This article was originally published by Joshua Krause at The Daily Sheeple.
Editor’s Note: If you’re like most gun enthusiasts then you absolutely love going out to the range and unloading some rounds with friends or family for a few hours at a time. But as you know, doing so often requires a pretty hefty investment. With ammunition for handgun rounds costing anywhere from $0.25 to $0.75 a pop the price for a 2-hour range trip could reach upwards of $100 – just for the ammunition expended.
Marksmanship is a depreciating skill, which means that if your budget can’t handle your need to train then you may lose some of the skills you’ve spent so much time and money building. In the following article Joshua Krause provides some tips to help you keep your skills up to par, but doing so without necessarily breaking the bank. He’s not suggesting you stop training with live-fire, but if you’re looking to save some money, why not give some of these a try? Moreover, should we find ourselves in a situation where ammunition becomes tough to acquire and your stocks are limited, having an alternative strategy for training yourself and those close to you would be of significant benefit.Â
If you have any other ideas we encourage you to share them in the comment section below!
For as long as guns have been around, shooters have sought out innovative ways to increase their accuracy, and prepare themselves for real world combat situations. But for the longest time, this has mainly consisted of spending a lot of time on the range repetitively shooting sterile paper targets, or if you have the money, going through shooting simulations on an obstacle course. While an ideal training method for real world conditions, shooting simulations are usually out of the reach of most gun enthusiasts and are mainly reserved police and military personnel.
But over time technology is starting to give everyday shooters the means to hone their skills in a convenient and affordable manner. As early as 1989, the military was using SNES light gun games (the same technology used to play Duck Hunt) to help train their soldiers without burning through expensive ammunition. Since that time there have been several awesome developments in the field of marksmanship training, and we can expect some great shooting technologies to come along in the near future. But until that time comes, here’s what we have so far.
Below, I’m going to briefly go through a list of tools you can use to help your accuracy, starting with the latest and most expensive option, and working our way down to the cheapest and most rudimentary. None of these devices are brand new, and some of them have been around for a long time, but all of them have the potential to step up your marksmanship game; specifically in terms of pistol shooting, arguable the most challenging class of firearms to master. Let’s get started shall we?
LaserLyte TLB-RT
The LaserLyte became very popular at the height of the ammo shortages we saw a few years ago, and for very good reason. It gives you the ability to accurately measure your shooting skills without using any real ammunition. While the initial cost is pretty steep, it more than pays for itself with the money you save on ammo.
It works with a laser boresight that fits inside the chamber of your gun, but unlike a normal laser it doesn’t run continuously. It emits a quick flash of light when the firing pin strikes the laser, which then registers on a light receiver that is shaped like a bulls-eye.
This receiver gives you two options: training mode, which is just a simple point and shoot option that records where you hit, and reaction mode, which emits random led lights on the screen for intervals of 3-7 seconds. When you hit these targets in this mode, the device beeps and lights up.
But the most valuable aspect of the Laserlyte system isn’t the ammunition you save. It gives you the ability to practice things like drawing and firing, which would normally be prohibited on a firing range.
Sightmark Laser Boresight
Now let’s move on to some of the cheaper tools. Boresights have been used for a long time to sight-in firearms. By shining a laser down the barrel of the gun, they make it pretty easy to adjust your sights without using any ammunition. But that’s not what I’m going to go over today.
Personally, I’ve used boresights as a kind of poor man’s version of the LaserLyte system. You can actually use the LaserLyte boresight for this, but since the light from that device is only emitted for a fraction of a second, I don’t find it very useful without the rest of the LaserLyte kit. I prefer a traditional boresight, like the SightMark laser, which lets out a continuous beam.
My method is pretty simple. Turn on the boresight, and place it in the chamber of the pistol. Find yourself a blank wall, and place stickers of various sizes and colors on it. Now, find a target you want to aim at, close your eyes, and draw your weapon. Open your eyes and see how close you were to the target, then rinse and repeat until you get it right. This is a great way to practice your instinctive shooting skills.
It does have some limitations, but again, this is the poor man’s version. I’m pretty sure your typical boresight isn’t design to absorb the strike of a firing pin, so you can’t really practice your trigger control with this method. But if that’s something you want, I’d recommend the sure strike laser ammo. This is a laser round for a system that is similar to the LaserLyte, except you can buy different adapters that will either give you a quick flash of light, or a continuous beam. You can also replace the snap cap part if it wears out.
Snap Cap Bullets
The boresights described in the above entries are great for practicing your trigger control, but unfortunately they will wear out at some point. Especially the LaserLyte bullet, which doesn’t give you the option to replace the cap that absorbs the firing pin. Some of these devices cost between 50 and 80 dollars, so if they break down on you, that’s a lot of money down the drain.
If you’re just starting out and need to spend more time practicing your trigger control, it might be a good idea to buy some cheap dummy rounds first. You can usually buy a pack of 5 for less than 20 bucks, and each one will be able to sustain thousands of strikes. And since you have to manually re-chamber a round every time you fire, having only one laser round can get pretty tedious after a while. Having five dummy rounds that you can load into your magazine means you can quickly reload several times without losing your focus.
