"Bigger is better" goes overboard

C

CassandraComplex

New member
I saw a guy at the range today with a .44 Mag. It was a midzised .44 Mag revolver. He could not hit the side of a barn with it, in slow fire. He had these HUGE targets, like 2 foot square and he was missing the whole thing at 7 yards.
He was talking about what a cannon it was and how it would drop a bad guy so fast, and I was thinking "yeah, if you hit him, and not a kid ten blocks away"
Why do people think that a huge gun like that is going to save them, instead of just getting a smaller caliber that they can shoot well?
 
Actually Cassandra it has nothing to do with effectivness. With those types it usually comes down to the "biggest gun on the range" attitude. Just like "biggest rifle in the woods", "fastest car on the street" etc.
 
I agree, seems like pistol envy, huh?


Tom


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A "Miss" is the ultimate overpenetration!
 
I was thinking exactly that earlier. Could it be that users of cheap handguns (which tend to be very heavy in proportion to their calibers) and and often surprisingly decent triggers have less recoil and blast fears and thus reliatively good hit ratios?
 
Of course, whether he managed to hit me or not I would probably die of fright If I were being shot at by a 44. Of course it would never get that far as I am as fast and accurate as I probably need to be with my little disposable .22's.

I think the guys problem was what I call "flinch factor". have seen it before and I'm sure I will again. If you are not used to having dynamite go off in your hand it is natural to freak out just a bit when you shoot a canon like that. People will often prememptively flinch when shooting the bigguns and the habit will only get worse unless corrected.

This happened to some friends of mine. These guys are usually such good marksman it is almost supernatural. But one of them bought a 375H&H magnum and they all went to shoot the thunderstick. After they shot it once and realized it wasn't a cap gun they fliched every shot thereafter. Seeing this I have refrained from shooting it as I do not want to develop tha flinch myself and I do not reqiure such a large caliber for any of my shooting anyways.

Peas -ddt
 
Yep, when I was a kid, I thought I wanted a .44 Mag Desert Eagle. It was definately a case of big and bad.

A few years later and after going to rental ranges to try out several different pistols, I settled on a CZ-75 in 9mm, whith wich I found I could almost anything. I realized that size isn't the whole equation, it's more of how you sign your name.
 
Hee hee...I just went to the range with a friend of mine who brought a Redhawk .44 mag. I put the first round throught the x at 25yrds, and hit the target hanger with my second. we were using some max pressure rounds, and man was that thing a cannon. Eventually I could get some resonable accuracy, but I really had to concentrate.
 
i know it is fun to bash but consider this. a handgun is a underpowered tool at best. even a .44 mag or a hot load .45 Colt is weak compared to a rifle round. it behoves us to shoot the most powerful round that we can carry, conceal and shoot well. for many that may be the 9mm for some the .40 for some the .45 ACP. most of the problem is that revolvers kick like mules compared to semi-autos in the same or similar bore diameters and power levels. i will never forget the only time anyone ever pointed a gun at me in anger. we were riding four wheelers in a national park (legally) and were near the boundry. a old guy in overalls stepped out from behind a tree and stuck a .45 Colt Blackhawk in my face. he accused me of riding on his land. we worked it out eventually but MAN!! that big ass bore looked like a fire hose looking down it. and i could see 3 or 4 HUGE hollow points in the cylinder waiting. talk about your incentive. all i could think of was how much i wanted that damn gun out of my face. i have carried a round butt 629 4" concealed before but i loaded down the rounds. big bore yes but hitting the target is gun control.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one.--And they said. Lord here are two swords. And he said unto them. That is not enough. Luke 22-36,38
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
 
Howdy!

I personaly know two shooters who made the .44 mag mistake.... I warned both of em too! seemes one had fired really light loads of .44 mag a long time ago...thought I was a wimp! In the end he sold his .44 Mag... he developed the ol' flinch Ya see! :p

My other freind well... he cant hit past ten yards with his Deasert Egale, yet he still carries it every day for self defense! No Kidding!

A man has a right to shoot and carry what he wants. But in my book if you want a BIG bullet, get a rifle!

:cool: IZZY
 
44mag puny; I went with the .454Casull :)
Now let me see ya carry that concealed :eek:

Seriously the .454 is mainly for hunting, and having just started shooting I can still keep all the shots of the target at 25yards.

For CCW I grab my 1911 or MK40, enough power with the ability to conceal. I am still looking for a Concealed carry holster for my .454 Super Redhawk :)

DaHaMac
 
It is all about what you are comfortable shooting. I have a model 29 S&W .44 mag that is one of my most accurate handguns. I had a 4506 .45 that I couldnt hit the side of a barn with. Now I would never want to carry my .44 mag since it is to big and bulky but it is fine for hunting and could be used for home defense. But if you are not able to shoot a larger caliber gun well then I agree dont look like an idiot at the range talking about how BIG and BAD your hand held Bazooka is and then not be able to hit your target at 5 freakin yards. If thats your thing find the most "powerfull" gun you can shoot accurately and recover with quickly and go withit. Whether its a .38 or a .50.
 
