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JG, you are only going to be proficient with your weapon if that is the weapon you practice with to the point that it becomes a part of you. I have .22 rifles I like to shoot. I used to have a .22 pistol. I do not nor have I ever tried substituting a caliber of such for the weapon I was going to use to defend myself.
My logic is this: You are not going to find a .22 pistol that fits in your hand, has the same recoil, has the same flash, has the same trajectory, weight, trigger pull and travel, etc. as your personal carry gun. On the other side of my argument, I also feel that some practice is better than no practice. Keep in mind, bullet flight and accuracy between the 2 calibers is going to be different.
I have guns that shoot more accurately with with Brand X ammo versus Brand Y ammo. Some guns do not care and they shoot the same no matter what brand ammo......or it is so close it makes no difference.
I am not saying to NOT buy a .22, because they are good cheap fun, but, make sure you put good quality time in with your carry weapon. There are alot of .22 conversions out there for many popular guns. There is one for the Glock G26, but, it is around $300.00. This will help with some of the issues I mentioned above, but, will not address all the issues. Recoil and target re-aquirement will be different between the two rounds.
If you want to save some ammo and get some good quality time on your trigger, really spend time on your trigger and aiming. What I mean is to REALLY focus on the spot you want to hit on the target. Slowly pull your trigger back.....and I mean so slow that you feel the trigger take up leave......then you feel the trigger creeping on the fulcrum.......and then you feel that little " snap " just a nano-second before the gun goes " BOOM ". This will actually strengthen you finger. Also note where your finger is on the trigger when you release the trigger for the next shot. Many people have a tendency of burying their finger into the trigger which will then cause subsequent follow up shots get pushed left ( if you are right handed ).
I shoot .45ACP at tourneys all the time. While that round is harder to maintain....and getting used to it makes a 9mm seem like nothing, I still spend as much time with my 9mm at the range as I do my .45. -Lou
My logic is this: You are not going to find a .22 pistol that fits in your hand, has the same recoil, has the same flash, has the same trajectory, weight, trigger pull and travel, etc. as your personal carry gun. On the other side of my argument, I also feel that some practice is better than no practice. Keep in mind, bullet flight and accuracy between the 2 calibers is going to be different.
I have guns that shoot more accurately with with Brand X ammo versus Brand Y ammo. Some guns do not care and they shoot the same no matter what brand ammo......or it is so close it makes no difference.
I am not saying to NOT buy a .22, because they are good cheap fun, but, make sure you put good quality time in with your carry weapon. There are alot of .22 conversions out there for many popular guns. There is one for the Glock G26, but, it is around $300.00. This will help with some of the issues I mentioned above, but, will not address all the issues. Recoil and target re-aquirement will be different between the two rounds.
If you want to save some ammo and get some good quality time on your trigger, really spend time on your trigger and aiming. What I mean is to REALLY focus on the spot you want to hit on the target. Slowly pull your trigger back.....and I mean so slow that you feel the trigger take up leave......then you feel the trigger creeping on the fulcrum.......and then you feel that little " snap " just a nano-second before the gun goes " BOOM ". This will actually strengthen you finger. Also note where your finger is on the trigger when you release the trigger for the next shot. Many people have a tendency of burying their finger into the trigger which will then cause subsequent follow up shots get pushed left ( if you are right handed ).
I shoot .45ACP at tourneys all the time. While that round is harder to maintain....and getting used to it makes a 9mm seem like nothing, I still spend as much time with my 9mm at the range as I do my .45. -Lou
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