Gripmaster
I’m guessing you weren’t expecting to find exercise equipment on this list, but here it is. Using a gripmaster is an effective way to improve your trigger control, and to maintain your aim between shots. If you have a weak hand, the gun is liable to shift slightly after every shot, forcing you to readjust over and over again. So not only will it make your shots more accurate, but it will help you shoot faster and with more consistency.
For this reason, it’s apparently become very popular among law enforcement agencies and military personnel. Though there’s a wide variety of exercise equipment to choose from, I’d recommend the gripmaster that is designed to strengthen your fingers with individual spring-loaded tabs. Shooting a handgun isn’t just about forearm and hand strength. Finger dexterity is a major factor as well.
So if you’re new to the shooting scene, I’m guessing you’ve probably already put down a lot of cash on a firearm, as well as ammo and equipment to go with it. It’s an expensive hobby for sure, but it’s also a very valuable skill that every independent minded person should master. Just know that it is possible to practice this sport without breaking the bank, and with devices like these, you can quite literally get the most bang for your buck.
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger .
Proper dry-fire practice is as good or better than any gimmick.
I agree with dry fire techniques. Also practice clearing your house with room to room drills and pick a fixture or lamp for dry firing while doing this. Practice mag changes until you can do it in your sleep. When you do go to the range take B27 sillouettes with you to practice drills. My favorite is either Mozambique or various body armor drills. You need to run your gun as fast as you practically can and forget about slow fire bullseye bullshit. If SHTF you won’t be taking your time shooting small groups, you’ll be filling people full of holes before you catch some.
I’m reading this helpful article posted by Mac, and then off to the left in the margin is this article by “The Daily Sheeple”:
As if ‘American Sniper’ Wasn’t Already Propaganda Enough, Now It’s Being Used to Promote Gun Control
Oh my goodness! If anything, it should be used to promote the 2nd amendment.
I’ve read some of the same nonsense regarding “American Sniper”. I suppose the only good thing about this manufactred controversy is that it is free promotion for the flick. Some people ready do need to get a live and back in touch with reality. It is ONLY a movie. As with movies, I do not expect it to 100% accurate on every single detail down the most trival of itmes. Of course certain liberties are going to be taken.
If want to get worked up over some thing, try all the crime shows on the idiot box. Now there is fantasy and propaganda!
What American Sniper confirmed to me was, that people will see what they want to see, and will reject that which does not conform to their predetermined conclusion.
I had a hard time seeing it as a pro-war flim that glorified any thing. It showed guys who were disabled and missing limbs and other body parts. It showed the stress that being gone on multiple deployments has on marriage and the family. The wife was on the verge of divorcing her husband cause he was not there to be a husband and a father. Being a “legend” is an unwanted heavy burden. The hero, had a very hard time becoming an average civillian again. And was murdered by a fellow soldier who had his own mental issues.
So tell me again, how Amerian Sniper glorifies war. I thought it was realistic. Try to keep that in mind the next time you watch CSI. Now there is fantasy that glorifies violence and the state and conditions you to accept being spied upon 24/7.
It might be helpful if there was a laser light receiver that only turned green when you were correctly sighted on center target. Red the rest of the time.
Nah; 4 better tips. 1: Always “P” first, hopping around with you legs crossed is not good, 2. Go to the I store and get good I’s. 3. Make sure the gun is loaded; unloaded guns make for bad scores.
4: Always, always make sure you are not standing between the front of the gun and the target. Should you need any other advise I can help.
Chris Kyle is getting all the credit for being the greatest sniper in the world. He’s not. There’s a British Royal Marine Commando who has 173 confirmed kills in Afghanistan, including an incredible 90 confirmed kills in one day. He’s current the worlds number one (living) sniper.
There are other snipers with bigger records, including a Russian female soldier.
US Marine, Chuck Mahwinny. 103 confirmed, 216 probable kills, Vietnam
Russian, Vasily Zaitsev, 242 confirmed …. But closer to 500 in WWII
Russian chick, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, 309 Confirmed WWII
Canadian Corporal, Fransic Pegahmagabow, 378 Confirmed WWI
Finnish Soldier, Simo Hayha 705 confirmed Kills!!!!!!!!! WWII
The next two deserve a mention too
Sgt. Adelbert Waldron, 109 Confirmed, Vietnam
Carlos Hathcock 93 confirmed kills
Chris Kyle makes the top 10 snipers list at number 6. The number one sniper ever, is the soldier from Finnland Simo Hayha.
Oh and oddly enough, I couldn’t find any information on possible German, Japanese, Viet Cong, or Chinese/Nth Korean snipers. I’m pretty sure there are a couple German soldiers who are very high up on the list too.
He is getting credit for being the greatest AMERICAN sniper in the world. Hence the name of the movie. I know it is hard for you, but try to keep up.
When I go to the pistol gun range I practice shoot both right handed and left handed. I may be even better with my non dominate hand – weird. Also practice racking your gun on your belt or the edge of a table. If one of your hands are disable think how you will change magazines one handed. Also practice shooting the three round series. 2 in the chest and 1 in the head. Bang bang and bang. Have like 6 magazines and mix it uplike 5 rounds in one mag 3 in another 4 in another. And drill on switching mags out. The majority of Pistol gunfights are less than 10 ft away. Speed and accuracy.
