Got some range time with an M&P .40.

[bighornjd]

Just some advice on the accuracy - don't anticipate the bang. Your instinct will be to flinch and tense up even if you don't mean to. It's your brains natural reaction. Let the bang be a 'surprise' if you will and pull the trigger while exhaling after a deep breath. Also when your on target find the point where the trigger 'breaks'. Meaning don't pull the trigger through it's entire travel in one full motion. Take up the slack and once your sights are exactly where you want and your exhaling, give it just that extra squeeze to fire the round off. You will be less likely to pull the whole gun off target while in the process of pulling the trigger. I've seen a lot of new shooters do this and have problems shooting low and right because as they pull on the trigger, they pull the whole gun in the process. Of course finding the sweet spot in the trigger will not come on the first shot and takes lots of practice and it will be different on every gun. Even two identical guns of the same model may shoot a little different. I have an M&P 40 and really like it, but I'd suggest trying a good handful of guns before deciding on one to buy. The best way to deal with handling the recoil and accuracy issues your having is to just go out and get lots of practice and some hands-on training. You'll get better with time and have fun doing so. Good luck!

[LifeInPa]

I'm still learning my way around firearms, too. The best advice I can give is to go to the range with an experienced and patient teacher. You will also find many good tutorials on the web if you search for "handgun stance" and "handgun grip" and some variations there. Even some decent Youtube videos.

Recoil is part of the experience. You can't really have zero recoil, but you can learn to control the gun better, and grip and stance are the foundations. For me, recoil is part of the fun of shooting. Otherwise, I'd shoot airguns. I had some trigger jerk problems when I started with this new gun, and I worked on not anticipating the recoil, but just concentrating on a slow, steady, straight trigger press. I learned to accept (and enjoy) the recoil.

The other thing that will really help you get the most of your range time is to practice when you're away from the range. Get snap caps and dry fire the hell out of your gun. Practice your grip, stance and trigger pull while maintaining a steady sight picture. You can grow leaps and bounds in shooting skill without even visiting the range. And while it's not a cheap option, I found that attaching a laser sight and trying to keep the dot steady on the wall 20 feet away while I pulled the trigger was very helpful in fixing my trigger jerk problem.

There's a lot to learn and a lot to experiment with. But concentrate on the basics. If you get a good sight picture, and place the front sight over your target, and pull the trigger without too much influence, the bullet will go very, very close to the X. Mostly, though, have fun!

I will check out YouTube and see what they have as far as video tutorials. Recoil is understandable but until recently I only fired .22's and the recoil increase is quite noticeable. It's not that I hate recoil or anything (Like you said it's part of the fun) but how to handle the gun accurately with recoil is what I am trying to figure out. I like the idea of firing blanks to help with my problem but I live in a private community and I would attract a lot of attention if I fired it here.

I think I just need to keep on trying until I get used to it. Thanks for the advice and btw I always have fun shooting.

A few things I would like to note. I'm not being condescending but you haven't mastered anything, just found out how to do it without hurting yourself. Mastering a weapon system is something that takes alot of time, money, and training. I am not a master of anything, but I'm proficient with the guns that I own. Even that might be saying too much. I've never had any actual training, just spent alot of time on the range, holstering and uholstering, researching ballistics, self defense, etc.

The .40s&w round has a significant amount of snap to it, that 9mm and 45.acp do not have. Many people have never touched a gun before they started training with their duty weapon, which many times is chambered in 40s&w, and they're doing just fine.

My view on using a .22lr chambered target pistol for getting used to manipulating a handgun is not a bad idea, but IMO it's meant for women, children, people attending basic pistol courses, and it is a slow means of getting you where you want to be. I suggest that you buy the gun you want to use for self defense, home defense, carry, whatever. Train with that, take a couple classes.

Only once you've become very experienced can you just jump from platform to platform and do very well with it, and that takes years of training to be able to do. The trigger on a target gun, the grip angle, the weight, and the recoil characteristics of a .22lr handgun, will be nothing like a gun chambered in 9mm, 40sw, or 45acp. So essentially you will be learning all over again once you decide on a self defense purposed handgun.

