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Range Practice Advice

Dr.Coy

Regular Member
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Jul 15, 2008
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107
Location
Panama City, Florida, USA
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shesh. $207 just to carry something i have a consitutional right to carry. (speaking of the fee of the ccw app. and thumbprint and ccw class)

the price you pay for your own and your wife's safety.

Also, I go through 100 rounds of ammo everytime i go to the range, plus a $10/hr range fee... $30 just to go practice shooting! WHTJKLNHSD:JKLGNW>E<GN?SELGF

i buy the 100 rnd box of winchester whites for $20 at Walmart, anyone have any other suggestions...

i shoot a 9mm by the way.... any suggestions on how to get enough practice but not burn through so much ammo or at least save money?

I pretty much do this:

Go buy 100rnd box of ammo. Go to the range, pay $10 then... pop my target out to 25feet and shoot until im through my box...

i shoot a 9mm by the way
 

Evil Ernie

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Nov 18, 2007
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Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
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First: Join a local club. Check around, you'll find some decent membership prices. A one year membership will pay for itself quickly.

Second: Buy a box from Wallyworld even if you're just going in for milk. Wallet will dictate accordingly. I usually rotate between 9mm and .45ACP every trip to Wally.

Third: Determine exactly why you're going to the range. If it's just to hear a gun go bang, or make pretty patterns in paper, then invest in a .22 for your plinking needs. Only shoot your carry piece when you seriously want to conduct training, drills, speed, etc.
 

Dr.Coy

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Panama City, Florida, USA
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yeah... i joined the shooting range for a year membership for $50/year... then $25 NRA fee to join for a year... then $10 to shoot per hour...

no other clubs, except a range that is an hours drive away... too much gas expense...

i found on concealedcarryforum.com some drill handbook on a .pdf file.... i will start going through that... beacuse... what i do now is basically trying to get VERY familiar with my handgun, how it kicks, does I shoot up and to the left or down and to the right? i just am trying to get to shooting the gun where it is second nature to shoot it correctly... i watched Todd Jaretts video on youtube called shooting tips...

im just used to shotguns and rifles, handguns are a whole 'nother ball game.
 

skidmark

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Valhalla
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Check out Laser Blaster at http://www.laserdevices.com/product.php?id=23.

Your initial investment will be a bit steep, but you can do training whenever you want, and pretty much wherever you want, without paying range fees/club dues, ammo costs, cleaning supplies, etc.

On top of that, the laser beam will point out anything that is happening to the gun that may be causing you to be off dead center. Having a training partner to observe for you is even better.

I got mine about 6 years ago after a training class with a guy who uses them as part of both diagnostics and skill-building. The cost has not gone up that much since I bought mine.

The only negative is that you have to take the batteries out after training sessions or they will drain. Type 377 hearing aid batteries (stack 3 together - cheaper than buying from the company) seem to last about 12 hours of intermittent use (1/4 to 1/2hour per day every day and I change batteries once a month). Sure beats the cost of ammo. :celebrate

stay safe.

skidmark
 

FightingGlock19

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Sep 18, 2007
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, Kentucky, USA
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here's the range plan I use when I make payments on a busy weekend. It's all covered by one box of Winchester 100 round 9mm:

- Allen dot sheet (3 shots per dot equals 36 rounds)
- 25 rounds of draws mixed up shooting anywhere from 0-3 rounds per draw, incorporate stepping off line, verbal commands, 361* scan, tacticaland emergency reloads.
- 20 rounds of shooting while moving lateral
- 10 rounds shooting while moving forwards and back
- Remaining ammo (9 rounds) I shoot at 25+ yards

It makes for a productive hour when time is short.
 

bobernet

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Jul 25, 2007
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Henderson, Nevada, USA
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Dry practice is the homework and labs, range practice is the test.

Without exception, every master class shooter I've ever met spends at least 10 times as much time doing dry fire practice and visualization as they do live fire.

If you spent 15 minutes per day 3-5 days per week on dry practice (perfect practice), and went to the range once every other month for 50-100 rounds, you would be better off than the guy who goes through 400 rounds every weekend at the range.
 

mzbk2l

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Mar 13, 2007
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425
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Superstition Mountain, Arizona, USA
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I just go out in the desert and shoot until I run out of time, ambition, targets, water, sunblock, or ammo. (Rarely get to run out of ammo.)

I generally go through 3-400 rounds at a time.
 

FightingGlock19

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, Kentucky, USA
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bobernet wrote:
If you spent 15 minutes per day 3-5 days per week on dry practice (perfect practice), and went to the range once every other month for 50-100 rounds, you would be better off than the guy who goes through 400 rounds every weekend at the range.
There's a lot of debate on the actual usefulness of dry-fire practice. I won't open that can of worms here, however, if the same person were to spend an hour at the range working on fundimentals (ie: front sight, trigger press) once a week, they would be better off than the person working 15 minutes of dry-fire every 3-5 days and the guy blowing through 400 rounds every weekend.
 

Dr.Coy

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Panama City, Florida, USA
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AWESOME GUYS, keep up the ideas. It is very useful, and I am sure I am not the only person out there wondering how others practice and how to use time more wisely.

As a newly wed, a full-time job, a side job or two, and church during the week. TIME IS PRECIOUS. SO that hour I get at the range is crucial, AND that $30 bucks a week to practice at the range adds up in the long run.



Please keep the information coming on this post!
 