Lots of people who find they shoot better with their non dominate hand (Right Handed people especially) find that they are actually left Eyed. It’s easy to find out; look at the corner of a room, extend your arm, finger up, You will see two fingers., put the more solid one in the corner. close either eye, see with which one the finger is in the corner. Thats your master eye. Even the Army, not known for liking individuality, has you shoot with your master eye, not all the same.
Great advice!!! My son is left handed but right eye dominant, so I taught him to shoot right handed. My brother in law is the opposite, so he shoots left handed. Eye dominance is WAY more important to accurate shooting, especially in situations where you have to shoot quickly and don’t have time to aim properly, like self defense or bird hunting.
Also practice shooting from a draw. You’re not going to have time to fumble around drawing your pistol. For combat shooting focus on your front sight and ride your wave as I call it as in pull the trigger and let off just enough to feel reset and in that time your front sight has lowered on target again to rinse and repeat. Learn weapon retention shooting as in keeping the weapon close to body. Remember anything worth shooting is worth shooting til it falls. Never allow your guard to drop and have your weapon taken. Tritium night sights are worth their weight in gold for low light shooting.
The range I go to will not let you practice draw shooting like from a holster. So I lay it on the tray in front of me. Frigging safety sallys. Practice drawing at home with an empty gun.
If this is the case (it often is), look for local IPSA events. They allow guests, and while they are strict in safety, they do allow a lot more leeway when it comes to shooting (including draw shooting).
Just be warned that you’ll burn through 300-600 rounds in a single day’s event (and they often last all day with a big crowd).
I’m surprised that the article didn’t mention reloading… at all. hand-loading takes time, but it can drop the price of a cartridge by at least 1/2, often more.
Know your pistol well enough to fight your way back to your rifle.
@FP; Well, while I understand, that wasn’t the post. It was maintaining and/or improving pistol marksmanship. I recommend to my students several exercises. One is “formal dry fire”. A white 5×7 card with a black dot about the size of a dime at arm level, and stand and slowly, raise, align, squeeze and fire (more to it though short version). Do it one handed and then 2 handed. With out the long explanation, they do two different things but basically teach precision. With a shooting timer, you can load a primer in empty cases (penny a piece-ish). Load a primed case, holster it in your carry holster and practice drawing against the timer. This teaches speed and can be done in a basement or closed garage, most places. Sitting with an UNLOADED HANDGUN UNLOADED HANDGUN UNLOADED HANDGUN, cock the weapon, close your eyes and pull the trigger with a slow continuous squeeze until it breaks. Take your time, and get to know your trigger. This is muscle memory of your trigger. I suggest you only do this with your carry gun or your competition gun as multiple guns early on will not help as much. I was a NRA 3 gun shooter (no not that 3 gun), bullseye. These are all practices that cost very little except some time and care. Some words of caution. Do strength training some other time not associated with your pistol practice. Don’t over strength train, it will cause gross muscle memory overpowering fine motor skills. As far as actually shooting, 10 good shots with proper attitude and attention to detail is better than 100 rounds of “just shooting”. These easy exercises will do much to improve your skills. I still do them as a Master shooter. I hope this is helpful information. Be Well.
Hey T-pod—
..allow me to proffer a congrats, per your..(self)congratulating skill sets!!!
..as they’re truly awesome indeed, sir!
..just curious, did you make it thru the Q-course? ..or did you flunk out?
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That said: ..allow me to be the first to call you a “coward”..here on this particular thread…per your proclivity to “SOIL and sneakily defecate all over “..past thread posting-battlegrounds…via waiting 5-6 days –(long after nobody reads said thread responses)– …only to sh*t upon & trash…me & my post…per those potentially poor stout-hearted penguins…..on the (Jan. 30th) “SCARY PUTIN BOMBERS”…& inbound threat photo debate.
——————————
You’ve got some **Flash Traffic**..inbound & on hold, chump!
..I answered you, tonight…on that same thread.
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CHOKE on it, hymie….FYI, I’ve been around the “block” a time or two, myself!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to Sam..
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BTW, as of 20:46hrs…you have “zero” red-thumbs here(NOW!!!)…meaning, I have NOT followed your M.O…
I have not spiked you “RED”…today!
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..as real gentile-Christians…are forbidden such low-brow tactics/endeavors..
..just so you know!
Wow! Sounds like somebody has extremely thin skin dude! It’s only an internet blog, nothing to lose your mind over.
Wow… Off your meds much?
Exactly…it won’t be much longer before your rifle becomes your primary again.
Other way around, methinks. If they’re close enough to hit with a pistol, your rifle won’t do you much good. Now a shotgun on the other hand…
You don’t know a whole lot about weapons, do you? Methinks no.
So tell me… how do you intend to use your pistol to get yourself the 30-100 yards of necessary distance to use a rifle effectively?
Here’s the deal – ideally you have the rifle first, and use it to best effect. The pistol should be the last-resort weapon, unless you have a shotgun with a sufficiently short barrel.
In situations where you are close enough that you have to use a pistol first, getting to your rifle is among the last of your problems… best to kill what you can until you can get to more ammunition, or get the hell away from the situation, depending on what you’re up against.
