Humble pie: That first mag.

D

dyl

New member
There are fewer things more humbling to a shooter than that first mag after months away.

It gets me every time. I even found myself falling back to thoughts of "well maybe this pistol doesn't like this new Perfecta ammo". It was too late to blame the sights though as the CM9 had done <1 inch at 10 yards half a year ago.

I had done a quick mental prep. I hadn't done any dry fire before the opening shot. Good thing the ammo fixed itself somewhere between the second and third magazine :D

That doesn't bode well for emergency firearm use does it :)
My hope is that with enough training a first cold shot could still be true. I'm hoping to see in the next week or so as it has been another couple months since I've had my fun.

Can I get a witness?
 
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As I get into my late 60's...its more important to practice if I don't want my tactical skills to "erode" badly....so I have to get to the range at least once a week...or like you say, its not pretty !!

Dry firing is ok...but the recoil and stress of a timer is important along with some live fire ! ...if I expect to be able to fire quickly and accurately...( draw and fire 3 shots on target to center chest ( and center chest to me means, in about a 8 1/2" by 11" rectangle ) in 3.0 sec or less....at ranges of between 5 and 8 yds )...is what I expect of my skills ...if I can't do that, I need to practice more ...! Any shot in that rectangle...sort of nipple to nipple and down toward belly button - is just as effective as another..../ if the group is too tight, I'm sandbagging, and I need to speed it up to 2.75 sec or even 2.5 sec...

and I know its expensive to do that these days...but reloading helps me accomplish that with less money...( but because I reload, I shoot more...so who am I kidding )...:D and I like shooting...
 
"Months away" will ALWAYS be detrimental to anyone's shooting skills, regardless of the handgun type.

It certainly helps if one has a affinity for a particular model. Case in point : I carried a CM9 myself for over a year.....and shot it ALOT (about 2000 rounds worth)....some time back. I seem to have a particular "affinity" for that model, because I always had terrific results with it and that started from the very beginning. Anyway, at some point I evidently had a mental breakdown, because I got rid of the CM9. Foolish.

I missed my CM9, probably more than any other semi I'd ever had. So, a few weeks ago, I purchased another one, used. It took me well less than 50 rounds, perhaps even only 25 or so....even though I had not shot a Kahr for over a year... to "get back in the groove". I've put around 300 rounds through the CM9 as of now - and it's like I'd been shooting one all along. I just seem to get along with the trigger of that little pistol THAT well.

However, by contrast, I've had hand guns with which, if I did not shoot them for say, a couple of weeks....my results with them would NOSEDIVE. Almost like starting over - just that bad.

My overall point being that, if one is lucky enough to find a particular handgun for which he/she has such an "affinity" (as I seem to have for the CM9)....then a lay off of a couple weeks or so may not make a much difference. On the other hand, it COULD make a great deal of difference.

Stating the obvious - REGULAR practice is the KEY. Even though I seem to shoot my Kahr really well at every range session, I still do intend to shoot it virtually every time I go to the range. No need to put hundreds of rounds through it every week, however. So, my plan is 25 rounds, every time at the range, just to stay "fresh."

Once you are back up to snuff with your CM9, I'd recommend roughly the same, depending on how that works for you. Depending on your skill level and how fast your skills degrade (and how often you make it to the range), something like 25 rounds may be more than enough to keep you sharp. But, as I said, REGULAR practice is key - for everybody.
 
Not too long ago I hadn't shot anything for about a year. My $50 a year range got it's insurance dropped and I was out of work at that time and it didn't make sense to drop $200 on a range membership (there are very few public ranges that allow lane rentals in MA). I did ALOT of dry fire practice during this time, as well as drawing and point shooting practice, you know practicing getting my sights on target quickly from a draw. When I finally did hit the range I pulled out my Beretta and shot a nice 2" group at 25ft. Moral of the story, don't underestimate dry fire practice.
 
You always need to be prepared. Guns, ammo, gear and of course EXCUSES.

You'll need to find your own but here's a few to start you out.

1. New gun. (or new ammo or new grips or new sights or new lube.)

2. Old gun. (or old ammo or old grips or old sights or old lube.)

3. Have they changed the lights in here?

4. (Personal favorite). Has this range gone METRIC?!
 
my wife was able to put every round in about a 3" or so circle using her revolver. she would do it consistently every couple weeks when we shot. I haven't been able to get her out in over a year. we went last weekend and it took about 20+ before she could even get on the paper. by the end of the day and a hundred rounds or so, she was dancing around the bull. tried to once again explain the importance of practice.
 
There are a lot of reasons, "life happens", for not being consistent with our shooting. I find that the dry fire time I get many nights of the week while watching TV is the best answer to skill erosion. Having the pistol in your hand. concentrating on grip, trigger press & sight alignment helps tremendously in retaining the required skill set.
If I intend to use a particular handgun that I haven't had out of the safe for quite a while I will be sure to spend at least one night focusing on that weapon before heading to the range.
Doing this with the CCW pistols on a regular basis won't totally replace range time but it is still very useful.
 
Dry fire, airguns, what ever involves trigger time will make up for a lot.
Even if live fire range time is a rarity, there's other ways to stay sharp.
 
I don't find much difference with the first magazine; don't see the big deal. I do agree that all training and practice is important, and the more the better.
 
My wife is an administrator in the prison system. Having worked her way up from an entry level officer will attending College, into an administration role with here degree. Along the way, she under went a lot of firearm training in the State Police Police Academy and, finally earned the in house firearms instructor role for the prison. She was trained very well and took her responsibility to qualify her officers very seriously. Even though she is no longer in that position, she falls back onto her training very quickly when we are shooting. I'm talking first shot quickly. And she is quite a shot.

You want a piece of humble pie? Shoot your first clip after a long lay off against a firearms instructor. :) I've eat it a LOT. Lots of at home dry firing will keep you in tune a lot better than just going cold turkey. It's the only thing that keeps me competitive with her. God Bless
 
While reading all the great posts,only one thought kept going through my mind.Thank God for Hi-Cap magazines! :D
 
This is a Kahr?

They can be difficult to shoot due to the LOONNNGG (albeit smooth) trigger that seems to surprise you when it goes off.

Indian not arrow. No fault though. It has happened to me. Skills are perishable. But you can build them back up quick.
 
Yeah I wasn't sure about that either, I think he was trying to be helpful by suggesting reliable mags. Perhaps thinking that we make the mistake of buying cheap mags first before going with more reliable ones.

Yep, indian not the arrow!

Haha high cap mags for accuracy :) Just you wait til I get to the bottom of this 33 rounder here....
 
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