Personal discoveries

[coylh]

What things have you discovered on your own about guns/shooting? Not things that you were taught, read, or heard, but something clever you figured out?

My list is short, but here it is:

* You can place body armor between a bedroom wall and night stand which holds a gun. My night stand has a quick access safe for a handgun. In this arrangement, even if I were to accidentally fire the pistol when getting it from the small safe, the bullet would be contained by the vest. The small safe looks thin enough to penetrate easily. My trigger finger is disciplined enough that I don't forsee any accidents, but since I have the vest in the safe room anyway, I liked the belt and suspenders aspect.

* As far as I can tell, those little rubber bumper pads on the front of old Volvos are impenetrable. .223 doesn't even make a dent. The army should start coating humvees in this stuff.

* Strike anywhere matches explode on impact when fired from a .177 BB gun.

* The Bianchi quad pistol magazine holder will hold two 20 round AR-15 magazines after the plastic dividers have been removed.

 

[possenti]

Learned at the age of 15:

Don't fire .22 shot shells at plywood at close range to see how it groups .

Luckily, I was wearing safety glasses.

 

[facedown]

* Strike anywhere matches explode on impact when fired from a .177 BB gun.

Now you've done it! I suppose, for safety reasons of course, I'll try the spring-loaded pistol first, then the CO2 one.

As kids, we used to insert a kitchen match in a small hex nut such that the tip stuck out. You could toss them up in the air or even throw them at a wall and they'd always land tip first and ignite.

Oh well, there goes a couple of hours of what would otherwise have been a productive morning.

 

[griz]

1. Wearing plugs and muffs reduces recoil.
2. 96.2% of the gun stuff in movies is wrong.
3. If you shoot long enough you will get hit with either splash from the target or a bouncing bullet fragment. Safety glasses are always a good idea.
4. The fact that you can miss very fast doesn't matter at all. In other words, only hits count.

 

[W Turner]

If you slow down , you tend to hit better. (Yes it is often repeated, but I first REALY realized this on my own)

Figure out if your gun shoots better with a 6 o'clok hold or a POA hold before shooting for groups.

Splatter from a steel reactive target hurts....alot.

The effects of a slug shot into a single 2-liter coke bottle are spectacular.

The effects of a Hornady .223 TAP round are even cooler.

There are a lot of idiots out there that own guns. They shouldn't even be allowed to own a hammer. I can be one of those idiots at times.

Shooting either .22's or handcannons (.44 mag and up) is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Edited to add: Recoil is your friend.

W

 

[EghtySx]

Condition one is the only way to carry a 1911. At no time should you ever have to let the hammer down unless to fire the weapon.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Don't fire .22 shot shells at plywood at close range to see how it groups

How come you didn't tell me? I tried the same thing, but I was in my twenties.

 

[Werewolf]

1. Don't ever shoot someone else's reloads.
2. Only shoot someone else's reloads if you know him good enough that he'd share his wife with you.
3. Regarding rule 2 - if you have shared his wife refer to rule 1.

 

[pax]

Follow through matters.

pax

When you make the finding yourself - even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light - you'll never forget it. -- Carl Sagan

 

[Sawdust]

The more that I learn about firearms, the more that I realize that I have a hell of alot to learn about firearms.

Sawdust

 

[one45auto]

Here's what I've learned:

1) Recoil is extremely subjective and more mental than physical. What is excessive for some isn't for others and visa-versa, even though they may have the same height, build, and hand size.

2) Everyone is naturally inclined toward one configuration or another, so find what suits you and stick with it. In my case it's barrel lengths of five inches and under with fixed sights.

3) Aim matters more than caliber. If you can hit whatever you aim at then don't let anyone tell you that you're undergunned. You're not - they are.

4) Accuracy is more important than speed, except at extremely close range.

5) Guns of the same pattern don't shoot the same. I own both a Smith & Wesson Model 642 and Model 36, yet I shoot better with the 642.

6) If you want one of the newer guns, wait about six months and then shop around for a used model, because there are a lot of shooters who jump on every new bandwagon that comes along, only to discover that it wasn't to their liking. Their loss will be your gain.

7) Never enter into a long term relationship with a woman who leans anti or has a fear of firearms. It isn't worth the aggravation and hassle, no matter how attractive the scenery or pleasant the fringe benefits.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I have learned that I don't know as much as I think I do and in most cases neither does anybody else.

I have learned that the only reliable gun safety is the one between my ears.

I have learned that the 1911 isn't the only "real" gun, but it's still way up there on the short list.