You are an odd one. You have made no sense at all.
I couldn’t afford the grip master, so I just look at free internet pornography instead……my grip control has improved dramatically
glad to hear it
derringers can be pretty hard to control
being so small and all
LMAO ! SATORI , Too funny.
@satori
nice):):)
Satori:
LMAO!!! just spread my tea all over my computer monitor!;-{
I wonder if a 22 long rifle would be a BIG GUN to him???
Limbo!!! That was goooood Satori!!!!
Lmbo……spellcheck dang it
SATORI
After all he is just handling a pee shooter!
Sgt.
Lets keep it clean, please. You have the right to do anything you want in the privacy of your own home, but we don’t necessarily want you to share it with us. Thanks for keeping it on the subject in the future.
You may be someone’s mom, but you are not ours. If the conversation offends you, the you are free to go somewhere else.
Accurate pistol shooting is easy. Don’t flinch, ever. That’s all there is to it.
Always wear hearing protection to decrease the pain of the sound. Be sure you are checked out on safe pistol handling.
Dry fire on an empty cylinder. Use a revolver at first. Keep both eyes open. Use two hands with the correct hold. At a safe place, align the sights carefully on a small target. Squeeze the trigger where the sights stay aligned without the slightest wiggle when the hammer falls.
After one has complete confidence that one is not flinching do the following:
At a safe place to shoot and observing all safety rules load the cylinder with one or two rounds, no more, in a random fashion. Load the other cylinders with a fired, empty case. Spin the cylinder. One may see the back of the brass, but will not know if there is a loaded round under the hammer. Cock the piece. Align the sights carefully. Let the hammer fall by squeezing the trigger without the sight alignment changing, that is, you did not flinch! You determined that you did not flinch by the sights staying carefully aligned when the hammer falls.
If you did not flinch the bullet will go precisely where it was aimed.
You, and all those watching, will see an obvious flinch on an empty chamber. A flinch on a live round will also be quite obvious. The bullet will dive under the target, the worse the flinch the deeper the dive.
That’s all there is to it. The rest is BS. Don’t flinch. Ever!
If you flinch, ever, then you will never be a pistol shot.
I shot with the best pistol shooters in the world and none of us flinch.
Good shooting,
Semper Fi
Last Monday took a trip north and on Hyw 75 thetraffic came to a gringing halt for about an hour. Absolute parking lot and I was raining. I shut off my vehicle, turned on the CB Radio channel 19 for the truckers to see what’s going on. I guess construction. No worry. I had 2 x 9mm pistols with 2 extra mags total of 86 rounds. And my keltec PLR 16 5.56 pistol with a sure fire 60 round magazine full of green tips. Hand my mini bug out vehicle bag with a few MRE’s Power bars, about a dozen bottles if water. I got to thinking this is what SHTF will look like with stranded hordes unprepared with no supplies or food. It was a 10 mile back up. Finally the traffic loosened up I pulled out my paper map and looked for the next exit to break away from that log jam. I was prepared. The CB radio came in handy and tslked with a trucker letting him know the mile marker where the traffic started moving again. Got a thank you. Could I done anything different. I wish I had brought my better FL State Atlas with more back road details. The scenic route was nice though.
With what you had with you; I assume you were just going down the block for some bread and milk?
Do traffic jams in florida often end in gun battles ?
Good advice, but I got the simpler version which worked just as well:
Let the damn thing surprise you when it fires – by the time it does jump, the bullet will have left the barrel so it won’t matter. The flinching is often overcompensation, either out of fear of the bang, or out of a too-eager desire to control the muzzle no matter what.
Massive Worldwide Layoff Underway At IBM
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Massi…38/38/Y/M.html
Satori, it is amazing that the media doesn’t even mention this. The number of layoffs are happening all over the corporate fascists America but no mention on the news.
At the same time check how much the corporate puppet at IBM gets after these layoffs.
RESET, ROPES and TREES for these SOB’s named as CEOs
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fibm-ceo-ginni-rometty-gets-a-raise-2015-1&ei=mDfVVIKqF7b7sATSoYC4DA&usg=AFQjCNFe_AEBpol1q7AGWXFHb2pTxNyb5Q&bvm=bv.85464276,d.cWc
Stolz V.
well as long as the rich and powerful own and control the media then we will never get anything but what they want us to know and as long as there is lots of sheeple who believe then they can keep lying until they close the door and say, turn on the gas! it is going to get real UGLY when those sheeple finally hear that gas coming and realize it is too late!
Siemens also laying off thousands!
Wax bullets fired with a primer only and some pellet guns are simple cheap, effective and can be used safely in a garage or basement (using a few common sense precautions) without causing alarm to the neighborhood or attracting unwanted attention if you are in an area where you cannot just go outside and shoot when you want to.
Another good trainer are the blowback airsoft gas guns, quite realistic and give you close to the recoil plus is cheap to run, not so cheap to buy, some of the guns are as expensive as the real thing, but for training are a good non lethal alternative, and are NON firearms, ie, you wont get in trouble if you and your buds are practicing small squad tactics, just dont be stupid with the cops if confronted, once they know what your up to some of them may want to join in if they got free time when you are training, JME
Yep my Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm and I bought the full size PX4 in a pellet air gas gun. It looks very real exact specs. Fun shooting. I also shoot pellet rifle in the house. Made a box stuffed with backing and tape targets to it. Like 1/4 inch pinpoint off at about 25 ft. Using a scope. Very deadly accurate @ 1200fps for pellet.
