Practicing with the pocket pistol

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74novaman
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Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by 74novaman »

If I may, I'd like to thank AndyC for saying the following in the "9mm pocket pistol" discussion.
AndyC wrote:The smaller the round, the more expert one should be in its use.

My 2c

I agree in principal, but would modify it a bit to "the smaller the round and/or capacity, the more expert one should be in its use."

Since at work the easiest gun for me to conceal/work around is my 5 shot, DAO .357 Taurus, when I went to the range today I forced myself to practice with it more than my 1911s or anything else.

Took it through a variety of drills from reloading, shooting with both hands, strong arm only, weak arm only etc.

Eye opening experience for sure. I feel confident with this weapon, but need to put more time in with it like I did today.

From the 15 yard line I can make hits on a 1.5' x 2' steel silhouette:

100% of the time with both hands
97% of the time with strong arm
65% of time with weak arm :oops: (the double action makes this a more difficult shot)

For those of us who carry pocket pistols, either 5 shot revolvers, .380s...whatever....seeing how we can shoot/practicing with our pocket carry should be a much bigger priority than it is. Though I'd take the .357 to the range, I'd normally only put ~25-30 rounds through it, think "yep, it works!" and go on to shooting the guns I have more fun shooting.

I for one needed a range day like this, and now know I need to do a lot of work on my weak arm shooting. When you only get 5 chances to hit, 65% isn't good enough! :nono:

a :tiphat: to others for bringing up the "pocket carry" discussion and to AndyC for making me think about my proficiency with my .357
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A-R
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by A-R »

:iagree:

with every word

I've even done some "draw drills" from pocket holster and the time splits (using the cool Surefire shot timer for iPhone) are quite eye-opening. If your hand is already in your pocket, can be even faster than a strong-side belt draw. If not, wow is it slower. whenever I pocket carry I now find myself walking around hand in pocket "just in case"
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by rdcrags »

Though I'd take the .357 to the range, I'd normally only put ~25-30 rounds through it.....
If it's a J-frame, and you fire it more than 10 times with .357 rounds, your hands are much tougher than mine. I fire it 5 times with 38 specials then go to other guns for the rest of the session. Anyone else as delicate as I am?
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karder
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by karder »

You make a good point. The vast majority of the time I carry either a FiveseveN or a 1911. Both of those guns have seen extensive range time including failure drills, reloading drills, strong-hand, weak-hand, etc. While I hope to stay far away from any real life engagement, I am comfortable with those guns enough that muscle memory should take care of the mechanics while (hopefully) my brain will take care of evaluating the situation.
Every once and again, my wife will send me on an errand I was not expecting and I will drop a Ruger LCR into my pocket, which I very rarely practice with because "I hardly ever carry it". I need to follow your example, because I really would not be competent with that weapon if I were pressed into action during one of those rare events. That would just be my luck. :grumble
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AustinBoy
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by AustinBoy »

Great. Thanks.
Now I feel guilty.

Range day with the .380 is now in the near future.
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erick619
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by erick619 »

AustinBoy wrote:Great. Thanks.
Now I feel guilty.
same here. i just signed up at the corpus christi gun club today so this weekend i'm going to break in my new carry piece and get proficient with her!
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.

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74novaman
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by 74novaman »

AustinBoy wrote:Great. Thanks.
Now I feel guilty.

Range day with the .380 is now in the near future.
Haha, didn't mean to make anyone feel guilty.

I had a lot of fun with my snub nose range day. Part of it was the fun of shooting steel. Instead of looking at a paper target with lots of other holes already, I had the instant feedback of "PING"! (hooray, a hit!) or nothing for an embarrassing miss.

Since I had no trouble with the torso sized steel plate, next trip I'll move on down to the 12" steel plate at the same distance for the strong hand and both hand shooting. Left handed may stay at torso sized targets for a while. ;-)
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by stroguy »

rdcrags wrote:
Though I'd take the .357 to the range, I'd normally only put ~25-30 rounds through it.....
If it's a J-frame, and you fire it more than 10 times with .357 rounds, your hands are much tougher than mine. I fire it 5 times with 38 specials then go to other guns for the rest of the session. Anyone else as delicate as I am?
Practice your J frame with some cowboy loads. Light load with a wadcutter. You can shoot a bunch a day and not get worn out. Finish off with a 5 pack of your everyday protection loads.
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A-R
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by A-R »

Anyone up for a pocket-gun-only range day, training session, informal competition?

Might be fun ...
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cbunt1
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by cbunt1 »

A-R wrote:Anyone up for a pocket-gun-only range day, training session, informal competition?

Might be fun ...
Ya know, I could get into that. We were just discussing some "specialty" matches at our IDPA club last night...one of the local clubs runs occasional "Carry Gun" matches, loosely based on the IDPA concept of the Backup Gun (BUG) category, but adds in the "realism" of on-the-clock reloads, and allows drawing from a holster (provided it meets all the other IDPA holster requirements). Naturally it's not much "competition" if you choose to start at low-ready vs. draw from a concealed position, but these matches aren't about pitting shooter against shooter directly, they're about practice and shooting what you carry, the way you carry it...mostly, it shows you what works and what doesn't!
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michael e
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by michael e »

I only run about 25 50 rounds threw my pocket carrys at a time. Anything over 100 out of my SW642 or LCP and my hand is not happy.
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erick619
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by erick619 »

michael e wrote:I only run about 25 50 rounds threw my pocket carrys at a time. Anything over 100 out of my SW642 or LCP and my hand is not happy.
i just got done cleaning my pocket carry after 200 rounds.. my hand is rawww!
I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.

(J.R.R.Tolkien [Faramir], The Two Towers)
michael e
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by michael e »

erick619 wrote:
michael e wrote:I only run about 25 50 rounds threw my pocket carrys at a time. Anything over 100 out of my SW642 or LCP and my hand is not happy.
i just got done cleaning my pocket carry after 200 rounds.. my hand is rawww!
I put about 750 rounds threw my LCP in first 8 9 days of having it. And yea my hand was begging for the glock back.
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KahrGuy
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by KahrGuy »

A-R wrote:Anyone up for a pocket-gun-only range day, training session, informal competition?

Might be fun ...
I'm in! Eagle Peak or Red's North?! I just sold my Ruger LCP, but my Kahr P380 now fairly broke in and awaiting a fun challenge! Today was its first day retiring range session with 50 or less rounds! And today marks its first session with absolutely no issues.

My Kahr PM9 can be ready for some fun too, but my CT Laser is at factory being repaired - too dim after all the cleans, battery changes, etc. Hopefully, they'll send it back fixed soon! I can use sites and carry in case, but none of my holsters fit well without Laser mounted.

Weekends or evenings work best for me.
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gringop
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Re: Practicing with the pocket pistol

Post by gringop »

I ran my J-frame 640 in the 10/16/2011 Texas Tactical IDPA match. I was top Stock Service Revolver shooter (and the bottom SSR shooter and the only SSR shooter).

I was the 2nd to the slowest shooter of the match, out of 31.
210.21 seconds vs. 78.28 for the fastest shooter.

But I now know how well I can shoot my J-frame. And knowing is half the answer...

Lessons learned:
Be ready to do poorly at a local match. Be ready to embrace the suck and make good hits. Never quit, and never give up.
Ego means nothing. Winning means nothing. Shoot under (competition) stress with your pocket gun and improve your performance with practice/training.

Who wants to start some POCKET CARRY COMPETITION ASSOCIATION matches in Central Texas?
http://pocketcarrycomp.com/default.aspx
I'll show up to shoot.

Gringop
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