Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 4, 2014 12:06:57 GMT -5
What do you mean buy ammunition beforehand? Do you mean buy it here in Colorado and take it to Virignia with me? I assume you could check a box of ammunition in your luggage. I was told the range is also a gun store and I could buy ammunition there. I was planning on shooting about 50 rounds. Where in CO are you Phoenix? I always just assumed you were in AZ based on your screen name! As I mentioned in a thread a week or so ago, I live in the Denver area.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 4, 2014 12:07:57 GMT -5
And don't shoot topless like that guy, either.
In fact, I like to make sure I wear a shirt with a high, reasonably fitted collar because then you don't have to worry about a hot shell falling down the front of your shirt. It's more common than you'd think especially if you're close to other people. We recently had a guy accidentally shot (not fatal, he lived) when he was teaching his GF to shoot and a shell dropped down the front of her shirt, getting caught in her bra. It burned her and as she jumped, her gun went off and she shot him. Ooops. Wear a shirt without a gaping collar and you'll be fine. I still have a scar on my breast from a hot shell getting stuck in my bra. Awesome. I don't really think I have the "assets" to pull off a low slung top.
But I'll keep it in mind.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 4, 2014 12:51:14 GMT -5
I'm definitely not an expert. My husband is and I learn a lot from him. Sorry I implied otherwise.
I did very well at the long range marksmanship clinic mainly because I'm very slow and methodical and being almost a beginner, listened very closely to everything they taught us instead of having to unlearn any bad habits. The military guys have much more experience than I do and have seen much more action with their weapons, I only know theory and very basic stuff. But apparently I'm trainable.
You really shouldn't be so modest. They don't call you "crack shot Milee" for nothing.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 4, 2014 12:54:27 GMT -5
I still have a scar on my breast from a hot shell getting stuck in my bra. Awesome. I don't really think I have the "assets" to pull off a low slung top.
But I'll keep it in mind.
Even wearing a button up shirt with the top few buttons undone can cause problems. These days, I weat a t shirt where the shirt goes all the way up to my throat, I've had brass flip down my shirt, it hurts!
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on May 5, 2014 9:17:13 GMT -5
FYI
wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_full_metal_jacket_and_total_metal_jacket_ammo
What is the difference between full metal jacket and total metal jacket ammo?
Answer: 1. The FMJ bullet still has the base of the lead core exposed, a TMJ head is usually used in match shooting and has the lead core completely encased in copper.
2. The full jacket of the TMJ or Total Metal Jacket prevents separation of the lead core with the copper jacket, preventing the lead from blowing out. It is being used more and more as it also prevents much lead pollution as most of the lead expelled in the air by a firearm comes from vaporization of lead at the base of the bullet, which is covered by copper in the TMJ design.
A shotgun, whose shot shell base is covered by a plastic or paper wad, produces the most lead in the air because of the great number of lead pellets abrading the barrel. A handgun or rifle shooting an exposed lead base bullet produces the next greatest amount of lead in the air. The TMJ design produces the least lead pollution.
Targets
You might want to consider getting some targets like these. Note that when a round penetrates the target, there's a highlighted area around the entrance point that makes it very easy to see where it hit so you can adjust your aim accordingly.
Pretty good buy - 100 targets for $30.50
www.pop-n-glo.com/100-Pop-N-Glo-8-Inch-Diameter-Shooting-Targets_p_8.html
I LOVE the glo targets. I'm not a shooter, but I bought a bunch of these for my newphew to go along with is air rifle. We even got him some that have different paint, depending on how close you are to the center, very easy to see where the shot went
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genericname
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Post by genericname on May 5, 2014 10:24:34 GMT -5
I like to wear a baseball hat when I shoot. It sucks getting hit in the face with a piece of brass. When you are clearing your weapon, drop the magazine first then pull back on the slide to empty the chamber. Then pull back on the slide two or three more times before you lock it back. Then physically look into the chamber from the back, look away, then look again. Do all of this while keeping the muzzle pointed downrange.
Slow, steady trigger pull. If you jerk the trigger back, your shots will go high and to the right (unless you are shooting left handed). Don't anticipate the recoil. If you anticipate, your shots will go low. Let the gun do the work for you - move with the recoil, keeping your eyes on your sights then getting back on target. Concentrate on the front sight - put the front sight where you want your bullet to go. The target should be a bit blurry, the front sight clear.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 28, 2014 15:24:09 GMT -5
So, good news, I'm not dead or in Jail.
The shooting went fine. We shot 100 rounds of 9mm from a Glock 17 between the two of us.
Worst thing that happened is the slide moving forward apparently caught my finger and caused a mild cut.
