As we get older . When do you decide you have too much gun to control to be a good shooter? Caliber ,size ,weight, sights take into the mix. Had the big boomers 44 mag, 454 ,in revolvers. 45,40 and 9mm in autos.Due to physical problems the J FRAME & RUGER SP101 work best now days .How about you.
When do you have too much gun
- Thread starter mrt949
- Start date
I don't see age having anything to do with it. As I age, I become more proficient and my technique becomes better.
I carry a Glock 357 Sig, so far its the best fighting gun I have found. If I am gonna get in a fight it's what I want.
I still shoot my 44's and my 357's. For SD I will choose the best, for me it is the Glock.
I carry a Glock 357 Sig, so far its the best fighting gun I have found. If I am gonna get in a fight it's what I want.
I still shoot my 44's and my 357's. For SD I will choose the best, for me it is the Glock.
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Too Much Gun
It’s an individual thing, based upon age, health, and other conditions. Since I’m now a gray haired, 62 Year old, Grandfather looking type, I’d suspect that the Thugs out in the world perceive me as an easier target than back in “The Day”. So when I’m out and about I tend to carry two weapons and even put a third in the glove box. Depending where I’m going to, of course.
As I’ve gotten older, my taste in weapons for Self Defense and Concealed Carry has changed. During the Fall and Winter in the South, I tend to go up in calibers.
These are my Modern Day Carry weapons. A S&W 4043 in 40 Caliber, a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Mag with a 2 ½ in barrel. A Kimber 1911 45 ACP, Custom Shop Super Carry Pro. A Ruger SP-101, in .357 Mag. A Walther (S/W) PPK S-1, .380 ACP and a Ruger LCP .380 ACP.
Some I suspect have been relegated to a Safe Queen Status since lately, depending on where I’m going I tend to favor the lighter calibers for more convenience of carry than anything else. So I tend to jack it up a caliber or two, just in case.
It’s an individual thing, based upon age, health, and other conditions. Since I’m now a gray haired, 62 Year old, Grandfather looking type, I’d suspect that the Thugs out in the world perceive me as an easier target than back in “The Day”. So when I’m out and about I tend to carry two weapons and even put a third in the glove box. Depending where I’m going to, of course.
As I’ve gotten older, my taste in weapons for Self Defense and Concealed Carry has changed. During the Fall and Winter in the South, I tend to go up in calibers.
These are my Modern Day Carry weapons. A S&W 4043 in 40 Caliber, a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Mag with a 2 ½ in barrel. A Kimber 1911 45 ACP, Custom Shop Super Carry Pro. A Ruger SP-101, in .357 Mag. A Walther (S/W) PPK S-1, .380 ACP and a Ruger LCP .380 ACP.
Some I suspect have been relegated to a Safe Queen Status since lately, depending on where I’m going I tend to favor the lighter calibers for more convenience of carry than anything else. So I tend to jack it up a caliber or two, just in case.
Doc Intrepid
New member
105mm Howitzer.
Its too much gun for me....
Its too much gun for me....
So, in your current state, small wheel guns "suit" your hands and fingers best?
Is that because you are comfortable with the recoil impulse of that size/shape of gun... or is it because you have the best dexterity/fine muscle control with that size/shape? Two different things ya' know...
C
When you go squirrel hunting and your 30-30 eviscerates and skins the squirrel and takes the front half of the meat you may have to much gun. Ask my brother about that.
He can still shoot his 45's but 44 mag is to much. I can still shoot my 44 mag but after an extended session I pay for it that night. Same with 41 mag, love it but most anything I need to shoot can get shot with a .357 just as well for less cost and no pain afterwards.
He can still shoot his 45's but 44 mag is to much. I can still shoot my 44 mag but after an extended session I pay for it that night. Same with 41 mag, love it but most anything I need to shoot can get shot with a .357 just as well for less cost and no pain afterwards.
Stevie-Ray
New member
Welp, my .44 magnum Redhawk might be too much gun for me now, as I haven't fired it in several years, but I doubt it. The .45-70 Contender, OTOH, is too much gun. I knew that when I put it away for good years ago. I should probably sell that thing, but the .30-30 barrel is one of my favorites.
golfnutrlv
New member
I shoot with a friend who is older than I. He used to shoot squirrels with a 300 H&H when he was my age....can you say red mist...
chris in va
New member
I felt the Ruger SP 101 to have too much recoil for my abilities. Sold it a year after purchase.
Edward429451
Moderator
I do not think it's about age to a reasonable extent. Some of it is the guns and the cartridges that they are chambered for (modern metallurgy has made it possible to chamber too much cartridge in too small of a gun for it to be comfortable to shoot.) The SP101 is a prime example.