Getting a target gun chambered in .22lr is not a bad idea, but IMO you're going to be spending the same amount of money twice just to eventually use only one of the guns for self defense. That's just my point of view. Take it with a grain of salt.(unless you just want to plink/target shoot alot, then you can't beat .22lr as it's dirt cheap. However I would like to note that plinking on the range has little to do with self defense, especially if you're using a round with virtually no recoil)

Also, take into consideration the price of ammo, and what you are willing to spend on ammo to become proficient. 9mm is by far the cheapest at under $9 dollars for 50 rounds, where as 50 rounds of 45acp will cost somewhere in the ballpark of $25 to $30. 40S&W is somewhere inbetween that.

Get training, it's the best advice I can give you to be honest. Take the NRA basic pistol course at PPC. Then seek out basic self defense, firearms oriented training, then move on to the advanced courses. If you're willing to spend $500 on a target pistol, I think you would be better served using that money to pay for 2 or 3 training classes.

Also, try a few other guns before you settle on the M&P. I've never shot one, so I cannot give any insight, but there are quite a few other brands in the same price range that you might feel fit your hand better. The triggers are different between each brand, and the looks are too. Check out some Glocks, and XDs. Same price range, all polymer "hi-cap" guns.

Mastering might have been a poor choice of words but I have enough of an understand of the weapon so I will not hurt myself, thats what I was trying to get at. Now I need to figure out how to be proficient with the weapon. Are you serious about the snap though? A .40 S&W has more snap than a .45 ACP? Originally I wanted the .40 S&W to be my first pistol but with such limited knowledge on operating the pistol accurately I felt it might have been a waste of money, ammo for this pistol is much more expensive than a .22LR. I am still mulling it over because like you said the .22 has no recoil and operating a .22 pistol will not make me proficient in operating a larger caliber weapon. Sometimes though I just enjoy plinking so down the road I could always get myself a second pistol, but plinking with a weapon that has no recoil isn't much of a challenge for me.

I am also thinking of going for the 9mm since the ammo is nearly half the price and I could always jump to a .40 S&W down the road. I am guessing jumping from a 9 mm to a .40 isn't nearly as big of a jump as going to a .22LR to a .40. Training is on my radar and I will be looking into the classes at the PPC soon. For other pistol options I will see what my other options are but I was never much of a fan of the Glocks, like H&K I find their products to be over-rated. Thanks for this valuable information J.

I have a M&P 9 and the recoil is very managable, u should give it a try. I realize people say the 40 has more stopping power but 17 shots of 9mm should be a proficient amount fire power to put someone down, especially if u can't hit the target with the .40. Just my opinion.

Next time I am at the range I really want to rent an M&P 9 and give it a go, btw whats your overall opinion on the M&P 9? Love to hear more about it and maybe see some photo's.

I really think a .22 is a great tool in learning to shoot handguns. Before you pick up the Ruger check out a Browning Buckmark, both are top notch and should last a lifetime. A .22 does have recoil, front sight does lift out of the rear sight when fired and this is a critical thing you need to be able to see. A .22 will teach you trigger control, target transitions and also sight alignment without worrying about recoil. You need to learn how to accurately fire a pistol, caliber doesn't matter, recoil doesn't matter all that matters is making sure the sights are aligned perfectly the second the gun fires and you will hit the target. If you are blinking the instant it fires you may or may not hit the target. If you are jerking the gun anticpating recoil you will miss, jerking the trigger you will miss. Handguns have a very short sight radius compared to a rifle so the smallest misalignment of the sights will cause a huge effect on where you bullet hits. Make sure the gaps on either side of the front sight are exactly she same and it's even with the top of the rear sight and sloooowly squeeze the trigger. You mentioned grip, best grip I can recommend is the thumbs forward grip. Fire up the Google and you'll see what I mean. Don't get discouraged. Shooting handguns is very similiar to martial arts. It takes a lot of discipline, focus and years of practice to get good. Here's a great video on how to grip a pistol by the Master Todd Jarrett. Hope this helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48

Thanks for the tip Yoder, I looked online and found one for $288. I am not familiar with the pistol but I love the price. What advantages/disadvantages does it have over the Mk. III? When it comes to firing a pistol I don't remember blinking but I was anticipating the recoil because I am not used to that kind of kick. Thats the thing with a .22, it might teach me to handle a pistol accurately but is it a waste of time since it has so little recoil compared to 9mm's and .40's? Maybe I am better served with a 9mm so I can get used to the kick? Thanks for the video btw I want to see anything that can help me improve my technique.

BTW, I love your signature.

