ltwguns.com

I may be out of line wiyh this message but here goes. Why is it that you hear of guys shooting up thousands of rounds a month in various ammos. In my day you were mainly interested in accuracy and at most shot 200 rounds a week in practice or a league. In other words we were not trying to see who could wear out a pistol the fastest. Most of us shot reloads because we couldnt afford that much factory ammo

Let me hear your reasons.

When I do get to the range, I usually shoot between 100-200 in a practice session. I think, for me, any more than that would be counter productive. If I shoot .45ACP, it would be my reloads for the reason you stated. If I shoot 9mm, it would be Winchester white box from Walmart ($11.96 per 100). On the average, I'd have one practice session a month and one IDPA match. I usually use 3 - 4 guns throughout the year in the rotation, so each gun probably get about 2000 rounds a year. I surely have not tried to do any endurance or destructive test on my guns. My prized possession, a 1911 by Larry Vickers get shot maybe 100 rounds a year.

I get my ammo for free, Department provided, so I take liberties and shoot as much as I can. (having had recent back surgery, I havent shoot in sometime and I just went shooting last week - first time since 8/2004). I like to practice failure drills, shooting on the move, speed and tactical reloads, etc. While accuracy is a mainstay, my shooting is geared toward defensive shooting and it takes a lot of ammunition to remain proficient. If I had to pay for the ammo, I would fire up my Dillon Press again and would probably concentrate more on the fundamentals, rather than the tactical. I like to shoot the first 50-100 rounds for accuracy and then proceed into the tactical shooting, where I will shoot another 400 to 450 rounds. To me, while I have many prized signature grade psitols, my bread and butter guns are elegantly simple and are tools to be used and worn out. When they need a rebuild or replacing, then so be it (I guess that's why I like matched pairs so much).

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John Del Pinto

Well I tend to shoot 200-400 rounds a range session depending on how I feel and how I am doing. I generally go through that many because I enjoy shooting and because (IMO) I suck and want to improve and the only way to improve is to shoot. I go to the range once a week. Like John said, these guns are tools, I cant imagine wearing out one of them but if I do I will drop it off with Chuck or Ted to repair / replace as needed and start all over again. Sure they may be pretty but looking at the guns isnt nearly as fun as shooting the hell out of them

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I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them. - John Bernard Books

Mr. Behlert,

The shooting I do depends on what I am shooting and for what reason. If I am shooting a bolt rifle or hunting revolver, I practice more at different positions and accuracy than I do any specified round count. When I shoot bullseye, which I do only informally, I shoot slowly and for maximum accuracy, but try to get off as many good shots as I have time for. If I get a new gun that I will carry and/or keep as a home defense piece, I want to shoot it as often as I can with as many varied positions/situations as I can before I call it "good." This is more for reliability, trust in my equipment, and personal comfort than anything. I simply want to know that a gun I plan to use when things go bad will work when I need it. I do, however, tend to stick with a few knowns... in .45 ACP, bullseye wadcutter aside, I shoot only Federal 230gr Hydra-Shoks and 230gr ball. In a defensive gun I'm not too worried about being able to shoot one-hole groups, although it is nice to do. I asked a close friend of mine who is pretty "in" in the shooting/training industry about this. He said, "Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, people tended to use revolvers more than autos for defense. Revolvers either work or they don't. Autos tend to be much more ammo finicky and need better maintainence and testing." This made sense, at least to me. I still dry fire quite a bit, and I really don't think high-volume sessions have made me any better at all. They simply make me more comfortable with my equipment and its functioning characteristics.

Thank you, Sir, for your lifetime of dedication to our sport and our cause. Men like you have made all this possible.

Respectfully,
~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Practice, practice, practice
Respectfully,
Lenny

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Show 'em where you live....

Austin,
Remember there are a lot of different games today and the games are mostly speed related. Like you I used to shoot in an indoor league in the winter and fire 90 rounds of 22 for score and maybe another 90 for practice. In the warmer months I shot in a local combat league, about 200 rounds of 45 a month for score and about 500 for pratice. Speed was important, but was second to accuracy. Today anyone involved in the various combat disciplines or steel plate games must fire many rounds of practice each week to stay competitive. Accuracy is still important but in my opinion takes a back seat to speed.

Remember those 3" barrel S&W Model 29's you made? I used to shoot mine at night just to see how big a area I could illuminate!

Randy, u have a point and I really agree that speed in the currant shooting sports is important. Noew for the 3 inch 29s, actually 2 3/4 for most but we made them in all lengths. They sure did fire a flash tho and I remember telling a customer that he didnt have to hit his apponent, he would go blind anddeafwith the flash. I remember the first one I built, daughtwer Cathy said she had to try it. I told her it wasnt Mag na ported yet but she had to try one shot. She almost lost control; of the pistol. We probably made 100 of these.

Ive been doing alot of work with the newbies on how to do various jobs easilly. Austin