If americans are dumb enough to lose their country to illegals from all over the world bringing every manner of disease with them, dumb enough to be ruled by a corporate dictatorship and tyranny, dumb enough to believe a vote means something, dumb enough to fight and kill for bankers and corporations and call it fighting for freedom and democracy, guns wont save them. Ignorance, greed, selfishness, lack of moral values or principles, religious fanaticism, newageism and liberalism has already destroyed the country, crime, filth, and disease all for the almighty dollar and lust of the flesh. The karma for this country is going to be hell right here on earth, enjoy the pain and sorrow of what you helped to create.
@bulldog
I hate to say it but I fear you may be 100% correct. I hope it’s the pessimist in me that thinks you couldn’t have said it any better. I know it’s not all of us. I’m sure many of you out there, just like me, look around and feel like a damn dinosaur, so out of place in your thinking and outnumbered. Often times I look at our “civilization” and think….By God, we deserve exactly what we’re going to get. Though I do still pray that it’s not beyond repair, however what it may take to repair it may be just as bad as the disease itself
Why would you hate to say it? The truth never hurts unless it should.
Bulldogs got a firm bite on Reality. Those who gave the Dog a thumbs down don’t like to be exposed for being dumb and ignorant.
Bull dog,
I agree with you only as far as lots of sheeple set back and were dumbed down and were not savy enough to see it, BUT those of us who have seen for many years, have known what was coming and even though we have tried to help stop it and were not able too, have been extremely frustrated for a very long time!it is like ( i am only guessing never been there, YET!) being in a strait jacket and yet you don’t need it, but you cannot escape it either!there are many of us that have been in that strait jacket for years and we just can’t seem to get the sheeple to wake up and help remove that strait jacket,
well said Bulldog
Wax bullets fired with a primer only and a few pellet guns are viable indoor practice alternatives when you want to avoid disturbing the neighbors or attracting attention.
Some common sense safety precautions are obviously necessarily, if you haven’t already figured them out you are probably someone who should avoid this.
Good article !
Handguns are fairly new to me, i’m more of a rifle guy.
Practiced alot last summer , but still couldnt hit a billboard consistantly, LOL .
Got sick of wasting ammo after awhile , maybe that Laserlyte toy would help some.
Meanwhile i think its best to rely on the shotgun for safety .
Was at the range quick firing on a target about 30 yds away, a guy was giving me shit because the hits were all over the place,
I just smiled and asked him if he would still get up after i emptied 2 10 round mags into him like the silouette, he had to think about it,
Seeing as i hardly shoot a handgun i was satisfied,
The same guy didnt say shit when i brought in my target from the 200yd line from my REPR, golfballs
KULA-
REPR ? good god man , thats a nice toy !
Thats a 762 , right?
I am not so sophisticated , i rely on a 1946 browning a-5 and a marlin 45/70 for most .
I bought an AR but aint impressed .
Shooting a longgun is second nature ,seldom miss , but handguns…… maybe i will just throw stones instead .
I wasnt real imressed with 308 AR platform either till i got the LWRC
A high priced toy makes a huge difference, good optics too,
Sorta like the 300wm i got from NorthwestActionWorks
First time i shot it i wanted to throw away the rest of my bolt guns,
Am saving up for a NEMO,
Ditto on the LWRC REPR! But I’m still holding onto the Scout Squad as well.
Those are nice, been looking at one for a lightweight semi auto 308, am conflicted between the SS though or an 80% lower and build out at match grade specs, 20″ Rainier Select match bbl, jp forend, flat top slick side upper, Ace fixed butt with JP captured spring buffer and JP BCG, QD rings for a Viper pst or switch off to EOTech, the biggest drawback i see to the M1 is the recoil, a break and merc buffer would tame it but the AR is right off the bat much lower recoil by its very nature.
Hammer, me too,but about a month ago I had an incident in the barn with two pitbulls and a German Shepard that weren’t mine, and the next day I went and got a 38 pistol and cheap practice ammo and good amo and been practicing since then. On the up side I got my very own deer rifle for my birthday the other day! Keeping the 12 gauge though, it is good home defense.
M.D.
Happy “B” day. I like to use 125Gr H.P. in my 38’s I have heavy framed 38’s and I use 38+P’s for defense loads. What caliber is your deer Rifle.
A.S.M.S.
Sgt.
Thank you Sgt. Dale! I got a Winchester 243 youth model, I know, I know it’s a youth model, but i 5 ft nothin’ and it it fits like a glove!
M.D.
Nothing wrong with a 243 youth model. You have to get something that fits you.
Sgt.
