|
Post by bluetrain on Oct 30, 2018 8:33:53 GMT
One of the problems with handguns is that everyone's an expert. Less money is probably spent choosing fighter aircraft because no one knows much about them.
|
|
|
Post by reynolds on Oct 30, 2018 15:17:06 GMT
I've got 50,000+ hours of study and thought, owned over 150 handguns, fired 1/4million rds, made a couple of million draws with them, carried them 10 hours a day for 20 years. gunsmithed them for 10 years, 2 years of that commercially, cast 300,000 bullets, sold half of them, reloaded the other half and shot them, competed in over 150 IPSC and IDPA matches, taught scores of people how to shoot, some of them to A class level.
|
|
|
Post by bluetrain on Oct 30, 2018 16:16:58 GMT
You must be one wealthy person.
|
|
|
Post by reynolds on Oct 30, 2018 18:00:57 GMT
not at all. Never cleared more than 30k a year in my life and mostly, it was under 20k, But I didn't blow any of it on women,restaurants, gambling, dope, booze, tobacco, nice house or cars, and I've been at it right at 50 years now. When I was shooting world class IPSC, I was casting and loading .45's for 3c each. I was firing 20k rds a year for 3 years, and as many more .22's thru a Colt conversion unit. The travel to matches, motels, etc, was costing me more than the reloading components. I dropped $1800 on airfare to Rhodesian in 1977, which would be over 12k in today's money. I can still cast and load 9mm for 6c a shot. I used to spend 3k a year talking long distance to Kenny Hackathorn, Mas Ayoob, Bill Wilson, Bob Arganbright, Mike Harries, a few times to Jeff. Mostly, I wrote letters to Jeff, tho.
|
|
|
Post by reynolds on Oct 30, 2018 18:06:44 GMT
Stuff adds up. Shooting 10,000 rds a year, half of it .22lr, is nothing. The top hands all fire 50,000 rds per year and a few fire 100,000 rds per year. A $500 set up with a case feeder, bullet feeder, etc, on a use Lee progressive loader and you can load 600 rds per hour. If you've got several 6 cavity Lee bullet molds, a 100 lb lead pot and propane-fired plumber's furnace, you can cast 1200 9mm bullets per hour, and size/lube them just as fast with a Star progressive sizer machine. About another $500 set up. Since it's saving you $150 per 1000 rds, it pays for itself in a very months of practice shooting and you can always sell such gear for half price. I've had scores of days at the range that went over 1000 rds, half of it .22lr, half of it .45. I've had a few such days all .45, too. A 223 ammo can holds 1500 rds of loose .45 ammo.
|
|
|
Post by bluetrain on Oct 30, 2018 21:06:34 GMT
You're a better man than me, Mr. Reynolds.
|
|
|
Post by bluetrain on Oct 31, 2018 10:17:54 GMT
By the way, I assume you're referring to Jeff Cooper above. He was in some ways like Elmer Keith. He was dedicated to one system of handguns, claimed credit for a lot of things and could be a little outspoken,even a little controversial. Otherwise, their lives were not at all similar. Personally, I enjoyed reading Skeeter Skelton a lot more, who was never outspoken, always modest, and was never dogmatic. One peculiar thing about Elmer Keith, though, was, given what he wrote about and his choice of words, I can't help but hear my father's voice when I read Keith's books.
|
|
|
Post by reynolds on Oct 31, 2018 22:16:39 GMT
You're a better man than me, Mr. Reynolds. I'm modest, but a whole lot better than most when it comes to guns, survival, hand to hand. Just the facts of the matter. I've been training really hard since about 1964. Anyone who's devoted 50,000 hours of hard work/study into something SHOULD be superb at it, right?
|
|