The firearm thread

[jono035]

wbks - Hate to be a killjoy and don't know if you or Chris are being serious here (god I hope not Chris, come on!) none of those pistols would be a good idea at all. They're either black powder or .44 magnum. Neither is a good choice for a beginner.

Edit: I think I'll ask Sportsways next time I go in and if they don't sound keen then I'll mention that it is enough for me to go elsewhere. Given that I've spent a hell of a lot of money in that store over the past few years hopefully it may mean something.

Anyone know if Serious Shooters is supporting the NSA?

Edit2: Well the .22 pistol would be brilliant for a beginner to be sure, but I sure as hell wouldn't mind giving it a good home until you come to your senses, Chris!

[Mr Merde]

Howdy Mr Merde
long time watcher first time poster HAHA any how if yer want drop me a PM about the 44 mags ..
just got a new fella shooting at local club that maybe keen as he's got a lever acton in 44mag ..
kinda intrested in how ya get on with the 45/70 i just loaded up my rolling block with some ffG and 535Gr pills for a shoot over on the west coast this coming weekend may even make it up north in early nov for the NZ champs
catch ya
JD

So whats your handle in CAS?

Mine is\was Dai Sloe

[JDK]

Name in CAS is JD Kid never been up north shooting yet know a few guys that travel a bit in to the south

the last 2 years i have been RG for the eastern plains (timaru ,Ash , chch area ) and now SD for CAS in CHCH ..

changed over to being a soot lord amonth ago man that blows ya hair back spose ya not realy ment to have 80 Gr's of black in shot gun and full cases in 45 colts with 250 pills topping them off but it looks cool and shot duelest even makes it look the part HAHAHA i'm just there to make up the numbers and do that fund raseing by haveing a few fanta's after shooting ..

me and my better 1/2 (Shellie Jector ... say it to ya self )shoot CAS and have a range here on farm with 3 areas i can shoot CAS on shooting a bit more longer range kinda stuff lever action rifles and single shots

catch ya
JD

[wbks]

wbks - Hate to be a killjoy and don't know if you or Chris are being serious here (god I hope not Chris, come on!) none of those pistols would be a good idea at all. They're either black powder or .44 magnum. Neither is a good choice for a beginner.

Wasn't really a serious statement... Like I said, I couldn't afford it, anyhow!

[jono035]

Wasn't really a serious statement... Like I said, I couldn't afford it, anyhow!

Yeah, that's true enough. I'm trying to convince myself that I can afford the new toy I've been looking at, but given that I can't even really afford to feed the 9mm at the moment, firing anything serious in .44 mag would require a reloading setup, and that's when the wheels fall off the idea.

Chris: Fired a bit more of that spare 9mm ammo last night. Had one of the regulars there asking me about how the Taurus compared to the Beretta 92 so I gave him a few of the rounds to have a pop with. He was much more accurate with it than I was by a long way (about 4" at 25m rather than my more like 12") but it still surprised me how much it rocked him back on his heels with each round. He mentioned that it felt like +P ammo though... Oh well, the pistol seems to be handling it with no complaints!

[Mr Merde]

Yeah, that's true enough. I'm trying to convince myself that I can afford the new toy I've been looking at, but given that I can't even really afford to feed the 9mm at the moment, firing anything serious in .44 mag would require a reloading setup, and that's when the wheels fall off the idea.

Chris: Fired a bit more of that spare 9mm ammo last night. Had one of the regulars there asking me about how the Taurus compared to the Beretta 92 so I gave him a few of the rounds to have a pop with. He was much more accurate with it than I was by a long way (about 4" at 25m rather than my more like 12") but it still surprised me how much it rocked him back on his heels with each round. He mentioned that it felt like +P ammo though... Oh well, the pistol seems to be handling it with no complaints!

.44 is a doddle to load. all you need is the dies,

I have no idea what that 9mm ammo was other than military.

Havent had a nine since 1997 when the UK cops stole my CZ75 and CZ85

4" isnt bad for a 9mm but with practice you should be able to shrink that to at least a 2". Secret to all pistol shooting is repetition.

Doesnt matter how much ammo you fire, make sure you spend about 75% of your practice doing dry fire exercises. Building up muscle memory and eye to target co-ordination.

Dry firing builds consistancy.

I used to use an old fashoned pencil with a rubber on the end.
Pushed it down the barrel of my .45 (undoaded of course)

Had a target drawn on the wall. Just two lines , one verticle and one horizontal

I raised the pistol to the firing position about 1/2" from the two lines and pulled the trigger. The firing pin hit the rubber and drove the pencil to the target. The point made tiny marks on the paper, just like a bullet on a fullsize target would. I could work out from where the marks were as to what I was doing wrong, then work on that problem.

Try it, its not as easy as it sounds but it will make you concentrate on position and sights. Building muscle memory.

[wbks]

On my earlier question... I guess there is quite a difference!! http://www.sdnewell.com/Images/IMG_4446.jpg

[jono035]

On my earlier question... I guess there is quite a difference!! http://www.sdnewell.com/Images/IMG_4446.jpg

Yeah, the 7.62x39 is the relatively wimpy 'AK47' cartridge, built for low recoil, controllability under automatic fire and the ability to carry large quantities of ammo.

7.62x54R was a much older cartridge, originally designed during the era of bolt-action weapons and mostly used for longer distance shooting and sniping.

Chris: Yeah, I definitely get what you're saying. I'm generally pretty good with the trigger control (4" groups from the .22) but things open up quite a lot more with the 9mm. I know I flinch if I'm not concentrating with the Taurus but I'm keen on getting my hands on a long-barrelled revolver and loading some relatively light rounds into it to see how that goes. I was quite surprised that the Taurus could even shoot that well, the barrel certainly doesn't lock up particularly tightly in the slide. I should have asked him to put a few more down range and see if they kept grouping like that.