Sgt. Consider .357 not .38. I have both, but with the .357 you can always shoot .38, and .38+P are often more expensive than .357, and lower power. S&W has said they use the same quality steel in both, so it’s just a slightly longer round. My carry gun is a Scandium Frame .357 and I shoot 38 Super Hollow points, REDUCED V in it. It’s so light they tell you not to use less than 125 grain, as the recoil will shake the slugs out. I’m not concerned about having more energy, if it starts to look bad I’m going to dump it and go for my Browning or 1911 and a rifle. Sure is handy to carry.
“P”
Yes I have both. I have a Taurus 669 6″ a S&W 19 4″ and S&W 27 6″, along with my 38’s. My magnums are my secondary weapons along with my 38’s. I my group the 1911 carries the day for the Guys, and the S&W 59 series 9mm for the Gals. This is not to say the group doesn’t have Glocks, H&Ks, Rugers, Taurus, if you get the picture.
When it gets bad. I will carry my 44 Eagle and my Kimber 1911 or my USP 45 I carry on duty.
I do agree with you 100%.
sgt.
Lord, with that much Iron they should be able to find you with a magnet from miles away. I’ve got an old S&W Highway Patrol that I haven’t shot in 40 years and a few others but way to heavy to carry.
Para you say you shoot a Scandium Frame 357 and you shoot 38 Super in it. I don’t under stand. At the Bianchi Cup almost all of the top shooters shoot 38 Supers and they’re in a pistol not a revolver. Help me out. Trekker Out.
Super “Hollow Points”. They have almost no penetration. Won’t go through anything substantial flatten out to almost a dime size on impact. If you hit something they are not going to then go anywhere and hit something else. The exact opposite of an Armor piercing slug. Good for inside the house. Had an incident years ago when guy next door shot a .44 mag hollow point through my kitchen wall, and a curtain, another wall, through a garage wall, and out through the garage roof next door. So my, out and about, gun is the best I can do not to kill someone I don’t shoot at. But it puts a BIG hole in the first thing it hits.
So this 38 Super Hollow Point is actually still a 38 spl. round. Trekker Out.
YEP,
One of thing I have found that improves you handling of a hand gun is what I call point and shot.
Here is what you do. MAKE SURE YOU HAND GUN IS NOT LOADED! Carry your pistol all the time. walk into a room draw and point your pistol at a target squeeze the trigger. Try to hold the pistol steady, and then look down the site to see where you are pointing it. Do this till you are on target. This might take several days to get good. then when you do. Then try this out side on a target and see how good you have gotten.
Another thing I teach is what I call closed eyes. This is where you make sure you pistol in not loaded, stand in front of a target look at the target then close your eyes draw your pistol and squeeze the trigger. then open your eyes and see where you are aiming. Do this several times then go with a loaded gun. You might have to practice this for a couple of days.
For night shooting I look above the target and use the point and shoot tactics.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
AIM SMALL MISS SMALL
Sgt.
I’ve been learning the Israeli point shoot method.
Should read 3 things. Sorry. I have many other things I do but I can’t do it on the computer.
Sgt.
SGT. You mean like using those black target silloettes with afros? LoL. I want some with blue helmets on them. Zeroed at 200 yrds.
My neighbor swears he can tell what part of the country you’re from by how you zero your hunting rifle. Anything less than 300 yards is east of the Mississippi for sure lol.
Aim like you point your finger. can hit a target that is 8X12. Approx. the size of center mass of a human torso. Take your time, squeeze, do not pull.
Cheap, really. An x Green Beret taught me this…
(1) Large box facial tissue(empty).
(2) Bag of rubber bands.
(3)Position box down the farthest end of your largest room or hallway.
(4)Shoot rubber bands at the hole in the tissue box . Try as you relax to accomplish the capture of the all of he rubber bands in the box after awhile.
Then after you become extremely proficient, go to the weapon of choice. “Speed is good ,but accuracy is FINAL “Bill Jordan retired U.S. Border Patrol Officer
C/old, We practice with sling shots and marbles. I know it sounds silly, but we really do.
Know your weapon(s), handle your handgun(s) like you handle your woman. It will help you when or if you ever have to use it to protect you and yours. That what an old fellow told me at the gun range one day!;-}.
I like to use snap caps and dry fire. When I’m watching TV. just sit there and mess with your pistol, know it like the back of your hand. Will this put every shot in the 10 ring, NO, but I’ll bet you will put most if not all in the kill zone.
I have 4 handguns that I fell very comfortable with. 2 revolvers, (357 and 45 colt) and 2 semi-auto’s (9mm and 45 acp). I know them very well, and would not be afraid to use any of them at any time. Practice, Practice, Practice, then Practice some more.
S.T.S.F.P. N.R. N.S. N.Reb
Like Dog Soldier said “DON’T FLINCH”, SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER, like Sgt. Dale said.
Practicing proper techniques at the range are good ways to improve your shooting skills.
I use the gripmaster daily. It sits on my desk at work and when I am reading it is in my hand. Some of the exercises do not require your full attention. However, to complete the work out you will have to devote some quality time with the device. Paid just over $16 on line.
POP… POP… Your spudead.
All good info, thanks all!
I was just thinking, I know that might be hard for some to believe I can do that!;-}.
I tought my wife how to aim by taping a cheap lazer pointer to her pistol and had her practice by just holding the gun down and pulling it up and dry firing. Then we tried closed eye dry firing with the lazer pointer. I would mark on the target were she was hitting, after a couple of practice runs she was hitting 9 out of 15 in the kill zone.
