brands of ammo, the P11 resists tight groups. It’s serviceable at five to seven yards, but anything beyond that is a guessing game. This is a pistol meant for deep concealment, not punching the X-ring. Most owners accept its limits—or move on to something more consistent.
Taurus Spectrum
The Taurus Spectrum had sleek lines and colorful options, but the shooting experience didn’t follow through. It’s got minimal sights, a slick grip that doesn’t inspire confidence, and a trigger that breaks somewhere between slow and uncertain.
You’ll notice group sizes open up dramatically beyond a few yards, even with decent ammo. Barrel fit and slide-to-frame tolerances don’t do it any favors, and the Spectrum never earned a reputation for accuracy. It’s a pocket gun that looks nice in theory, but on paper targets, it doesn’t hold up.
Remington R51
The Remington R51 had a promising concept—a modernized Pedersen action and low bore axis—but execution killed it. Early models suffered from reliability issues, and accuracy was all over the place. Even after the redesign, groups stayed wide.
The fixed barrel should’ve helped, but inconsistent lockup and a strange recoil impulse made it hard to shoot well. Most shooters reported large, unpredictable spreads no matter what brand of ammo they ran. Even bench-resting it didn’t help much. It’s a gun that promised performance but never delivered on the target.
Cobra FS380
The Cobra FS380 is affordable, but accuracy wasn’t in the design brief. The trigger is long and gritty, the sights are basic, and the barrel-to-slide fit feels more like a suggestion than a tight lock. Group sizes vary wildly, even at close range.
Changing brands of ammo rarely helps. You’re just as likely to see keyholes and flyers with premium loads as you are with bulk ball ammo. The FS380 is better suited for point-blank use than any kind of precision. If you try to group it at 15 yards, you’ll be chasing shots more than placing them.
Hi-Point CF380
The Hi-Point CF380 gets credit for reliability in a budget package, but accuracy is a different story. The trigger is heavy and vague, and the sights—while adjustable—don’t compensate for the overall looseness of the platform.
Some shooters report decent results at short distances, but consistent grouping is rare. You can switch ammo brands all day and still find yourself wondering if the barrel or the slide is to blame. The gun goes bang, sure—but don’t expect it to print anything tight unless you’re standing five feet from the target.
Jennings J-22
The Jennings J-22 is a rimfire pocket pistol that’s tough to group with even under ideal conditions. The sights are small and crude, the trigger breaks like wet spaghetti, and barrel fit isn’t what you’d call confidence-inspiring.
It doesn’t help that rimfire ammo is already more prone to inconsistency. Combine that with a pistol that doesn’t want to track straight, and you’re in for frustration. Some shooters treat it as a novelty more than a serious tool—and once you’ve seen the target after 10 rounds, you’ll understand why.
Jimenez JA-380
The JA-380, like other Saturday night specials, suffers from poor construction and inconsistent tolerances. You can switch to better ammo, slow down your shooting, and still get wild spreads. The slide has noticeable slop, the barrel fit is loose, and the trigger has no clear wall or break.
Even when everything seems aligned, shots land high, low, or wide. There’s very little feedback to help you tighten things up. At close range, it might group “good enough,” but anything further turns into guesswork. This is not a pistol you bring for accuracy drills.
Diamondback DB9 (early models)
The early Diamondback DB9 pistols had a reputation for being snappy and difficult to control, but grouping problems went beyond recoil. The trigger had a long, inconsistent pull, and some barrels were poorly crowned or inconsistently fit.
Even experienced shooters had trouble getting the gun to group consistently beyond 10 yards. You’d get one or two shots on target, then one would go wide for no clear reason. Later versions improved, but those early models made more than a few shooters lose trust in tight patterns.
Phoenix Arms HP22A
The HP22A is a fun little plinker, but precision isn’t its strong suit. It has a decent trigger, but barrel fit and overall build quality leave room for error. Add in tiny iron sights and rimfire ammo variability, and your groups start to look more like patterns.
You can run different brands through it, hoping to find a sweet spot, but odds are the best you’ll get is “acceptable for a tin can.” It’s a good gun for casual shooting, but not something you take to see what your skill level really looks like on paper.
KelTec P3AT
The P3AT is a lightweight .380 designed for carry, not accuracy. The sights are nearly nonexistent, the trigger is long and mushy, and the grip doesn’t give you much control. That all adds up to wide, drifting groups no matter the ammo.
Plenty of folks carried it because it was light and small, but on the range, it’s tough to shoot well. Even with careful aim and slow fire, the shots don’t stack. It’s a gun that works at seven feet—not 15 yards. Beyond that, ammo brand isn’t the issue—the platform is.
SCCY CPX-2
The SCCY CPX-2 has a decent following for budget carry, but the trigger alone makes it tough to group. It’s long, heavy, and consistent only in how vague it feels. Add to that a lightweight frame and snappy recoil, and you’re doing a lot of work to keep things on paper.
Even with decent ammo, the groups tend to drift or open unexpectedly. It’s a serviceable self-defense pistol at close range, but if you’re trying to print a tight circle or shoot precise drills, you’ll likely get frustrated. Ammo isn’t the limiting factor—the gun is.
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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
