How to practice with less ammo?
- Thread starter g.willikers
- Start date
stephen426
New member
Lost Sheep said:
Lost Sheep,
Few commercially available lasers will cause permanent eye damage that quickly. Most lasers, especially regular laser pointers are rated under 5 milliwatts. It can obviously cause eye damage over time, but even a couple of direct flashes will not do any major damage. I have a green laser that is 50 milliwatts that will do some serious damage in a hurry. It can light dark objects on fire. That is nothing compared to the 1,000 milliwatts laser I have from Wicked Lasers. It has a blueish/purplish beam that is VERY powerful. It is highly recommended that you wear eye protection when using those and have eye protection for anyone nearby.
Obambulate
New member
Pellet gun in the basement.
Shane Tuttle
Staff
That's two members saying LaserLyte is a good suggestion. I might have to look into that for myself...
Jammer Six
New member
I reload. Before the prices went up, I had bought a lot of components. Not because I'm wise, or saw it coming, it just happened that way.
Because of reloading, I have been able to train at the same level.
Because of reloading, I have been able to train at the same level.
I use a .25 caliber PCP airgun for rifle practice and varmint hunting as well. Keeps me up on my trigger control and scope use out to 100 yards. It also allows me to keep after small furry critters in the off season. For pistols I fugally use .22LR in one of my many .22 cal. pistols. With .22 being hard to find these days I've cut back on my range time a bit.
I scored some reasonable .45ACP a week or so ago so I'l be using my HK45C carry piece at the range every other week. I managed to get 500 rounds so I can stretch it out 50 rounds per session for a bit, or maybe even 100 rounds providing I can locate some more to replace my practice ammo. I have .45ACP in reserve, but I don't want to run through it.
Dry fire is also a good approach, but nothing tops live fire if you can feed your guns. Good luck.
I scored some reasonable .45ACP a week or so ago so I'l be using my HK45C carry piece at the range every other week. I managed to get 500 rounds so I can stretch it out 50 rounds per session for a bit, or maybe even 100 rounds providing I can locate some more to replace my practice ammo. I have .45ACP in reserve, but I don't want to run through it.
Dry fire is also a good approach, but nothing tops live fire if you can feed your guns. Good luck.
I'm not big on dry fire because it reenforces mistakes. That's why I use the pencil.
So what you do is take a pencil with an eraser. Sharpen it down until it is about 2 inches longer than your barrel. Use Scotch tape around the muzzle area, over the feral and in the middle. The pencil should slide easily, but not have a lot of slop.
Take a piece of paper and tape it to a wall. Put a small dot on it to simulate a target. A dot the diameter of the eraser works well, smaller also works well. Cock the gun and place the pencil against the breach face. Aim at the dot from a distance half the length of your barrel. When you fire the energy of the firing pin will hit the eraser and propel the pencil out of the barrel. It will hit the paper and leave a mark.
Fire and hold through for a 3 count. If the pencil is hitting in different spots you are moving the gun before, or just after, sear break. If it leaves a streak that will tell you what direction you are moving the gun after firing. Ideally it should hit the exact same spot every time. And that spot should be a pin prick.
This is kind of like dry fire, but it gives some feedback
Last edited:
Growing up as I did under a man who grew up out of the depression, I learned really early that we didn't just go shoot up a lot of ammo at the range.
Where there were always lots of folks who shot boxes, we only would shoot half and sometimes even less depending on what we were shooting. Our practice involved hitting the bull with every round. didn't always work out that way, but in doing so it made me a MUCH better shot.
don't get me wrong, there were times we DID shoot quite a bit, but these times were very rare. Pop figured those bullets were better spent putting meat in the freezer than paper shreds on the ground. Even with the 22's, when I headed out at the farm he would listen for shots. When I came back to the house I had better have something to account for them.
When I got into handguns in my late teens, I was loading them, and shooting upwards of 2-300 rounds a week. This wasn't as big a deal with him as he didn't feel they were as practical for hunting as I did. Once we got out together he would shoot a dozen or so rounds and he was done. Of course he would put them all where he wanted them to go as well.
Nowadays, I head to the range with anywhere between 2 and 5 rifles and possibly 3-5 handguns. I usually will run anywhere between 5 and 20 rounds, depending on what rifle or handguns I am shooting, through them all. This gives me the "blasting ammo away" feeling, without really burning through a lot of ammo of any particular type or caliber. I always shoot slowly and deliberately taking time to inspect each shot. Just like when pop was around, I feel the most important thing is to hit what your shooting at, where you need to, with the first shot. If a second is needed I will deal with it when that situation arises.
