Posted: 8/24/2011 2:03:15 PM EDT
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Some years ago I got a new Benchmade folder. When I had time to sit down and watch a football game or race, I would get my knife out and just basically 'play' with it. Opening and closing one-handed, with either hand, flipping from hand-to-hand, etc. Just building feel and muscle memory. Lately I have taken to doing the same thing with my slightly customized Taurus 1911. Any time I pick up that knife today, all that familiarity comes right back. I'm hoping to get some of the same benefits with the pistol, and there are many moves to practice with it. Naturally, it is made safe as soon as it comes out of the safe for 'practice'. This one is not kept loaded anyway, but nevertheless I ALWAYS CHECK as soon as I get my hands on it.
Anybody else ever do this kind of thing? It really doesn't take long before whatever it is just feels so 'right' in your hand. |
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Quoted:
You mean like 'dry firing'? Some of us do it quite regularly. Not just dry-firing. Just handling, maybe some trick stuff. I'm fascinated by fancy gun handling. But even without that, getting used to the tactile feel and weight of the pistol, learning to work it with the weak hand, maybe upside-down, practicing one-hand slide rack. fast field strips/assemblys, etc. As far as playing with sharp knives, I highly recommend it if you ever carry a knife. Be safe by all means, but definitely get that tactile relationship/muscle memory thing going with it. Opening/closing with the weak hand, fast draw/open/presentation, etc. This stuff stays with you after you learn it and only has to refreshed every so often. Like on a 1911, they're on a pistol rack upside-down, so I see the butts of the grips when I open the door. These are all unloaded and are never stored loaded. I'll reach in and take one out by the grip frame upside-down and muzzle away, twist my wrist to turn it and catch it with a good firing grip and trigger finger extended. I learned to do this by practicing over a bed. The thing is, you never know when something you learn as a game might come in handy. Plus, these exercises will make it much less likely that you will drop a gun or lose control of it. You always have to respect a gun or knife and never forget what it can do, but I think it's wrong to fear them if you intend to carry and use them. Like they say, 'Handle rattlesnakes every so often so you won't forget how to treat a gun'. And by all means, always observe your safety routines without fail. For example, after taking out a pistol like above, even though I know it is not loaded, I will clear it before doing a dry fire. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
You mean like 'dry firing'? Some of us do it quite regularly. Not just dry-firing. Just handling, maybe some trick stuff. I'm fascinated by fancy gun handling. But even without that, getting used to the tactile feel and weight of the pistol, learning to work it with the weak hand, maybe upside-down, practicing one-hand slide rack. fast field strips/assemblys, etc. ... By 'dry-firing' I mean practicing without live ammunition. Not necessarily just looking at the sights and going *click.* I practice reloads, malfunctions, drawing, switching hands, picking the gun up off a table, and anything else I can think of that I might need to do in a match. |
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All the time.
Of course, always saftey check first, but I will mess with my 1911 daily. Matter of fact my MilSpec is on the desk right in front of me, it's loaded now but I will probably do some dry fire stuff before I load it back up and hit the sack. I think it's great practice as well as dry firing because every kind of gun has it's own "feel" like your knife and constantly handling and manipulating a certain gun will help keep your muscles used to that spacific gun. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
You mean like 'dry firing'? Some of us do it quite regularly. Not just dry-firing. Just handling, maybe some trick stuff. I'm fascinated by fancy gun handling. But even without that, getting used to the tactile feel and weight of the pistol, learning to work it with the weak hand, maybe upside-down, practicing one-hand slide rack. fast field strips/assemblys, etc. As far as playing with sharp knives, I highly recommend it if you ever carry a knife. Be safe by all means, but definitely get that tactile relationship/muscle memory thing going with it. Opening/closing with the weak hand, fast draw/open/presentation, etc. This stuff stays with you after you learn it and only has to refreshed every so often. Like on a 1911, they're on a pistol rack upside-down, so I see the butts of the grips when I open the door. These are all unloaded and are never stored loaded. I'll reach in and take one out by the grip frame upside-down and muzzle away, twist my wrist to turn it and catch it with a good firing grip and trigger finger extended. I learned to do this by practicing over a bed. The thing is, you never know when something you learn as a game might come in handy. Plus, these exercises will make it much less likely that you will drop a gun or lose control of it. The stuff above in red is kiddie Barny Fife stuff. Do all the dry practice you want for draws, WHO draws, one handed malf clearing and reloads, dropped gun pickups, etc but when you start talking about speed field stripping and flipping guns then you have seen too many Jackie Chan movies. Practice techniques that help you defend yourself, not crap from a movie. Set up a structured dry fire practice routine, don't just goof around and play with your gun. My 2 cents. Gringop |
| Yes as all the others have said and you have found for yourself. Becoming comfortable with the weapon and memorizing its weight, how it feels, how it moves, how it functions, fires, all the other countless things you can learn by spending time with your firearm. Its all good stay safe and have fun. |