I no longer own the gold and silver. I still have the 1911. It just sits in a safe in the garage. I have no great desire to move it to my night stand unless the economy really heads downhill (which I obviously hope never happens). I continue to believe that locks, a dog, a big jammer or two, and my girlfriend's cell phone are far better forms of defense. I'm one of the few (perhaps only) people in my neighborhood to actually lock the gates to the backyard. This even after at least a few houses near me were robbed? Go figure.
I owned a .22 rifle as a teenager and many days were spent shooting targets. It was fun then and it is fun now. The target above is from one of the last times I fired the handgun at the range. If not for the expense (bullets aren't cheap), I'd still be doing it. It's hard to believe it has been 5 years since I have fired it. Where does the time go?
2004 was the first year I'd ever fired a handgun. The chart above shows what roughly 4 months and 300 rounds of practice can do. In order for me to want to move the gun to the night stand, I'd probably want to fire another 1,000 rounds at the minimum and continue to practice. As you can see, although all 15 shots hit the target, the first few (the most important shots) were not acceptable.
In my opinion, those who own handguns without practicing are the real gun nuts. They say that a bad worker blames his tools. No court of law is going to let people blame their handguns though.
Those who buy a handgun for personal safety with no intention to practice first should try buying a unicycle for personal transportation with no intention to practice first. It's about the same to me. The latter would be far more amusing to watch though, lol.
Here's what even less practice looks like. It's a target from about one month prior. You will note that two shots did not even hit the paper and the rest did not exactly cluster around the bullseye. I keep it to both humble me and remind me just how dangerous handguns can be.
Just thoughts!
Now we're talking about something that I actually understand (as opposed to finance...and probably women, yeah, I'm pretty sure that I don't understand women either).
ReplyDeleteI shoot in the local tournaments around here on a pretty regular basis, i.e. PPC, IPSC, IDPA, Bullseye and a little silhouette every now and then.
The Kimber is hands down best bang for the buck out there (hey I made a pun of some sort).
I'm currently shooting a Les Baer Concept 3 (which is also based on John Moses Browning's 1911 government model) in .45 ACP.
http://tinyurl.com/26anfvt
I can see your point on bullet expense as the 230 grain .45ACP does not come cheap, especially if it's factory loads.
Even the 200 grain semi-wadcutters that I reload have went thru the roof (as well as any thing that's made out of lead I suppose), more than doubling in price.
Well that's enough, I just wanted to say that you have a good looking weapon there, and I too hope that you never have to use it except for punching paper.
Oh yeah, how many yards away were you with these targets?
watchtower,
ReplyDeleteI spent a lot of time trying variety of handguns at the gun store. I settled on a 1911 because I seemed to naturally do better with it. I also like the idea that it has some stopping power and makes a loud noise when fired. Shock value is certainly worth something.
I found the glock amazingly difficult to fire accurately. It was just too light and my grip wasn't solid enough apparently.
Oh yeah, how many yards away were you with these targets?
I needed a spotter to give me coordinates. I could not actually see the target. I was lobbing them in from my house like a mortar specialist might and the gun range was about 1-2 miles away. ;)
Hahaha! In all seriousness...
I'm not sure how far away I was from the target. It was just the standard range at the local outdoor gun club for handguns. Maybe 10 yards? That's just a guess though.
watchtower,
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I just looked at the price of your .45!
You don't mess around.
Nice gun. A little big for me though, as I have small hands.
ReplyDeleteI shoot a Glock 9mm because it handles well. I also have a Ruger .357 magnum revolver that I inherited from my father, but it's cumbersome, kind of heavy. However, it will definitely kill whatever you shoot with it.
"Holy cow! I just looked at the price of your .45!"
ReplyDeleteI splurged a little.
They have went up since I bought mine, around 8 years ago I paid around $1500.
It's like I told GYSC one time, there is not much to do around here where I live and shooting is a nice diversion, it's even relaxing to me because when you're shooting your mind seems to clear itself of everything else.
GawainsGhost,
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly sure that my grip is the problem with the Glock. The 1911 was just more forgiving since it was heavier.
You can see it in the targets. My shots tend to fire to the left. I can't just compensate for it though because when I was doing it right I was hitting near the bullseye. I think I probably just need more practice.
watchtower,
I tend to pay more for things I know will last a long time. Your .45 certainly qualifies. You are already down to about $15 per month ($1500 / 8 / 12) and there's no doubt many years to go.
Interesting. I'd have never picked you for a shooter, Mark. I guess the events that cause one to buy a hoard of gold go hand-in-hand with buying a gun. I can see how it would be easier to separate with the gold though.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted a firearm but 1) as an insurance policy there's always next month to buy it (yeah, yeah, I know...) 2) I get no excitement from target practice.
I've gone to the range a few times and have been good friends with a few gun nuts over the years, in fact have had three separate occasions to get into the hobby. While I have enough fun when I'm there it's not enough for me to feel any motivation to want to go back. It's all a bunch of Meh to me.
Guns and gold are both things I'd like to own in concept, but in practice I just can't get excited enough about them to make it happen. And, hey, there's always next month. I even feel like I'm ever so slightly less of a man over it, and still don't get motivated by it. Go figure.
AllanF,
ReplyDeleteI'd have never picked you for a shooter, Mark.
You'd be right for the most part. I'm mostly just a nerd, lol.
I did go 20 years without owning a firearm and I've gone another 5 years since firing one.
I have fond memories from my youth regarding the .22 rifle though, just like I have fond memories of a BB gun before it, and fond memories of fishing, and listening to Highway to Hell.
AC/DC - If You Want Blood
You know how they ask what CDs you'd want if you were stuck on a deserted island? I'd be happy with just the one. If I haven't tired of Highway to Hell by now, then I never will, lol.