Gun Bullies, Set Me Straight

[Robstafarian]

I have had my 1911 for right at 17 months, and to date it's had 31 rounds through it (including a CCI shotshell for a function test). I have posted too many times in this subforum about how I can't afford the ammo to break in my poor, neglected pistol.

This thread is for you all to tell me to stop looking at defensive ammo and save for some fucking FMJ. My problem is that I'm seriously tempted to buy some Winchester Ranger T while the getting's good.

Please remind me that fucktarded ammunition restriction policies are less important than the function of my weapon.

Please tell me that it's better to have another 50 or 100 rounds through my weapon, and that I don't have to break it in all at once.

Finally, please forgive me for posting this thread...I really did come stupidly close to spending $50 on ammo I don't need because it somehow feels like it wouldn't count.

[Emevas]

I have exactly 25 rounds of defensive ammo for that same 1911 in my nightstand, and have fired 250 rounds of FMJ through it.

You're not killing people at the range. Alternatively, for defensive ammo, how many folks are you planning on killing that you need so much of it?

[Cassius]

I've lost count of how many rounds of FMJ I've put through my glock 19, but it's somewhere between 500-700. I bought it in July or August of this year. One of the major reasons I purchased a 9mm handgun was so that I could afford to shoot it a lot more regularly than just about anything besides .22lr. That said, I do keep 15 rounds of defensive ammo loaded in a magazine in my glock. To date, I've fired a total of 5 rounds of Speer Gold dot through it, which I had my friend mix randomly with FMJ in a magazine while I wasn't looking to see if I could tell the difference when I fired my weapon (I couldn't). I figure the gun you're most likely to be able to defend yourself with is the one you're most comfortable with. My glock was cheap, it's extremely accurate, fun to shoot, ammo is relatively inexpensive, and if it's good enough for Delta, DEVGRU, the Rangers, and other Spec Ops forces, it's good enough for me.

Like many things in life, it's easy to become fixated on various loads or handguns because something about them appeals strongly to you. I've had this problem before. I got fixated on the idea of purchasing a PRT 91 for about a year, but thankfully never did it, as it's pretty hard to shoot if you're left-handed. I would have known that, if I had ever actually fired it. I would have been stuck with a bigger version of what you have: an extremely expensive conversation piece. Defensive loads definitely have that sexy aura about them, but they're just bullets, albeit well designed ones.

Just an idea, but maybe if you can't afford shooting a 1911 right now, it would be a good idea to either trade your 1911 for a .22lr pistol, or buy a .22lr conversion kit for it. 200 or more rounds for 5-10 bucks is pretty hard to beat. At least then you could focus on the basics of pistol marksmanship, instead of owning a gun that you have only been able to afford to shoot once.

[Don Gwinn]

Let me just get heretical for a moment: I have used FMJ as defensive ammo and will again. Yes, I prefer JHP, usually Corbon 230-grain .45. But I have carried the pistol and used it as a car gun with Winchester white box 230-grain ball ammo and the world didn't end. Why did I do that?
Because that's the ammo I had sitting around at that moment, and the perfect is the enemy of the good.

Seriously. Just go to your local range and look for ammunition in cheap packaging, like stapled plastic bags or plain white cardboard. That's the range's own reloaded ammunition. It's not the greatest, but it beats not shooting.

In the meantime, you're dry firing regularly and with serious intent, right?

Just an idea, but maybe if you can't afford shooting a 1911 right now, it would be a good idea to either trade your 1911 for a .22lr pistol, or buy a .22lr conversion kit for it. 200 or more rounds for 5-10 bucks is pretty hard to beat. At least then you could focus on the basics of pistol marksmanship, instead of owning a gun that you have only been able to afford to shoot once.

This is great advice. The .22 will be more useful over your life than any one defensive firearm if you want to be any good . . . . and it will always be better than harsh language.

[Robstafarian]

Seriously. Just go to your local range and look for ammunition in cheap packaging, like stapled plastic bags or plain white cardboard. That's the range's own reloaded ammunition. It's not the greatest, but it beats not shooting.

The range I've decided not to frequent anymore doesn't sell reloaded ammunition. Unfortunately, I still haven't visited the range I'd like to try.

In the meantime, you're dry firing regularly and with serious intent, right?

Yes, about once a week (while looking at a full size mirror to ensure my I'm holding things level and straight).

Just in case I've given anyone the wrong impression...

I currently have 50 rounds of 230gr Remington Golden Saber and 100 rounds of 230gr Remington UMC JHP.

I bought a 25 round box of Golden Saber concurrent with, but not in the same purchase as, the pistol. I got the second box later on the basis of testing reliability with my chosen defensive load.

I bought the UMC a year (or longer) ago because I was, well, not thinking. The price was astronomically high (thankfully my father paid half, because I didn't know how badly I was being ripped off), and I had in mind a cheap JHP test for after the pistol was broken in. To this day, I have no idea why I didn't think about break-in ammo at that time. I feel stupid every time I look at the box.

So yeah, it's not like I'm collecting a bunch of JHP ammo due to a fetish. That said, I have spent $65 on ammunition I don't need. My plan for now is to save for lots of FMJ, possibly buying a smaller quantity if I can get a ride to the range sooner than I can get the money. The trouble with a .22lr conversion is that, like dry firing, it neither breaks in my 1911 nor gets me practice firing .45ACP through my 1911.

Thanks very much to all of you for replying to my OP; an effect of being a younger brother is that I respond better to external assertions.

[Emevas]

You shouldn't really need practice firing .45 acp through the 1911. The shooting fundamentals will be the same, and a 1911 is so heavy that .45 doesn't give you much recoil. I DO agree with your issue on breaking in, which is why I didn't suggest a .22 conversion. I plan to pick one up for myself now that I've put over 250 rounds through mine, just so I can shoot it for cheap.

That remmington UMC also comes in FMJ, and is what I picked up.

[Don Gwinn]

Now you have gone too far, muscle-man.

[Emevas]

Was it something I said?

[Cassius]

You shouldn't really need practice firing .45 acp through the 1911. The shooting fundamentals will be the same, and a 1911 is so heavy that .45 doesn't give you much recoil. I DO agree with your issue on breaking in, which is why I didn't suggest a .22 conversion. I plan to pick one up for myself now that I've put over 250 rounds through mine, just so I can shoot it for cheap.

That remmington UMC also comes in FMJ, and is what I picked up.

I completely understand the issue of breaking in, but I assume Robstafarian enjoys shooting, so the primary intent here is to get him to the range. I really think a conversion kit is a good option for him. Hell, I'm looking at getting a .22 plinker so I can afford to go to the range more than once every week or two. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Something that people tend to forget, in my experience, is that shooting is like any other martial art: It should be a time for you to get together with friends, relieve some stress, have a good time, and practice a skill that may save your life someday. Don't get too wrapped up in what you're shooting, just enjoy the fact that you are shooting.

[Emevas]

Yeah, I definitely think it will be a good move after his break in phase or even beforehand if he just wants to shoot now and worry about .45 ammo pricing later.