Hi,
Thank you for all of the information. I have looked at training but it seems that the majority of classes are during the work week and I don't have the PTO to burn for a class at 1 pm.
As to constant training, I'm not in the financial state to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on going to the range and buying ammo once a week.
I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea getting into this right before my 4th son is born.
Not at all! It costs nothing to dry fire practice, watch training videos on Youtube, manipulate your pistol (malfunction fixes, speed reloads, etc), and start getting your muscle memory ingrained for proper handling of your firearm. If you actually get to the range only once a month, or once every other month, for live fire practice then all the dry fire practice will be quite beneficial. When my family first started in this sport we could go only about every other month.
@KillerFord1977 and
@OkiePewPew mentioned the MantisX training aid. It's very helpful and gives you a lot of feedback, information about your trigger pull, muzzle direction, etc. It's a device you attach to your rail that tracks your accuracy with a phone app. It's not exactly cheap but might fit into your budget. More info here:
https://mantisx.com/
An even better bang-for-your-buck can be had using a G-Sight laser cartridge. It's like a little laser pointer that fits into the barrel where a bullet would go. Give the slide a little rack, pull the trigger, and the phone app will tell you where your hits land. You can use just about any printed target. There are lots of free targets you can download and print at home. You can even draw dots and circles on a paper plate if you want to. I just picked up the newest XG unit for not much more than the price of a box of ammo, $35, on Amazon. This is less than half the price of their older units.
This kit comes with extra striker pads, batteries, and o-rings, probably enough to train for years. The basic app is free to download and you can pay $5 to add upgraded training modules for the app. The app doesn't give you the feedback that the MantisX units does but if you want to check your muzzle movement during your trigger pull, just balance a nickel on your slide, right behind the front sight, and make sure it doesn't fall off when you pull.
FYI: This is G-Sight's regular website:
https://g-sight.com/
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with G-Sight or MantisX. I'm just a fanboy of the G-Sight for its cheap training capabilities. I have a thread here where I sometimes share my basement laser range practices.
Hi, I'm not sure if I've ever shared this with you. I like practicing with m y G-Sight laser cartridge. The last time I practiced, my laser cartridge was getting lots of non-detected hits so I decided to install new batteries and the new back cap with a striker pad. For my hour and a half...
www.thearmorylife.com
It's actually something the whole family can enjoy, like game night.
Are you able to buy ammo online and have it delivered to your door? With some smart shopping, waiting for sales and free shipping, you can get the cost down to about $15 for a box of 50 (plus tax).
Yes, sometimes the shooting sports are not cheap. How much is protecting yourself and your family worth?
OK, I'll stop rambling now. If you'd like to wander through my noob adventures - CCW, EDC, hunting for ammo, range reports - I have a couple of other threads on another forum where I let my nooby-ness hang out all over for the world to see. I'll share the links if you want them.
Hey! All the best to you and yours Mr.
@Deathseed. This community has been very welcoming, encouraging, and helpful to this old noob. Please stick around and let them assist you in your journey.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
mantisx.com
