How often should I practice with a 1911

[Kimbertrace]

I have 2 1911's, a Gander Mtn exclusive Kimber Ultra Carry with Crimson Trace grips (purchased 6/25/09, 850 rounds through it) and an old LLama IX-D double stack that I purchased years ago. As you know .45 ammo is expensive, and I do not know of a .22 conversion kit for either of these. Thinking of getting a Kimber Pro tle/rl and a conversion kit.

Anyway, does anyone have a recommended practice schedule/round count that they would recommend?

Should I practice more with the Kimber or IX-D? Does it matter?

What should my specific realistic goal be as far as accuracy? (other than the obvious bullseye)

I am a newb so forgive me if this sounds elementary.

 

[LPMan59]

.45 is becoming more available. my walmart usually has some every week. and places like bradis always have it in stock.

what are your goals for your pistols? plinking? carry? home defense?

if for carry, i would run a few hundred rounds through it and at least a mag or 2 of whatever carry ammo you will use. some 1911s can be finicky when it comes to JHPs.

personally, i have found full sized 1911s to be the most accurate guns to shoot. point and the bullet goes there. what i do is start out at 3 to 5 yards. if you put every round in the head, bullseye, etc, then move the target a few yards back. repeat as necessary. taking a pistol class is always a good idea too.

ymmv
practice with both, but practice more with the one you will defend your life with.

 

[Jay]

Levels of proficiency, and accuracy are goals set by each individual shooter. Obviously, the more quality practice you get, the more proficient you should become.

 

[JetGirl]

Allow me to translate...

Levels of proficiency, and accuracy are goals set by each individual shooter. Obviously, the more quality practice you get, the more proficient you should become.

"Much as you can."

 

[yogiboobooranger]

Which one are you going to use for primary use(carry)? That is the one I would shoot the most. Try several loads through the gun for reliability, and POI. Get used to the ammo that works best for the gun and you, then practice and practice and shoot some more. You will never get tired of throwing lead and proficiency is key!

 

[Joe Williams]

Right now, Cathy and I are only shooting 100 rds/mo each out of our .45s. Now that I have reloading dies, that will be heading up to 400-500 each. As for accuracy? Be able to keep all your rounds on a paper plate at 7 yards. When you an do that, move out to 10, then 15, then 20, then 25.

Don't just bullseye shoot, though that is how you should start out. Once you are reliaby getting hits on target at 10-15 yards, start with other drills. This site provides an outstanding series of them to work through. Pick one or two each range trip, it'll keep each outing fun and interesting. But always work on plain ole target shooting, also. Being able to get hits is key to everything else.

pistol-training.com Drills

 

[Kimbertrace]

Which one are you going to use for primary use(carry)? That is the one I would shoot the most. Try several loads through the gun for reliability, and POI. Get used to the ammo that works best for the gun and you, then practice and practice and shoot some more. You will never get tired of throwing lead and proficiency is key!

I will be using the Kimber for carry.

 

[Kimbertrace]

Should I be concerned about how many rounds go through the gun? I see a lot of people in the classifieds section, making statements like "low round count" and such.

 

[Joe Williams]

Should I be concerned about how many rounds go through the gun? I see a lot of people in the classifieds section, making statements like "low round count" and such.

Eventually you'll wear the gun out.... maybe. Maybe not... maintain it and replace things as they need it, and the same gun can last you a lifetime. Replacing the gun altogether won't cost you nearly as much as the ammo it takes to wear a gun out!!! We're talking 30,000 to 100,000 rounds or so.

 

[Kimbertrace]

I have already put 850 rounds through it in just over 2 months. Sounds like a lot to me.

 

[jmiller676]

I have already put 850 rounds through it in just over 2 months. Sounds like a lot to me.

Think about the people that shoot FNS then also do practicing. Guns are built to take wear. Once you get accurate and feel comfortable with it then you could possibly slow down. Until then I say burn some ammo up whenever you can.

