What Practice Guns Do You Use In Tandem w/ Carry Piece?

I picked up a used RG 14 S today for $90 which was in good condition... and I took it to the range after cleaning it and was VERY surprised as to it's accuracy... this thing has very short barrel yet I can actually hit a dinner plate at 75 yards with it (harder than with the Single six but I did it with Federal bulk several times)... my only gripe is the DA trigger is heavy and the hammer moving messes up sight picture and it shoots a little high at 20yards.

Example of what I picked up:
http://www.astorarms.ca/images/Prohi...20DSC_4082.jpg

It looks like it would make a good cheap training gun to go along with my carry snub S&W since it uses cheap .22LR ammo and it was alot of fun to shoot.

This gives me the idea to also use an air pistol to practice moving and shooting... much cheaper and does not need range facilities.

What do you guys used to substitute for your carry piece?

My EDC is SIG 226 ST - large and heavy which I like.

I do tho for practice use my 228 much of time - it is close as heck to my 226 and is the gun I will give a beating .... both have CT grips and altho mag capacity is different by 2 rounds, the feel is so close as not to matter. Saves me cleaning my carry piece quite so often!

I do not shoot 1911 a whole lot but do use an Airsoft 1911 for indoor speed practice now and again.

Familiarity with carry platform is IMO mandatory but if practice weapon is real close to carry - then that'll do - better practice than no practice.

My S&W K-frame Model 17 is good for inexpensive practice that translates well to not just my sixguns, but also to my SIG P229 pistols, particularly the ones with DAK triggers. In fact, my settling on DAK P229s as duty/carry pistols was largely motivated by the similarity in trigger pull (and reach) to DA sixguns. Eventually, I my get one of those fairly recently-introduced .22 LR conversion units, but there is no hurry, and I may not bother.

I still have a Ceiner .22 LR conversion unit that I can mount on my one remaining 1911. I used it quite a bit when I used 1911s for duty and carry.

Short answer-all of them.
I want to be just as accurate with my home defense gun as I do with my carry gun.
At home my longest shot would be less that 21 feet, but I practice at that distance with all of them, even the .22 plinker in the event that I might have to us it, although very highly unlikely.

I am going through the Norwegian Pistol club's school and
all they will let me shoot are .22's right now :comeandgetsome:

It's like going from a Harley to a moped..beep beep

Lots.

I have a Colt ace set up just like my CCW 1911, ambi safety, similar grips, short trigger.

I have a Ceiner AR conversion. Been meaning to get some Black Dog spare magazines for that.

I made a Beretta 21 in .22 into a training pistol for the wife's Tomcat. Put on a set of fat wood grips and made a finger extension the same as the one on her .32. Haven't yet found a good way to do the front sight yet, hers has a big dot night sight, the 21 has a thin blade.

I have a j frame .22 and a couple of K frame .22s for revolver practice. The 6" K-22 is like a rifle and I can hit stuff all the way out to 100 yards if I want. the chambers are so tight, though that it needs cleaning frequently or it gets hard to load. The 4" I have is much "looser" but still very accurate.

I own a batch of Ruger MK IIs and the wife has a Tactical Solutions 22/45 MK II (in Purple:ticking:) An accurate .22 target pistol still teaches sight alignment and trigger control. Same thing with a bunch of .22 rifles I own. Bolt actions with scopes still can teach the fundamentals. I have thought of putting a bead sight on an old .22 rifle and shooting it with snake shot to practice on moving targets at close range. Think "mini-skeet".

I think the best use of sub caliber training pistols is for moving, drawing, and firing the first shot and for learning the fundamentals of marksmanship. I don't really think the .22 recoils enough to use it to train for multiple or fast follow-up shots. If you think you can shoot fast and accurate with a .22 conversion kit in your CCW, you might be unpleasantly surprised if you think you can do the same with full power ammo.

I practice with all of my SD and HD guns, I rotate which ones go to the range, sometimes its all revolvers, sometimes all semi-autos, and sometimes a mix.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Superhouse 15

I think the best use of sub caliber training pistols is for moving, drawing, and firing the first shot and for learning the fundamentals of marksmanship. I don't really think the .22 recoils enough to use it to train for multiple or fast follow-up shots. If you think you can shoot fast and accurate with a .22 conversion kit in your CCW, you might be unpleasantly surprised if you think you can do the same with full power ammo.

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Agreed, but, of course, that first shot, on the street, is so very, very important. :smile: Unless one is facing multiple, closely-spaced, armed attackers, that first shot is THE most important one of the day.

I like the .22 sixgun, too, for slow-fire DA precision shooting, which is good for working on trigger control, in isolation. This can be meditative, and relaxing, as well.

It is good, for me, anyway, to wind down at the end of a shooting session with some .22 shooting, after shooting more powerful weapons. Sometimes, powerful weapons will induce one to resume or start a bad habit, and the .22 will not only identify that habit, but give one a chance to work through it.

.22 LR is also a blessing for those of us with cumulative injuries, whether caused by shooting, or caused by something else, but aggravated by shooting. One of my hands, my formerly "strong" hand, fits that latter description.