Conclusion: It's about the bang

[LittleRedToyota]

i think i have pulled the trigger empty more times than loaded.

i have heard some very good IPSC shooters opine that one should dry fire 5 times for every live round fired.

also, while some people will bash me for pointing my gun at my TV (i know, "always loaded", but this is dry fire practice), i like to do dry fire drills watching movies. that way i have to sort out and follow the "bad guys" while avoiding "shooting" good ones

i do this, too. it's great practice for target discrimination and acquisition.

it also makes you realize just how quickly the scenes on TV shows/movies change.

[Mtbkski]

Heard recently in a speech from Jeff Cooper.

"Your only outgunned if you miss."

[electronics]

also, while some people will bash me for pointing my gun at my TV (i know, "always loaded", but this is dry fire practice), i like to do dry fire drills watching movies. that way i have to sort out and follow the "bad guys" while avoiding "shooting" good ones

Wait... there are other things you can aim your gun at while doing dry fire drills?

[Recoil]

Well what matters is, regardless what you believe, or how you believe you will react in a life\death situation, or how well you believe your choice of firearm will deliver the desired result is.....Whatever your choice of firearm is or ammo, practice with it and become as proficient with it as you possibly can if you choose to carry.

If that life\death situation comes along when you need it, it most likely won`t be the way you envisioned it. So be as good as you can be.

[newskate9]

Again, thanks for the feedback - I have read every post.

As for shooting and moving, and under stress practice - I do versions of those drills now. Of course accuracy degrades under these circumstances. Only Mel Gibson can hit a moving target while running, one handed, in the dark at a range of 50 yards - while he's not hitting his wife. But I digress......

I get the point of buying the "good stuff" and practicing with FMJ, etc. After all, you don't really shoot all that much of the good stuff, once you qualify your gun/ammo combination. One of the points I was trying to make is, IMHO, practice with any ammo, is much more important than buying a box of the "good stuff" and stressing over it. Many of you suggest both - I get that. I'm proposing it's better to focus on the practicing and hitting what you shoot at, than gel tests, etc. Newspaper articles never talk about what type/style/brand of ammo was used in shootings ( I wonder why? ). But people still die, end up in hospitals, etc. And I doubt gang-bangers carry Ranger this, or Federal that ( I could be wrong though ).

In the end I think we're basically agreeing - with ammo choices being an additional choice one can make to improve the odds.

[GregorOneEye]

It's all about shot placement anyway... I'd worry about recoil and follow up shots and ammo capacity. For example .40 is too snappy for me in my sub compacts. .45 is not at all. 9mm is also fine! I also like at least 9 rounds. 2 is not enough for me.

Shot placement, as long as it penetrates that is all you need. Don't be a caliber queen!

"And I doubt gang-bangers carry Ranger this, or Federal that ( I could be wrong though )" Correct. Small calibers they can dump fast and whatever they can buy/find for ammo. Read coroner reports.

[B.A.]

If you are in a situation where you feel you need to use deadly force, I mean, in a situation where there is no way out, you have to actually draw your weapon to defend yourself or a loved one, simply having the weapon and displaying it will dispell the threat 97% of the time.

Simply, just having a gun is 97% of winning the battle.

the first rule of a gun fight after all is bring a gun. lol