Good purchase with a .22, I wish that I bought a .22 first rather than later. BTW I love the .40 but stuck with the 9mm for now just because of the price of ammo.

What did you go with first?

Just some advice on the accuracy - don't anticipate the bang. Your instinct will be to flinch and tense up even if you don't mean to. It's your brains natural reaction. Let the bang be a 'surprise' if you will and pull the trigger while exhaling after a deep breath. Also when your on target find the point where the trigger 'breaks'. Meaning don't pull the trigger through it's entire travel in one full motion. Take up the slack and once your sights are exactly where you want and your exhaling, give it just that extra squeeze to fire the round off. You will be less likely to pull the whole gun off target while in the process of pulling the trigger. I've seen a lot of new shooters do this and have problems shooting low and right because as they pull on the trigger, they pull the whole gun in the process. Of course finding the sweet spot in the trigger will not come on the first shot and takes lots of practice and it will be different on every gun. Even two identical guns of the same model may shoot a little different. I have an M&P 40 and really like it, but I'd suggest trying a good handful of guns before deciding on one to buy. The best way to deal with handling the recoil and accuracy issues your having is to just go out and get lots of practice and some hands-on training. You'll get better with time and have fun doing so. Good luck!

These are great tips thanks big. I was kinda holding my breath when I was shooting maybe that was part of the problem? When I was pulling the trigger I was using the tip of my finger and I tried to gently tug on the trigger but I think I might have pulled too hard also. Right now I really want to try the M&P 9 and see if I like it because I think I might buy that pistol first especially since 9mm ammo is much cheaper so I won't bankrupt myself learning how to properly use a pistol.

[BrowningBoy]

A .22 pistol is priceless in learning to shoot. Breathing, trigger control, and sight alignment take lots of practice to become proficient. Take a nice deep breath, let out half and then hold. Press the trigger with the pad of your trigger finger. Make sure the front sight is centered in the notch of the rear. The top of the front and rear sights should be aligned (not just the white dots). You must focus on the front sight. Everything else should be slightly blurry. This is counterintuitive, but you will not shoot accurately until you get this down. The shot should be somewhat of a suprise.

I wouldn't get the M&P as your first pistol. I've been shooting pistols for 20 years and the trigger on my M&P sucks. It's heavy, gritty, and has an inconsistant reset (all have an effect on accuracy). I would recommend either a Ruger MKIII or the Browning Buckmark in .22. The pistol will cost you the same as the M&P but you will save a fortune in ammo. Once you put 5 or 10 thousand rounds through the .22 you may be ready to purchase a centerfire pistol.

When you are ready for a 9mm or .40 you should shoot as many different models as you can get your hands on before choosing. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[wally36]

I love my M&P 9 about 600 rounds through it now with no malfunctions and ive fed it mostly white box winchester and brown bear steel cased russian ammo. i only have pictures on my phone ill try to figure out how to upload them.

[wally36]

First Cleaning

First mag at 10 yards straight outta the box

These are all Low quality iphone pics sorry

[mslatter]

I like the idea of firing blanks to help with my problem but I live in a private community and I would attract a lot of attention if I fired it here.

Snap caps aren't blanks. They're basically empty casings that have a fake bullet nose attached to them and a urethane insert where the primer would go. They're basically just fake ammo and don't go bang at all. Some guns don't like to be dry-fired (pulling the trigger without live ammo in the chamber) and using snap caps keeps those guns from taking damage while you're practicing. For all guns, they give you safe practice manipulating the gun, loading, unloading, racking, etc. - all essential skills that you should attain some degree of automaticity on so that you can concentrate your efforts on other things like safety, safety, fun, safety, and aiming. Search for "A-Zoom" for a good manufacturer or visit their website @ http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/

These are great tips thanks big. I was kinda holding my breath when I was shooting maybe that was part of the problem? When I was pulling the trigger I was using the tip of my finger and I tried to gently tug on the trigger but I think I might have pulled too hard also. Right now I really want to try the M&P 9 and see if I like it because I think I might buy that pistol first especially since 9mm ammo is much cheaper so I won't bankrupt myself learning how to properly use a pistol.

The recommended form is to pull the trigger back using the pad of the first joint of your index, not the tip of your index. I think the M&P is a fine weapon, and 9mm is the perfect price-performance compromise these days.

