at the gun range
yesterday after work i took my new gun to the gun range.
i had been carrying it around loaded (only in my car and at work, where it's legal until the permit comes in). so i unloaded it in the car. one of the big reasons i chose the P32 over the P3AT is that the P32 has a slide stop. this, and a lot of complaints about recoil and disassembling the P3AT, drove me to the P32.
after unloading, i put in an empty magazine and locked the slide open. wanted to make sure the gun was obviously unloaded when walking in the store with it.
i had to fill out a form to use the range. i had decided i was only going to do 21 rounds (3 magazines) or so. picked up a target and went to the range. there was only one other stall occupied in the range when i got there, but by the time i left all of them were occupied.
so i load up the magazine, pull back the slide, and then i am unsure whether or not that chambered a round. i worked the slide action again and it ejected the round that was chambered. oops. okay, well, that means a new round should be chambered, right? so i aim, pull the trigger...and nothing happens.
i think what happened was a round wasn't chambered. after waiting about 30 seconds to make sure it wasn't a delayed fire, i unloaded the gun, re-filled the magazine, and tried again. i aimed at the target, then pulled the trigger. BANG!
i ended up using half of my box of ammo, about 25 rounds. i didn't have one problem, after i got the hang of how the pistol worked. the thing has more recoil than the ruger i used for my CCW class, but not too much. my aim was also like way off. i was down and to the left. according to this chart i found, that means i was either jerking or tightening my fingers. possibly breaking my wrist down or drooping my head. all of that is possible. i also read that the sites on the P32 often aim a bit lower than normal, which probably contributed to my horrible accuracy. with the ruger, i was hitting pretty close to center.
also, i had to keep the target 20 feet out. a lot of people say that is fine, but a lot of others say it should only be 12-15 feet out for a small concealed carry gun like the P32. Stats say most people end up shooting 10 feet away in a self-defense situation.
though i was obviously a bit nervous, i had a good first time out with my gun. i hope to repeat the experience this weekend at some point. i wish i had some friends around here who i could go to the range with. it would be fun. maybe i'll put 50 rounds through it next time :)
so, if anyone is in the area and wants to shoot, let me know!
i had been carrying it around loaded (only in my car and at work, where it's legal until the permit comes in). so i unloaded it in the car. one of the big reasons i chose the P32 over the P3AT is that the P32 has a slide stop. this, and a lot of complaints about recoil and disassembling the P3AT, drove me to the P32.
after unloading, i put in an empty magazine and locked the slide open. wanted to make sure the gun was obviously unloaded when walking in the store with it.
i had to fill out a form to use the range. i had decided i was only going to do 21 rounds (3 magazines) or so. picked up a target and went to the range. there was only one other stall occupied in the range when i got there, but by the time i left all of them were occupied.
so i load up the magazine, pull back the slide, and then i am unsure whether or not that chambered a round. i worked the slide action again and it ejected the round that was chambered. oops. okay, well, that means a new round should be chambered, right? so i aim, pull the trigger...and nothing happens.
i think what happened was a round wasn't chambered. after waiting about 30 seconds to make sure it wasn't a delayed fire, i unloaded the gun, re-filled the magazine, and tried again. i aimed at the target, then pulled the trigger. BANG!
i ended up using half of my box of ammo, about 25 rounds. i didn't have one problem, after i got the hang of how the pistol worked. the thing has more recoil than the ruger i used for my CCW class, but not too much. my aim was also like way off. i was down and to the left. according to this chart i found, that means i was either jerking or tightening my fingers. possibly breaking my wrist down or drooping my head. all of that is possible. i also read that the sites on the P32 often aim a bit lower than normal, which probably contributed to my horrible accuracy. with the ruger, i was hitting pretty close to center.
also, i had to keep the target 20 feet out. a lot of people say that is fine, but a lot of others say it should only be 12-15 feet out for a small concealed carry gun like the P32. Stats say most people end up shooting 10 feet away in a self-defense situation.
though i was obviously a bit nervous, i had a good first time out with my gun. i hope to repeat the experience this weekend at some point. i wish i had some friends around here who i could go to the range with. it would be fun. maybe i'll put 50 rounds through it next time :)
so, if anyone is in the area and wants to shoot, let me know!
