What classes and rank are you shooting in IDPA? I used to complete SSP and SSR in the sharpshooter class. Came within a few seconds of expert a few times, but never could break through that barrier. It's been about 8 years though since I was in the game. Gave up Service Rifle matches too because I no longer had the time, or the money, to put in the amount of practice required to stay truly competitive in either discipline.
CDP. I'm not a member, since college and work gets in the way for me to fully commit, but I'd probably be ranked MM. Pistols aren't my strong point, but that's why I devote so much practice to them. I always get my targets, but I'm cautious by nature, so I'm a slow player. In other words, I usually hit 0's or 1's, but I take my time on them.
It's great practice, especially when you're competetive like I am. It's makes the situation a lot more stressful, and I think that helps you learn how to control and pace yourself. My boyfriend's sister manages to move so quickly, her time somehow make up her enormous amount of misses.
3GN is my favorite, though you're right about money. I just bought an ACOG for my competing rifle, and even with a manufacturer discount, it still drains the wallet. And then you have to consider ammo, gun carts (because three guns don't tote themselves around), ammo, and all the little toys to decorate your guns with. I also got a VTAC LUSA, a VTAC sling, and some GG&G sling swivels on my rifle--a grand total of $200. Then there's that $400 Geisselle trigger.
what im getting at here is that at close range, a .44 FMJ is much more likely to pass through several walls including the exterior walls than the .45 HP. and think about it this way, he has poor vision as it is, his house is dark, and your using a powerful round in a massive gun all the while your barely awake and only ever shot 1 other gun in his life.
You don't have to shoot FMJ in a DE. It just has to be jacketed, so the lead doesn't foul the gas port. I shoot rosebuds in mine, mostly, and they expand just fine. The truth, too, is that a higher-powered .45ACP hollow point is still reasonably likely to go through a 2x4. And considering they're generalyl spaced every 16 inches, that means the 2x4's only make up 1/8 of the area that a bullet is likely hit - put another way, a bullet fired at a studded wall is >85% likely to see nothing but drywall and the insulation in between... Any round that has enough penetration to put down a person will go through several of those. For some more info, go check out the box o' truth...
Even HP rounds risk overpenetration, as dry wall tends to just "plug" them up. My best suggestion for defense in a populated area would be along the lines of Cor-Bon's glaser rounds. I have never personally fired them, but I've talked to many people that have, and they've got excellent stopping power with essentially zero overpenetration.
Glasers are pretty awesome, and have no overpenetration in people, but it is a common misconception that they'll shatter on walls. Not the case at all, as they'll generally go through walls. They pretty much require the bow shock from hitting a semi-liquid target to cause them to fracture... See quote below directly from Corbon's web page:
What are the different applications for your different lines of ammunition and what are the comparisons in penetration? CORBON’s handgun ammunition runs the gamut from ammunition that will not over-penetrate or ricochet to ammo with exceptional penetrating capabilities. In order from least penetrating to most, they are:
1) The Glaser Safety Slug (an excellent choice for in-home use) will not over penetrate and endanger others behind the intended target. It penetrates between 3-8 inches in soft targets but will not go through interior walls nor will it defeat hard barriers.
2) The standard self-defense JHP bullets and CORBON Pow’RBall loads will penetrate 7-15 inches of ballistics gelatin after passing through 4 layers of denim. These rounds are a good choice for outdoor carry. The Pow’RBall ammunition also provides enhanced feeding in semi-automatic guns.
3) Finally, our deepest penetrating round, the DPX, in most pistol calibers, is capable of up to 18 inches of penetration in the gelatin test. It will defeat hard barriers including one layer of automotive steel or glass and stay on a straight course. This is a great choice for law enforcement duties.
Have you guy ever fired a minigun!!!! Their so kool haxxor leet. Faggoott!! My favorite guns in order are: Master CHief Uzi Magnum Hollow points M-16s (the samll cool ones not the big ones!!) M1 tank and the M-60 (my dad rocked one of those in ROTC. He's awesome)
shot that .44 mag desert eagle yesterday. disappointing is all i can say. for all the hype around this gun it was not only cumbersome, but overall felt underpowered. was shooting 240 grain Remington FMJ. got up and pulled the trigger, i guess i expected more kick than i got, then a woman half my size gets up and barely moves from the recoil.
and my friend could barely put rounds on a 4'x4' plywood board at 50'...ill stick with the .40 and .45 calibers
shot that .44 mag desert eagle yesterday. disappointing is all i can say. for all the hype around this gun it was not only cumbersome, but overall felt underpowered. was shooting 240 grain Remington FMJ. got up and pulled the trigger, i guess i expected more kick than i got, then a woman half my size gets up and barely moves from the recoil.
and my friend could barely put rounds on a 4'x4' plywood board at 50'...ill stick with the .40 and .45 calibers
The combination of heavy weapon, heavy springs, and gas operation really make the kick manageable on that beast. Don't let the lack of recoil fool ya - that bullet is still heading down range at near 1500fps
Not near as impractical as the S&W .500 Magnum... Useful only if you're being charged by a rhinoceros or somesuch. I was shooting one at the range, guy in the next lane who had a .50 DE as his regular carry piece was intrigued, asked if he could fire a round or two, and let me fire his. After one round he was wincing, his hand was so sore. I didn't think it was so bad, but I wouldn't want it for anything other than a range piece. (Or big angry animals.)
but heres the thing, ive shot a 10" .44 mag revolver and it still didn't kick as much as everyone said it would. seems everyone i know either overhypes the gun or just shooting way out of their league. so far the only gun that kicked like i was told it would kick was a .303 british enfield.
My only choice is to trade in the Magnum in the very near future. Sick to death of nickel and dime (or, in the case of front disks, a couple hundred bucks on 3 occasions) shit going wrong, and with it being a 2007 with 80k miles, it's only going to get worse soon. Love it when it drives. Hate Chrysler always.
done it...wasnt fun, then nearly fucked my wrist up shooting a mossberg 500 3" slug with the pistol grip. luckly after 4 shots all i had was a slight fracture in my right wrist. didn't help any that ive shattered this hand and wrist several times in the past.
We had a private who claimed to be badass and had fired all these cool guns. Well, we were doing shotgun qual in Minnesota and were having a great time at the range. Well this little private grabs the shotgun with the gangster grip on it and goes onto the firing line. Spends five minutes trying to load it (disproving his claims of "having shot these all the time in Chicago") and got ready to fire at the first target. He holds the shotgun at his hip with this thumb wedged firmly between the grip and the edge of his ballistic plate in his vest and standing straight up with his feet almost next to each other. Before we could fix him he fires and almost falls on his ass and drops the shotgun. The only thing stopping him was his range safety catching him. After getting back on his feet he walked immediately off the range clutching his hand. When we pulled off his gloves his hand was swollen to twice its normal size and his thumb looked like it was going in a Z-pattern. Dumbass
haxxor leet. Faggoott!! My favorite guns in order are:
