The 22-round range trip

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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
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: The 22-round range trip

3
I hate that flinch problem.

I had that problem with .357 until I got some non-pretty comfy grips to replace the wood grips. It doesn't look as nice, but I sure can shoot it more. Before that, I shot mostly 38 out of it.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: The 22-round range trip

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Practice makes permanent.

I’m around 1400 rounds through the Springer now, give or take a few hun because old. I feel comfortable with the pistol, and I can now see where I can improve my scores in Bullseye. Moreover, I’ve shot it in a variety of ways: left, right, one, two. If I were training for self defense, I’d call it square and stop training, saying I only need touch ups six times a year or something. During 2019 I’ve gone a time or two 6 weeks without shooting the handguns. When I shot, I knew I would still be good against a baddie at ten feet. Even though I don’t train for it, my mind knows I’ve got a weapon here and if, god forbid, that particular use is required, then I could do it based on what I’ve read and watched.

I don’t consider myself trained in self defense at all. I just want to address that aspect of gun ownership up front that we see all the time out there in the real world: having a self defense gun. By two to one it’s a handgun. I haz ‘em. I shoots ‘em. I could do the deed if god forbid the deed needing doing—but I shoot to get better at shooting targets.

It’s not “perfect.” It’s “practice makes permanent.” I know we like to pop off rounds. Dang. Put me on flat ground with a two liter soda bottle and a pocket full of shells and I’m off to the fun zone. Love it. We get serious when we can break a shot down into micro moves, then separate each in our brain and work on it. I discovered this for myself in archery and in tooth flossing. We can make good habits happen.

I think there’s something to the 22 round range trip if we look at it right. Yesterday I shot another quickie. A friend of mine was doing his volunteer vest-wearing Range Officer duty at the local rod and gun club, so I popped over and shot thirty. That range is not as well ventilated as my regular indoor range. I could do thirty, though, and the tables were set at seven yards. Heck, I could nearly lean out and whack the target with the butt of my pistol at that distance, being a Bullseye-range type of shooter. Glad to see a ragged hole with three flyers, each indicating habits to eradicate. Here’s a target from the first fifty rounds when I was breaking in the Springer. You can see the habits, no shit.
first50.JPG


Two of the three flyers I made were me dropping the hammer during what I thought was a squeeze, but I pulled a bit quick and they were high and to the left. That’s one habit to kill. The other flyer this time was low and to the left—anticipation of recoil. Only one yesterday, so that shows me I lost my concentration there, and in the two high ones of early drop.

I shoot really slowly, like with the first ten of Bullseye. I have the gun down on the rest, finger into guard, raise the pistol up Russian style, slight elbow bend, front sight squeeze, follow though to see the hole. I load five rounds in the factory magazine rather than seven, prolly because of a habit developed when saving brass in the box. I have enough brass, so sometimes I just let the range recycle them. I think it pays for their better ventilation.

So six magazines of five. Three outside the black at seven yards, really slowly. I hope to make permanent the editing out of these few bad habits I still retain. If I practice this way, I think I will improve.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: The 22-round range trip

12
Great Drill with revolvers, do similar with autos. Snap caps randomly loaded, then you get to test for flinch and combine with a clearance drill.
One trick my wife uses with new shooters (female) is have them get in position, take careful aim, have them place there finger on trigger and hold. Then she reaches across while slightly behind, and using thumb & forfinger around stock, press on their trigger finger to send it. Then she can tell them "your aim is good, your grip is good, we just need to work on your trigger pull". Good training and confidence builder.

Personally I think shooting double action with a revolver will improve trigger control in everything else. I very rarely shoot single action in revolvers. I have ground off the hammer spurs in two of my revolvers to allow lighter triggers, but these are specifically for fun shooting, not for self defense.

Re: The 22-round range trip

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Good post CD.

I thought I didn't have a flinch. Then out of nowhere I had a huge flinch. Maybe I always had one and just woke up to it. Anyhoo, your "load 1, skip 1 load 2, spin cylinder" technique has been very helpful. Also dry firing a lot, and only shooting 38 spc. Have sworn off 357 mag until I know the flinch has been gone for a long time.

I'm shooting a very beefy gun--Blackhawk with 6.5 inch barrel--so the 357 recoil didn't really feel bad to me. I thought anyway. Maybe it's the sound.

Nonetheless, thanks. I also shoot a 1911, so I'll be doing your 22-round drill when flinch is gone. Don't think I flinch as bad with the 45 acp as the 357 mag, but not taking chances.

Re: The 22-round range trip

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Cooper, it's almost certainly the noise.

When I started out with the Carryhawk, I was only using muffs and my ears would ring for a while after leaving the range. The kick wasn't much different from the plow-handle 7.5" SAA replica that introduced me to .45, but that short barrel and non-cowboy loads were up there with .357 for volume. I could feel and see the flinch starting to develop, so I picked up disposable plugs and started wearing them too. Nowadays I just use them for .22 and only break out the muffs for the wheelgun or if someone's shooting a larger caliber a couple lanes over. Good ear protection, along with dry fire practice with a magnetic laser level, did wonders.

Re: The 22-round range trip

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wings wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:56 pm Cooper, it's almost certainly the noise.

When I started out with the Carryhawk, I was only using muffs and my ears would ring for a while after leaving the range. The kick wasn't much different from the plow-handle 7.5" SAA replica that introduced me to .45, but that short barrel and non-cowboy loads were up there with .357 for volume. I could feel and see the flinch starting to develop, so I picked up disposable plugs and started wearing them too. Nowadays I just use them for .22 and only break out the muffs for the wheelgun or if someone's shooting a larger caliber a couple lanes over. Good ear protection, along with dry fire practice with a magnetic laser level, did wonders.
Excellent. Good to hear someone else in the same boat who got past it. I'll double up on the ear protection when I start 357 mag again. Dry fire for now with the occasional CDFingers Antiflinch Drill.

Thanks!

Re: The 22-round range trip

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cooper wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:46 am Good post CD.

I thought I didn't have a flinch. Then out of nowhere I had a huge flinch. Maybe I always had one and just woke up to it. Anyhoo, your "load 1, skip 1 load 2, spin cylinder" technique has been very helpful. Also dry firing a lot, and only shooting 38 spc. Have sworn off 357 mag until I know the flinch has been gone for a long time.

I'm shooting a very beefy gun--Blackhawk with 6.5 inch barrel--so the 357 recoil didn't really feel bad to me. I thought anyway. Maybe it's the sound.

Nonetheless, thanks. I also shoot a 1911, so I'll be doing your 22-round drill when flinch is gone. Don't think I flinch as bad with the 45 acp as the 357 mag, but not taking chances.
Yup, my 6.5 inch hardly has any recoil as well. It just seems normal. But I've had it for many years. Throwing out .38's with it is nothing. My Ruger LCP .380 and SR9c has more kick.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

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