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Mrs. Peel

Best Home Training Ideas for Beginner/Pistol Shooter?

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O​K, here's a cascade of dumb newbie questions! I recently purchased my first gun: an el cheapo used Ruger 22/45. (I hate borrowing other people's guns... even though folks have been so kind about it... and rentals are just so wasteful). And I figure I can always save my pennies and upgrade later if I want to. So, I put in for permits ("3" of them, as recommended by the NJGF collective brain trust!)... but now I have to wait for that to go through to pick up my gun from the FFL.

 

So, while I wait...instead of twiddling my thumbs, I've been exploring low cost "home training" ideas. Already ruled out laser systems like Laserlyte (expensive!)... likewise, ruled out the lasers that insert into the barrel (no gun yet, hence no barrel). Those laser ideas seem quite clever though. Yes? No? If 'yes', has anyone here rigged up their own... ummm...  Po' Man's LaserLyte? (e.g., toy gun with working trigger, a cheap laser pointer affixed to the barrel, post-it note bulls eye on the wall... just to practice staying on target? Good idea? Or laughably ridiculous?)

 

Or, what about those super-affordable airsoft guns like Crosman? Are they accurate enough at, say, 10-15 feet to be of any use at all? Or do you need more of an actual "airgun" for accuracy?  (and yes, I'm aware that in NJ, airgun = firearm... I read that thread).

 

Similarly, if I choose to spend my wait time just watching videos and reading, who are the "legitimate" experts on YouTube, in your opinion? And what books do you consider "must haves" for my library?

 

Feel free to weigh in on any of these questions. Thanks a lot!

 

 

 

 

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There's nothing wrong with a Ruger 22/45.   It has a reputation as a solid choice for inexpensive target shooting.  I opted for the Browning Buckmark instead but the Ruger was a very close second.   I own a couple of of Rugers - all good guns. 

 

How do you practice at home?  Dry fire a lot. It helps you learn to keep the sights on target while you slowly pull the trigger. I don't think there's anything that will accurately simulate your real gun until the gun comes.

 

While you're waiting, order the book "Basics of Pistol Shooting" from the NRA's website. It's the same content taught in the basic pistol course.  There's a lot of good information in there for the new or experienced shooter.  I've been shooting for 40 years and I learned a few things from that simple book.

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Airsoft guns (the higher end handguns) are fairly accurate. I held better groups with my 6mm (LOL) WE single stack 1911 than i do with my Ruger SR1911...
Ask my mother, her flower pots are still full of holes from years ago, and i kept shooting out her solar lamps in the backyard... I think my brother still has it, actually. I Should get it back from him to practice.

Thing is, practicing with an airsoft gun or anything other than the real thing with real bullets is fairly pointless IMO, other than for staying steady when pulling a trigger.

You can be a PRO with an airsoft gun, as i was, but when you shoot the real thing, there is recoil.... with my .45, Lots of it...
Not so hard to dump a whole mag in a 6" group at 40+ feet with my airsoft gun. With the real thing? Ha, i wish.

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Yeah - there's not much point in trying to train with the cheap springer Airsoft guns (the ones you have to rack the slide each time to shoot).  Even the high priced quality guns are not nearly the same as the real thing.  They will recoil but it's about 1/4 of the recoil force (if that).  The manual of controls, weight, and balance will be totally different as well.  I have a Beretta PX4 Storm and an Airsoft version (Tokyo Marui - top of the line) - the weight is different.  Trigger pull is half the actual weight.  

 

Note - you WILL put dents/holes in drywall and other items with Airsoft guns.  If you do decide to go that route, hang up a large beach towel and shoot into that.  It'll slow them down enough and they won't punch through...  plus it will help keep the BBs from going everywhere (they will anyway but less)

 

Get some snap caps and you can dry fire without worry - even with a rimfire .22LR.  Note - with rimfire snap caps, they will wear down and deform so you will have to replace them after a good amount of use... but at least they're cheap:

https://www.amazon.com/Tipton-Snap-Caps-22-LR/dp/B0048KFHI8

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The 22/45 is a very solid gun with Ruger reliability. I have an MKIII myself.

 

Do dry fire it to get the feel and be on target. Post it notes are great   :).

