hehehe... a day at the range is so much fun!

Nice shootin' tex! Muggers are definitely going to be in trouble if they decide you are a target.

Do what I do on those stray rounds that don't fall into the grouping... blame it on bad ammo!

just a suggestion... you may want to change the title to "martial" instead of marital.

Frank-
That Kel-Tec is a blowback pistol. There should be no need to rack the slide every shot! If you can't get to empty a mag w/o manhandling the slide each shot, you have a problem- bring it back & get it fixed. (Could be an overpowered recoil spring or the like)
Good luck

If you want a small carry gun, the .38 S&W Chief's Special is one of best. The entire gun fits in the palm of my hand (or my wife's purse). Loaded with +P rounds it will be close to .357 area, yet safe in the little .38. Much better than a .380. Shim & time the cylinder, and a little trigger work and you've got yourself an accurate superb little, tiny carry or backup. I've got an ankle holster for mine.

I had a Walther P-5 and sold it because my Detonics .45 was half the size and was, well... a .45

As far as the slide hanging up on the last round - could be a number of things. Recoil spring, ramp into the barrel, or forcing cone. Stop using wadcutters. .45's are made to shoot round nose bullets. Load your own ammunition. Not only cheaper but way better performance.

My .45 load is 7 grains of Unique with a 260 grain, unjacketed, roundnose lead bullet - way max stopping power. With the barrel ported it's very controllable even with the little Detonics.

If you want a small carry gun, the .38 S&W Chief's Special is one of best. The entire gun fits in the palm of my hand (or my wife's purse). Loaded with +P rounds it will be close to .357 area, yet safe in the little .38. Much better than a .380. Shim & time the cylinder, and a little trigger work and you've got yourself an accurate superb little, tiny carry or backup. I've got an ankle holster for mine.

I had a Walther P-5 and sold it because my Detonics .45 was half the size and was, well... a .45

As far as the slide hanging up on the last round - could be a number of things. Recoil spring, ramp into the barrel, or forcing cone. Stop using wadcutters. .45's are made to shoot round nose bullets. Load your own ammunition. Not only cheaper but way better performance.

My .45 load is 7 grains of Unique with a 260 grain, unjacketed, roundnose lead bullet - way max stopping power. With the barrel ported it's very controllable even with the little Detonics.

--Good job, Frank! Since you posed some questions which may or may not have been rhetorical, I will offer a few observations.

--An isoscoles stance is fine, but you will probably find that you will shoot better if you lean slightly forward, toward the target (aggressive posture) instead of tllting back.

--You did not mention how long you took on any of these strings of fire. If you're practicing for "reality" shooting, you should include timed strings as a matter of course. Your groups should not be the focus of this training-- save that for precision shooting drills. Instead, concentrate on training to get a few rounds in a man sized target in the shortest time possible.

--Sometimes one-handed shooting will show better on the target, because you tend to concentrate more on the fundamentals when you are shooting one handed. Again, throw a time limit in and train to that. I would recommend starting with drawing and getting two rounds into a chest-sized area within three to five seconds. Once you get there (unless you're already there), work on getting the time down in half second increments.

--You may find better success with your left hand only shooting if you lock out your arm and slightly cant the weapon clockwise (maybe 20 or 30 degrees). This helps lock your wrist into it and gives greater support. Also, pointing your left foot toward the target and having that foot forward is a good idea.

--Impressive group with the .44 at 25 yards! That is because you made yourself focus on the fundamentals more.

--I would say with utmost certainty that those two errant rounds (PPK two-handed) are because of trigger jerking. That almost always translates to low shots.

--The problem with your .45 having the slide out of battery issue could be from the ammo or the magazine. It could also be from carbon build-up or a mechanical issue (something loose inside). Get that checked, because that would not be a good thing if you were in a tight situation.

--Looking at your targets, I can tell that you have a very good handle on the fundamentals of shooting. Your sight alignment and sight picture are definitely good. Overall, you have good trigger control. You may want to work on your grip: the target from your .45 with two hands shows that you may have had a poor grip for that string of fire.

--That's my two cents. By the way, I've been a firearms instructor for a long time (first in the Marine Corps and now for DOE's nuclear protective service.

--Thanks for sharing, Frank! That was motivating!!

Frank, it looks like you pull to the left. I'll let everybody make up their own joke.

