• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

Rookie Questions

Parker Schreiber

Parker Schreiber

NES Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2020
Messages
1,739
Likes
2,527
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
I still have a few months to go on my first year here, so please be patient as I try to cure my ignorance.
  1. It was a beautiful day for shooting and other outdoor activities this morning. Although someone was just leaving as I arrived, while I was there no one came in to either the outdoor pistol or rifle ranges. Is this typical when the weather gets nicer?
  2. How often do y'all practice with or switch out your Carry/Home Defense ammo? I have a couple of 10-round magazines loaded with JHP, and another 75 rounds to back it up. Should I consider that a "lifetime supply," or should I plan on shooting it at paper or steel every so often? Assume I have plenty of FMJ.
 
I notice the ranges at Hopkinton tend to get much more usage in the AM and very early afternoon than from 2PM or so on. I don't know if this is typical of gun clubs but we have many members who are already at the range when I am busy with the three S's in the AM.
 
Just as shocked 😲 that there was little activity at the range.
People likely doing family stuff, yard work, in their pools, on their boats, camping, etc.

As for FMJ vs. Carry ammo, that's personal preference and you'll get a lot of different opinions 😉.

Personally, I practice with the cheap stuff. POA/POI may be different with the carry ammo, but you probably know that.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
I notice the ranges at Hopkinton tend to get much more usage in the AM and very early afternoon than from 2PM or so on. I don't know if this is typical of gun clubs but we have many members who are already at the range when I am busy with the three S's in the AM.
Click to expand...

A lot depends on the layout of the particular range, most people would rather not shoot during hours when the sun is in their eyes.
 
Parker Schreiber said:
I still have a few months to go on my first year here, so please be patient as I try to cure my ignorance.
  1. It was a beautiful day for shooting and other outdoor activities this morning. Although someone was just leaving as I arrived, while I was there no one came in to either the outdoor pistol or rifle ranges. Is this typical when the weather gets nicer?
  2. How often do y'all practice with or switch out your Carry/Home Defense ammo? I have a couple of 10-round magazines loaded with JHP, and another 75 rounds to back it up. Should I consider that a "lifetime supply," or should I plan on shooting it at paper or steel every so often? Assume I have plenty of FMJ.
Click to expand...
I shoot more carry than most. At least once a month a fire 2-3 rounds from my carry. The one in the chamber and the next one that feeds. These will be the first 2 rounds I shoot. If I’m carrying a spare mag I’ll tacticool reload after the first round and shoot one from that as well, so 3 total. Every so often I go through a magazine of it. If I switch carry ammo I’ll probably go through a box making sure I and my gun like it. If you have the budget for shooting a decent amount of your SD/HD there’s really no downside to practicing with it.
 
Depends on the club
I belong to 2 and got to a 3rd sometines
1 club on a nice day is often no one there or maybe a heavy run on a sat from 10-12ish
2. Club is almost always jamming, always something going on.
The 3 club is basically a baron waste land and I feel like when I go with a friend the people you see there are pissy because your actually shooting.
 
We’re all too poor to feed the guns. Just being stationary and shooting at paper also gets boring. I’d rather save ammo for a class/competition or whatever. I’ve rarely been to the range lately and it was just to switch out carry ammo after a couple of months or to zero rifles because I keep moving stuff around.
 
Being alone at the range is the best.

As far as practice. Once in a while I empty my carry ammo, but first I make sure I have more.

Some of the best practice you will get your CCW is at USPSA or IDPA (outside of a class).

Even if you don't want to be competitive or don't have all the equipment necessary (USPSA). Just show up and let people know you will take it easy to see if you like it. I have been in squads with some people that shoot IDPA and wanted to try USPSA with their IDPA gun, they moved slower but did fine, no one cared.

PRO TIP:
Buy a SW 500, .460 or 45/70 revolver. When someone shows up to the range, move next to them and start shooting it. Soon, you will be alone again.
 
I'm so bad with cycling out carry ammo.....sometimes I leave it in there for an embarassing number of months.

But I keep my guns flawlessly clean and use the same brand/type of carry ammo that I've tested countless times with my carry gun. Not like it really matters with a G19 I guess but always better to be consistent.
 
I have carry rounds that have been at the bottom of 1911 mags for years. For the most part my carry guns stay loaded during the time of year I carry them. Gov’t model in the cooler months and P938 in the summer months. Occasionally I’ll shoot carry ammo at the range with those guns just to confirm function and POI, but it’s never more than 2 mags of carry ammo in one outing.
Also, my IDPA guns and mags are separate from my carry gear. I would have no problem carrying with my IDPA stuff but for carry I prefer no magwell and flush bottom mags.
 
RoterTeufel said:
Just as shocked 😲 that there was little activity at the range.
People likely doing family stuff, yard work, in their pools, on their boats, camping, etc.

As for FMJ vs. Carry ammo, that's personal preference and you'll get a lot of different opinions 😉.

Personally, I practice with the cheap stuff. POA/POI may be different with the carry ammo, but you probably know that.
Click to expand...

They were all hiking in the Whites. Crawford Notch was a zoo today!
 
For some, I’m sure 75 rounds of whatever is a lifetime supply if you have a revolver for HD and never practice with it, while that could be 15 mins of fun at the range for someone else.

