Suggestions Welcome!

[poptopjr]

Today marked the first trip to the range with my new M&P9 FS. More than that it is the first semi-auto pistol I have owned. I have shot a few, but not many. I qualified with a Beretta in the Marines, I also shot a Colt 45, but not much. I have also shot a Ruger (don't know what kind) that my brother in-law has. My concealed carry instructor had an XD Tactical that I shot.

All that being said, the intended use of this handgun is 1. fun/training at the range 2. home/self defense 3. concealed carry (after many, many, many rounds and skill building)

Today at the range I shot 260 rounds, I have another 1000 that will be delivered hopefully on Tuesday. I hope to get out to the range every week. Today I mostly just tried to get comfortable with the function of the pistol and how the trigger felt, in the future I want to build my skill through focused effort. I modified the Bulls Eye 300 and Dot Torture today (five yards sure seems a lot further away shooting at those little circles). Dot Torture seems like it has a little bit of everything and I think will be a good all around drill.

Any suggestions for a beginner looking to train and build skill are greatly appreciated.

Keith

[SamuelBLong]

First, welcome and congrats on the purchase. Ok, here's what I can suggest...

1) Dry fire, dry fire, dry fire... especially SHO and WHO. Do some every day. Keep your sessions short but high quality.

2) Develop a methodical approach to your practice sessions. Plan shooting drills that are applicable to what you need work on, not what you feel good at doing.

3) Get a timer, establish your base line. Dot torture and the Bullseye 300 are great to help test your base line, but they're not intended to be shot all the time as a drill. Keep track of your practice sessions. Initiate analysis and performance tracking on the drills and skills you are practicing... this gets back to #2.

4) Seek out the best instruction you can and take a class.

Good luck!

[poptopjr]

Thanks for the tips Samuel. I found a dry fire routine written by Todd G. that I will give a try. Is it best to dry fire with or with out a dummy round? Finding a class to attend is in the plans for late spring to early summer, but right now I just want to get comfortable with the pistol. Many of the classes I have looked at have minimum performance capabilities, so I will need some work before going. I haven't checked to see if there are any private instructors in my area. I am going to join the local range, once I'm spending more days out on the range I feel like I will start meeting people locally that can/will help.

Thanks again.

Keith

[SamuelBLong]

Thanks for the tips Samuel. I found a dry fire routine written by Todd G. that I will give a try. Is it best to dry fire with or with out a dummy round? Finding a class to attend is in the plans for late spring to early summer, but right now I just want to get comfortable with the pistol. Many of the classes I have looked at have minimum performance capabilities, so I will need some work before going. I haven't checked to see if there are any private instructors in my area. I am going to join the local range, once I'm spending more days out on the range I feel like I will start meeting people locally that can/will help.

Thanks again.

Keith

Generally speaking, with most modern pistols, dry fire isn't going to hurt anything... the only thing I use dummy rounds for now is to simulate malfunctions.

Be wary of those guys at the range that will tell you how to shoot, but can't do it themselves. Make sure that you're getting help from a qualified instructor. I dont know what your CCW guy's quals are, but see if he can check you off on the fundamentals.

Have fun, Stay Safe.

-Sam

[ToddG]

Actually, almost all modern semi auto pistols are susceptible to damage from dry fire. Manufacturers who say their guns are ok to dry fire are not thinking in terms of five days a week, 100+ clicks per session. To them, that is "excessive" dry fire and if they're honest, each of them can tell you what parts of the gun get damaged when that happens. Often it is some part of the firing pin/block interface and can eventually lead to breakage or reliability problems'

[HCM]

Actually, almost all modern semi auto pistols are susceptible to damage from dry fire. ...... Often it is some part of the firing pin/block interface and can eventually lead to breakage or reliability problems'

Todd,

Do snap caps / dummy rounds mitigate this at all ?

[LittleLebowski]

Todd,

Do snap caps / dummy rounds mitigate this at all ?

Absolutely.

[Mr_White]

I destroyed the slide (broke the breech face) of a G17 a few years ago by dry firing it lots and lots every day for some time.

Glock replaced the slide for free and told me to start using dummy rounds. I now use them for all dedicated dry fire practice.

[poptopjr]

The gun is still running great and i'm getting a little more comfortable. I started dry firing again after I received my dummy rounds and I can see some improvement in sight acquisition and trigger control.

Every thing I shoot, from my scoped .30-06 to my compound bow, I shoot with both eyes open, it has been very difficult to do that with this pistol. I'm not sure I like the three dot sight configuration, but I am starting to get used to it. I have 860 rounds through it (in route to the 2000 round challenge) and I plan on leaving it stock until I feel like my performance is being held back and honestly I think that will be a while.

My new avatar shows the results from my first attempt at Dot Torture. I dropped 5 or 6 at three yards, seems kind of pitiful, but like I said, I'm still figuring this thing out. One thing is for sure, I'm having fun.

Thanks for the feedback, I'm grateful to have found this forum.

Keith:)

[G_W]

Another cautionary data point.
Many thousands of "unprotected and excessive" dry-fires fractured the breech face on my G-19. Glock customer service turned me into a snap-cap fan. :o

[bdcheung]

poptopjr,

Welcome! I'm in a very similar boat as you. In my efforts to become a more proficient shooter (and a more responsible CCP holder), I've taken many of the same steps as you. From my VERY limited experience, here's what I can recommend:

Dry fire. Seriously. I dry fire at least 5 times a week for 10-15 minutes working on all sorts of skills, from trigger control to reloads. It's like going to the range every single day. It's awesome. BUT--for safety, pick a room in your house that will be the "dry fire practice area" and make it a rule that live ammunition is NEVER allowed in that room.
Make your range time COUNT. Before I go to the range, I identify the specific skill(s) I want to address and come up with a plan. I'll choose the drills, print the targets, and plan out my range session so that I don't waste any time or money (ammunition).
Develop your own metrics. Some like the FAST, but I would encourage you to pick something that you can repeat CONSISTENTLY at your range. I don't know about you, but I like seeing my metrics improve as my training progresses.
Take a class. Internet self-help is great, but nothing replaces the in-person instruction of a professional.


My $0.02, YMMV.

[JConn]

As someone who is also still relatively new to shooting the best advice is to go get training from reputable sources. There are an abundance of great trainers on this forum. Every time I take a class I come away a lot better, with new knowledge, and a drive to get better. Glad to have you here!

[beltjones]

In keeping with the usual tendency for threads to drift, I wonder if it's possible to get a dummy firing pin instead of a dummy snap cap? I just hate snap caps because when I check the weapon I don't want to see anything in the chamber at all, even a snap cap.

[gesundheit]

What is the natural progression of drills that a new shooter progress through so that at the end they can maintain accurate fire from 50 yards afar.