I know this is not a pressure situation, but i sure as heck would not want her shooting at me.;-} Did I teach her to much????!;-}
S.T.S.F.P. N.R. N.S. N.Reb
I long ago realized that I need my wife to be able to shoot. . . so I had to buy some different guns. If you introduce a woman to firearms with a 12ga, 30-06, or .44mag you are doing her a disservice. She might work up to these and more but start easier please.
My wife is OK with her .38 revolver, OK with her Remington 875 20ga, and pretty alright with her M4 inside 300 yards. Our oldest daughters (still kids) are pretty alright with their Ruger 10/22’s and can handle M4s OK.
They are familiar enough with firearms to shoot mine if need be, confident enough to actually do so, and willing to kill anyone that threatens our family.
Point 3 is the most important I think, but all are relevant.
You really have two options:
Option A) Buy an automatic and practice continually. Range fees, ammo costs, etc..
Option B) Buy a good revolver and go to the range occasionally.
My tip for what it is worth; Practice, Practice, and more Practice. Above all PRACTICE WITH THE WEAK SIDE MORE, because some today you will be very glade you did! Remember WEAK SIDE.
Come on ammo is cheap are people broke or what. I blow through the stuff it’s no thing to burn up $100 at the range. Not shooting your guns is the first step toward not needing them . If you can’t afford the hobby don’t do it. I think the whole gun thing is cheap as long as you are not buying McMillan or weatherby guns in calibers no one sells. If your not gonna shoot your guns sell them and get air soft . I like to shoot live rounds if I couldn’t the guns would be up for sale the next day. My guns are cheap junk all under $500 they are not safe queens people use them wear the bluing off them. I like used older guns myself the new cheap polymer stuff just ain’t iron and feel crappy to me I do like the coating on the metal on glock but that is it. It’s like Teflon and powder don’t really stick to it easily. But wood blows away the plastic furniture IMHO. Ya ya the plastic is lighter it still feels cheap to me. I like hogue rubber grips . It doesn’t matter just shoot the thing dammit . If you have a diverse battery of weapons you gotta use them so you are familiar with their limitations. When the need arises you will know what to grab.
Asshole err Asshat, for a lot of people it’s not a hobby and they don’t have $150 bucks to just blow, THEY, want to stay alive. You are obviously a spoiled XXX. Yes, I can piss away a $1000 and not really care; But there are a lot of people here that it matters, if they can save $20, and they are just trying to learn what to do.
I think AH is a truck driver. Likely not spoiled.
IMO, lighter also means more felt recoil in heavier calibers and a less accurate and slower second shot if needed.
But this is IMO for me with my increasingly arthritic hands, not something for everyone else to to base their personal choices on.
That’s why I shoot reduced V hollow points, it drops the recoil a lot, (Because t reduces both V&M) Accuracy above a very low point isn’t a significant issue for most home defense. Inside a house 20ft is a long way.
Until I correct my “flinch” I have chosen to shoot the imaginary “devil” off the perp’s left shoulder. This works with steel plates…but they don’t shoot back! pwactiss, pwactiss, pwactiss!
Asshat, with all due respect, us “old folk” don’t waste, money or otherwise. Practice without wasting a live round is a good day! Jmho……………..
There lots of tools I can think of that would make great lead catchers……
No mention of Airsoft replicas of your actual firearm? I mean, yes the weight and trigger pull won’t be the the same, but the ergos, will be identical, so you can practice with your actual holsters. Besides, draw and repeatable fire practice is probably 90% of what your average CCW holder needs to practice any way. Just thought I’d throw it out there.
And yes there have been instances where standing armies have trained their forces with dryfiring and they had, in some cases, up to a 20% improvement. It eliminates the anticipation of recoil. Airsoft also would be a benefit in this way.
A good arrow can be used time and time again.
“Mr. Cheap” is my middle name.
Learn to re-load your brass.
Buy powder and primers brand new. All the other stuff: press, dies, calipers, and such, buy “pre-owned.”
You can shoot you pistol for pennies.
DO IT.
Holy Crap S_C you mean we can buy used powder and primer at pre-owned prices if we wanted to, rather than buying them brand new… I have to go get my head taped now to keep it from exploding.
There are some very good suggestions here today. Thank you all for sound wisdom and advice.
Oftentimes it helps students to get rid of the bullseye altogether when learning to shoot. It takes the pressure off. What I do is turn a b-27 silhouette backwards. This leaves a big blank piece of paper. in every case, immediately, the rounds start hitting center of mass.
Some years ago, I read an article by the late Jim Cirillo of the NYPD’s stakeout squad from the 60’s and 70’s. He had survived countless gunfights. He stated that what saved him was using the silhouette of the back of your piece to cover the target, rather than the sights. It’s a quick reaction thing for close quarters. I imagine if you google his name several articles will pop up. In his retirement, he settled in New Hampshire and was closely associated with Massad Ayoob.
Hitting what you are shooting at is what is important.
Particularly if you are shooting at an attacker.