 

As 22LR is not so expensive why not just buy a few thousand rounds of 22LR and practice with real ammo? 

 

What do you have in mind for the 2nd permit? 

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You might want to get more than 3 permits depending upon your chief. If he is willing to extend the permits you then have 180 days to use them so you could get more than 3 guns. Also just in case a permit gets lost/mutilated, etc. it doesn't hurt to have extras (except the $2 extra for each).

 

As others have said shooting .22 is not like other calibers (much less recoil, noise, flash, etc.) but that being said it is a great way to develop good techniques and some speed so don't feel rushed to get something bigger.

 

I like the lasers that go into the actual gun you will be using. You at least get the real feel of the gun and it is a great way of developing trigger control at home. I have the LaserLyte Trainer Target Reaction Tyme http://www.laserlyte.com/products/tlb-rt  They are small targets that you can start with up close and move away from as you progress. It is nice to be able to see how much the gun moves when you are just pressing the trigger.

 

Also be aware that shooting .22 has its downfalls also. The ammo will not fire as consistently as a center fire cartridge (like 9mm). Then again that allows you to practice malfunction drills!

 

Good luck on your journey.

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One thing rarely mentioned but essential IMO is building up the muscles in your fingers, hands, and forearms. You can just squeeze a rubber ball to do this or you can buy those hand exercisers. These are not muscles you use much in other activities.

 

I laugh when I hear people complain about the "long, hard" pull of a DA revolver. They go about doing action jobs and swapping out springs to get it down to a 5 lb pull and still complain. They are all looking for instant success. They apparently have no knowledge of the millions of shooters that learned on DA revolvers and could shoot well with that 12 lb trigger.

 

Remember in triggers smooth is much more important than light.

 

Those hand, finger, and forearm muscles will help you no matter what you shoot.

 

Your 22 is a fine gun and a good way to start out keeping costs down. You may want to consider getting a 4" 357 revolver next. Learn to shoot that well and everything else is easy.

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Stay away from lasers as a training device, as far as I'm concerned they are completely the wrong approach. You don't want to have your eyes drawn to the target to see where you hit, you eyes should be focusing on the sights.   Sure there are times were target focus is a thing that makes sense, but it is a bad thing to start with.  Focus on a appropriate sight picture, not the target.

 

Dry fire is excellent tool, if done right. You can practice everything but the BOOM (and implicitly recoil management) but those things are actually not that important in pistol shooting. Yep, I said, all those things happen AFTER you've done all you could to the target, and you have very little influence over them.  Sure a proper grip will reduce the amount of perceived recoil and how much the gun moves, but the proper grip is all about the things that happen before the BOOM.

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I bought the air soft gun in my profile pic to practice while waiting for my first permit but it made my shooting worse. The trigger pull is nothing like that of a real gun and ended up ingraining a jerky trigger pull.

 

While not a cheap solution, I urge you to invest in a private shooting class or two. You can spend 5 hours a day dry firing, or even at the range for that matter, but until you know what to practice, at best you're wasting time, or at worst ingraining bad habits.

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You folks are a veritable shooting brain trust! I mean it. Thanks to EACH of you for all the good advice. I feel completely re-directed. I've tossed out the home practice (laser/airgun) idea entirely. As a few of you pointed out, with minimal/no recoil - it won't do the trick. and may even make things worse.

 

Instead, I've decided I'm going to join a range sooner rather than later. I have a male relative who was a nationally ranked bulls eye shooter at one point... he's the first person that took me shooting actually. Honestly, I haven't wanted to "bother" him. But, the more I think about it... he'll probably jump at the excuse to go to the range twice weekly. LOL. That way, I can borrow his .22 until I get my own. And he has a Model 41. I might get spoiled!

 

And yikes, I have the arms of a weakling, so the suggestion to build up strength was a great idea too!. That's one simple thing I can do right now. I will also dig up the book from the Basic Pistol class I took a couple years back and read through that again (another great tip!)