I have also learned that (---------------------------------) = 1" when a lot of folks start talking about shooting 1-2" groups offhand with open sights and service grade pistols at 25 yards.
I know it can be done because I have seen it done but I can't seem to do it.

That doesn't make me a bad shot it just means I'm honest!

 

[MikeJackmin]

1) All else being equal, the bottom line on a rifle is the quality of the trigger and the sights. The bottom line on a handgun is how well it fits your hand.

2) Hoppes gun oil is wonderful stuff. WD40 is evil.

3) Rifles with bulged barrels may still shoot surprisingly well.

4) Cinderblocks are the excellent targets. They just get smaller and smaller until all you have left is sand.

 

[logical]

I've decided that if the only way a 1911 should be carried is in condition one, it is an unsuitable weapon for 99% of the people carrying.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I have learned that the cost of the scope, gun, or accessories is not nearly as directly proportional to group size as the amount of time spent practicing.

 

[wmenorr67]

Werewolf, do you have first hand knowledge to make those rules? Or was it a "friend."

 

[Bear Gulch]

That most folks don't drive or shoot as well as they think they do!

 

[smokemaker]

I drive like crap, and shoot marginally better

 

[Bear Gulch]

That wearing a blister on your paln from shooting .44 mag at steel plates can be kind of enjoyable.

 

[308win]

People don't understand most of what they know.

Practice doesn't make perfect, technique does.

Ingraining bad habits is expensive - coming and going.

Listen to the little voices, they know more than you do.

 

[PlayTheAces]

Here's a personal discovery I made all by myself, years back when I was young, carefree, and fairly stupid.

Should you be happily sending lead downrange, pull the trigger and nothing happens, and.......

You look at the receiver and find the bolt/slide hasn't closed due to a misfeed......

Be wery wery careful, wabbit.

Should you pull back on the bolt/slide to eject the misfed round, and the firing pin chooses that moment to release, there exists the possibility said firing pin may come into contact with the primer of said misfed round.

This in turn can result in a brilliant white/blue flash as the round explodes in the open receiver, sending small pieces of brass every which direction.

Shortly after making this discovery, came revelation number two. It was just one of those really educational type days.

Revelation two would have been the fact that in a pinch, masking tape can be used to stop bleeding.

 

[RevDisk]

Too much ammo is always better than not enough.

A rifle that always fires is better than a rifle that is more accurate but tempermental.

Accuracy is very important. But there is something to be said for the "lead cloud" strategy also.

Recoil is mental. After firing P95's .45-70 BFR, a .44 is a pop toy.

Go with what style works for you.

 

[NMshooter]

If you never experiment with new ways of doing things you will never get better.

Knowing the old ways of doing things helps you know what to learn next.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

1. Alcohol and guns are a recipe for diaster.

2. .45-70's fired 4" from an engine block ricochet.

3. You have a compelling reason to confess stupidity to the police in a gunshot wound investigation involving 1. and 2. above.

 

[JohnKSa]

Keeping your stronghand thumb from touching a pistol while you shoot will help you be more accurate.

What you think about ammo makes a difference in how accurately it shoots (when you're doing the shooting). Amazing how much of the ammo I used to think was really worthless shoots ok now...

It takes a really bad trigger to actually prevent someone from shooting a gun accurately. It only takes a slightly bad trigger to give people an excuse for shooting a gun inaccurately.

Most people only know what they've been told by others about guns. They don't believe in learning for themselves, nor do they believe what science tells them. This applies to shooters, cops and gun store owners alike.

Most shooters would be MUCH better shooters if they would buy a couple of decent quality airguns and shoot a couple of bucks worth of pellets a month.

Dryfiring is way more useful for improving shooting skills than most people believe.

Most good quality modern firearms are extremely reliable. If your gun is jamming frequently with modern, good quality, factory ammunition, it needs to be fixed or replaced. It doesn't matter how good it looks or who tells you it's the best thing with a Trigger since Roy Rogers.

Most good quality modern firearms are very accurate.

Rifles often get blamed for scope problems. Rifles get blamed for shooter problems even more often.

Expensive guns don't always shoot better. Shooters with expensive guns don't always shoot better. Shooters with expensive guns get really P.O.ed if you outshoot them with a cheap foreign piece of garbage gun.

People who spend more money on guns than ammo have neat guns. People who spend more money on ammo than guns have neat groups.

Even really smart and careful people who've handled guns for years can screw up BAD. That includes you (and me). Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction--feeling stupid and deaf is infinitely better than attending a funeral or going to the hospital.