"If you are shooting farther the question will undoubtedly be: why didn't you run away?" --
FreeInAZ
...we were talking about
one particular self-defense scenario where L-D (Long Distance) shooting would come into play, not your USUAL situation. True, WE personally would be in no danger -- just watching other people get shot -- but some of us just MAY want to get involved and at least TRY to stop the psycho-shooter. So "running away" would not be an option. Don't care if the police, DA or judge doesn't get that but at least any saved victims would, and that's enough for me. But I should add, however, that if any of said saved victims talked to me afterwards, they WOULD be berated for not carrying themselves...
The only other POSSIBLE L-D shooting situation I can think of would be defending oneself against low-flying alien spacecraft (which calls for FMJ ammo, no HPs please). This is an important skill to have when visiting the Roswell, NM, area, I assure you. I always am on at least moderate alert when I visit there. Especially during their UFO Convention-Fiesta every July. ;-)
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"All the above shots were double action I rarely shoot a double action revolver single action and double single action autos only after the first shot." --
Firearms Iinstuctor
I'm just the opposite: I never was able to shoot a revolver well in DA mode. Couldn't hit jack. So for L-D shots, I would ALWAYS go SA, as I need the best breaking trigger possible. That's one reason I like the 1911 -- SA only! No choice! For me, DA is for close up when you (almost) can't miss.
I don't know how people like Ed McGivern (1930s) could be so GOOD with DA revolvers (and shooting two revolvers at the same time)...he definitely was AMAZING!
[picture of Ed McGivern taken from
http://harisingh.com/newsSharpShooter.htm
I have a little Beretta 3032 (Tomcat, inox) that I carry when I can't carry my larger primary semi-auto, and as per its design, it's DA for the first shot, SA after that. Works for me in that I can have a round in the chamber (unlike I do with my primary carry gun which I never carry chambered) but it's VERY safe due to the long DA trigger pull (like a revolver) for the first shot, so that in itself makes it almost impossible for a ND (Negligent Discharge) to happen, as one must intentionally DA a heavy trigger pull to fire it. Also, should my SA (Situational Awareness) slip at some point and someone gets too close to me, the Beretta is ready to go in DA mode so I can get the first shot off quickly with a good chance of hitting the target because the range is so close. After the first shot then, when the gun goes to SA trigger, I can place subsequent shots more precisely.
It goes to show that one's tactics may change depending on what gun he/she is carrying that day. My tactics when carrying the Beretta are very different that carrying my larger primary gun. The ammo is also different as well.
As I regularly try to explain to people, it's not just the gun/caliber you carry (hardware), it's also how you're going to USE it (tactics). You need BOTH parts -- hardware & tactics -- present to have a complete & effective self-defense response.
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P.S. As for "sighting-in a handgun for a particular range" I don't mess with the sights, meaning the FRONT sight: If I need to shoot farther (L-D), I just raise the front sight up a bit. Besides, none of my handguns I presently own have adjustable sights anyway, so if any elevation corrections need to be done, it's done as they do in The Great State of Kentucky. ;-)
As long as the (fixed) sights DO shoot to point-of-aim at the usual close self-defense distances, I'm happy. If not, it's often a windage issue and I can press the dovetail rear sight right or left to fix it. As for elevation, I just GUESS. And once on, fire for effect. But with a flat-shooting handgun caliber, you sure don't have to guess very much, and since the bullet isn't dropping much, you're likely to get a solid torso hit at "great" (for a handgun) distances. You don't have to kill a "distant" psycho-shooter, just incapacitate him so he stops. So a solid hit -- lethal or not -- is the goal.
Besides, I don't want to be adding metal to my front sight OR filing it down for a specific distance...
