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Target Shooting?
Posted on 7/10/20 at 2:11 pm
Posted on 7/10/20 at 2:11 pm
Due to everything going on my wife and I need to shoot our pistols more. I bought Speer FMJ-HP for protection, but I really don't want to waste them on a target. I have about 50 rounds of target loads for each pistol.
Will shooting target loads be good enough to get more familiar with our pistols?
Will shooting target loads be good enough to get more familiar with our pistols?
4
Posted on 7/10/20 at 2:20 pm to RetiredSaintsLsuFan
quote:
Will shooting target loads be good enough to get more familiar with our pistols?
Absolutely. Shooting the pistol more will get you more familiar regardless of loads. Some people will only shoot defense rounds through their defense pistols. I don't particularly think it's necessary. I believe constant repetition with the firearm will enhance your skills.
Posted on 7/10/20 at 2:20 pm to RetiredSaintsLsuFan
You need to cycle enough of your defensive ammunition of choice through your pistol to ensure that it will consistently feed, fire, and eject it. The last thing you want is to practice with nothing but target ammo only to have your pistol jam in the heat of the moment because it doesn't like to feed your chosen HP rounds.
Fire enough of your defensive rounds to get comfortable with their reliability in your specific pistol. After that, switch to target ammunition (though it's still a good idea to run a magazine of your defensive ammo through it every once in a while to ensure continued proper function).
And yes, target ammo will be perfectly fine to acquaint and familiarize yourself with the function and recoil of your pistol.
Fire enough of your defensive rounds to get comfortable with their reliability in your specific pistol. After that, switch to target ammunition (though it's still a good idea to run a magazine of your defensive ammo through it every once in a while to ensure continued proper function).
And yes, target ammo will be perfectly fine to acquaint and familiarize yourself with the function and recoil of your pistol.
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 2:22 pm
Posted on 7/10/20 at 2:38 pm to RetiredSaintsLsuFan
Dry fire practice to get familiar and comfortable with the operation of the pistol and can make you a better shooter with your pistol.
#1 Magazine out. Practice racking the slide and keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction as you do this. I see to many new and inexperience shooters who can't do this properly at the range. This is something easy to practice at home. My mom is very bad about this as she has problems racking the slide. A few minutes or practice at home with a dry pistol is all it takes to make someone like comfortable racking the slide safely.
After you get comfortable with this
#2 Magazine out. Make sure the pistol is unloaded. Rack the slide. With your finger off the trigger bring the pistol up to ready, sighted in on your target. Concentrate and focus in on the front sight post. Line up the front sight post to the rear grove making a good sight picture. Always focus on the front sight your target might be blurry but that's OK. Squeeze the trigger with increasing pressure until it fires with your focus on the front sight post the whole time. If your muzzle wavered you will see it in the sight picture. Practice this over and over and over again. Start slow and make sure each trigger pull it pure and doesn't throw your sight picture off. Slowly increase your speed if you can do it and not lose your sight picture.
My son is 11 and is bad about pushing a centerfire pistol down to fight the recoil. This practice will you you used to squeezing the trigger without flinching and keeping it pointed at the target. Really helped my son out to shoot a lot better. When I first got my Shield I shot it erratically. I think I just wasn't used to shooting a thin single stack pistol. A month of occasional dry fire practice had my hitting the center of the bullseye the next time I went shooting with that pistol.
#1 Magazine out. Practice racking the slide and keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction as you do this. I see to many new and inexperience shooters who can't do this properly at the range. This is something easy to practice at home. My mom is very bad about this as she has problems racking the slide. A few minutes or practice at home with a dry pistol is all it takes to make someone like comfortable racking the slide safely.
After you get comfortable with this
#2 Magazine out. Make sure the pistol is unloaded. Rack the slide. With your finger off the trigger bring the pistol up to ready, sighted in on your target. Concentrate and focus in on the front sight post. Line up the front sight post to the rear grove making a good sight picture. Always focus on the front sight your target might be blurry but that's OK. Squeeze the trigger with increasing pressure until it fires with your focus on the front sight post the whole time. If your muzzle wavered you will see it in the sight picture. Practice this over and over and over again. Start slow and make sure each trigger pull it pure and doesn't throw your sight picture off. Slowly increase your speed if you can do it and not lose your sight picture.
My son is 11 and is bad about pushing a centerfire pistol down to fight the recoil. This practice will you you used to squeezing the trigger without flinching and keeping it pointed at the target. Really helped my son out to shoot a lot better. When I first got my Shield I shot it erratically. I think I just wasn't used to shooting a thin single stack pistol. A month of occasional dry fire practice had my hitting the center of the bullseye the next time I went shooting with that pistol.
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 2:39 pm
Posted on 7/10/20 at 5:42 pm to RetiredSaintsLsuFan
If you're concerned about training with different rounds, look for Speer Lawman ammo in the same bullet weight as your self-defense ammo. They make it to shoot as close as possible to their more expensive duty/SD rounds.
Really, though, the importance and worth of range time is largely in getting repetitions in and building up basic skills and familiarity with the weapon. Any ammunition will help you do that.
Really, though, the importance and worth of range time is largely in getting repetitions in and building up basic skills and familiarity with the weapon. Any ammunition will help you do that.
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 5:44 pm
Posted on 7/10/20 at 6:36 pm to TigerstuckinMS
I agree with all the foregoing - especially the dry firing advice. Finding range ammo (FMJ) has become an expensive proposition for those who didn't stock up while ammo was plentiful.
The only thing I would add is that I often see people at the range (like I did today) who are practicing with techniques that are probably doing more harm than good.
To the OP: Remember, "Practice doesn't make perfect."
"Practice makes permanent." Under stress most of us will revert to whatever we have developed as habits.
If you can still find a copy (on Amazon or eBay) of Andy Stanford's book entitled "Surgical Speed Shooting," grab it. Andy used to teach a two-day class with the same title (my wife & I took it years ago). The book isn't a substitute for training under one of those gurus, but it does cover every facet of how to shoot a handgun, with lots of step-by-step photos. (I recommend it in all of my classes - but it has gotten hard to find lately).
P.S. I just looked on Amazon and on eBay. This book (which used to sell for about $10) is now $35-65 for "good condition" used copies. It's still a bargain, even at those prices. Andy trained with the "big dogs" back in the day (Jeff Cooper at Gunsite, Ron Avery, Brian Enos, et al). He's no longer teaching, but knew his stuff and wrote in a very clear, easy to follow style.
The only thing I would add is that I often see people at the range (like I did today) who are practicing with techniques that are probably doing more harm than good.
To the OP: Remember, "Practice doesn't make perfect."
"Practice makes permanent." Under stress most of us will revert to whatever we have developed as habits.
If you can still find a copy (on Amazon or eBay) of Andy Stanford's book entitled "Surgical Speed Shooting," grab it. Andy used to teach a two-day class with the same title (my wife & I took it years ago). The book isn't a substitute for training under one of those gurus, but it does cover every facet of how to shoot a handgun, with lots of step-by-step photos. (I recommend it in all of my classes - but it has gotten hard to find lately).
P.S. I just looked on Amazon and on eBay. This book (which used to sell for about $10) is now $35-65 for "good condition" used copies. It's still a bargain, even at those prices. Andy trained with the "big dogs" back in the day (Jeff Cooper at Gunsite, Ron Avery, Brian Enos, et al). He's no longer teaching, but knew his stuff and wrote in a very clear, easy to follow style.
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