Euromutt
Regular Member
imported post
ODA 226 wrote:
Now that I shoot on my own time (and dime), I do continue to make sure I can operate the weapons I own adequately with either hand. You know, shooting off-hand really shouldn't be that a difficult; in my experience, which eye you have to use plays a larger role than which hand.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
To address the questions in the OP, I'm not as good as I could be, and I know it. I've read extensively and I think I'm thoroughly versed in the theory of shooting technique and laws governing use of lethal force by a private citizen, but I know I would benefit from taking a few classes.
That said, I do think my skills and knowledge are sufficient that I am not, on balance, a public safety hazard when I carry, provided I bear in mind my own limitations. There are shots that I cannot reliably make (yet), and therefore it would be extremely irresponsible of me to try to make them, as doing so would likely result in stray rounds. When I carry, I try to remain aware of which directions would be hazardous to shoot in.
I acknowledge I don't practice with my carry ammo; not much, anyway. However, part of the reason I selected Speer Gold Dots as my defensive round is because Speer manufactures the Lawman training round to (notionally) exhibit the same ballistics as the Gold Dot in the same caliber and bullet weight. Early on, I've tested this as best I could by loading a few magazines with a mix of Gold Dots and Lawmen to see if there was any variation in performance from round to round, and I couldn't observe any.
And I am punctilious about keeping my weapons clean. Any weapon that gets taken to the range gets cleaned that evening, after the rest of the familiy has gone to bed so can I set myself up on the kitchen table with the window open and a fan going without the smell of solvent or the cold air bothering anyone else.
ODA 226 wrote:
I'm not a particularly experienced shooter, but being a southpaw, I have had to operate a rifle (FN FAL), submachinegun (Uzi) and pistol (Glock 17) with my off-hand, and by "operate" I mean (re)loading, clearing malfunctions, the lot. Actually, in the case of the Uzi, I'm not sure I ever got to operate it with my strong hand at all...
Now that I shoot on my own time (and dime), I do continue to make sure I can operate the weapons I own adequately with either hand. You know, shooting off-hand really shouldn't be that a difficult; in my experience, which eye you have to use plays a larger role than which hand.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
To address the questions in the OP, I'm not as good as I could be, and I know it. I've read extensively and I think I'm thoroughly versed in the theory of shooting technique and laws governing use of lethal force by a private citizen, but I know I would benefit from taking a few classes.
That said, I do think my skills and knowledge are sufficient that I am not, on balance, a public safety hazard when I carry, provided I bear in mind my own limitations. There are shots that I cannot reliably make (yet), and therefore it would be extremely irresponsible of me to try to make them, as doing so would likely result in stray rounds. When I carry, I try to remain aware of which directions would be hazardous to shoot in.
I acknowledge I don't practice with my carry ammo; not much, anyway. However, part of the reason I selected Speer Gold Dots as my defensive round is because Speer manufactures the Lawman training round to (notionally) exhibit the same ballistics as the Gold Dot in the same caliber and bullet weight. Early on, I've tested this as best I could by loading a few magazines with a mix of Gold Dots and Lawmen to see if there was any variation in performance from round to round, and I couldn't observe any.
And I am punctilious about keeping my weapons clean. Any weapon that gets taken to the range gets cleaned that evening, after the rest of the familiy has gone to bed so can I set myself up on the kitchen table with the window open and a fan going without the smell of solvent or the cold air bothering anyone else.
