Good habit, bad habit?

[perversity]

I'm new to pistol shooting and I am trying to learn as many new, worthwhile skills as possible. However, I don't have an unlimited budget, so I try to do so with as little ammo as seems practicle. My question is, am I getting myself into bad habits?

Let me give you an example.

To practice mag changes I put 3 bullets in each mag. I fire my 3 shots, drop the mag, put in a fresh one and repeat. I know I am getting good muscle memory for dropping and replacing the mags.

My question is, am I reinforcing the fact that I only have 3 bullets in a mag? If I ever get into a real gun-fight scenario, will I stop pulling the trigger and drop a mag after 3 shots?

Any insightful, construcive input greatly received.

Cheers

Tony

[Gnote]

Maybe you should try to mix it up. Put three in one mag, 2 in another, and if you have more then 4 and so on. Mix the mags up then pick one to put in the gun. This way you don't know how many are in the gun so you practice mag changes that will be a surprise each time.

[Black Majik]

Well... dunno about whether or not shooting with 3 rounds will reinforce your gun only capable of shooting 3 rounds worth.

But when I switch from a single stack 7 round 1911 to a 10 round doublestack autoloader, I sometimes feel even 10 rounds is a lot to shoot throgh in a magazine.

I'm just so used to shooting 7 rounds that 10 rounds feels like a hicap magazine...

Just my opinion

[perversity]

Maybe you should try to mix it up. Put three in one mag, 2 in another, and if you have more then 4 and so on...

Great idea, thanks. I'll give that a try.

[shopkeep]

I'll tell you what I do is randomly load 1 or 2 snap-caps (dummy bullets) into each magazine as I load up the night before. Then I put them into a bag and spin it around to randomize the mags. After that as I'm going through each one when the snap-caps come up it assures that I am not anticipating recoil and it also helps me practice for misfires.

[MadMex]

What shopkeep said.
It helps keep a sharp edge.

[Pablo]

If your budget allows you should think about taking a class from any reputable school, not all of them are as expensive as they seem.

I think it's really worth it because not only you receive solid fundamentals but you also get a lot of feedback from the instructors. They can check your form and eliminate any bad habits. IMHO I think this is specially important when you just start learning to shoot.

You might want to try to buy a Front Sight Blue certificate from e-bay or any other gun forum. On e-bay I have seen them go as cheap as $80.

Good luck.

[ohsmily]

You might want to try to buy a Front Sight Blue certificate from e-bay or any other gun forum. On e-bay I have seen them go as cheap as $80.

You are mistaken. The BLUE certificate allows you to take ANY CLASS even if you have been to Front sight before. The cheapest they go is $350.00.

What a first timer wants is the First Family Certificate which allows you to take either the 4 day defensive handgun, shotgun, or practical rifle class OR allows TWO people to enroll in the 2-day versions of that class at the same time. The catch with this certificate is they only work if it is your first time at Front Sight. These have gone for under 100 bucks on ebay every once in awhile; though usually 100-150.

You will also have to pay a 50.00 background check fee when you enroll.

I also HIGHLY recommend trying out Front Sight. It is a great school with fantastic facilities and effective instructors.
Failing that, take a defensive shooting class at your local range. At first it may seem silly b/c you "know how to shoot", but if they are worth their salt, they will greatly improve your practical/defensive shooting ability and also educate you on the responsibilities and liability associated with using your gun for self defense.

-Adam

[RRangel]

Dry firing is one of the best things you can do to develop good muscle memory. I'm with others when they say to seek a defensive firearm class. There is a lot of ground to cover.

[TMC]

I'm sorry to break this to you but you will never be really good unless you put lots of lead downrange. Classes only teach you what you need to practice, practice is what makes you better.

The guys who can shoot the El Presidente in the 4 second range got there by shooting tens or hundreds of thousands of rounds.

El Prez: facing up range wrists above shoulders, turn, draw and shoot 2 shots on 3 different targets at 10 yards, reload and shoot 2 more shots on 3 targers. You can see it done in 3.69 second herehttp://andersonshooting.com/images/video/3_69_Down2.mpg

Yes he does have a racy gun and holster but I know guys who can do it in the 5's with a Glock, Fobus holster and the second mag on the side.

[Pablo]

You are mistaken. The BLUE certificate allows you to take ANY CLASS even if you have been to Front sight before. The cheapest they go is $350.00.

-Adam

My mistake, Adam is right. I meant to say gray certificate, sorry for the confusion guys...

[Pablo]

I'm sorry to break this to you but you will never be really good unless you put lots of lead downrange. Classes only teach you what you need to practice, practice is what makes you better.

The guys who can shoot the El Presidente in the 4 second range got there by shooting tens or hundreds of thousands of rounds.

El Prez: facing up range wrists above shoulders, turn, draw and shoot 2 shots on 3 different targets at 10 yards, reload and shoot 2 more shots on 3 targers. You can see it done in 3.69 second herehttp://andersonshooting.com/images/video/3_69_Down2.mpg

Yes he does have a racy gun and holster but I know guys who can do it in the 5's with a Glock, Fobus holster and the second mag on the side.

That video was really impressive!!! So if I understand correctly "El Presidente" is one of the final test at Front Sight "4 Day Defensive Handgun", right?

[TMC]

That video was really impressive!!! So if I understand correctly "El Presidente" is one of the final test at Front Sight "4 Day Defensive Handgun", right?

I don't know, I've never been to Front Sight. El Prez is a long standing test of pistol craft created, IIRC, by Jeff Copper many years ago. My point was to demonstrate what you can achieve with practice.