I’ve never been one to stockpile HD ammo personally, so I don’t shoot it often. I’d imagine you’ll be fine with 75 rounds for a few years at least. Keep it stored properly, and consider sticking your target in the ammo can with it so you can remember when you shot it last and how it patterned.
 
Ammo doesn't go bad if you're not dunking your gun in water or oil, so it's not a matter of lifetime so much as what can you afford to shoot?

My opinion is you should shoot your carry ammo type a few times per year to make sure you are proficient with that particular ammo and it always functions in your gun properly. I would not carry an ammo type I have not shot at least 100 rounds of through each mag you typically carry. So if you have your EDC and a spare mag, that's 200 rounds, 100 through each as a baseline test for accuracy and functionality.

If you can't afford to do that with special ammo, carry the ball type you do practice with. A functioning firearm, that hits where you aim, and you have 100% confidence in is more important than having JHP.

If you hit someone in the face, a ball round works just fine.
 
Figure out what you do best with in your carry piece and buy a case, meaning 1000(half summer/half winter[critical defense/duty etc.]). You'll never need to worry about it again(until you find another carry) and you'll be able to train with it to become as proficient as possible to the point of becoming boringly accurate and reliable.
 
I used to go through a lot more carry ammo than I do right now. Price is part of it, bit availability is most of it. I like to generally buy 2x what i shoot, rinse, repeat. Since I can’t buy whatever I want on a whim right now, shooting whatever I want on a whim has stopped.
 
It’s a subjective question at best. If you’re consistent with your carry and practice ammo, 75 rounds could last you a while. A lifetime supply? No.
A year plus? Absolutely.

It’s important to know where, what you’re shooting lands and feels like. If you’re carrying 115+p and practicing with 147’s because that’s what was available, especially with compact or subcompact sizes, you’re gunna have a bad time.

It pays to train in the situations you carry. If you carry in gym shorts, work pants, skinny jeans, or a fanny pack, go draw in those outfits a few times and make sure it works. The same can be said for your defense ammo. Be comfortable with poa/poi and practice with similar ammo weights and velocities. It’s available but expensive. if you can’t afford to spend $10 in defense ammo to ensure poa/poi and be comfortable with recoil every couple of months, why carry defense ammo to begin with?
 
As far as carry ammo. I'll shoot a MAG here and there. I'm way too cheap to shoot it regularly. But I've been carrying the same gun for years so I know it cycles. Range time by yourself is the best. @Broccoli Iglesias spoke about revolvers. At the rifle range the best way to clear is bring something with obnoxious brake. The old guy with the 10/22 ends up leaving. After that you can break out your model 66 😂
 
Rockrivr1 said:
It’s all ammo cost related. People are sitting on what they have. Not to much of a surprise.
Click to expand...

That's probably true for a lot of people. Plus it got damned hot today.

I've been on the range and had people Counting what they think my ammo cost and ask me why I waste so much money or tell me how much they think it cost for me to shoot. If watching me shoot is hurting your mental finance walk away. I load my own and I shoot what I've bought when ammo was cheap so mind your own F'ing business.
 
First mag at the range for me is 2x5rd Bill Drill to run through the carry ammo in the gun. The rest is ball, usually Dot Drill x2 or 3, depending how frustrated I am with myself after the first two rounds.
 
When ever I go to the range, no matter what I’m there for, I will always at least fire off all the rounds in my carry gun and my backup magazine just to keep things fresh and clean. Since I am a MA inmate, that’s a minimum 21 carry rounds per trip. I’ve been a member of the fire one buy two club for a long time, so I have quite a bit of carry ammo in stock. If I ever got down to less than a case of carry ammo I might change by habits, but right now I haven’t been going to the range as much so I just keep doing what I’ve been doing.
 
Thanks for the comments -- there seems to be quite a range of approaches! Here are few particulars:
  • Yesterday morning was in the mid '70's, not terribly humid and lightly overcast. No issue with solar glare at all.
  • I'm still in the "build up muscle memory" stage of learning to shoot decently.
  • My ball ammo is 147gr Lawman, which I switched to after having stove pipe issues in my PCC with Browning Training and Practice. Most of my HD rounds are 147gr Ranger Bonded, but my initial purchase was 124gr Punch.
  • I wish I could say that money is no object. Paying $0.65 a round for the Lawman isn't going to make a change in my lifestyle nor prevent me from going to the range weekly, but I'm balking at the idea of paying more than double that for Gold Dot to punch holes in paper.
So I think I'll wait until supplies of Gold Dot, Ranger, or Critical Duty 147gr are reasonably reliable before shooting magazines of the stuff at the range.
 

Similar threads

Muzzle device questions
Replies
22
Views
773
Golddiggie
Golddiggie
FFL Commercial space questions
Replies
7
Views
489
Woodsloafer
W
questions about tavor ts12 shotgun
Replies
7
Views
676
40 Creedmoor fan
4
Questions on defense v. over penetration
2 3
Replies
72
Views
3K
Qwikdraw45
Qwikdraw45
NYC is a Toilet - Rookie Cop Shot:
Replies
25
Views
856
tcarter01
tcarter01
Back
Top Bottom