And a complete lack of practice over the past few months has made "crappy".
Hit the range last night, primarily to rid myself of a bunch of ammo. The loads I had for IPSC were just too hot so I needed to burn through the remaining 100 or so that I had. The 10mm and .357 just needed to be cycled, and the best way to do so of course is to shoot 'em.
I started off with the Kel-Tec P3AT. I felt dangerous and picked up some ammo from a dealer at a gun show the last time I was there. They were someone I've seen at the shows for years, so I figured I'd risk my digits for some practice.
Only had one FTF and that was resolved by a quick cycle. I hate shooting that damnable thing. I can barely get one finger on the grip, and it jumps around more than Dennis Hennigan trying to recite the 2nd Amendment (well, maybe not that much). However, I can honestly say that with the Crimson Trace on it, I can unload all 6 rounds in a target at 7 yards with one hand as fast as I can pull the trigger (which isn't very fast with this thing) and keep it within an 8" circle. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, and that's all I can ask for it.
I then had some .357 Sound and Fury loads to get rid of. There were a trio of ladies a few lanes down who were having the best time shooting (my favorite comment I overheard was "We gotta do this every week. Let's make Monday's range nights!") and they had to take a break while I was firing the Dan Wesson. The blast was startling them something fierce. The RO even had to come over and asked if he could light a few off and was grinning ear to ear when he left.
Next along was the .45. If I took my time, I could hit the bullseye at 10yds. with very little effort. The instant I started double tapping or speeding up, I did what I always do. My groups are no more than 2" wide, but they make a solid line up and down. I need to take some courses to really help me control my vertical since that's where I have my problems. Yaw is fine, pitch sucks.
I can only assume I'm 'pushing' the pistol back into place rather than letting it come back to its natural point of aim or something. But this is a problem that has plagued me for eons. Instead of buying hardware, I need to upgrade my software.
Oh, I had one really strange round. Instead of punching a nice round hole, it tore a 3" gash upward and ended up hitting the target holder. There was splattered lead on the target. I have NO clue what caused that as none of the other rounds did anything like that, but it was nasty looking. I also had two primers that didn't go off which was really weird because I've been using CCI's exclusively for years and have never had a primer fail. They both failed on multiple tries too, so I've got 'em at home to pull and dispose of properly.
I didn't have many 10mm to go through, but it's no longer something I can ignore. I no longer want to carry the Glock 29, I want to switch to the full size 20. My hands are just too damned big for that firearm. I can shoot ok, double taps were on target albeit a foot apart at their worst, but I cannot fire more than 4 shots without having to completely readjust my grip. There's simply not enough grip for my hands to find the purchase necessary for such a stout firearm.
Brand new, the 20's run ~$700 at the local blaster shop. For $20 cheaper, I can get the Slim Frame model, but the reason I'm wanting to switch is because I need more to grab, not less. These had the night sights on them which I've never owned but probably need to have nonetheless. So, I'm looking to trade my 29 for a used 20 or a new 20 and some cash. I don't have the dough to buy a new one outright, and I'm planning on saving the money I get from my 6.8 SPC upper to put toward a rifle I'm dying to get.
Oh, and the ladies who were shooting did come over later to ask to 'see the cannon' I had been shooting earlier. Two of the gals showed interest in shooting it, so I worked with them for a minute to let them dry fire it a few times, checking to ensure they had a good grip and proper muzzle & trigger discipline. They were timid at first, but overheard me talking to the RO about how it simply did not kick and how the RO agreed, and that got them interested.
Both of them were surprised at the weight of the pistol. They were shooting a polymer 9mm, and the Dan Wesson is anything but petite. I explained that the weight of the gun would help absorb the recoil and that the 110 grain bullets would not be punishing at all. I also explained that the blast was because of the way the rounds were loaded and not indicative of the recoil.
I loaded a single round and let them each light one off. The resulting grins were Cheshire in nature and everything I've come to expect from new shooters.
The KelTec ripped some skin loose from a finger, and my lack of range time can clearly be felt in my forearms which have not been exercised enough to maintain a firm grip, but even with all those negatives, it was a damned good night at the range.
in my forearms which have not been exercised enough to maintain a firm grip