As far as training for reality, try to get as many rounds into the target while running to the side with your head down as though the other guy is taking careful aim.
I was always too self concious when aiming. I did better when doing the point and shoot thing. That's been a while (pesky court orders!)

If you had a problem with feeding with that .45 (I think yours was fairly stock) a couple things you can do without paying and arm and a leg are: get some higher quality magazines (Chip McCormick, or comparable) and have a gunsmith polish up the feedramp. The Chip magazines hold 8 as well.

jg

Frank and all,

Training is a good thing. If you ever contemplate going to Vegas, there is a very good shooting school near there called FrontSight.

They are the biggest shooting school in the US by far. And you may be able to take your first class for free.

http://www.frontsight.com/FreeClass.asp?Action=Qualify

Two Day Defensive Handgun Course Description:

Upon completion of this course you will have a fundamental understanding of the defensive use of the handgun. Among the many skills you acquire will be the ability to safely and easily draw your weapon from the holster and fire two, sighted shots to the center of a target 5 yards away – all under 1.5 seconds! This course more than satisfies gun handling and marksmanship criteria for a Concealed Weapons Permit.

Lecture Topics Include: Use of Deadly Force and the Law; Color Code of Mental Awareness; Stopping Power; Civil Liability; and more.

Firing Range Drills Include: Loading and Unloading; Grip, Stance, Sight Picture, Sight Alignment, and Trigger Control; Presentation from Ready and Holster; Target Engagement from Arms Length to 15 yards under Time Pressure; Malfunction Clearing; Speed and Tactical Reloading; Live-Fire Tactical Simulator Introduction; and more.

300 rounds of ammunition required.

I just read the comment from Steve, regarding his 260 grain LRN handloads... That MIGHT be a decent load for hunting medium-size game, but it wouldn't be a good choice for a carry load. It would overpentrate any soft target smaller than a black bear, and has a decent chance of doing that as well. It might create a decent wound channel, but hydrostatic shock would be negligible, no better than standard FMJ ball.

I'd personally suggest Federal 230 grain Hydra Shoks for a .45; I know at one point that was the preferrred load for the FBI HRT, as well as more law enforcement department issue .45s than any other round I know of. For an in-home gun, I'd personally and highly recommend Glasers or MagSafe frangibles. Near 100% reliability due to the bullet shape, and ballistically very bad news of the bad guy (Best scores on the Strousburg stopping power tests), and they quickly dissipate their energy into walls if you miss, which is quite common in stressfire situations.

Those 260 grain LRNs are a horrible choice for self defense; even if you hit your target, you stand a good chance of overpenetrating the bad guy and going though 5-8 layers of sheetrock, possibly killing a loved one or somebody next door. OVerall power isn't as important as important as the energy trasnferred to the target. The 260 LRN just doesn't do that well, as it wasn't designed to.

Ack. I wouldn't use a .45ACP for hunting, thats not what it was designed for (unless you're hunting people). Also, when you're looking at .45 loading data, the top end on a 260gr slug is less than 850 feet per sec, averaging in the mid 700's - thats unlikely to overpenetrate anybody wearing something more than a T-shirt. Everything, even a .22 penetrates drywall, so if you're worried about that, get a shotgun or Glaser Safety slugs.

For hunting I wouldn't used anything short of .357 mag/45LC (ruger loads)/10mm and higher...

Frank, for offhand/single hand shooting, instead of having your other hand in your pocket, pull it into your chest making a fist. The making of a fist with the non shooting hand helps your grip on the gun with the shooting hand (or so an instructor told me at some point).

Targets look good, you're probably fine for any self defense situation.

Guns, the original point and click interface.

I have a Glock 35 with a Clip Draw and triger block. I know, the trigger block shouldn't be needed, but I cut the pull on the Glock down to 2.5#. Real nice. Not as nice as my Kimber Elite Tactical. I have a Galco small of back holster, but am thinking of using your rig.