I guess his thoughts on these matters was ingrained in my head when I was young. He simply felt that fewer rounds over a longer period did more good than a lot of rounds at one time. I really cannot argue with this, as I never saw him miss anything he took aim at, in all my years of hunting and shooting with him.
Where there were always lots of folks who shot boxes, we only would shoot half and sometimes even less depending on what we were shooting. Our practice involved hitting the bull with every round. didn't always work out that way, but in doing so it made me a MUCH better shot.
don't get me wrong, there were times we DID shoot quite a bit, but these times were very rare. Pop figured those bullets were better spent putting meat in the freezer than paper shreds on the ground. Even with the 22's, when I headed out at the farm he would listen for shots. When I came back to the house I had better have something to account for them.
When I got into handguns in my late teens, I was loading them, and shooting upwards of 2-300 rounds a week. This wasn't as big a deal with him as he didn't feel they were as practical for hunting as I did. Once we got out together he would shoot a dozen or so rounds and he was done. Of course he would put them all where he wanted them to go as well.
Nowadays, I head to the range with anywhere between 2 and 5 rifles and possibly 3-5 handguns. I usually will run anywhere between 5 and 20 rounds, depending on what rifle or handguns I am shooting, through them all. This gives me the "blasting ammo away" feeling, without really burning through a lot of ammo of any particular type or caliber. I always shoot slowly and deliberately taking time to inspect each shot. Just like when pop was around, I feel the most important thing is to hit what your shooting at, where you need to, with the first shot. If a second is needed I will deal with it when that situation arises.
I guess his thoughts on these matters was ingrained in my head when I was young. He simply felt that fewer rounds over a longer period did more good than a lot of rounds at one time. I really cannot argue with this, as I never saw him miss anything he took aim at, in all my years of hunting and shooting with him.
Jammer Six
New member
There is, unfortunately, no substitute for rounds downrange.
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
SIRT laser Glock.
Also, for FOF, using live rounds make downrange a touch nasty.
So it depends on the kind of practice. Tactics and scenario training can be done with the airsoft or laser simulated guns.
Also, for FOF, using live rounds make downrange a touch nasty.
So it depends on the kind of practice. Tactics and scenario training can be done with the airsoft or laser simulated guns.
Frank Ettin
Administrator
Exactly.Glenn E. Meyer said:
I've found dry firing very useful and effective for working on trigger control. It's also a good way to work on presentation from a holster.
Dry practice can also be effective for improving both speed and tactical reloads. I've found these especially useful for that.
IMO, there are several options or steps:
- Go .22lr and get a .22 version of your main handgun or rifle or a conversion kit. There is an initial investment in the gun, magazines and maybe accessories but in the long run it can either save you money or increase the practice you get. I really like S&W's idea to offer an M&P15-22 and M&P22 with identical handling and even outer dimensions (same holster!).
- Go airsoft. Same as above, with even lower running costs. Lets you shoot at home AND practice how to defend you home. I got a cheap airsoft handgun that fits my Glock holster. Lets me practice drawing and shooting at home. Also a safe way to practice shooting at arm's length without the danger of perforating you own left hand or arm.
- Reload. The option with the highest initial investment and the highest effort necessary to save a small fraction of the ammo cost.
- Download. When I practice procedures like reloading, I download my mags. A typical drill is to load one mag with 5, one with 3 and one with 2 rounds. '5' goes in the gun, '3' is the 1st in the mag carrier, '2' is the 2nd. I start engaging the target with a few rounds, stop to do a deliberate reload with mag '2', reengage to slide stop, speed reload '3', reengage, and speed reload '5' again. That way, with just ten rounds, I get to practice four target engagements and three reloads.
- Go .22lr and get a .22 version of your main handgun or rifle or a conversion kit. There is an initial investment in the gun, magazines and maybe accessories but in the long run it can either save you money or increase the practice you get. I really like S&W's idea to offer an M&P15-22 and M&P22 with identical handling and even outer dimensions (same holster!).
- Go airsoft. Same as above, with even lower running costs. Lets you shoot at home AND practice how to defend you home. I got a cheap airsoft handgun that fits my Glock holster. Lets me practice drawing and shooting at home. Also a safe way to practice shooting at arm's length without the danger of perforating you own left hand or arm.
- Reload. The option with the highest initial investment and the highest effort necessary to save a small fraction of the ammo cost.
- Download. When I practice procedures like reloading, I download my mags. A typical drill is to load one mag with 5, one with 3 and one with 2 rounds. '5' goes in the gun, '3' is the 1st in the mag carrier, '2' is the 2nd. I start engaging the target with a few rounds, stop to do a deliberate reload with mag '2', reengage to slide stop, speed reload '3', reengage, and speed reload '5' again. That way, with just ten rounds, I get to practice four target engagements and three reloads.