[Mr Merde]

....
Chris: Yeah, I definitely get what you're saying. I'm generally pretty good with the trigger control (4" groups from the .22) but things open up quite a lot more with the 9mm. I know I flinch if I'm not concentrating with the Taurus but I'm keen on getting my hands on a long-barrelled revolver and loading some relatively light rounds into it to see how that goes. I was quite surprised that the Taurus could even shoot that well, the barrel certainly doesn't lock up particularly tightly in the slide. I should have asked him to put a few more down range and see if they kept grouping like that.

Isnt just for trigger control. This exercise will tone the whole of your shooting.

When you raise a pistol to shoot it WILL waver. It is the skill of the marksman that can minimise the waver, possibly turn it into a small circular motion and then when everything is as it should be the pistol is fired.

The good pistol shooter will have that circular motion down to a minimum and he will fire the pistol at the same time everytime.

If you hold aim longer than 7 seconds you have held too long.

If you look at the piece odf paper with the holes from the pencil on it you will see where the pencil stuck. If the pinpricks are all in a vertical direction you are stringing your shots and need to work on your sight aquisition.

If they are all to the bottom left (assuming you are right handed) you are pushing the trigger, low and to the righ you are pulling. If it looks like a shotgun pattern then you are holding too long and suffering muscle fatigue.


The plotting of the fall of shot is a powerful diagnostic tool that will tell an experienced coach where you may be faulting.

[The Pastor]

picking the rifle uptoday, they are going to chuck a box of ammo in so i can test it with live ammo!

woohoo

[Mr Merde]

Check this out for group diagnosis

[ManDownUnder]

... put in a false Firearms license number on trademe and they told me off.

Im might try it again with a carefully constructed license number (right format, wrong numbers of course) to see if they catch on, or sdoes anyhone know how they valuidate the number input?

I find it hard to believe they'd have access to lists of FA serial numbers to data match against.

[Mr Merde]

... put in a false Firearms license number on trademe and they told me off.

Im might try it again with a carefully constructed license number (right format, wrong numbers of course) to see if they catch on, or sdoes anyhone know how they valuidate the number input?

I find it hard to believe they'd have access to lists of FA serial numbers to data match against.

If they do then I would make a serious complaint as that should be secure information.

I'd hate to think of a shopping list being out there for the bad boys to get.

Dont tell me it is secure I work in the trade and the only way to truely secure a machine is to put it in a sealed room, turned off.

[Mr Merde]

The Wheel of Misfortune
Every day of the shooter's life brings a new lesson. Identifying errors are crucial in order that these lessons be learned. The following chart can help pinpoint such basic flaws in a shooter's technique by analyzing group locations. As printed, it is for a right-handed shooter. (A left-hander's chart would be mirrored horizontally.)

Top Eleven Bad Habits of Shooters

1. Not Looking at the Sights. This quite frequently is listed as "looking at the target." A shooter may be focusing his eye on neither the sights nor the target, but since he does not see the target in clear focus he assumes he is looking at the sights. You must concentrate on sight alignment.
2. Holding Too Long. Any adverse conditions that interrupt a shooter's ability to "hold" will cause him to delay his squeeze, waiting for conditions to better. The disturbing factor about this is that you will do it unconsciously; therefore, you must continuously ask yourself, am I being too particular?
3. Improper Grip or Position. Suffice to say that you cannot fire a decent score with any gun at any range if you continually change your grip or position.
4. Jerk or Heel. The application of pressure either with the trigger finger alone or in case of the heel, pushing with the heel of the hand at the same time. Apply pressure to the trigger straight to the rear and wait for the shot to break.
5. Anticipation. Anticipation can cause muscular reflexes of an instant nature that so closely coincide with recoil that extreme difficulty is experienced in making an accurate call. Anticipation is also the sire to flinching.
6. Loss of Concentration. If the shooter fails in his determination to apply positive pressure on the trigger while concentrating on the front sight his prior determination needs renewal and he should rest and start over.
7. Anxiety. You work and work on a shot, meanwhile building up in your mind doubt about the shot being good. Finally you shoot just to get rid of that particular round so you may work on the others.
8. Vacillation (Plain Laziness). This is a mental fault more than a physical one, which results in your accepting minor imperfections in your performance which you could correct if you worked a little harder. The end result being you hope you get a good shot. Just like you hope you will get a gratis tax refund, and you will get one just about as frequently as you get the other.
9. Lack of Follow Through. Follow through is the subconscious attempt to keep everything just as it was at the time the shot broke. In other words you are continuing to fire the shot even after it is gone. Follow through is not to be confused with recovery. Merely recovering and holding on the target after the shot is no indication that you are following through.
10. Lack of Rhythm. Hesitancy on the first shot or any subsequent shot in timed or rapid fire. Develop a good rhythm and then have the fortitude to employ it every case. Frequently many shooters will have fine rhythm until the last shot of a string and then hesitate, doctoring up that last shot.
11. Match Pressure. If there are 200 competitors in a match, rest assured that there are 200 shooters suffering from match pressure. So what makes you think you are so different? If you are exerting all your mental energy toward executing the correct fundamentals rather than the arithmetic evaluation, your shooting match pressure will be what you feel when people congratulate you on a fine performance.

[Swoop]

There was a very good book in the public library system, by Laslo Antal. He really went into a bit of detail on target shooting, but not enough to put off the beginner.

Definately a good read for the ISSF people.