 

[Joe Williams]

I have already put 850 rounds through it in just over 2 months. Sounds like a lot to me.

Sounds about right.

 

[Tinman]

I'll preface this by saying I train a bunch, so take this with a grain of salt.

I've run 850 rounds through my guns in a day, so I wouldn't call it a high round count by any stretch. At one point in my life, I was running around 1000 rounds a week. Due to schedules and such, that's just not possible anymore.

I would offer this, 100 rounds a week of dedicated, planned practice, and some supervised coaching sessions every couple of months should provide you with results. That of course includes lot's of dry fire in between.

The biggest thing you need to do before asking questions like this is to define your own goals. Do you want to be a better bullseye shooter, a better defensive shooter, do you have a preferred gun game that you want to excel at, or do you just want to impress the guy in the next lane over with your plinking ability?

Seriously though, define what you want your practice to accomplish, then come back and ask some of the guys here if they have advice to reach that goal.

Tinman....

 

[Kimbertrace]

I want to be an accurate defensive shooter, no more, no less

 

[Tinman]

That's a pretty big goal, some of us have been aspiring to that for years.

I've got to get to an appointment, I'll get some notes over to you tomorrow that I've used over the years to help out.

Like I said, 100 rounds a week, some dry fire in between, some coaching sessions every couple months should help you build a solid base in the fundamentals.

One more piece of advice, start with a coach early, no sense repeating bad habits you'll need to unlearn later.

Tinman....

 

[Kimbertrace]

...

Thanks Tinman!!

 

[NHT3]

Should I be concerned about how many rounds go through the gun? I see a lot of people in the classifieds section, making statements like "low round count" and such.

I don't know for sure about Kimber but I know some of the 1911 builders recommend that you change the recoil spring every 500 rounds in the small guns. If you have any problems with the Ultra I would try that first.
Obviously the more you shoot the more you will improve so it's a matter of how proficient you want to be and what you can afford to do. Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

[bigkahunasix]

I have already put 850 rounds through it in just over 2 months. Sounds like a lot to me.

Haha, That is less than my average 2 week round count in my carry piece (Series 70 Colt Commander in .45acp)

How much should I practice?? Don't want to wear my gun out.----------->

How much is your life worth, the lives of those you would protect?? You have an absolute responsibility to practice as much as possible; not just to protect your loved ones and yourself but to increase the safety of anyone (except the perpetrator of course) in the area when and if you are ever forced to draw and use your weapon.

Look up the courses of fire from Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, John Farnham, John Shaw, Mas Ayoob, etc...... These will provide you with many, many drills to perform that will certainly increase your abilities. Seek out experience and expertise not annonymous opinions from the internet.

Purchaseing a .22 conversion unit will help by allowing you to practice more often, less expensively. But full power practice is still the core of it all.

BK6

 

[Kimbertrace]

Haha, That is less than my average 2 week round count in my carry piece (Series 70 Colt Commander in .45acp)

How much should I practice?? Don't want to wear my gun out.----------->

How much is your life worth, the lives of those you would protect?? You have an absolute responsibility to practice as much as possible; not just to protect your loved ones and yourself but to increase the safety of anyone (except the perpetrator of course) in the area when and if you are ever forced to draw and use your weapon.

Look up the courses of fire from Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, John Farnham, John Shaw, Mas Ayoob, etc...... These will provide you with many, many drills to perform that will certainly increase your abilities. Seek out experience and expertise not annonymous opinions from the internet.

Purchaseing a .22 conversion unit will help by allowing you to practice more often, less expensively. But full power practice is still the core of it all.

BK6

Thanks for putting things in perspective!

 

[Hoosier45]

I bought a .22 conversion kit and practice a lot with it, but they won't fit your Ultra. I also dry fire practice every day. With ammo prices finally coming down and stock going up I'll get back to more live fire practice, but whether it's live or dry fire you can never practice TOO much.