Frank,
For the most realistic training experience, you should stand at the other end of the range on a busy day and fire back towards your attackers. Only then will you be able to account for adrenalin and the fact that you might have to aim and dodge simultaneously.

that problem you had with your .45 is probably the magazine. the old syle mags were designed to primarily feed FMJ's and jamming on the last round with hollowpoints is normal. Check out wilson combat, their magazines work with just about anything, but they run about 25 bucks each.
that will probably fix it
anyway, love your gun tips

Well, I'm not a fan of back pocket carry, chances are if the baloon goes up you'll be sitting, in a resteraunt or your car for instance. You can't get the shootin' iron into action if'n you're sittin' on it. See if that pocket holster will work in your right front trouser pocket.
Damned few bad guys wear bigasses bullseyes on their chests. Next time at the supermarket ask for paper. A paper grocery sack is about the size of a grown man's chest and belly area. Back in my youger days I could draw and fire and put one in the ticklish spot within about a third of a second with my service revolver and issue duty belt. Using a concealled cary holster and little gun it was a half second or a tick more.
That Anaconda is a hunting gun, don't worry about one hand shooting with it.
The rest of those irons are something you'll want to practice one handed. If Colonal Sam Colt had intended us to shoot them with two hands he'd have put two handles on the damned things. If the smelly stuff hits the fan I'm gonna need that other hand for a flashlight or shoving a kid out of the way, pushing my wife behind me, hold the dog, work a lightswitch, any of a zillion things.

I gotta go with many of the folks here. i think it's the magazine. You might try stretching out the mag spring and the slide return spring a bit more or check to make sure it is locking proper in the grip. Also, if you limp wrist it (hypothetically, don't shoot) it can do all manner of things to the actual action of the slide return. My .32 (just for plinking, shut up all of you) does that both with the cheapo third party mags and even with the originals if i don't hold it like a rock. Nce shooting, though.

And is that the Kel Tec with the pocket clip? Or was that on the 9 mil?

Frank, I gess that you take know a small gun to have it in your back... who knows... a fucking accident...

Ooh yeah...without the hands...

Frank, what kind of .45 do you have? What type/brand of ammo did you have the malfunctions with? When was the last time you cleaned your 1911, what do you use as a lubricant for the 1911.

Using any kind of hollow point will increase your odds of malfunction, as will using bullet weights less than 230 grains. Sometimes one brand will work fine and another will suck heinously. And dirty non-lubed guns of any type will eventually stop up. Check to make sure you are fully seating the magazine.

I have a Colt 1991A1, and have shot it using 185 grain UMC hollow points from mil-surp and factory magaines (standard 7 round) with no problems. I haven't tried any other stuff because this works, although I have noticed they actually shoot lower than UMC 230 grain FMJ.

Try some other ammo, keep things clean and slippery, and if all that fails then see if higher price magazines or even some professional attention is needed.

doubletrouble,
I meant when firing on snap cap, I'd have to rake the slide to fire it again.

Chris,
I have a Colt 1991A1 like you, dissamble and clean it after firing it or after a long time of not firing it. I'm thinking it may be a magazine problem like a lot are suggesting. I have a lot of mags for it, but two good ones: a Colt and a Springfield. I took them apart and cleaned them after shooting, and I'll play around loading snap caps into it to see if it's any better.

Thanks for all the advice people. One of these days I should get some formal training.

Formal training?
You aren't thinking of enlisting on us, are you? With your education they'd make you be an officer!
Oh well, if you do join, try Air Defense Artillery. For shoulder fired, they have some of the biggest weapons. You'd like it.

Uh-uh - go Engineer, Frank. You get to play with explosives.

Absolutely inspiring to read, FJ. You give a great range report, with links, pics, et al. That little Kel-Tec is sweet, too. I want one.

Oh hell no. No engineers or ADA. Besides that, ADA is just pulling infantry missions now anyway (and when's the last time ADA shot down any non American planes?). If you wanna do cool guy stuff, you have to do intel.

Or if Frank really wants THE big gun, he can go USAF and fly A-10s or AC-130s. I'd go A-10. Only one seat/one trigger. 'Course the AC-130 does have the 105mm howitzer . . .

sam

Frank,

If you want something really small, take a look at Beretta's little beauty, the Tomcat/Alley Cat model 3032.

http://www.impactguns.com/store/beretta_alley_cat.html

I know, I know. Friends don't let friends carry mouse guns. But the first rule of gunfighting is: Have a Gun! (Corollary: never bring (just) a knife to a gunfight.)

FYI, second rule: The purpose of a handgun is so you can fight your way to your shotgun!

