Having just been offered the senior discount for a haircut, I realised that I've been around a while. Then when I think a bit more, I remember that my firearms/handgun obsession started in the 1970's!!!
I was reading Guns & Ammo, cover to cover and police magazines about firearms training ... all the information a growing, impressionable boy needs.
Anyway, I remember reading about officers training with .38 Special wadcutters and using full .357 Magnum duty. The instructors of the time were beginning to be critical of using weak target rounds for practice, but full power loads for duty. They began gathering information about officers' being involved in on duty shootings and found that many of them were freaking themselves out because the wadcutters DID NOT prepare them for the blast and fury of the magnum loads and they would be stunned for a few critical seconds when they least needed to be. Nowadays, almost all trainers INSIST that officers'/people TRAIN WITH WHAT THEY CARRY...so there's no surprises.
I grew up around the 9mm. The difference between "practice" and "duty" ammunition was minimal, usually only a slight increase in the "bang" when the round went off. Then in late October this year, I bought my 10mm.
I was shooting 170gr and 180gr FMJ rounds, which had a very respectable 'bang' and 'push.' I flashed back to those articles and my own training, and figured it would be a good idea to shoot carry ammo once in a while. So I did.
I ordered some Underwood 155gr XTP rounds (rated at 1,500fps), but they hadn't arrived yet, so my carry ammo was some Hornady Custom 155gr XTPs (1,410fps), so when the Underwood ammo arrived I decided to shoot a box of the Hornady's.
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
40+ years after reading about "duty ammo shock," I experienced it...big time! The very first round startled me so bad that I limp-wristed the gun and had a fali to feed. The concussion and blast was nothing I'd ever seen before!
After clearing the FTF (and my thoughts), I began shooting again. Still, it took me around 5 rounds to realize the recoil was significantly LESS than the heavier ball round, but that MUZZLE BLAST!!!! I finished off the magazine, having accepted that the carry ammo had transformed my M&P into a semiauto .44 magnum (fireball and blast-wise).
When I touched off those rounds, everyone in the shooting stalls around me, including my shooting partner, had turned to see "what in the name of all that's holy" was I shooting??!!
I reloaded the magazine and told my friend to give it a go. With the first round, he was ready to trade in his newly aquired G19 for a 10mm. As I watched him shooting, I swear I'd never seen a fireball like that outside of a comic book drawing. I also noticed that the paper target, that was 30 feet away was clearly MOVING FROM EACH BLAST!
At that moment, I decided I was changing the way I would practice. Now, I will fire 50 rounds of heavy ball ammo and work on my skill set, then I will always do the same with 25 rounds of the Hornady 155s to make sure I'm well acquainted with how the hot stuff shoots.
Long story, but my 1970's wisdom still holds very true:
*TRAIN WITH WHAT YOU CARRY!!!*
I was reading Guns & Ammo, cover to cover and police magazines about firearms training ... all the information a growing, impressionable boy needs.
Anyway, I remember reading about officers training with .38 Special wadcutters and using full .357 Magnum duty. The instructors of the time were beginning to be critical of using weak target rounds for practice, but full power loads for duty. They began gathering information about officers' being involved in on duty shootings and found that many of them were freaking themselves out because the wadcutters DID NOT prepare them for the blast and fury of the magnum loads and they would be stunned for a few critical seconds when they least needed to be. Nowadays, almost all trainers INSIST that officers'/people TRAIN WITH WHAT THEY CARRY...so there's no surprises.
I grew up around the 9mm. The difference between "practice" and "duty" ammunition was minimal, usually only a slight increase in the "bang" when the round went off. Then in late October this year, I bought my 10mm.
I was shooting 170gr and 180gr FMJ rounds, which had a very respectable 'bang' and 'push.' I flashed back to those articles and my own training, and figured it would be a good idea to shoot carry ammo once in a while. So I did.
I ordered some Underwood 155gr XTP rounds (rated at 1,500fps), but they hadn't arrived yet, so my carry ammo was some Hornady Custom 155gr XTPs (1,410fps), so when the Underwood ammo arrived I decided to shoot a box of the Hornady's.
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
40+ years after reading about "duty ammo shock," I experienced it...big time! The very first round startled me so bad that I limp-wristed the gun and had a fali to feed. The concussion and blast was nothing I'd ever seen before!
After clearing the FTF (and my thoughts), I began shooting again. Still, it took me around 5 rounds to realize the recoil was significantly LESS than the heavier ball round, but that MUZZLE BLAST!!!! I finished off the magazine, having accepted that the carry ammo had transformed my M&P into a semiauto .44 magnum (fireball and blast-wise).
When I touched off those rounds, everyone in the shooting stalls around me, including my shooting partner, had turned to see "what in the name of all that's holy" was I shooting??!!
I reloaded the magazine and told my friend to give it a go. With the first round, he was ready to trade in his newly aquired G19 for a 10mm. As I watched him shooting, I swear I'd never seen a fireball like that outside of a comic book drawing. I also noticed that the paper target, that was 30 feet away was clearly MOVING FROM EACH BLAST!
At that moment, I decided I was changing the way I would practice. Now, I will fire 50 rounds of heavy ball ammo and work on my skill set, then I will always do the same with 25 rounds of the Hornady 155s to make sure I'm well acquainted with how the hot stuff shoots.
Long story, but my 1970's wisdom still holds very true:
*TRAIN WITH WHAT YOU CARRY!!!*