So quit worrying about calibers and bullets and such and find what is easiest to use for yourself. The personal ergonomics of the weapon and the ability to fire it quickly and accurately are what you should look for in a handgun with caliber a secondary choice and this will vary from one individual to the next (try before you buy if possible)
It’s far better to hit an attacker, especially several times, with a .22 than to miss him with a .45.
It’s extremely rare to miss someone to death, close only counts with hand grenades.
Google national shooters league
paper plates and alot of noise, alot of noise the louder the better, screaming, music, crying, noise makes it real’er? i yell when we practice all the time make it realistic
Great points made by many above. I would like to add that being willing to actually kill someone is important too. Mental preparation is pretty cheap and just as important.
Some have killed people during war, duty, and maybe even in self defense. Some have killed animals hunting or on the farm.
If you have never killed another living being I suggest you try it. Try killing a chicken, rabbit, sheep, or cow first to see if you can actually do it. It’s weird at first but you might hesitate if you have never killed anything before. Seeing Bambi in your sights and pulling the trigger is a good first step, accepting that Bambi is way more deserving of life than anyone who threatens your family is a good second step.
REIO, i have said the same thing, if you can’t kill a rabbit/ deer, you sure will hesitate on a person, Don’t hesitate, but never draw if your not prepared to fire!
Bulldog says:
“….dumb enough to be ruled by a corporate dictatorship and tyranny, dumb
enough to believe a vote means something, dumb enough to fight and kill for bankers and corporations and call it fighting for freedom and democracy, guns wont save them…”
——-
Excellent post, Bulldog! You are 1000% CORRECT! Normally, I would copy & paste a poignant quote like your’s and email it to my sheep friends & family.
But alas, it’s just a waste of time.
Most times, I feel like I don’t belong on this insane godforsken planet of ALIEN ‘everyday THINKING’ sheeple who have swallowed way too many blue pills.
The awakening when shit hits the fan will be VERY RUDE for them. And I will not give a flying fuck!
Bulldog says:
“….dumb enough to be ruled by a corporate dictatorship and tyranny, dumb
enough to believe a vote means something, dumb enough to fight and kill for bankers and corporations and call it fighting for freedom and democracy, guns wont save them…”
——-
Excellent post, Bulldog! You are 1000% CORRECT! Normally, I would copy & paste a poignant quote like your’s and email it to my sheep friends & family.
But alas, it’s just a waste of time.
Most times, I feel like I don’t belong on this insane godforsken planet of ALIEN ‘everyday THINKING’ sheeple who have swallowed way too many blue pills.
The awakening when shit hits the fan will be VERY RUDE for the mindless drones. And I will not give a flying fuck!
honestly, trigger time is best…nothing better than live fire practice. it does get expensive though. my recommendation is to get comfortable with your weapon (kick, re assessment time and reloading) through real, live fire practice, then, with an unloaded weapon and two mags, practice going through your own house (your neighbors wont like you going through theirs) practice target acquisition. once you understand your weapon, you can get an idea of how you can work with it in a real scenario. you can really get a feel for what youre doing without shelling out the cash for range time and ammo, and kinda keep your reaction time up…its more of a primer, but if you think through what youre doing, it can really help
Im surprised no one mentioned Crimson Trace yet. I didnt want to be another Glock fanboy and after spending a lot of time researching for the best semi-auto to fit my needs,I chose the Springfield XD-M chambered in 9mm. The XD-M already comes with a match grade barrel so if im missing the target,its me and not the gun,lol! 1000’s of rounds down the pipe and not a single FTF or jam or anything to complain about. The only thing that I can complain about is trigger feel. Not smooth and reset is not as quick as id like it to be but the reliability and accuracy easily outweigh that.
Anyways,I have recently added a Crimson Trace laser to it and its really helped me to understand where the bullet is going to land. Also,I took my little cousin to the range and he couldnt land shots with it. I told straight,its not the gun,its you. We turned on the Crimson trace and then I noticed as he was pulling the trigger,he was pulling the whole gun to the right. This is normal for many new shooters and by turning on the Crimson Trace,he was able to see his error and quickly corrected his bad habit of pulling the gun along with the trigger.
I seriously recommend the Crimson Trace for people who want to improve accuracy and practice draws at home.
I really appreciate this post. I am a complete newbie with guns. I bought a Ruger 22 and a Beretta hand gun shortly after Sandy Hook. But there were no bullets for the gun to be had here in Anchorage, Alaska. I am not retired and can not hang out at Walmart waiting for their bullet shipments to arrive.
The bullet shortage has lighten up in the last year, but not for 22s. It is frustrating to own brand new guns, and not learn how to shoot them for lack of bullets.
ht tp://www.sears.com/do-all-outdoors-do-all-ground-bouncing-skull/p-SPM3202122621?hlSellerId=28910&sid=IDx20110310x00001i&kpid=SPM3202122621&kispla=SPM3202122621&kpid=SPM3202122621&mktRedirect=y
I have a few of these i practice with on a very regular regiment
its about a 3rd the size of a real human skull
instinct head shots are made easy when you have hundreds or thousands of rounds into something like this , if your not missing something a 3rd the size of the real deal , than I think you have it pretty well down pat
I also put up a card board backer so i can count my misses..glad to say, that card board will probably last me many decades