Ordering new nipples

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I think that THE most important thing when shooting anything at any diostance is to be consistant with your style / preparation / stance / action. The most influential thing in shooting, given that the weapon and load are the same is YOU.

Now, starting near and moving back is non-productive in my book. Start at the range you are going to shoot at normally but start with a BIG target so you always find your fall of shot. As you improve your consistancy you will be more confident and can then reduce the target area until you are shooting at pin heads and hitting 10/10! You will get there MUCH quicker.
Duncan
 
Interesting point of view Duncan, does anyone else have an opinion on this? Duncan, I use a 100 yard rifle target with a cardboard backing that is almost 2'x2' square, do you think that is big enough for me to shoot with at 25 yards?

Any other advice you could offer would be nice Duncan. Just because I ask for other opinions doesn't mean I'm disregarding your advice. I just like to hear a good mix from different people to see if there is some sort of average.

I've only shoot real firearms twice before in my life before getting these Civil war revolvers. Once when I was around 8 or 9 years old and then around ten years ago. Beyond those two times I only shot bb guns and pellet guns on a regular basis, and I was quite young when I shot them! So I should be considered very green I guess. I wonder what you guys would think of those guys at the range who shoot at distances of 30 feet and closer!
 
Hi Mario my boy!
When I started shooting, just after Noah built his ark - not true but it sounds like it - the most important goal was to develope a comfortable technique so that it was easy to replicate it every time I shot. Once you can put a consistant group on a target you can "fine tune" things to bring it to the centre bull. So I would start with your 2' square target at 25 yards or even 3' square and as you progress and inprove, reduce it's size till you are shooting on the right target for ther distance.
I used to shoot 11" square targets at 600 yards when I was in the Army and they were 'fall when hit' Granted that was with an FN FAL 7.62 but I perfected my shooting techniques at 200 & 300 yards first to get consistant groupings and they started on 4' square targets.
Duncan
 
Wow!

That's some excellent marksmenship! Sounds good. By the way, I shoot dualist style instead of two-handed. It just feels more comfortable to me. Is there any reason I should switch to a two-handed grip? I think I'll be fine with a 2'x2' target but you never know, I may actually need a three footer. At 50 feet I usually shot 3" or 4" in groups but not consistant enough. I noticed that a small amount of my shots seem to fall low and to the right. I figured that was because of my trigger squeeze. I need to start paying more attention to how I'm standing also; foot position and such. So far two if you guys have said I should switch to 25 yards, anymore opinions?

So Duncan, was it Mt. Ararat or the mountains of Ararat were you and the Ark came to finally rest? :neener:

-mario.
 
Wrong grouping numbers

P.S.,

Got to thinking, it would be more accurate to say 5" or 6" groups after figuring out my average number of shots. Damn:banghead: I knew I wasn't doing that well so quick, eh...what can I say, I'm not so good with averages. :confused:

-mario.
 
Okay...Okay Grampa, I'll get started tomorrow and tell you how it went when I get back, which will be after sunset. :D

Never thought I'd be taking advice from two limies:neener: Just goes to show that truth is stranger than fiction:D

-mario.
 
Mario,

I don't say you should be shooting 25 yards. I thought you were, when I did that calculation on the sights.

Shoot at whatever range you are comfortable with. The 2 X 2 backerboard you have will be more than enough to 50 yards, since you are getting 3 to 5 at 15 yards, you will still be on paper. Also, you'll see the movement of the sights, if you do get them to move, better at that range. a couple thou will move the ball further at that range. 'Course, the ball will fall more, so you got to have enough paper to catch the falling ball, it will be low on the target till you raise the sights or the sighting point of aim.

If you are allowed to use anything other than paper targets at the place you shoot, I don't know if it is just at the range or if you have a private place, try a coffee can or a milk jug. More fun to see something move when hit than to go look at some holes in a piece of paper.. Some guys like to shoot at coke cans, miss as often as hit, but you can usually see where you missed, a litle right, hold a little left, see if you can keep it moving.

You'll have fun with that, and don't worry if you miss more than you hit, particularly since you shoot one-handed, out of preference.
By the way, if you ARE shooting ALL offhand, you should be shooting from a steady rest on a bench of some sort to zero your pistol. Once you know where the pistol and its sights are pointing, THEN you shoot offhand, and you know off the bench it shoots dead on, and offhand shoots 3 inches right, you are pulling your shots, your hand is clenching on the grip, or you are yanking the trigger. Gotta learn to control that, and practice is the only way. You sound like you are doing that, the practice, I mean. Just keep it up.

And buy a Colt for your next, they are pretty cool shooters.

Cheers,

George

Duncan, the only reason to start close is to get the damned thing on paper, as my military did. Started at the 25 yard range, zero, then 100, 200 300, 500. 100 was to check your 25 yd. registration, 200 offhand was for record, dropped points there, 300 kneeling, did well there, 500 was with 8 inch bulls, did perfect there. You did use aperture sights, did you not, "peeps", not scopes?
 
George,

I bought a Colt the other night, Thought I told you already? I got myself an 1860 Army and it's a very sweet gun. I'll be testing it out tomorrow. Last weekend me and a buddy set up some cans from a string at 25 yards and I hit the can three or four times with my Remmy. I even hit it once with my little pocket pistol (1849). The rest of the day was dedicated to target shooting though. I shoot at an outdoor range in a state forest about 40 minutes from my house. It's a nice place and usually never crowded.

Could you give me some instruction on zeroing in my guns? Remember, I'm as green as a 10 year old kid taking his first smoke :D

If you you don't mind, that is. Please try and explain everything like I'm an idiot (Hey! I am an idiot:banghead: ) I guess you read how my buddy shot a 2 in group and then a 1 inch group with my 1858? He's an excellent shot. I try my best to listen to what he has to say everytime I see him at the range. My 1858 was shooting around 2 inches low and about two inches to the right. I then went to a gun shop and they tried to bang the front sight to the right a bit, but I'm not sure if it really moved or not, neither were they. I'll have to bench it and see what happens tomorrow. After I know where my guns are hitting how do I shoot them one handed? Do I just adjust them by taking up the difference with my eye? In other words, if my Remmy is still shoooting to the right, should I compensate by aiming a little to the left?

Thanks George,

-mario.
 
Mario, I wouldn't try to make sight adjustments to a pistol of mine based on how it shot for someone else, specially since you're left handed and your friend isn't. A handgun bullet leaves the muzzle as the barrel is in some part of it's recoil generated movement. Even if the sights are perfectly aligned, the pistol is immobile and the trigger is perfectly pulled, by the time the bullet leaves it is heading down a different path. Since different people hold a gun with varying degrees of strength, the recoil can be differently affected which changes the point of impact.

I don't think it really matters what distance you choose to practice at, within reason, just shoot until you can see a group from your gun with you shooting it. When you are certain the gun's sights need adjustment so they are looking at where the bullet is gonna be after recoiling some in YOUR hand, then make some changes.

I have a friend who is a good shot but he can't hit with my pistols and I can't hit with his. He's left handed, incidentally, and I'm not. We aren't off a great deal but it is enough to make a sight change mandatory if we were to trade for each others guns.

Steve
 
Thanks for the advice Steve, I think you've made an important point. I don't think the sights were moved successfully anyway, so no harm should have been done. Well, I'm off to the range, I'll give you guys a report when I return tonight, at least if I'm not too tired. If I am bushed expect a full report on Monday. Thanks again for all of your helpful advice guys,

-mario.
 
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