 

And, no, I honestly don't know what I will purchase next. I've tried several different types of firearms from .22 pistols to bigger pistols and several type of rifles. I have only about a dozen hours of shooting TOTAL (I'm REALLY new), but I'm (all modesty aside) actually a very good shot apparently... I hit the bulls eye quite a lot.. and when I miss, I'm close to it. Of course, at this point, I'm never more than 25 feet from the target, so I'm not sure how much of an accomplishment that really is. But the instructors are usually grinning like Cheshire cats when I shoot (and I do steal a glance at other people's targets, lol, so even I have become convinced that I'm above average for a newbie.. So, I'm hoping that a bit of natural aptitude might be in my favor). 

 

My plan is to practice with the .22 this summer, twice weekly, gradually moving the target out further and then enter some local bullseye competitions... perhaps by fall? (Just the first round - the .22 part).... after that, we'll see.  Oddly enough, what really interests me for the long run is long-distance shooting. I don't know why - maybe because I love sniper movies so much? LMAO. Silly as that sounds! It's just intriguing to me... the shooting, but also the calculations involved. Closet geek.

 

OK, here's my next question: what brand/type of ammo should I buy for the Ruger 22/45? What's considered a good price? Where are good places to look for sales? That's something I can do right now too! I'm ready to get things moving... woo-hoo!

 

THANK YOU AGAIN!

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If a rifle is in your future you have a lot more options. a ,223/5.56 rifle has minimal recoil and much easier to shoot than a handgun (it makes contact with you at more places and the longer distance between the sights helps enormously) and way more powerful than most handguns you would use.

 

I have best luck with CCI Mini-Mags which goes for around $10/100 (sometimes better sometimes worse.

 

Definitely contact your relative.

 

Dry firing a revolver may also help build your strength.

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OK, here's my next question: what brand/type of ammo should I buy for the Ruger 22/45? What's considered a good price? Where are good places to look for sales? That's something I can do right now too! I'm ready to get things moving... woo-hoo!

 

THANK YOU AGAIN!

 

The 22/45 is essentially the same gun as the Ruger MK III but with a different handle. 

 

I ve found that my Ruger MKIII runs well with ANY type of 22LR.

 

From CCI Mini Mags; Federal Auto Match,CCI Stingers,YellowJackets, Rem Thunderbolt,Aguilla to the infamous Remington Golden Bullet.

With that said that doesn't mean that YOUR Ruger will run great.

 

Do try all types of ammo. Do start with CCI Mini Mags as they are the most reliable usually.

 

Currently a box of 500 rounds of 22LR will run you about 35$-45$ online if you can find it.

There may be another run on ammo due to this morning`s tragedy in Florida so my advice is to act fast.

 

Cabelas.com has some in stock right now. Look under Rimfire ammo.

There are other online retailers but Cabelas is pretty convenient as they don`t require a scanned DL and FID to be sent to them for shipping to NJ.

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Mrs Peel. Welcome to the wonderful (and painfully expensive) world of shooting.

 

Before you get too far along decide what you want to start with in your shooting career. Bullseye, competition, self defense, etc... Define your short term shooting goals then find a reputable and quality instructor that teaches those skills and take a class from them. Then take another, and another - even if it's the same class. I have taken many beginner classes - I just took a beginner rifle class in April. I still learn a lot at each one.

 

Shooting is all about the basics. It's how fast and accurately you can execute those basics on demand that seperate the elite from the newbs.

 

Learn the basics properly under the eye of a professional who will disect your ability and give you the opportunity to make great strides towards your goal.

 

Once you have been trained, you are able to practice alone at the range.

 

There is a huge difference between training and practice. Practice is what you do to maintain your training. Training is where you learn new skills.

 

Remember, despite what the old adage says - Practice makes permanent, not perfect.

 

Don't create bad habits. Shoot enough to be safe then take a class as a clean slate and a dry sponge.

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I find good deals on ammo at my local Dicks Sporting Goods from time to time. (duck - flaming inbound).

 

.22 isn't as scarce as it was a couple of years ago so most places have it now.   Typical prices now are around 10 cents a round.  If you're paying more, you're paying too much.  I've managed to get 6 cents a round a few times over the last 6 months but you need to check often to find it.  I've ordered some ammo online but once you add the hazards materials charge and shipping costs, it's never a great deal.  The more you buy, the better the price will be.  1000 round bricks or 1,400 round buckets (the cheap, cheap, cheap stuff - more flaming inbound) will usually get you the best prices.

