Handgun skills are the most difficult of firearms skills to acquire, and they are the most perishable. Yet, muscle memory is a thing. Once you learn how to throw a ball, for example, you can still throw one after a year of not throwing. You don't have the strength, accuracy, or stamina you'd have if it were during baseball season, but you can still throw to someone 90 feet away--between the bases, as it were.
I knew with my "retirement" schedule I would not have sufficient time to shoot the Bullseye match until after the holidays, but I could squeeze out one hour, including travel time. I hadn't shot my .357 GP100 for quite a while, having become enamored of my 1911. I knew I had to shoot the Stealie just to keep my PD skills up to snuff. And I wanted to shoot the .45 also. What to do?
Those of us who shoot full power .357's know there is a sort of recoil to be expected. And that might cause a flinch. So my practice of short-time this time would ensure my flinch does not reappear. My technique is to load one, skip one, load two, spin the cylinder, then close it without looking. I just wanted to shoot two magazines of five each with the Springer, so I started with the .357. Working just on the trigger, I shot it single action the whole time--well, twelve rounds. That is, raising the revolver Russian-style, cocking and firing then lowering to the rest, each of the six cylinders, four times total. First shot was dead on at 15 yards, and ten of the dozen were in the black. That hammer dropping on an empty cylinder and me not flinching evah was totally and most excellent. As I expected, all ten from the Springer were in the black.
Hopped back in the car and was home with six minutes to spare, my confidence at operating my PD gun riding high on the facts. So, those of you who worry about diminishing skills, go shoot a 22 round, forty minute range trip. The worst, the very worst that can happen is to have shot 22 rounds. Not "wasted." Shot.
CDFingers
The 22-round range trip
1Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack