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How often should I practice with a 1911
- Thread starter Kimbertrace
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I would practice more with the gun that will be your primary weapon. If you can fire your rounds, at around 10 yards and closer in from the target. Most defensive shots are 8-12 feet. Also, practice firing slower strings of fire at 20-25 yards. If you can put every round, on an 18" target from that distance it's a good start. Once you get more trigger time you will improve. Get to know your wepaon, break it down and keep it clean.
Practice as much as you can afford both money and time wise. Practice makes the master. It is also good to get some feedback, some time people watching you may notice some 'bad habits' you have. Pistol class helps.
I am not an expert shot but I try to improve my shooting as much as I can. Feedback has really helped me improve.
I am not an expert shot but I try to improve my shooting as much as I can. Feedback has really helped me improve.
Last edited:
I'm new to the list but not to shooting. I have two Kimber's and both are extremely easy to shoot accurately. Saying that, it took practice, practice, practice. I had annual membership with Pop's for 4 years and shot once a week for 3 of those years. Kimber's were not the only guns I shot but I have not even come close to wearing out those pistols. I clean my Kimbers after each shooting, my Glocks about every 250 rounds.
850 rounds, well it's just now getting broke in. :o)
850 rounds, well it's just now getting broke in. :o)
First, train/practice with the gun you choose to possibly save your life one day.
When it comes to accuracy, you have what is acceptable to a bullseye shooter, and what is acceptable to a 'combat shooter' (or defensive shooter, if you will).
A 'combat shooter' is looking for 'combat accuracy'.
For most intents and purposes, combat accuracy can be quickly defined as a grouping the size of a man's hand.
But, as with all combat, you must incorporate time into the equation, as it is indeed important (not so with bullseye shooting).
Therefore, start by shooting 3 feet (yes, 3 FEET) away from your target. Draw your gun and put 4 rounds through the paper. You should be able to put your rounds into a hand-sized group rather quickly.
Now move back to 7 feet. Repeat the drill. If your group is larger than a man's hand, you are going too fast-- slow down. But, if your group is smaller than a man's hand, you are going too slow and taking too much time-- you need to speed up.
Now you can repeat these steps at 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet, etc. Do you see how speed and accuracy relate to each other? Your goal is to always group the same size, making your adjustments to your speed to affect your accuracy.
Also, as Tinman pointed out, be sure to get some good quality training/coaching before you run out and 'practice' anything, especially if you're new to guns/shooting. Without a knowledge/skills base, you will only be 'practicing' bad habits and ingraining them into your muscle memory (which will be more difficult to break when you do get the proper training). Check the Tactics & Training forum for opportunities in your area.
Good luck!
When it comes to accuracy, you have what is acceptable to a bullseye shooter, and what is acceptable to a 'combat shooter' (or defensive shooter, if you will).
A 'combat shooter' is looking for 'combat accuracy'.
For most intents and purposes, combat accuracy can be quickly defined as a grouping the size of a man's hand.
But, as with all combat, you must incorporate time into the equation, as it is indeed important (not so with bullseye shooting).
Therefore, start by shooting 3 feet (yes, 3 FEET) away from your target. Draw your gun and put 4 rounds through the paper. You should be able to put your rounds into a hand-sized group rather quickly.
Now move back to 7 feet. Repeat the drill. If your group is larger than a man's hand, you are going too fast-- slow down. But, if your group is smaller than a man's hand, you are going too slow and taking too much time-- you need to speed up.
Now you can repeat these steps at 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet, etc. Do you see how speed and accuracy relate to each other? Your goal is to always group the same size, making your adjustments to your speed to affect your accuracy.
Also, as Tinman pointed out, be sure to get some good quality training/coaching before you run out and 'practice' anything, especially if you're new to guns/shooting. Without a knowledge/skills base, you will only be 'practicing' bad habits and ingraining them into your muscle memory (which will be more difficult to break when you do get the proper training). Check the Tactics & Training forum for opportunities in your area.
Good luck!
evan and tinman offer reasonable advice, as do the others of course. for me, regarding marksmanship, trigger time is trigger time. get a .22 and shoot it. with the proviso that you adhere to the fundamentals of good marksmanship. as for your defense shooting, ACT teaches a drill at the end of the DP101 course that takes 10 rounds to complete and requires you to practice the fundamentals of defensive shooting including movement off the line of force, malfunction reduction, accurate timely shot placement and situational awareness. one drill, 10 rounds, if you could find the resources to do the drill daily, it would go a long way towards your goal of being a good defensive shooter. add some dry-fire, some competent instruction and you will at least see your goal in sight if not achieved.
Kimbertrace
Plinker
What is ACT?
SC_Shooter
Expert
At the risk of repeating much of what is already here, get some formal training as soon as possible. Shooting is a lot like golf when it comes to bad habits. Bad habits in either are fairly easy to overcome with professional training early on, but can take years to overcome if you've already invested many years into their development.
There are a number of training organizations out there that can help and a few who are INGO Advertisers (Support our Sponsors - INGunOwners). Feel confident trusting them as we would probably rip them to shreds if they were quacks. The ones who advertise on INGO are helpful and will either have what you need as far as professional training or direct you to someone who is more appropriate for your particular need.
I'd recommend clicking through to their websites and contacting them to start the dialog. Make sure you tell them you are a fellow INGOer as some of them offer discounts or extras to members of the site.
With regard to the rounds through your weapon, don't worry about it. You will definitely wear out the recoil spring and possibly a few other springs here and there eventually, but just replace them. Kimber recommends (http://www.kimberamerica.com/downloads/Manuals/Compact.pdf) that the recoil spring on your weapon be replaced every 1,800 rounds and that the firing pin spring and main spring be replaced every 5,000 rounds. The Kimber store has all these springs for $15-20 per replacement when the time comes.
Shoot the gun without worrying that you are hurting it. If ever in the situation where you need it, you will NEVER say "I wish I'd shot less rounds through this gun."
You are not going to hurt the gun by shooting it, but you will tend to nick it up and start to notice some holster and other wear the more you use it. I suspect that most people post that a particular gun has very few rounds through it because that tells a potential buyer that the gun has simply been handled less and, therefore, probably has less nicks or scratches. Just my
.
Along with some professional training, dry fire your weapon often. It will help you with the mechanics of the draw, trigger control and aiming reflexes. A blue gun version of your Kimber will also help greatly with draw training at home. You should consider spending the $35 to get one.
Once you get very comfortable with whatever shooting drills you choose, have a friend load your mags and occasionally slip in a "dummunition" round so the gun has an unanticipated failure to fire that you then need to clear. We'd all like to think it wouldn't...but it does happen and it's better to learn how to quickly address it at the range than in a dark hallway with an armed foe.
Hopefully, some of this helps. Good luck and let us all know how it goes. We need just as many pointers as we can give!
There are a number of training organizations out there that can help and a few who are INGO Advertisers (Support our Sponsors - INGunOwners). Feel confident trusting them as we would probably rip them to shreds if they were quacks. The ones who advertise on INGO are helpful and will either have what you need as far as professional training or direct you to someone who is more appropriate for your particular need.
I'd recommend clicking through to their websites and contacting them to start the dialog. Make sure you tell them you are a fellow INGOer as some of them offer discounts or extras to members of the site.
With regard to the rounds through your weapon, don't worry about it. You will definitely wear out the recoil spring and possibly a few other springs here and there eventually, but just replace them. Kimber recommends (http://www.kimberamerica.com/downloads/Manuals/Compact.pdf) that the recoil spring on your weapon be replaced every 1,800 rounds and that the firing pin spring and main spring be replaced every 5,000 rounds. The Kimber store has all these springs for $15-20 per replacement when the time comes.
Shoot the gun without worrying that you are hurting it. If ever in the situation where you need it, you will NEVER say "I wish I'd shot less rounds through this gun."
You are not going to hurt the gun by shooting it, but you will tend to nick it up and start to notice some holster and other wear the more you use it. I suspect that most people post that a particular gun has very few rounds through it because that tells a potential buyer that the gun has simply been handled less and, therefore, probably has less nicks or scratches. Just my
.Along with some professional training, dry fire your weapon often. It will help you with the mechanics of the draw, trigger control and aiming reflexes. A blue gun version of your Kimber will also help greatly with draw training at home. You should consider spending the $35 to get one.
Once you get very comfortable with whatever shooting drills you choose, have a friend load your mags and occasionally slip in a "dummunition" round so the gun has an unanticipated failure to fire that you then need to clear. We'd all like to think it wouldn't...but it does happen and it's better to learn how to quickly address it at the range than in a dark hallway with an armed foe.
Hopefully, some of this helps. Good luck and let us all know how it goes. We need just as many pointers as we can give!
Big +1 for the ACT guys. Being former Army guy, I received a lot of good training, but I continue to learn from these guys as well.
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