Fun shooting

[44man]

A good day. I went down to the neighbors to help him stop flinching with his SRH. It took a while but I had him click an empty chamber now and then without moving so I felt good. I loaded his gun.
I took my BFR, .500 JRH down too. I set water bottles at 100 yards.
My first shot was at one off hand and I hit it, then I took one with his SRH.
Of course I was shaking but trigger control was decent.
The important thing was I got him to shoot better and he also did good with my .500.
He really did better with his .44 after shooting the .500.

[geargnasher]

When the war comes, remember I'm on your side, amigo.

A .500, a BFR, and "fun" don't coincide for me, now PAIN, that fits into my paradigm with the first two! You fellers can enjoy your hand-cannons, I'll have my fun just watching things you shoot explode downrange while I plink with my pea-shooters.

Gear

[44man]

When the war comes, remember I'm on your side, amigo.

A .500, a BFR, and "fun" don't coincide for me, now PAIN, that fits into my paradigm with the first two! You fellers can enjoy your hand-cannons, I'll have my fun just watching things you shoot explode downrange while I plink with my pea-shooters.

Gear

Gear, it really is not that bad. No pain at all. I just have to say the JRH might be the best ever. If you came to shoot, you would love the gun.
No, it does not hurt.

[Frank]

44man:




You got to watch those mixed juices. They have added suger. Big rip-off. The pure juices are better.

[DragoonDrake]

Frank,

I hope he shot it with the juice in it. Can you imagine the graphic image. I can.

[williamwaco]

When the war comes, remember I'm on your side, amigo.

A .500, a BFR, and "fun" don't coincide for me, now PAIN, that fits into my paradigm with the first two! You fellers can enjoy your hand-cannons, I'll have my fun just watching things you shoot explode downrange while I plink with my pea-shooters.

Gear

Me too.

I still own a .44 Mag - BlackHawk Bisley and a TC, but rarely shoot them with Mag loads.

.


.

[Frank]

DragoonDrake:

Frank,

I hope he shot it with the juice in it. Can you imagine the graphic image. I can.

It is good. I know .475 Linebaugh is good. But the .500 must be better.

[geargnasher]

An N frame .44 Magnum with full-house loads is ok offhand, but really painful from the bench, even if you know how to hold it without getting "the knuckle" thing. The small-frame Rugers will ding you pretty badly, too if you don't hold them right. Again, not bad offhand, but geez, from a bench a cylinder full is about all I want. I've shot some of the big magnums, fortunately after having been coached long ago on how to shoot them, but it's not that much fun for a skinny guy like me. Now a big, heavy gun like the x-frame with a muzzle compensator, not bad at all, but if I need that kind of weight and sissy muzzle brakes just to handle it, I'll do what I do and stick with milder cartridges. muzzle brakes are for high-speed pistol shooting and shoulder-mounted cannon like the .50 BMG when shot prone. It sure is fun to watch others shoot those Uber magnums, though. I was out at the range last year watching three guys absolutely destroy bowling pins at 80 yards with a .480 Ruger and .500 Smith.

Gear

[44man]

Yeah, Gear, I have had .357's beat me silly and light 44's too. The Freedom .475 was crazy until my friend put rubber grips on it.
The BFR is heavy enough. With the Ultra Dot my JRH weighs 4-1/4#. My .475 is a shade heavier, maybe 4-3/8# and my SBH is just a shade over 4#.
Comfort is gun weight and you really could run 50 to 100 rounds through the JRH. I do limit shooting because there is a LOT of lead going down range. There are not enough boolits in a 20# pot!
SS also makes powder dear!
A BFR is more kind then a light .44 in your hand. I just can't put the thing down.

[white eagle]

When the war comes, remember I'm on your side, amigo.

A .500, a BFR, and "fun" don't coincide for me, now PAIN, that fits into my paradigm with the first two! You fellers can enjoy your hand-cannons, I'll have my fun just watching things you shoot explode downrange while I plink with my pea-shooters.

Gear

am having the same reaction oh I have shot and still shoot big cals and big boolits but like you I much prefer the milder side of shooting

[SlippShodd]

An N frame .44 Magnum with full-house loads is ok offhand, but really painful from the bench, even if you know how to hold it without getting "the knuckle" thing. The small-frame Rugers will ding you pretty badly, too if you don't hold them right... but it's not that much fun for a skinny guy like me.

My first driver's license at age 14 listed me at 5'1" and 88 pounds. High school graduation found me at 5'7" and 111 pounds. I was in my early 20s when my love affair with the .44 Magnum began, by then I was a stringbean at 6-foot and 135 pounds. (I never developed much in the upper-body and arms, so now in my mid-50s I dress out at about 200 pounds and look a bit like a donut on a broomstick when I take my shirt off.) Oddly enough, I've never been particularly recoil-conscious, but sensitive to gun and grip design.
My first .44 was a Ruger SBH that had Pachmayr grips on it. I had a hard time holding on to it and put the original factory smooth walnuts back on it and we got along just fine, just letting the gun roll in my hands, like the old timers recommended for single actions
I shot every .44 I had the opportunity to get my hands on and a co-worker loaned me his T/C with the 14" barrel once, telling me I'd absolutely love it. It turned out to be the hardest recoiling, most difficult to handle gun I ever fired. I shot at a skunk under an old grainery with it in some bizarre, modified roll-over prone position... I vaporized the skunk, but the little barrel latch release thingy on the trigger guard hooked the pinky finger on my support hand and pulled it out of joint. After I put my hand back together, I put the T/C away and went back to shooting the Blackhawk.
Another friend bought a 4" Anaconda when they first came out and I was thinking maybe I ought to have one of those, until I fired a dozen or so cylinders of everything from mild to wild through his. My hands literally felt like all the bones were crushed and grating against each other when we finished up. I couldn't shoot a gun for a couple weeks after that for fear of dropping it.
These days, if I can't decide between a pistol or rifle to take afield and don't want to carry both, I grab the 7 1/2" Redhawk, which I occasionally refer to as the "short rifle." This gun has turned out to be the perfect design for me, comfortable to grip, heavy enough to soak up recoil, and superbly accurate. It's somewhat of a PITA to carry all day, but I've grown accustomed to the weight, and carrying it in a custom made Uncle Mike's crossdraw holster, it's out of the way in a truck, on horseback or ATV. My father is a bit of a wuss when it comes to recoil, so I bought him a 5" version in .357. That's a no-kick magnum for you right there.

