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Thread: Brand new hobbyist here...question about how training carries over to different types

  1. #1

    Brand new hobbyist here...question about how training carries over to different types

    I am new to the hobby. Just applied for a Permit to Purchase (MN) and spent time at the gun club to determine that I will likely purchase a Sig M17 when my permit comes.

    My question though...is I am trying to get accuracy down. The course I took the instructor said I was pretty good for a beginner but the hobby takes quite a bit of practice. How does learning to shoot on one pistol affect your overall all skill level on another? I ask because they don't give away ammo and I was wondering if I picked up a .22 pistol and shot with that some would that help, hurt or make no difference on my Sig?

    Thanks for helping a newbie.

  2. #2
    Site Supporter
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    Feb 2011
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    Trigger time is trigger time, as they say; there will likely be some crossover. Dry fire is also a very good way to practice inexpensively. Whether dry or live, focus on pulling the trigger straight back with consistent pressure while focusing on the front sight. Use paper targets to evaluate your accuracy and track your performance over time. I think you'll find as you try different guns that the M17/P320 is a very easy gun to shoot.

  3. #3
    Pardon me if this is stupid...

    Can one put a laser pointer on the pistol when dry firing to see if you are moving it too much? Is there a better way?

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
    Location
    Idaho
    Find a USPSA or IDPA match near you. I thought I was a decent pistol shot before I started competing, but that really opened my eyes to where I really was. Can honestly say my gun handling and shooting improved way more from shooting matches than burning holes in paper or plinking at pop cans.

    It doesn’t have to be a ton of ammo, buy in bulk or learn to reload. But at the end of the day dryfire only gets you so far.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlinkingDuck View Post
    I am new to the hobby. Just applied for a Permit to Purchase (MN) and spent time at the gun club to determine that I will likely purchase a Sig M17 when my permit comes.

    My question though...is I am trying to get accuracy down. The course I took the instructor said I was pretty good for a beginner but the hobby takes quite a bit of practice. How does learning to shoot on one pistol affect your overall all skill level on another? I ask because they don't give away ammo and I was wondering if I picked up a .22 pistol and shot with that some would that help, hurt or make no difference on my Sig?

    Thanks for helping a newbie.
    1) Most progress is made in dryfire. There are various training aids to facilitate dryfire. For accuracy work the Mantis X system is worth a look. You make progress dry and validate it in live fire.

    2) Proficient pistol shooters are normally proficient rifle shooters but the reverse is often not the case.

    3) There are some skills you can train dryfire and/or with .22s. Accuracy, draw and presentation to first shot etc. and some you can’t such as timed multi shot drills where recoil is a factor. .22s are fun and shooting for fun is a good thing.

    Once you reach a basic level of accuracy slow fire, say 10 rounds in a 6” circle or B8 bullseye at 10 yards consistently you want to look into introducing a shot timer and doing both live and dry practice under time pressure.

    At that point consider following the program in Steve Anderson dryfire book “Refinement and Repetition” you can find it on Amazon, you can get a shot timer and dummy rounds on there, too.

    Invest in a few private lessons with a reputable local instructor. The value is in their feed back as to what you are actually doing vs what you think you are doing and what to work on in your own dry and live fire.
    Last edited by HCM; 10-04-2022 at 07:37 PM.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    1) Most progress is made in dryfire. There are various training aids to facilitate dryfire. For accuracy work the Mantis X system is worth a look. You make progress dry and validate it in live fire.

    2) Proficient pistol shooters are normally proficient rifle shooters but the reverse is often not the case.

    3) There are some skills you can train dryfire and/or with .22s. Accuracy, draw and presentation to first shot etc. and some you can’t such as timed multi shot drills where recoil is a factor. .22s are fun and shooting for fun is a good thing.

    Once you reach a basic level of accuracy slow fire, say 10 rounds in a 6” circle or B8 bullseye at 10 yards consistently you want to look into introducing a shot timer and doing both live and dry practice under time pressure.

    At that point consider following the program in Steve Anderson dryfire book “Refinement and Repetition” you can find it on Amazon, you can get a shot timer and dummy rounds on there, too.

    Invest in a few private lessons with a reputable local instructor. The value is in their feed back as to what you are actually doing vs what you think you are doing and what to work on in your own dry and live fire.
    Thank you. I think I will be picking up that Mantis system. Incredibly helpful.

  7. #7
    When I was a beginner I found out quickly that I couldn't afford 9mm as a steady diet so I got a .22. I think it was very, very useful. As has been mentioned a .22 can't be a substitute for all aspects of pistol shooting because you are missing the recoil. One thing I would consider is getting a .22 that is similar to your main pistol. I see that Sig offers a P322 which looks to be a great study for an M17.

  8. #8
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    Nov 2013
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    Illinois
    Any .22LR pistol will improve your shooting.

    It is basically dry fire but with the accountability. I recommend it be used in conjunction with dry fire.

    Lots of people cheat dry fire. Even very good shooters.

    Any small movement of the sights translates to worse groups. But not all shooters define "small movement" the same way.

    A rimfire pistol will show you the definition.

    Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Gucci gear, Walmart skill Darth_Uno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    STL
    Whether you have Sig, Glock, Beretta, 1911 or anything else the controls may be a bit different but the overall fundamentals of shooting are the same. If accuracy is your game and you're proficient with one, you'll do reasonably well with any of the others, in any caliber as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by ECK View Post
    Find a USPSA or IDPA match near you. I thought I was a decent pistol shot before I started competing, but that really opened my eyes to where I really was. Can honestly say my gun handling and shooting improved way more from shooting matches than burning holes in paper or plinking at pop cans.
    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    Once you reach a basic level of accuracy slow fire, say 10 rounds in a 6” circle or B8 bullseye at 10 yards consistently you want to look into introducing a shot timer and doing both live and dry practice under time pressure.

    Invest in a few private lessons with a reputable local instructor. The value is in their feed back as to what you are actually doing vs what you think you are doing and what to work on in your own dry and live fire.
    And if you can't or don't want to shoot matches, at least get a shot timer. This lets you run drills on your own and you can even set par times for dry fire.

    If I were starting over as a new shooter, my order of priority (after getting a good gun and holster) would be 1) get training, 2) get a shot timer so you can actually run drills instead of just punching out B8's or Q targets, and 3) shoot matches to see how you stack up, and induce stress. Although TBH I haven't shot a match in about 15 years.

    Now you might be thinking holy smokes that's a lot, I just want a gun. Well if you want to get good, shooting 200 rounds at beer cans every six months won't get you there.

  10. #10
    First, welcome to P-F.com. You’ll find it to be remarkably free of the irrelevant bullshit that plagues other online shooting forums.

    As usual, this thread has tons of good advice. Not to get too heavy right out of the gate, but I’d invite you to think of what you’re getting into as more than a hobby. PF is free of irrelevancy because the posters here are serious shooters. Many are current (or former) LE or military, and we all come here to help advance the art of defensive shooting together.

    There is an immense amount of knowledge on an astonishing range of topics here if you’re willing to accept it. I’ve been shooting for over 50 years, to include several years in active-duty Special Forces units and decades of competition, hunting, reloading, etc. I learn something every day that I come here.

    I hope that you get as much from it as I do.


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    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

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