Old Glock guy

Yellowshaker, thanks for bumping some of these old threads that are useful to newcomers like us. (I'm not particularly fond of the term "newbies." It sort of sounds like we should be wearing beanies with propellers on them.) An LEO relative of mine told me when I was getting started that HP ammo is illegal in NJ. I guess that's not true? Now I'm afraid I'm going to have bad dreams where a BG intruder comes into my house, and when I pump a few rounds of range ammo into him, he'll laugh at me, and say, "That didn't hurt at all. It must have been range ammo. Did you think you were going to stop me with that crap?"

Some good suggestions here. Thank you for your help. OGG

Welcome, from another north Jersey new guy.

For background, I've been shooting a Glock 23. I've had some basic training. I'll set up in a solid stance, get my arc of motion under control, zero in on the center of the target, squeeze the trigger without anticipation (I think), and BANG!, i see the target is hit to the left. It's not way left, but left of center, in a fairly tight pattern at 5-10 yards. (At 23 yards I'm happy to put some of them inside the silhouette target figure, but that's another story.) So is that a typical beginner mistake, akin to slicing in golf; or is it possible my sights are off? And if they are, what do I do about it. I guess it would help if I could get someone else to shoot the gun, but I'm kind of new to all this, and so far my trips to the range (Bullethole) have been solo. I realize this is a real novice question, which is why I've posted it here. Any help would be much appreciated.

Is there a smiley face for a lightbulb going on? Because finally all this talk about the zombie uprising is making sense to me! (Now everybody is probably looking at me like this: )

Thanks for your replies. I believe the above is what is happening. As noted, I probably just need to man up.

Looks like the ammo for that thing could get expensive!

Nice going Maksim! Reminds me of a time a couple of years ago when I was out for a run on a beautiful spring afternoon. I encountered a couple of ladies with their car jacked up, wrestling with the lug nuts. Normally, I wouldn't stop in the middle of a run, but being that they clearly needed help (and of course the fact that it was a couple of ladies influenced my decision), I stopped to help them. They thanked me profusely, but I suggested they save their appreciation until after I had successfully changed the tire. As I recall, they had a crappy wrench, and sure enough, after wrestling with the first four lug nuts to remove them, I couldn't budge the fifth one. (Even though I'm mostly muscle, there's only so much power one can pack into 145 pounds. ) I told them I was sorry, and suggested they call AAA. When I passed the spot on my way back, they were gone. So I guess it all worked out OK, no thanks to me!

There are some NRA Basic Pistol courses being held near me in the next couple of months. The fees are reasonable (around $100 for a full day). I'm trying to decide if it's worth investing the 10 hours that are involved in training and certification. For background: I'm a fairly new handgun owner (less than a year). I had about an hour of one-on-one training with a high caliber (pun intended) LEO instructor. I've been to the range a few times. I'm familiar with my Glock 23 and it's operation through reading and You Tube videos. I'm conversant in the basics of gun safety. So my question to those who have been through the program, or anyone else with knowledge of this, would it be worth investing a day in the basic program?

LOL to that! I was just there today and couldn't help noticing that there are bullet holes in every imaginable (and some unimagineable) place. Might not be a bad idea.

Lunker, thanks for your reply. (Hey, nice avatar! Nosferatu?) From what I've heard, the "bite" from the Glock slide is pretty nasty, and unforgettable. Mine is more of a bruising on the bone at the base of the thumb of my trigger hand. I shot for a half hour at BH today, and didn't notice it, so perhaps I just needed to toughen up a bit.

I also own a Glock 23 (hence my screen name). Not sure which gen., as I bought it used, and I didn't know enough to ask. As someone with no prior experience, it seems relatively easy to use. I didn't want to start a whole thread on this question, but as long as we're on the subject of G23's, does anyone else experience bruising at the base of the thumb on your trigger hand when shooting? I find it happens to me right from the beginning of my sessions, and limits my shooting time. Would you guess it's: a.) A problem with my technique? b.) An anatomical peculiarity unique to me? or c.) Something that everyone experiences, but I'm the only big enough weenie to be bothered by it?

Great discussion! Lots of interesting, well-considered thoughts here. Coincidentally, I was seriously considering taking a course on tactics for home defense. Gun for Hire has one that looks pretty good. Is anyone familiar with it? It looks like it's pretty comprehensive, but if it's just going to be about clearing rooms, I might be less interested after reading this discussion.

Thanks for the invitation. I wasn't able to make it yesterday, but I hope to be able to connect with some of you guys and gals in the near future.

Welcome from another new North Jersey guy.

Wow, thanks for the enthusiastic greeting! Looks like I'm not even the newest person on here anymore.

Greetings everyone! Love your forum. Lots of activity, lots of useful info. I've been lurking the last couple of days (after finding this forum on a Google search), so I decided to join the party. I'm in North Jersey (Passaic County), and while my handle says "old guy," that refers to my age, not my handgun experience. I've owned a Glock 23 for just a few months, which I've finally gotten around to taking to the range a bit in the last month or so. It's been fun, so after doing some reading, I applied for a few more handgun purchase permits. I intend to get a Glock 19, and that's as far as I've planned. I look forward to joining in on some of your lively discussions.