Count on Devil Dog to address what I was going to point out (the Charlie's Angels backward lean). :) BTW, that stance looks really great if you keep your legs straight with one behind you and one way out in front of you. And if you're a hot chick.

I don't want to say anything bad in public about Front $ight, because their lawyers are on a hair trigger and I'm already persona non grata, but... While their training and instructors are top-notch, you can get four to five times the training for the price at a local school. Do some research. Get some formal training. It's not just educational, it's also way fun.

For a fairly comprehensive overview of guns and tactics, I also recommend Demi Barbito's "FIREPOWER" DVD. See www.demibarbito.com. And don't mind the glowing review I gave it.

So do you have an Amazon wish list or what?

Wow. I was reading this post thinking, I'll just add a couple of pointers until I saw that you'd already been lectured by everybody in the country. But, as a former firearms instructor...

I prefer the Weaver stance (weak foot forward and straight, strong foot back and at an acute angle to the shot line). It provides a smaller sillhouette to the target and I think it's more stable. Plus, you should always practice odd stances: kneeling, prone and door-frame-cover. I used to have my shooters lay on their backs, heads toward the target and shoot a magazine.

Also, as a tool to self-diagnose your groupings (assuming they are consistent and shooting right handed):
- off right generally means you are pulling the trigger into your palm. concentrate on smooth back pressure with just the first pad.
- off left means you're pushing OR tensing your hand/lower fingers in anticipation of the shot.
- high groups are caused by anticipation.
- low groups are caused by "milking" the trigger.

Here's a cool thing I used to teach that you can do at home. Get a piece of cardboard and tack it to the wall, shoulder height. Put a pencil into your barrell so the eraser sits against the firing pin. Take aim and fire. The pencil will make marks on the cardboard and you can use them to practice your grip. Did I mention that the gun should be unloaded?

More realistic self-defense distances are 3 and 7 feet. Think about it: by the time you are likely to feel sufficiently threatened, the target will be close.

And one minor point of semantics: what you put in your semi-autos is called a "magazine". Clips are short pieces of metal that held M1 rounds by the rim and got ejected when the last round was spent.

Aim High!

My PPK wont eject its magazine, its driving me crazy.

With that, I'm a pretty decent shot. but with my Beretta .40, there are gonna be some people with no head to ache.

Of course, they're not as cool as my other peace tool

Intel? What do they do?

Masada, that's the kind of joujou you find on any Chinese place for about the price of ten packets cigarettes. It's a disposable gun. After ten rounds, it burns itself.

rockynoggin,

Intel, what do they do? Well, not a lot actually, but the perdiem is pretty good and you get to wear civvies in the right units (plus the Afghani style beard).

"Intel? What do they do?"

It depends of the kind of honor they have.

It's lasted me two years and countless rounds of ammo

Countless, that's what I said, after ten rounds, it burns itself.

I have a Springfield Armory 1911 A1, the "Loaded" model, with a titanium firing pin, titanium spring, and other goodies. The majority of ammo I use is FMJ, but I shot several rounds of 230 gr. Remington Golden Saber JHP without any problems.

oh franky your introuble, thats not an anti-idotarian rot mug on the table, I am telling! I wish my wife would let me have gun, she is afraid I might shoot stuff with it....... well... duuuuu.

Your 25yd results with the Colt Anaconda have my full attention.
Damn good shootin', son.

Frank, I have to second Al in recommending the Weaver Stance. More stable, it presents less target profile, and I believe it gives you a much more natural point of aim.

As for one handed shooting, try rotating your shooting hand towards the dominant eye. You know how in movies and TV they always seem to hold the handgun sideways? That's way too much, maybe 45 degrees is what you want. Some say it lines the sights up with your dominant eye better, but I like it because it controls recoil better, your weapon will tend to fall back on target more.

But again, try a Weaver Stance. You'll probably wonder why you wasted all those bullets in the Isosceles.

Looked at the little Kel-Tecs. Pretty cool. Have you seen their Sub-2000 folding carbine?

Frank,

Another good suggestion for training & practice. Find a local club that runs matches under IPSC or IDPA rules. IPSC is the Int'l Practical Shooting Confederation. Their US governing body is USPSA(www.uspsa.org). IDPA is the Int'l Defensive Pistol Ass'n (www.idpa.com).