DreQo

State Researcher
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Jan 8, 2007
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Minnesota
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I have tried, in the past, to stick to a strict "training" pattern when I go to the range. I would practice draws, double-taps, etc. The problem was that it would get boring to me, and some people would look at me a little funny. Now when I go to the range I practice mostly just firing the weapon. I do my draw practices at home with an empty gun. I get the opportunity to test my "tactical" skills every two weeks when they do an IPSC-type competition. If I fumble a draw or reload during that, then I know what I need to practice on.

The number one training thing I've taken with me from years of firearms training is "slow is smooth, smooth is fast". Practice of most things almost NEVER has to be full speed. If you learn the motions from front to back, back to front, and can do them in your sleep, the speed will come naturally. It's like learning to type. Most people don't sit there and beat the keyboard as fast as they can even though they're not making words. They take whatever time is necessary to hit each key, and eventually they naturally get faster and faster at it.

Anyway the easiest way I've found to save money at the range is NOT filling my magazines to capacity. If I sit there and shoot 12 rounds at a time, my ammo disappears quick. On the other hand, if I only do 3-5 rounds per mag, and intentionally take my time between mags, the ammo lasts longer.
 

ODA 226

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Feb 26, 2008
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Etzenricht, Germany
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One of the most over-looked aspects of practice is the art of the draw. You should practice until every movement becomes muscle-memory and then practice some more. Practice to the point of being bored doing it. Then and only then stop. Rinse and repeat on a regular basis.
 

DreQo

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ODA 226 wrote:
One of the most over-looked aspects of practice is the art of the draw. You should practice until every movement becomes muscle-memory and then practice some more. Practice to the point of being bored doing it. Then and only then stop. Rinse and repeat on a regular basis.
Very true. My problem when it comes to this is my draw is fast and consistent, but when I fire immediately after a draw I'm relatively inaccurate. I am otherwise very accurate when shooting, however. I can practice drawing all day without firing a shot, but it's hard to get enough practice in fordraw-fire accuracy.
 

Dr.Coy

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Panama City, Florida, USA
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speaking of not filling magazines to capacity... my weapon holds 18rounds... 17+1chambered. probably why i burn through mine so quickly....

i had the thought yesterday to never fill my capacity past 5 to 6 rounds... that way i am more focused on what i am trying to accomplish... instead of this:

*POP*POP*POP*POP* - okay i shot his upper chest, lungs and heart area, hey i still have 10 rounds left... popopopopopop. hey i still have 3 roudns left head shot headhost headshot....

having only 5-6 rounds to fire would actually make me be very particular on how i used those rounds... also if i only practice with 5-6 roudns... if i ever get in an actual situation and the other person has a firearm... i will not have to worry abotu realoding right away if it something gets ugly and i have to use my firearm... hopefully THIS NEVER HAPPENS.

Keep them coming guys, everyones input is different and has little bits of gold nuggets in each... make me rich comrads, make me rich.
 

asforme

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Mar 27, 2008
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Kalamazoo, MI
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I watched some videos called fighting pistol. The instructor basically work on shooting fast at realistic distances. If you're getting nice tiny groups then you're shooting too slow, if you can't keep it inside a pie plate then you're shooting too fast.
 

skidmark

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The trend emerges :exclaim:

Having a specific skill-set in mind to practice when at the range is better for skill improvement than going to the range to shoot up ammo.

Who'da thunk it?

There are pages worth of skill drills out on the internet (handgun, skill, practice drill) you can work through. My personal preference is to walk through the drill at home at reduced speed, then build up speed using dry firing and the laser, and finally take it to the range to add the elements of actual firing and recoil. For those into martial arts, it's like going through a kata.

stay safe.

skidmark
 

Dr.Coy

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Panama City, Florida, USA
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Well, I have specific things I need to accomplish because I have very limited time. So I dont need stuff that will only help a little bit. I am looking for things that make you practice in the correct fashion in order to train you to react and be skilled with correct attributes.

As the saying goes in my family, "Practice makes permanent, it doesn't make perfect."

But, at my range, I made a good special forces reconnaissance buddy who is an employee there and said he would help with tips.
 

Task Force 16

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Jul 20, 2008
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Lobelville, Tennessee, USA
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I'm lucky. Where I live in the country, I can do all the shooting I want and it won't cost me nothing but the ammo.

Don't know how you hold your weapon when shooting (one handed -both hands) but you might work on shooting with each hand singly. There's always the chance, should you have to use you weapon, that you won't have the use of both hands or your strong hand. Might work on reloading with one hand, too.

This is what I'll be working on.

You might try finding someone that lives outside the city limits that's a shooter, with some acreage, that you can buddy up with for some target practice.
 

FightingGlock19

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, Kentucky, USA
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I have tried, in the past, to stick to a strict "training" pattern when I go to the range. I would practice draws, double-taps, etc. The problem was that it would get boring to me, and some people would look at me a little funny.
I have over 100 drills that I could run through, if I wanted to. Doing the same 100 drills week in and week out would get boring, so I mix it up.

I put all of the drills I've learned, done, or been told, onto index cards. When I go to the range, I bring a few cards and work them in the order I pick them up. That way, I still get quality payments and do not end up just "wasting" ammo thinking, "well jeeze, I'll just work whatever comes to mind when I'm there."


My problem when it comes to this is my draw is fast and consistent, but when I fire immediately after a draw I'm relatively inaccurate.
I would be willing to bet you're not seeing your front sight with the first shot out of the holster.
 
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