Thread: Personal Firearms

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Agreed.. And I apologized if I sounded condescending, but I was really aiming to just provide relevant facts for the discussion and poverty rates definitely influence the level of gun crime in a country. A person from Norway could give us the same argument as we lean significantly right of them and don't manage our natural resources as well as they do - to the detriment of the society in general, but that's the way we decided to run our country. I'm not trying to get into a debate as to which way is "better". However, countries with a high level of economic disparity will experience higher crime rates and the middle class will be more accessible as victims of violent crimes than the nobility (whatever you wanna call that class). That necessitates for the middle class to be better protected in countries like the US or Chile and the gun laws will often reflect that.

First for most I would like to thank you for your apology, in my opinion that takes a real man and real character. Secondly statistically you can prove almost anything you want, and it's kind of obvious that people with less than you are going to steal from those who have more as they have what they don't, and that kind of works its way up the chain until you hit those that have security guards, dogs, large gates and what not and even they get hit by high-end burglars. The type you see in the movies. I don't imagine it happens often, but I'm sure it happens every once in a while but I doubt it makes the papers. But as to the middle class, I really hate to go to the old adage "that when seconds count police are only minutes away" so that's why be fiercely defended our means to defend ourselves.
Non-confrontationaly
Griz
P.S. just a quick message. I don't know if any you guys have heard of that Dragon software where you speak and it types, that is the reason the last sentence or so makes it look like I'm having a stroke. I assure you I am not. I just got tired of correcting it.lol

Originally Posted by shooter74743

MWS:
Looks like you are right handed and that 1911 needs a trigger job by looking at the target.

If you are left handed you are "pushing", anticipating the recoil. Relax, the 1911 is a pussycat as long as you are on the "right" end.

Thanks for posting, some of my targets look like this when I am trying drawing & instinct shooting drills on the move. That's what practice is all about, getting them all on paper. You might also pick up some orange spots for the 10 ring...helps if you aim small...you miss small.

To add to shooter's good comments:

1. You said you'll bring your glasses next time. Are you having trouble seeing the target, or the front sight? If you can't get a hard focus on the front sight, you definitely need glasses. My marksmanship scores began to deteriorate along with my eyesight about five years ago, until I started wearing Rx lenses at the range.

2. I generally train for combat accuracy, not so much shooting for 1.25" groups at 25 yds. - if you want to do that, it'll take match-grade everything - trigger, barrel, ammo. To sight in a pistol, 25 yds. is a very long range. I start mine at 7 just to get a feel for the gun and sights, then go for eyeball accuracy (zero) at 10, then push it out to 15, and further if possible at a given locale, just to see how tight the groups stay.
I occasionally do private pistol instruction and will start beginners out even at 1-3 yds. to practice their sight alignment and trigger control. I find the visual feedback of seeing hits on target and the positive reinforcement of shooting tiny, accurate groups at that range go a long way towards solidifying the shooter's skills and confidence.

3. Trigger control is crucial. You can have the fanciest match-grade pistol equipped with a super hi-tech laser red-dot sight - if you jerk the trigger, shots will miss. Dry-fire trigger practice is really helpful. Needless to say, make sure that your pistol is unloaded. I also like to move all live ammo out of the practice area. Then get an empty bullet casing. Cock your gun, and balance the empty casing on its end and on top of the slide, just behind the front sight. Then slowly extend out into a shooting position, get your finger on the trigger and slowly, slowly start squeezing it back, almost like you really don't want it to go off, one ounce of pressure at a time. When the trigger breaks, it should come as a surprise - and the bullet casing should still be balanced on top of the slide! This'll also get you a good feel for your specific trigger - is it gritty, or "sticky" somewhere along the pull? In which case, you may want to get it smoothed out a bit.

4. I don't think the picture of your target is all that bad. Of course I don't know how many shots missed entirely, but it looks like you've put a fair amount of hits on a 8.5 x 11 rectangle. Now imagine that rectangle were a bad guy's chest area - do you think he might be hurting ? From a self-defense perspective, I think you're doing just fine!

Excellent tips HamburgO...especially the distance. I was at an outdoor range where the shortest distance was 25 yards. There's an indoor range with 10 yards (<10 possibly). I'll spend an hour in there, starting short and adding distance from there. Thanks!

A British "hush hush" agency had a drill called the Threes.

3 shot
3 inches
3 seconds
3 meters

Shot with a Browning Hi Power, 9MM. from the holster, including reaction time. It can be done. As Harry Truman said, "We are not perfect, but we can strive to be". The above drill is a good one.

After 30 years of 24/7 CCW I am still looking for the perfect carry gun. Right now I have it narrowed down to 3. Depending on weather, clothing, etc. It is a Kimber officers 4" .45.....90% of the time, a Kahr PM9 9mm maybe 5% of the time, or a Rohrbaugh 9mm. also maybe 5% of the time. Let us know how your choice works out.

I suck with pistols.... I have more that a few pistols, but I have never been a good pistol shot, beyond CQB tehniques... I applaud people who take the time to get good with them.

You need a Judge then. They are like the old Polaroid insta-matic...just point and shoot.

I'm from the UK and quite like guns if I'm perfectly honest, and now aged 53 I no longer hunt or shoot as I kept working Terriers and Lurchers, which I used to hunt Foxes Rabbit and Hares, my dogs would hunt up course and single handed kill a Fox or run down a hare over good terrain, as you can no longer hunt this way with dogs except gun dogs which you can flush and shoot game, and from an early age I owned and kept an array of guns all shotguns in various sizes 12 bore 16 bore 410 and 310 a small garden gun, It's quite a thorough process to own a gun in the UK with long forms including house call by the police doctors and professional references you must have signed and then check and cleared by the police, I have no problem with this if I'm honest and have no problem with people owning guns, but I'm against a law that says you can buy a gun to defend yourself, I just think there's no place for this in a civilized society.

Jamie

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

...I have no problem with this if I'm honest and have no problem with people owning guns, but I'm against a law that says you can buy a gun to defend yourself, I just think there's no place for this in a civilized society.

Jamie

You made my case for me. If guns were outlawed, only outlaws would have guns. The only time I will ever feel like I don't need or want a gun with me is when the Big Guy calls my number. Our world is quite an uncivilized place...

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

but I'm against a law that says you can buy a gun to defend yourself, I just think there's no place for this in a civilized society.

Jamie

Jamie, greetings from the US. Come, and tell that to the criminals over here, that someone forgot to tell them. When seconds count, the police is minutes away, in a "civilized" society! Double O