Both are very good for learning to shoot accurately _and_ quickly, although IPSC is not quite as real-world oriented as IDPA. It's also LOTS of fun. You will need to use your 1911, because neither group allows guns smaller than 9mm Luger (aka 9x19) so the Walther & Kel-Tec are out.

Hey Frank, I live in the area. What range did you shoot at?

I shoot at the Police Hall of Fame one in Titusville every Thursday evening. Really nice range. Like to challenge you some time ;)

Frank, lots of good advice above. Here's some more advice, up to you how good you think it is.

On your .45, check your return spring. I've shot a lot of different .45s, and a consistent non-feed(usally the last round, due to the friction of the magazine plate being greater than that of a shiny, new fellow round; or the 1st, due to magazine spring tension) was a broken(even just a couple of coils) return spring over 90% of the time.

Shooting position? Whatever works best for you IS best for you. Try others to see if one might be better, and because you might not get to be in the position that's best for you(and when I say "might not", I mean "almost certainly won't").

Timed shoots, shooting while moving, shooting offhand, hell, trickshooting. Everything that makes you more experienced and confident helps.

Other than that, nice shooting, esp. the .44 at 25 yds.

Monster,
I've never been able to bring myself to spoil that beautiful mug with coffee.

David,
Action Gun Outfitters is where I shot, and I think I'm starting to remember the max is actually 50 feet.

Thanks for more advice, everyone. I've tried different stances, and isoceles seems to work best for me.

Change your mags. Chip McCormick 8-round Powermags or Wilson.

All the rest should be flattened with a hammer and discarded. And that includes Colt's mags.

THEN change yer recoil spring. 1991-A1s are infamous for their shitty innards (compared to like-priced Kimbers and Springfields, that is).

Great post!

A few notes

- Why the flyers w/the PPK? Because it's got the worst trigger known to man. Lose the PPK. It was OK in the 50's, but there are SOOO many things much much better (Kel-tec, small glocks, etc.)

- YMMV, but I don't see the value of a small snubbie for personal defense (I know, all the guys rave about a chief's special in .38). Your choice, but even the smallest snubbie doesn't conceal well for me, it's too fat. And don't even suggest ankle carry, that's just an excuse to get you killed. if you need a gun, you need a gun, not a wrestling match with the pouch hidden under your pants leg... Again, I'd rather a small glock or Kel-tec or better yet

- my 1 carry arm - Baer TRS .45 in a Milt Sparks VM2 holster with a good belt. It conceal BETTER (for me) under a t-shirt than a snubbie in my front or pack pocket, (and I don't fear blowing my nuts off). With good ammo, and good mags (Power8s for me), this pistol never malfunctions, holds under 1.5 inches at 25yards, and is what I use for plinking, IDPA, IPSC and duck hunting and fishing... (OK, not duck hunting and fishing)

Yes it's a bit heavy, but it's supposed to be conforting, not comfortable. And I'm damn good with it because it's the only handgun I practice with.

And finally, take some self defense shooting classes, it's worth the time and money. Punching holes in paper is a good skill, but don't confuse that with the use of deadly force.

Regrds,
Francis

Frank, as much as we all love getting new guns, the best use of money is getting the best-quality training you can afford. I've been to Front Sight (4 day defensive handgun class) and wasn't entirely impressed with it. I'm a much bigger fan of John Farnam, who has classes in various parts of the country (and elsewhere). See:

http://www.defense-training.com/

Get his book in any case. (The rifle/shotgun book is excellent, too.)

Best regards,
Josh

SO JEALOUS! I live in the UK and in my 21 years I have never so much as seen a gun, never mind used one. *sigh*

With regard to your shiny new .380, a stiff double action is nice for protection against manual accidental discharges (operator fumducks)but you want to check what kind of firing pin setup it has; if you have a fixed firing pin, you risk an impact AD and you might want to carry on an empty chamber

I'm not sure what to be most jealous of:

1. That your father gives you guns;
   
2. That you can walk into a gun shop and walk out with a new gun the same day; or
   
3. That you're a much better shot than I am.
   

www.geocities.com/hosharafu.
my massage to all martial artist around the world is ( get the best forget the rest become a martial artist )
we invite all to learn hosharafu the martial art of afghanistan

hi to all wish u the best

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