Extra Magazines

[skipper]

Do you carry extra magazines?? Concealed carry is a good thing but, you have to be able to stay in the fight. Carry extra magazines!!

[Tom Kat]

I will when I get my new shoulder holster

[Rick in Oregon]

Do you carry extra magazines?? Concealed carry is a good thing but, you have to be able to stay in the fight. Carry extra magazines!!

For years, didn't carry a spare, as the FBI reports indicated the usual round expenditure in civilian shooting encounters was an average of 2.2 shots fired. But in our "new world", and all the out of control mentally defective idiots out there with guns causing misery and death, I now carry at least one spare mag all the time, and if going anywhere out of town, it's two fully loaded magazines.

Another thing to consider is practice. I used to practice at 7 and 15 yards until a friend reminded me of store shootings. We had one here last year at our local Safeway, two killed, one guy in the produce dept I knew and was a good guy who tried to stop the rampage using his produce knife. He was killed by the young idiot AR-15 shooter prior to blowing his own brains out. So I now practice longer distances, say the length of a super market isle, or the isles at Walley World, around 25 yards. At the end of every pistol session, I also shoot out to 50 and 100 yards just to keep sharp and know the sight picture required to hit at that range.

Yours truly working with my Kimber Ultra CDP .45ACP at 20 yards on a police steel silhouette:



Practicing mag changes while doing pistol drills is also a good idea. In the Navy we were taught to never let the weapon shoot dry while doing a mag change. Good advice for these times we live in with those aforementioned mentally defective fools running rampant. Time is life, reduce the time you're out of the fight with quick magazine changes. Practice, practice and practice some more. Ammo is cheap compared to a funeral.

[Tom Kat]

Rick you have very good form in that picture. I can tell you take it serious and you practice. I am a stickler for proper foot placement and good shooting form. I used to indoor shoot at a range with the KCMO PD. They were good folks that helped make me better. In that picture, you are doing exactly what they preached, and taught me to do. Right foot back, shoulder lines up, proper head position. Good on you for that.

From many years of practice and hunting, I can tell you I have a good long gun mount. It is just second nature, muscle memory now. My pistol form is probably better than I give myself credit for. I get to see the results of my long gun form, lots and lots of fallen prey.

I should mention that I am an NRA certified Pistol instructor. I don't really use the certification now, but I still have the knowledge and training.

[Tom Kat]

Its interesting that you mention long range pistol shooting. I have my own 100 yard range. My cousin just aquired a frame for me that will hold a metal plate. I want to mount it by the back stop and practice that 100 yard pistol shot. My hope is in retirement to get good enough to hit it with 8 shots from my Kimber Micro 9....we will see! The gun is probably better than the shooter.

[Rick in Oregon]

Its interesting that you mention long range pistol shooting. I have my own 100 yard range.

Nice! I'm envious. About every gunny-guy wishes for that very thing. Mine is BLM land, about ten minutes from the house, but having a range on your own property is the chit! You're quite fortunate.

Once you start LR pistol shooting, it's amazing what a competent shooter can do with a handgun. After reading "Sixguns" by Elmer Keith back in the early '70's, I started using his technique with my 8-3/8" M29, and shooting gallon milk jugs at 100, 200, and 300 yards. Not easy, but with practice the ability comes, and is very rewarding once accomplished.

Two years ago during one of our extended rat shoots at the ranch, we were shooting our pistols (9mm & .45) off a sandbag on the hood of a truck at a rock "torso-size" at a lased 231 yards. The rock can be seen low center left of the rock outcropping on the hillside in the below pic:



Once the proper sight picture was established for each shooter, hits on that rock became routine, especially when a red-dot sight was used. My Kimber Aegis Elite Custom (OI) 9mm would smack that rock 9 for ten almost every time even with my 115gr range loads.



The rock low center of the cut. The bullet splashes can clearly be seen on the rock. Not that we'd always shoot our pistols at such range, but it's comforting to know that if TSHTF, a hit on a human-size target at extended range is completely do-able.

My Kimber Aegis Elite Custom (5") with the Vortex Venom 6MOA RDS used on "the rock":



Doing this, we recalled the story of Sgt. Alvin York during WWI with his 1911 .45ACP with advancing German troops, all picked off one by one, last one first until they'd all been downed by York with his pistol, as his rifle had run dry. With practice, it's eye-opening what a guy with a good pistol can do if put to the test.

[Tom Kat]

I loved the Sgt York movie with Gary Cooper.

If I can get consistent at 100 yards I will be happy