Initially, I didn't shoot that great, but a little while in I found out I was shooting left handed because my friend was shooting left handed. My accuracy improved when I started shooting right handed.
My accuracy was okay I guess for a first timer, after I switched hands I could usually hit the body of a man sized target paper, but could not make any headshots. I did get a couple of bulleyes.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 28, 2014 15:40:15 GMT -5
Glad you had fun!
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ktunes
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Post by ktunes on May 31, 2014 1:26:32 GMT -5
so did you enjoy it enough to want to do it again?
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on May 31, 2014 9:01:47 GMT -5
When you say shooting left handed or right handed do you mean which hand you are pulling the trigger with or which eye you are sighting with? The reason I ask is that I'm right handed and hold a pistol with my right hand predominantly, but close my right eye to sight. The accuracy goes way up over closing my left eye for some reason. I shoot cross dominant and am trying to learn to sight with both eyes open. It's hard!!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 31, 2014 10:09:01 GMT -5
I'm right handed, but left eye dominant.
To shoot like this, you have to find the trick that works for you. I leave both eyes open, but let my right eye blur out.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on May 31, 2014 14:47:19 GMT -5
I'm same as mich. I've settled on shooting handguns with both eyes open, but long guns I'm just learning to shoot left handed. I can't focus on the closer sight with both eyes open. It helps that I'm pretty coordinated with both hands, but really I think when shooting clays the hand on the barrel is just as important if not more.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Jun 1, 2014 0:53:24 GMT -5
I'm same as mich. I've settled on shooting handguns with both eyes open, but long guns I'm just learning to shoot left handed. I can't focus on the closer sight with both eyes open. It helps that I'm pretty coordinated with both hands, but really I think when shooting clays the hand on the barrel is just as important if not more. Aren't you supposed to focus on the front sight (end of barrel) with a rifle and let the target and rear sight blur out? That's how they teach us with the M-4/M-16 in the military, but don't know if that's the common way or the norm.
Maybe it would be better to say I can't make everything line up right. All I know is that right handed I hit 7 clays and left handed I hit 21, and let's just not discuss the numbers everyone else was getting.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Jun 2, 2014 12:44:05 GMT -5
I don't have a shotgun, so that was with two different borrowed guns. I suspect a large part of my issue is I hadn't updated my prescription in a while, so I couldn't see where I was missing. Makes it difficult to correct when all you have to go on is other people's descriptions of the shot. They did give me some homework to practice sighting with my air rifle on a moving target and keeping the motion smooth. It's probably been a year since I've shot any kind of gun at this point, though.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 2, 2014 13:54:21 GMT -5
"Did you enjoy it enough to want to do it again?"
I don't know, honestly. It was fun but I can see how target shooting can get dull after a while. I'm sure if I tried different guns it would spice up the variety. The cost is also somewhat prohibitive. Renting the gun and buying the ammo was about $70. I can certainly afford to do it once and a while, but not every weekend.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Jun 2, 2014 13:55:50 GMT -5
When you say shooting left handed or right handed do you mean which hand you are pulling the trigger with or which eye you are sighting with? The reason I ask is that I'm right handed and hold a pistol with my right hand predominantly, but close my right eye to sight. The accuracy goes way up over closing my left eye for some reason. I mean hold the gun and pull the tigger with my right hand, using my left for support. Originally I was doing it the opposite way. I forget which eye I sighted down, but I don't think I closed my eyes, but I looked out of one eye. Almost certainly it was my right eye, because my vision out of my right eye is significantly better than my left. This is doubly true because my right contact is made for distance and my left for reading.
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truthbound
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Post by truthbound on Jun 3, 2014 3:44:31 GMT -5
Most importantly... KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU INTEND TO SHOOT!Especially with a Glock.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Jun 3, 2014 6:51:44 GMT -5
When you say shooting left handed or right handed do you mean which hand you are pulling the trigger with or which eye you are sighting with? The reason I ask is that I'm right handed and hold a pistol with my right hand predominantly, but close my right eye to sight. The accuracy goes way up over closing my left eye for some reason. I mean hold the gun and pull the tigger with my right hand, using my left for support. Originally I was doing it the opposite way. I forget which eye I sighted down, but I don't think I closed my eyes, but I looked out of one eye. Almost certainly it was my right eye, because my vision out of my right eye is significantly better than my left. This is doubly true because my right contact is made for distance and my left for reading. My dominant eye is my worse prescription so that's not a guarantee, but cross dominance is far more common in women than men, so likely you were sighting out of your right eye if you're right handed. One way to test it is by making a diamond with your forefingers and thumbs around a distant object. Bring your hands slowly closer to your face, keeping the object centered. Your hands will wind up centering your dominant eye.
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