 

Your handgun should work fine with just about anything.  Some semi-auto handguns are pretty picky about what ammo they work with and will jamb or fail to load if you don't use something the gun likes.  Your Ruger has a reputation of being friendly with just about any ammo.  As you become a better shot, you'll find that some ammo shoots tighter groups than others, but that's gun specific.  I can't tell you what ammo will work best in your gun - you'll need to experiment to see what works for you.

 

Don't be afraid of the cheap stuff wherever you find it. It usually requires more frequent cleaning but it also lets you shoot a lot more often without taking out a second mortgage. 

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Here's the US Marine Pistol marksmanship guide:

http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCRP%203-01B%20Pistol%20Marksmanship.pdf

 

It's kind of long but a good read and you can just skip to the parts you want to work on.

 

Biggest help for me was dry fire practice. Also, watch vids on YouTube from a guy called gunblue490. He's a retired police instructor and has 4 or 5 videos on all the basics of shooting. They helped me a lot.

 

https://youtu.be/_wA1txFJzzk

 

There's no substitute for getting on the range and trying out what you learn at home. 22lr works fine for that. I will say, focus on one aspect at a time. For example, When you are working on trigger control, just stay focused on that and don't worry so much about hitting the bullseye, Next time out, work on sight alignment and getting your shots placed where you want them, next time work on natural point of aim exercises and learning body positioning, and so on. Your choice what order to work on them.

 

Also, I see a lot of guys (and I was one of them) taking hundreds of rounds of 22 to the range and blowing though them in an hour or two. Limit yourself to maybe 50 rounds to a training session and make those 50 count. Take them slow and make sure you are really working on what you say you are going to. I've found it's more fun to get 50 rounds in the black at 25 yards over an hour then it is to blow though 50 in a few minutes and have the target that looks like you were using a shotgun at 15 yards. Took me a while to reach that conclusion but that's where I am at now.

 

Natural point of aim exercises are easy to do at home and so are sight alignment. Dry fire helps with trigger control but follow though is part of that and really you can only practice that with at least some recoil.

 

Just what has helped me, hope it helps you out too.

-Jim

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Here is another thing you might want to try.  RTSP in Randolph has a great shooting simulator.  I believe they have a similar one at FSS in Whippany, and probably others out there.  The one in Randolph uses real guns like Beretta 92 and Glock 17, but they don't fire ammo.  Rather they have lasers both visible and nonvisible.  They also use a magazine that is gas operated that racks the slide after each shot and gives partial recoil.  They then project scenarios on a huge wall that is something like 20 feet by 10 feet.  Some are static while others have moving targets.  The system can be set so you don't see the laser at all and you have to learn to use and trust your sights.  They can then play back the scenario and you can see how well you did and where your shots hit.  This can provide some great training at a lot less cost than what you would spend on ammo.

 

http://rtsponline.com/digital-simulator/

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Here is another thing you might want to try. RTSP in Randolph has a great shooting simulator. I believe they have a similar one at FSS in Whippany, and probably others out there. The one in Randolph uses real guns like Beretta 92 and Glock 17, but they don't fire ammo. Rather they have lasers both visible and nonvisible. They also use a magazine that is gas operated that racks the slide after each shot and gives partial recoil. They then project scenarios on a huge wall that is something like 20 feet by 10 feet. Some are static while others have moving targets. The system can be set so you don't see the laser at all and you have to learn to use and trust your sights. They can then play back the scenario and you can see how well you did and where your shots hit. This can provide some great training at a lot less cost than what you would spend on ammo.

 

http://rtsponline.com/digital-simulator/

Best simulator I ever used was at Gander Mountain out in Kansas. The 180 degree and 300 degree rooms keep your eyes moving and brain working. Best of all, they use a real 92FS or G17 with the barrel and magazine swapped out for the laser system. It's the most realistic recon you'll ever find without live fire. I would definitely recommend this type of system for scenario training, but it's probably way beyond your home budget.

 

https://gandermtnacademy.gandermountain.com/ranges-simulators/simulators

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