I came to revolver shooting late in life. When I was younger my friends and I spent a lot of our time in the summers varmint hunting with our .22s. I can still remember the important aspects of the hunter safety course I took, as well as my father's tutelage.
But this spring I bought my first hand guns. A Pietta 1851 Colt Confederate Navy .44 and a Heritage RoughRider .22/.22WMR. I watched YouTube videos for specifics on shooting. I practiced for days getting comfortable drawing out of the holster, unloaded of course. My thinking was the first thing I needed to master was drawing, cocking and aiming the revolver without shooting any toes off. Then I decided it was time to see if I could hit what I was aiming at. I improvised a "range" in the woods behind my house. Then I moved on to drawing, cocking, aiming and firing. Not trying for fast draw. Just smooth draw and accuracy.
This is because I am still hauling firewood up to the wood shed and it is snake season in Georgia. I experimented and figured .22WMR snake shot was the best load. Several paper plates gave their all in these experiments.
So, a couple of days ago, a smallish copperhead came slithering out of the wood pile that I was loading onto my wagon. The practice paid off. One shot at about 3 - 4 feet and we had a dead copperhead
Yes, I was glad for the practice. A copperhead at close range is in my book a stressful situation. I don't think the results would have been that pretty without practice.
I am fortunate that I can shoot any time I want. I take each gun out to shoot at least once a week, even if only a few shots each time. I have some concern for those who buy a handgun for protection but can not practice enough to be proficient. In stressful situations, practice and ingrained habits beats thinking it through step by step.
But this spring I bought my first hand guns. A Pietta 1851 Colt Confederate Navy .44 and a Heritage RoughRider .22/.22WMR. I watched YouTube videos for specifics on shooting. I practiced for days getting comfortable drawing out of the holster, unloaded of course. My thinking was the first thing I needed to master was drawing, cocking and aiming the revolver without shooting any toes off. Then I decided it was time to see if I could hit what I was aiming at. I improvised a "range" in the woods behind my house. Then I moved on to drawing, cocking, aiming and firing. Not trying for fast draw. Just smooth draw and accuracy.
This is because I am still hauling firewood up to the wood shed and it is snake season in Georgia. I experimented and figured .22WMR snake shot was the best load. Several paper plates gave their all in these experiments.
So, a couple of days ago, a smallish copperhead came slithering out of the wood pile that I was loading onto my wagon. The practice paid off. One shot at about 3 - 4 feet and we had a dead copperhead
Yes, I was glad for the practice. A copperhead at close range is in my book a stressful situation. I don't think the results would have been that pretty without practice.
I am fortunate that I can shoot any time I want. I take each gun out to shoot at least once a week, even if only a few shots each time. I have some concern for those who buy a handgun for protection but can not practice enough to be proficient. In stressful situations, practice and ingrained habits beats thinking it through step by step.