I have to disagree with a few here. At least in my case, a .44 mag can be a great "accuracy tool". When I first started shooting pistols, I would sometimes jerk 9 mms, and my .40s would be all over the place. My brother dared me to shoot his 4-5/8" barreled .44 Ruger Bisley. Of course I had to defend my manhood. The first shot scared me to death, and really hurt (wooden grip and no shooting gloves), but I couldn't let him win. I concentrated real hard on breathing and trigger control, and by the second cylinder, I was shooting 6" groups offhand at 10 yards. I know that's not very good, but it was much better than what I was doing with my .40s. I went back to my autos, and the 9mms felt like 22s. All of a sudden, I was now placing half my shoots in the X ring off hand at 10 yards. For me, that was a major, and instant improvement. Now, when I get into an accuracy slump, I just borrow that short barreled .44 for some instant therapy.
 
I agree with all the statements above.
It's too bad that there'll always be uneducated 'show-offs' among us.

One of the two indoor ranges that I frequent most has it's own solution to the problem.
During most of the week, the owners restrict the caliber size of the firearms brought in to .45 auto and below.
On Sunday morning, before opening to the general public, the LEOs are encouraged to come and practice. And many do.
On Monday evenings, from 7:00 until closing, the private citizen can (and does) bring in anything short of a howitzer.
That way they can bother and intimidate only each other.
And the rest of us can stay at home.
This 'restriction' has worked well for years to almost everyone's satisfaction.
Signs to that effect are posted in prominent places throughout, and at 'check-in time' you simple list what you have brought.
Violators do not get a second chance.
Simple, but effective.

FWIW, I like to practice with my hand cannons at the only 'outdoor' facility here in this county. But I really prefer to drive up to the one my dad and put together a few years ago. Too bad it's a 5 hr. drive from here...

Shoot well
Shoot safe



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...defend the 2nd., it protects us all.
No fate but what we make...
 
I agree that the hand-cannons are often an ego thing. But OTOH, I am more accurate with 45acp than any .40 or 9mm pistol I've tried.
I guess there's a critical point at which the kick becomes too much, and you flinch in anticipation. Luckily for me, 45acp ain't that point. :)
 
Obviously that shooter believes in the addage: "A little is good, more is better, and too much is just about right!"

I knew a retired SFPD cop who use to carry a .41 Magnum for his duty weapon. Some dude drew on him and he drew, fired, and blasted the sidewalk near the guy. It frightened the suspect so much he dropped his gun and surrendered. Bigger can be better, but only if the user masters the techniques.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
You guys ought to real L. Neil Smith's "Pallas" and "Probability Broach"...he expects calibers less able than 10mm Auto and .41 Magnum to die out in the libertarian future :)
 
4V50 Gary. Back in the late 1950's, there was a motorcycle cop that carried a nickel plated 8 3/8 inch .44 magnum. From what i heard, he even qualified with full power .44's. Considering that the .44 Magnum was loaded to higher pressure than what they are now, he must have been pretty dangerous for the bad guys. I never knew him, but a friend of mine who worked for Markell's back then did. He told me about him.
Didn't the SFPD start issuing S&W .41 Magnums for a while? I heard recuits from the academy were being given them upon graduation back in the 60's. I heard they then droped them as the recoil was too much for most of them. I think either markells or Cake was supplying them.
Paul B.
 
Those "big gun" types crack me up! If you ask me, the've got problems with size of their peniz. I don't like shooting around Clint Eastwoods. They're dangerous and break range and safety rules.

I like to sail my target out twice as far as they're shooting. Plug 10-15 rounds in the bullseye. Then line it up with theirs at 20 feet usually and leave it there. They understand. YOU SUCK!!!!!

Big gun, small peniz.

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The Seattle SharpShooter
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> ... Bigger can be better, but only if the user masters the techniques ... it behoves us to shoot the most powerful round that we can carry, conceal and shoot well.[/quote]Many moons ago (before the .40S&W was invented), I carried a full-size 9mm and was partnered with a young kid (actually he was only about half a dozen years younger than me) who carried a .44mag.

We went to the range one day and I was able to hit the bulls eye with my 9mm at 75 feet -- not every single shot but a majority of the bullets went inside the center circle (this doesn't mean that I can do the same thing now but back then, I was younger and I practiced a lot more).

I realize that most shootings do not happen at 75 feets but I figured that if I was a good shot at 75 feet under calm, controlled circumstances where I was able to take my time in firing, I would have been able to shoot well enough at 25 feet under less desirable circumstances.

My partner, however, was not able to hit the target at 21 feet with his .44mag. The best he could do was hit the edges of the paper.



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Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD.
 
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