mike

[Alan in Vermont]

I'm a terrible wimp when it comes to rifle recoil but, for whatever reason, don't mind handgun recoil at all. Put a small boatload of boolits and bullets downrange when involved in IHMSA, way back when. We're talking 76-81 or thereabouts, so none of the current handcannons entered into the mix. Hottest I've tried has been a 45-70 BFR, no recoil issues but don't much care for the gun, at least not with that terrible long frame/cylinder, it just doesn't hang right in my hands.

We had a local sandpit where we used to practice sillywet with swinging targets. Two of my buds had matched Dan Wesson M15s with 8" barrels. At one point I tried one in each hand, shooting from the hip. Being 357s they were pretty easy to control. It was just playing, using a spot in the bank as an aiming point at maybe 10 yds. As fast as I could run 'em, double action, didn't take all that long either. A while after that we were all there again but a couple guys had 8 3/8" Smith 29s. Somebody commented that maybe I should try one handing the pair of them. Talk about a cluster flop! Those Smiths were like snakes, big strong snakes, in my hands. Took about three times as long to empty 12 rounds and even at that it was a good thing it was a BIG sandbank.

[Wilson]

What I like about the post is you took the time to help your neighbor work through his shooting difficulties. Very well done!

[soldierbilly1]

I enjoy casting but shooting is what it is all about.
With my 38 I still occaisonally catch myself flinching, I used to do it every now and then with my AR's. (223)
the empty chamber is a big help, I always feel good when I dont know the empty is coming and I double action it dead on! feels good.
the 45 is as big as I'll go, but hey, if you feel the need for big, there's always T Rex....
bill boy

[Alan in Vermont]

It's funny to hear how those of us who have BTDT accept that it is easy to get flinchitis. However it seems that, quite often, the new shooters, especially if they are a bit macho get absolutely nasty defensive when they hear, "You might be flinching".

Had one newbie show up at one of our sillywet practice sessions. Shooting a SBH, he was all over the place. "Must be this damn ammo"!

I was spotting for him, offered him some of mine. "Must be this damn gun"!

I shot his gun and my ammo, sights were off but once we (another good shooter was spotting for me) got that figured out it was obvious it wasn't an equipment problem. Quick conference and we advised, "We think you might be flinching".

"BY GAWD, I DON'T FLINCH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So I loaded his gun with a couple empty holes and handed it down to him (he was shooting prone), BANG, BANG, click. Very nearly stuck the muzzle in the ground.

"Like we said, we think you flinch"

You would have thought we were insulting his manhood, no way was he about to try anything to deal with the real problem, the loose nut on the trigger.

[soldierbilly1]

Alan in VT:
Many, many years ago I was learning how to shoot prone. One of the more knowledgeable guys in the club saw my target and told me I was shoulder flinching some of the shots on the left, high and low.
talk about an Ahaa moment.
Some of the experts and masters do it, ... on occaison
billboy

[Boondocker]

I like the part off helping other shooters also, I try to do my part also if I can tho I need help also. 30 yrs ago when we lived down in the edge of the glades, we were out shooting in the pit. Larry had his Ruger 44 and a pal said he was going to shoot it without recoil as we were wusses lifting on recoil. Well he did and launched it straight back into his face ouch. Roll with the punches I say. I may get a 44 one off these days since I have some molds I acquired in a purchase lot. I want a 45 colt first and I will never get rid of my 1911. I have fun shooting at a 14 in rock at about 120 yrds for fun at the range when paper gets boring.

[44man]

Alan in VT:
Many, many years ago I was learning how to shoot prone. One of the more knowledgeable guys in the club saw my target and told me I was shoulder flinching some of the shots on the left, high and low.
talk about an Ahaa moment.
Some of the experts and masters do it, ... on occaison
billboy

Yes, me too. It takes real concentration to overcome. I never do from any rest but off hand I have caught myself a lot, get back to the sight picture and scream inside to just squeeze!
Then we all wobble like crazy and the worst thing to do is to yank the trigger as the sights pass the target. If you ignore sight movement and just add pressure, you can call every shot even if it is a wide miss.
You are shooting to the best if you call a miss. Do not ever get upset, we can not hold still. I really suck off hand, I shake more the older I get. Yet, just squeezing will make you hit closer. It is so stinking hard to ignore sight movement.
Even if you are steel and never flinch but make the gun shoot as it passes the bull, you will miss, rifle or handgun.
Even those super fast steel shooters never yank a trigger, it is a smooth motion.
Shoot a flintlock off hand to see. Nothing has ever been harder.

[geargnasher]

+1 on the flintlock, a lot of quality time spent with a flinter will make a better rifleman.

Gear

[soldierbilly1]

I think you can measure the lock time on a flint lock with a calendar!
too slow! sights move way too much by the time the round goes off.
she's a challenge all right. Shooting 'on the way in' with these guys is a
real bugaboo. We have made some progress in 200 years!
bill boy