Want to get practice in for frearms qualification

[loobett]

I'll be going into the academy and I'd I'd like to get some practice in on my firearms training. I would presume that it would be best to practice with the same firearm I'll be using for the qualification course. My only dilemma is the cost of ammo. Would it be unwise to practice with a smaller, less expensive round such as 9mm (G17)? Would doing such hinder my ability to accurately shoot with a department issue firearm or qualification course firearm?

[Mr. Joshua]

How extensive is your firearms training? Are you a solid, seasoned shooter? Or do you not have much in the way of formal training? A lot of times in POST academies, the total novice shooters end up doing really well because they don't have any bad habits. A lot of the "I've been to the range a few times" types do tend to have some issues because they have bad habits.

Just be a good student on the range and do what they tell you and you'll do fine. I personally might want to wait and see what kind of specific skillsets and qualifications I would need to be able to perform first before I jump into any type of training regimen.

If you absolutely cannot live without popping off some rounds before hand, then I would make it a point to "practice" with whatever type of pistol you will be using in the academy.

Good luck!

[retired]

My experience with shooting occurred at the Rio Hondo Academy in 1970 as an aide. They let me shoot a revolver a few times. I didn't shoot again until I entered lasd's academy in 1976 and learned how to do it the right way by the rangemaster and D.I.s

What Mr. Joshau said about not having bad habits has validity, because I learned the right way from the get go.

[BigDogatPlay]

+1.... I was fortunate in my late teens to work for a while as a CSO in an agency that had several solid gunnies who were great instructors, loved to shoot on their own time and was able to learn the fundementals the right way. I stuck with what I learned, wound up taking top shooter in my academy class and nudging a couple of records.

If you really feel the need, keep it simple just to get the hang of sending rounds downrange and getting them on paper. You are going to fire a lot of ammo in the academy, I assume with an issued weapon that you do not have access to yet. If it is a different make / model than what you've been practicing with you may struggle in the familiarization phase.

[artthestampede]

I agree with above posters and suggest waiting until you learn the fundamentals of marksmanship from your firearms instructor first. After that, you can go to the range all you want to practice what they teach you.

When I went through the LAPD academy my instructor didnt allow us to go to a private range until about halfway through after we finished the pistol day combat test.