Frustrating to be sure. If you are new to the pistol, try a couple of bench shots to see if it is the pistol that has the problem. Some production guns have such lousey trigger pulls that it is nearly impossible to hold the pistol with one hand and shoot. Add to that shooter flinch and things become near impossible. With some handguns, it is hard to develop a grip with the thumb and three fingers that isn't too tight while at the same time pulling a trigger with a 7 pound pull, and then a trigger thhat when it does go, pulls back another 1/4 inch and jars the gun off the point of aim. Even hammer falls can cause the rest of the gun to jump slightly.
If you can keep a six inch group at 15 or 20 yds off a rest, it is you and not the gun. Work on stance, grip and follow through. Also see what can be done to work on the trigger pull. Old CVA kentucky pistols had rough stamped triggers and if the edge that contacted the sear had a rough edge, the trigger pull was almost as if there was grit in the action. running the top of the trigger across a wet stone a few times usually helped alot. sometimes just a good cleaning of the internal lock parts did wonders. It may not even have to be taken apart. Is there rust or rough spots in the tumbler hole? just a little polish and a touch of grease on that bearing surface can make a huge difference. There are many things that can help, and a good MUZZLELOADER gunsmith can do miracles with some locks. Not every modern gun smith understands side locks and the person you consult should have knowledge about tuning locks.
