Unfortunately no. I've never taken any kind of firearms course. I used to compete in IDPA, which is supposed to be a "practical" simulation for defensive pistol scenarios. It's not terribly practical, except you get experience shooting at multiple targets, with no-shoot targets in between, while on the move, in different surroundings setups. The only suggestion I can give you is to first and foremost, be safe. After that's accomplished, learn what you can and enjoy yourself. Just don't come back from the course with any extra holes. Don't just look out for others who are careless. I'd spend a little bit of time drawing from whatever holster you're going to be using before you go to the course. That muscle memory will help you practice what you're supposed to while at the course.
Tips for the gun range?
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Defensive pistols course was great. indoor and outdoor. corner management, changing elevations and threat Identification. informative and for some reason my groups improved under stress...
everyone had a number and in certain scenarios your number was a friendly and others it was the target and always moving before the start. and separate target areas, center mass x 2, head x 1 number x 1 and cross hairs x 1
the fns 9 points naturally, textural reset and sight acquisition is awesome.
everyone had a number and in certain scenarios your number was a friendly and others it was the target and always moving before the start. and separate target areas, center mass x 2, head x 1 number x 1 and cross hairs x 1
the fns 9 points naturally, textural reset and sight acquisition is awesome.
Yeah I'm in NJ. Basically Delaware part of NJ lol
Buddy and me went to a small shop called Eagle Arms to look at guns. Got to check out a Glock 23 and a Kahr CW9. the Kahr felt perfect in my hand, but its only a trigger safety. The Glock felt larger in my hand and I felt like it was more area to keep a hold of, but it felt alright. The Kahr was $400 and the slide was extremely smooth. Its a double action I believe, but I could be wrong.
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Both of those guns are very comparable functionality wise. I would go for Glock over Kahr personally. The only difference is the caliber .40 vs 9x19 ( obviously) and fit/finish. for once I can finally say, the glock finish is much better than the kahr. But the roughly $100 difference in price it's up to you.
I've also been able to find .40 S&W more readily available vs 9mm Par.
Vic - I joined South Jersey Shooting Club the other week... nice facility and the RSOs are cool as hell, none that believe they are paramilitary like at other private clubs. Have ranges from 15 yards up to 1000 yards and a competition field + Archery fields including a woods walk.
Also got to test out 5 RIP rounds in gel this last weekend.... I'm terrified of that round to be honest...
I would suggest going with the glock not for the caliber reason, just the quality and track record. caliber is secondary.
Having said that I've seen more glocks blow up in .40 than any other caliber.
Also if you are a starter, I would suggest shooting a few calibers before selecting both a caliber and firearm. I prefer 9mm and .45 over .40 just due to comfort, the .40 is a snappy round ( in most guns) and I don't shoot it well, the 9mm par is more of a tap and the .45 is more of a push in my experience when discussing recoil/ management and better for me personally.
But to each their own. Just go give some a try and see what you think.
I second what ob said. .40 can be "unstable"/ snappy. If you shoot it you'll know what I mean. .45acp is pure fun and kickass stopping power. Lol, 9mm is very stable and reliable.
One thing to consider when selecting caliber, especially with a carry gun, is the magazine capacity. A Springfield xds in 9mm holds 7 + 1, and in .45 holds 5+ 1. You may feel more comfortable with the extra rounds, but you may want the stopping power of a .45.
Me personally, I prefer 9mm. I like the extra rounds, and to me, 9mm kills bad guys too.
One thing to consider when selecting caliber, especially with a carry gun, is the magazine capacity. A Springfield xds in 9mm holds 7 + 1, and in .45 holds 5+ 1. You may feel more comfortable with the extra rounds, but you may want the stopping power of a .45.
Me personally, I prefer 9mm. I like the extra rounds, and to me, 9mm kills bad guys too.
personally not a fan of the XDs due to the grip safety, it's just me, but they are good guns if you are ok with that.
With modern ballistics the difference in wound channel between even .38 to .45 is negligible. From my understanding getting shot doesn't tickle, so 9mm hydroshock or .45 zombie max a hole in the body is a hole in the body.
Caliber selection for me is based on 3 criteria for a firearm I would hypothetically need to use in self defense: price per round, capacity and proficiency/comfort in shooting that round. so 9x19 was my choice. I can get a case of WPA for training for about $200 ( 1000 rounds) and get hydroshock for $15 for 20 rounds and Z-Max for ~$20 ( 20 rounds).
I chose the FNH FNS 9 for the pistol due to the 10 round standard and 15 round modified magazines ( and it fit very well in my hand and pointed naturally) and given all 3 of the reasons above I can be proficient. plus the fit/finish at the price point was stellar.
Really it comes down to seeing what you like. I would grab a Glock 23 and a Glock 19, do a side by side then try something in the caliber you liked to shoot better.
I'm glad you mentioned this, because that was going to be my next point. The legendary "stopping power" of .45acp is merely just a myth. Yes, your average hollow point .45acp will create a slightly bigger wound channel than a hollow point 9mm, however you have more rounds in a 9mm than you will in the same sized .45acp pistol. .45acp is a bigger and heavier round, however 9mm is a faster round. The end result means that both rounds transfer roughly the same amount of energy into the target when they hit. This is true for .40S&W as well. See the chart below.
9mm also shoots flatter than .45acp because it is lighter and traveling faster. This means that at longer ranges, you won't have to compensate as much for bullet drop. Granted, you likely won't ever NEED to shoot at distances where that will matter significantly, but what it means to you is that your point of impact will remain close to your point of aim for a longer range.
I would also suggest 9mm as your carry caliber over .40S&W or .45acp. 9mm is a much more controllable round, which means that you will be able to put more rounds on target in a a quicker time. It's cheaper, which means that it will cost you less to practice more. You can also carry more rounds, which means a better chance of surviving a gun fight.
^I'm with ob, I'm not a fan of the .40S&W. When I can get a little more power from the .45acp (which I find to be much more controllable), or I can get a higher capacity with 9mm...I just don't see myself getting a .40S&W. I've also shot the XD, and I'm not a fan of that either. From what I understand, the bore axis is a bit higher on an XD than it is on the M&P series. That being said, I firmly believe that when it comes to Glock vs. XD vs. M&P, you should get whatever fits the best in your hands. They're all great pistols for the money.
I can preface the comment of " I don't like compacts" with the fact that I have gorilla palms... So when I grab an XD, SR9C, Baretta nano... my second knuckle hits the trigger and the frame size inherently raises the bore axis making it more uncomfortable to shoot for me.
Having said that, the G19 fits my hand sans my pinky due to the girth of the grip so it isn't bad to shoot for me...
Yeah if you have large hands then obviously compacts aren't a good choice. if there's one thing you don't want on a carry pistol it's awkwardness when holding the pistol.