Can 22LR Conversion Training Make Me Worse?

[match308]

Due to ammo constraints I got a Tacsol upper for my Glock and started training with it. Went back to the Eagle in 9mm and I had to drift my sight all the way right to get center of target. Started doing dry fire practice again to get right. Is this normal?

Edited March 10, 2013 by match308

[outerlimits]

only worse cause .22LR is as expensive as real ammo!

[match308]

Roger that. Luckily, I'm still living on previous hoarding, (from Y2K).

only worse cause .22LR is as expensive as real ammo!

[Steve Anderson]

22 training can make you worse if you make it too easy... You can away with some pretty lazy technique if the targets are too close and/or large.

Make it hard! Long, difficult shots.

SA

[old506]

It sounds like maybe a couple different things going on?

If your gun was sighted in before and now you are having problems with it you either have a mechanical problem (unlikely) or a grip problem (more likely then mechanical) or a trigger manipulation problem (most likely). I would shoot it bagged in on a bench and see what happens. Group shooting should help you eliminate the things going on and help you get a little closer to what is going on.

I too went the .22 conversion route for a period of time. Although Steve makes a good argument, even with (much) harder targets, I just felt that dry fire is time/money better spent then working with a conversion. I felt like I couldn't trust anything going on in the firing cycle and live fire practice with the conversion. The intent for me was to replicate and learn about the firing cycle (while doing it cheaper). So, in my experience, if .22 work doesn't test the firing cycle well, or help me learn something about the firing cycle that converts someway to power factor ammo then all that it is doing is helping me with manipulation of the pistol and technique. Manipulation and technique is easily learned in dry fire and that makes a conversion and .22 work much, much more expensive.

[match308]

Thanks to all who've replied. I think, at least in my situation, old506 has nailed it. I'm going to abandon the 22 for now to get back to where I was, and start bugging the wife doing dry fire drills on her "house wives reality show characters". Much thanks on the diagnosis.

It sounds like maybe a couple different things going on?

If your gun was sighted in before and now you are having problems with it you either have a mechanical problem (unlikely) or a grip problem (more likely then mechanical) or a trigger manipulation problem (most likely). I would shoot it bagged in on a bench and see what happens. Group shooting should help you eliminate the things going on and help you get a little closer to what is going on.

I too went the .22 conversion route for a period of time. Although Steve makes a good argument, even with (much) harder targets, I just felt that dry fire is time/money better spent then working with a conversion. I felt like I couldn't trust anything going on in the firing cycle and live fire practice with the conversion. The intent for me was to replicate and learn about the firing cycle (while doing it cheaper). So, in my experience, if .22 work doesn't test the firing cycle well, or help me learn something about the firing cycle that converts someway to power factor ammo then all that it is doing is helping me with manipulation of the pistol and technique. Manipulation and technique is easily learned in dry fire and that makes a conversion and .22 work much, much more expensive.

[kevin c]

I would say that manipulation of the pistol and technique can be, like most techniques in our sport, refined in dry fire, but that you still have to hit the target. A .22 will not teach you how to manage recoil (what I think old506 describes as the firing cycle) in your competition pistol, but will tell you if you mastery the technique you are working on includes hitting the A zone. The same applies to using a SIRT or airsoft.

There's a role for all of the above in our paths to Master and beyond.