[LifeInPa]

A .22 pistol is priceless in learning to shoot. Breathing, trigger control, and sight alignment take lots of practice to become proficient. Take a nice deep breath, let out half and then hold. Press the trigger with the pad of your trigger finger. Make sure the front sight is centered in the notch of the rear. The top of the front and rear sights should be aligned (not just the white dots). You must focus on the front sight. Everything else should be slightly blurry. This is counterintuitive, but you will not shoot accurately until you get this down. The shot should be somewhat of a suprise.

I wouldn't get the M&P as your first pistol. I've been shooting pistols for 20 years and the trigger on my M&P sucks. It's heavy, gritty, and has an inconsistant reset (all have an effect on accuracy). I would recommend either a Ruger MKIII or the Browning Buckmark in .22. The pistol will cost you the same as the M&P but you will save a fortune in ammo. Once you put 5 or 10 thousand rounds through the .22 you may be ready to purchase a centerfire pistol.

When you are ready for a 9mm or .40 you should shoot as many different models as you can get your hands on before choosing. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Thats some very valuable advice, thanks Browning. Thinking back to when I fired the M&P I was pulling the trigger from the joint of my finger in the first few rounds, then I moved to the tip of my finger. As for lining up the sights the dot on the front sight should be between the dots on the rear sights, correct? I am still undecided on which pistol I should buy, but I am leaning towards the .22 because I think I need a lot of practice before I go to a larger caliber. My only concern with learning on the .22 is that from my limited experience I feel I will not get any experience learning how to handle recoil.

I guess I can stick with the .22 for a year then buy myself a larger caliber pistol next year, and I will rent a few more pistols to see which one I like the best. Thanks again

These are all Low quality iphone pics sorry

Very nice thanks for the photo's, hope I can shoot with a pistol that well one day.

Snap caps aren't blanks. They're basically empty casings that have a fake bullet nose attached to them and a urethane insert where the primer would go. They're basically just fake ammo and don't go bang at all. Some guns don't like to be dry-fired (pulling the trigger without live ammo in the chamber) and using snap caps keeps those guns from taking damage while you're practicing. For all guns, they give you safe practice manipulating the gun, loading, unloading, racking, etc. - all essential skills that you should attain some degree of automaticity on so that you can concentrate your efforts on other things like safety, safety, fun, safety, and aiming. Search for "A-Zoom" for a good manufacturer or visit their website @ http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/

I had no idea, sounds like a very useful learning tool.

The recommended form is to pull the trigger back using the pad of the first joint of your index, not the tip of your index. I think the M&P is a fine weapon, and 9mm is the perfect price-performance compromise these days.

Oh then I was operating the weapon correctly the first time I fired it, I used the first joint of my finger.

[mslatter]

Oh then I was operating the weapon correctly the first time I fired it, I used the first joint of my finger.

Just to be clear, you shouldn't put your index finger far into the trigger guard so much that any of it sticks through the other side. That is, you don't want the trigger centered or nestled into the bend of the joint. You want to use the pad of the first joint. I guess a good way to describe it is the center of your fingerprint. If anything, err on the side of less pad. I probably place the peak of the center of my fingerprint on the centerline of the trigger.

You lose leverage this way, and it doesn't feel as natural at first, but it helps to isolate the motion so that only your index finger is involved in the pull.

And remember I'm still new to this, too. It helps me to articulate what I'm learning as I go. But if others disagree with me, they might be right.

[LifeInPa]

Just to be clear, you shouldn't put your index finger far into the trigger guard so much that any of it sticks through the other side. That is, you don't want the trigger centered or nestled into the bend of the joint. You want to use the pad of the first joint. I guess a good way to describe it is the center of your fingerprint. If anything, err on the side of less pad. I probably place the peak of the center of my fingerprint on the centerline of the trigger.

You lose leverage this way, and it doesn't feel as natural at first, but it helps to isolate the motion so that only your index finger is involved in the pull.

And remember I'm still new to this, too. It helps me to articulate what I'm learning as I go. But if others disagree with me, they might be right.

Thanks for clearing that up. I will be heading back to the range in another 1-2 weeks and I will try shooting with that part of my finger.

[BrowningBoy]

You do not need practice dealing with recoil. When you shoot a .22 you are working on your technique. Stance, breathing, sight alignment, and trigger pull. Once you have the technique down you will be much better prepared to handle recoil. Once you learn that the recoil and noise will not hurt you, you will do just fine. One word of caution, Do Not Dry Fire a .22, you will damage it.