Bigger guns are more technique than strength to control (to a certain extent, of course). I have seen big guys with poor technique fail to control magnums and dislike them, and they are certainly big enough to do so. I have seen small women shoot magnums very well and not complain, because of good technique. I am not a big guy and love shooting big bores, but I have been doing so for a long time and have good technique.
Bigger guns are more technique than strength to control (to a certain extent, of course). I have seen big guys with poor technique fail to control magnums and dislike them, and they are certainly big enough to do so. I have seen small women shoot magnums very well and not complain, because of good technique. I am not a big guy and love shooting big bores, but I have been doing so for a long time and have good technique.
I think you have too much gun when it is not enjoyable for you to shoot it.
I'm still pretty young comparatively, but previous jobs (and perhaps genetics) have caused me to have bad wrists. So, if I shoot larger bore handguns it's not fun for me because in the back of my mind I'm questioning if I will be hurting the next day.
I really don't see myself going over 9mm in any handgun anytime soon. I am a bigger guy, maybe I just don have the technique down like some have said. But the thing is, I don't want to invest in a larger caliber to only find out that even with good technique it still makes my wrists sore.
I'm still pretty young comparatively, but previous jobs (and perhaps genetics) have caused me to have bad wrists. So, if I shoot larger bore handguns it's not fun for me because in the back of my mind I'm questioning if I will be hurting the next day.
I really don't see myself going over 9mm in any handgun anytime soon. I am a bigger guy, maybe I just don have the technique down like some have said. But the thing is, I don't want to invest in a larger caliber to only find out that even with good technique it still makes my wrists sore.
I'm 66 now and as yet haven't run across one that's just too ferocious to shoot and enjoy. That said, I've never shot anything beyond the .44 Magnum. Keith's old max load with a 240 gr LSWC is my perceived limit tho. My day in -day out play and pack on the farm guns are usually .44 Spl's or .45 ACP's; but I do shoot a .41 and .44 Magnum on a regular basis...in both Ruger and S&W guns.
Health issues have not been a factor so far, tho my eyes aren't where they were 30 years ago, but good glasses have negated that problem.
As to the poster who mentioned stiff hands after a nap...I'd had that problem too, and felt that add'l finger work would help....I played guitar through college but gave it up when my family began to grow....since I've retired, I've taken it up again, and find that it really helps...I play the better part of an hour a day...enjoy it thoroughly, and have regained enuf proficiency that family members, especially "she who must be obeyed" don't complain.
Rod
Health issues have not been a factor so far, tho my eyes aren't where they were 30 years ago, but good glasses have negated that problem.
As to the poster who mentioned stiff hands after a nap...I'd had that problem too, and felt that add'l finger work would help....I played guitar through college but gave it up when my family began to grow....since I've retired, I've taken it up again, and find that it really helps...I play the better part of an hour a day...enjoy it thoroughly, and have regained enuf proficiency that family members, especially "she who must be obeyed" don't complain.
Rod
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If the gun beats you up ...because its too small in your hands...or it has too much recoil, to effectively ( in 1 sec at the most ) make a follow-up shot...then its not the right gun for you....( too much gun, maybe - maybe not)...
I'm in my early 60's ....hand injuries and hand strength are not what they were 40 yrs ago ...but I know ...it was too much gun, when I know its going to hurt before I pull the trigger....( like on a .475 Linbaugh or a .500 Wyoming Express in a gun under 60 oz )...and after I pulled the trigger, I definitely knew it hurt .../ or when I reach into my range bag, for a pair of shooting gloves, before I go to shoot that gun ....../ maybe at some point, I'd say, no - put that thing back .../ you can observe, you don't have to shoot everything ...!!
I'm in my early 60's ....hand injuries and hand strength are not what they were 40 yrs ago ...but I know ...it was too much gun, when I know its going to hurt before I pull the trigger....( like on a .475 Linbaugh or a .500 Wyoming Express in a gun under 60 oz )...and after I pulled the trigger, I definitely knew it hurt .../ or when I reach into my range bag, for a pair of shooting gloves, before I go to shoot that gun ....../ maybe at some point, I'd say, no - put that thing back .../ you can observe, you don't have to shoot everything ...!!
I decided that the .44 Magnum was too much gun for me, in my mid-thirties. Not pleasant to shoot, and hot .357's cleaned pins off the table just fine.
It wasn't a hand strength issue, as I was installing wood hardwood floors 5-6 days a week with a manual Powernailer and a 4lb mallet at the time.
It wasn't a hand strength issue, as I was installing wood hardwood floors 5-6 days a week with a manual Powernailer and a 4lb mallet at the time.
gunfighter48
New member
I'm 64 now and have arthritis in my hands and wrists. So I can see a day, if I live long enough, where I might have to drop from 45 to 9mm. But that day is still a quite a ways off, I hope!!!