I know I am likely speaking to the choir but I just thought I would recount a little story for both new folks and all of us who might have too much "experience" for our own good.

When a new shooter has a problem with accuracy or reliability etc. the first thing we tell them is to look inward at their own skills or techniques. The problem is those of us who have shot for a long time sometimes forget to look inward.

I have a USP .45 that I have had a niggling issue from early on. Every once in a while I would get a FTRB. Now I have a fairly wide amount of experience with shooting in general and various platforms so of course there is a problem with the gun. I mean OF COURSE its not ME, that's crazy talk.

So I figured minor break period. I've seen it across all brands. No worries. Still had occasional issues so I start working the "mechanics"
-Recoil spring
-Mags
-Bur's or other imperfections
-Ammo
You know the basics.

So this goes on for a about a year or two. Well I had it out tonight and I will be damned if I didn't fully lock the slide back twice. I am somehow actuating the slide lock and causing a lock back or enough drag on the slide to cause an occasional FTRB or lock open. Sonofabitch!!! It is the God Damn Indian!!!!!!

Anyhoooo, I shoot USPc's, HK45c's just fine but I think the combination of size difference, slight geometry difference and a slower slide velocity with the bigger gun has me fumbling against the controls under recoil.

It's a shame really because I shoot the HELL out of that gun. I can run that big boy something fierce and I love it. Next time out I am going to try using a revolver style thumb over thumb grip (although that is so unnatural with a semi auto) or I am going to ride the slide lock like a gas pedal as test.

Long story short this is just a cautionary story that sometimes you don't do as you say because you simply have too much experience and hell it can't possibly be your technique.......

Always start with the basics, always start with the idjit behind the trigger.

Take care, shoot safe,
Chris

quote:

Bur's or other imperfections...minor break in period

With an HK? That's Just Crazy Talk!

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:

quote:

Bur's or other imperfections...minor break in period

With an HK? That's Just Crazy Talk!

Just OCCASIONALLY a small shipment doesn’t make it to the Tibetan monks in the high mounts so they can be properly blessed on the naked virgin backs. IT’S RARE….but it does happen.

I have a P30. I kid you not, that thing shot low. I’ve been shooting since 1969. I know what I’m doing. That P30 was low by 4” @ 30’. I called HK cs. They sent me a return shipping label. I decided to give it one more chance at the range before taking the time to ship it off for repair. You know what? This time I bench rested it. Shot right down the middle consistently. Dang man. It was my technique after all. I sheepishly put the gun away and resolved to practice more.

Friend and I were taking a 4 day defensive handgun class just over a year ago and his big 45cal Glock kept locking back on him... instructors could not figure it out and the gunsmith at the range could not either... so on the second night I looked at his pistol... the dern slide lock was so easy to push up it was obvious to me and even with that big Glock he has big hands....

Of course a few years back I took three pistols to the range and they were all hitting about 3" left at 20 feet... actually took me three days to realize it HAD TO BE ME!

Here’s a related story, but with a rifle.

We were gearing up for an elk hunt 5-6 years ago. I got an ok deal on a Zeiss scope(euro optics) so I bought two, gave one to a relative.

He mounted it on a new Model 70, 300 Win mag. When trying to sight in he ran out of adjustment, to get the impact centered. He brought it to a gun counter, light gunsmith.

Mind you this is 6 hours from me. They came up with the conclusion that the scope was defective. I said I would check it out, give it back once we meet.

I took the scope, centered the adjustments, then mounted it on a known 308, it was perfect, as expected.

I told him I would keep it if he lost confidence. Of course it was his mounting system that was buggered up. I was surprised the lite gunsmith went with that conclusion.

He used his 30-06, we both got an elk.

Of course, you could be told, after having a range officer try a rental gun because you told him the sights shoot little off, that "they offer a wide range of classes that will help the beginner".

Sigh...

^^^^^^
Ok that literally made me laugh. That’s awesome and something that should have already or probably will some day happen to me.

Everyone overvalues their level of skill.