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Old October 9, 2012, 09:56 AM   #1
mrt949
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When do you have too much gun

As we get older . When do you decide you have too much gun to control to be a good shooter? Caliber ,size ,weight, sights take into the mix. Had the big boomers 44 mag, 454 ,in revolvers. 45,40 and 9mm in autos.Due to physical problems the J FRAME & RUGER SP101 work best now days .How about you.
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Old October 9, 2012, 10:15 AM   #2
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I don't see age having anything to do with it. As I age, I become more proficient and my technique becomes better.

I carry a Glock 357 Sig, so far its the best fighting gun I have found. If I am gonna get in a fight it's what I want.

I still shoot my 44's and my 357's. For SD I will choose the best, for me it is the Glock.
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Old October 9, 2012, 10:54 AM   #3
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Too Much Gun



It’s an individual thing, based upon age, health, and other conditions. Since I’m now a gray haired, 62 Year old, Grandfather looking type, I’d suspect that the Thugs out in the world perceive me as an easier target than back in “The Day”. So when I’m out and about I tend to carry two weapons and even put a third in the glove box. Depending where I’m going to, of course.

As I’ve gotten older, my taste in weapons for Self Defense and Concealed Carry has changed. During the Fall and Winter in the South, I tend to go up in calibers.

These are my Modern Day Carry weapons. A S&W 4043 in 40 Caliber, a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Mag with a 2 ½ in barrel. A Kimber 1911 45 ACP, Custom Shop Super Carry Pro. A Ruger SP-101, in .357 Mag. A Walther (S/W) PPK S-1, .380 ACP and a Ruger LCP .380 ACP.

Some I suspect have been relegated to a Safe Queen Status since lately, depending on where I’m going I tend to favor the lighter calibers for more convenience of carry than anything else. So I tend to jack it up a caliber or two, just in case.
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Old October 9, 2012, 11:43 AM   #4
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105mm Howitzer.


Its too much gun for me....



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Old October 9, 2012, 11:45 AM   #5
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Quote:
Due to physical problems the J FRAME & RUGER SP101 work best now days
So, in your current state, small wheel guns "suit" your hands and fingers best?
Is that because you are comfortable with the recoil impulse of that size/shape of gun... or is it because you have the best dexterity/fine muscle control with that size/shape? Two different things ya' know...

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Old October 9, 2012, 11:47 AM   #6
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When you go squirrel hunting and your 30-30 eviscerates and skins the squirrel and takes the front half of the meat you may have to much gun. Ask my brother about that.

He can still shoot his 45's but 44 mag is to much. I can still shoot my 44 mag but after an extended session I pay for it that night. Same with 41 mag, love it but most anything I need to shoot can get shot with a .357 just as well for less cost and no pain afterwards.
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Old October 9, 2012, 05:22 PM   #7
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All i know when i hold that revolver i can feel the thunder it can bring if the time is right . Autos are ok but old hands don't work as well when you get up from a nap. If it doesn't fit it's useless.
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Old October 9, 2012, 05:36 PM   #8
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Welp, my .44 magnum Redhawk might be too much gun for me now, as I haven't fired it in several years, but I doubt it. The .45-70 Contender, OTOH, is too much gun. I knew that when I put it away for good years ago. I should probably sell that thing, but the .30-30 barrel is one of my favorites.
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Old October 9, 2012, 07:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
When you go squirrel hunting and your 30-30 eviscerates and skins the squirrel and takes the front half of the meat you may have to much gun. Ask my brother about that.
I shoot with a friend who is older than I. He used to shoot squirrels with a 300 H&H when he was my age....can you say red mist...
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Old October 9, 2012, 08:41 PM   #10
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I felt the Ruger SP 101 to have too much recoil for my abilities. Sold it a year after purchase.
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Old October 10, 2012, 02:15 AM   #11
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I do not think it's about age to a reasonable extent. Some of it is the guns and the cartridges that they are chambered for (modern metallurgy has made it possible to chamber too much cartridge in too small of a gun for it to be comfortable to shoot.) The SP101 is a prime example.

Bigger guns are more technique than strength to control (to a certain extent, of course). I have seen big guys with poor technique fail to control magnums and dislike them, and they are certainly big enough to do so. I have seen small women shoot magnums very well and not complain, because of good technique. I am not a big guy and love shooting big bores, but I have been doing so for a long time and have good technique.
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Old October 10, 2012, 07:52 AM   #12
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I think you have too much gun when it is not enjoyable for you to shoot it.

I'm still pretty young comparatively, but previous jobs (and perhaps genetics) have caused me to have bad wrists. So, if I shoot larger bore handguns it's not fun for me because in the back of my mind I'm questioning if I will be hurting the next day.

I really don't see myself going over 9mm in any handgun anytime soon. I am a bigger guy, maybe I just don have the technique down like some have said. But the thing is, I don't want to invest in a larger caliber to only find out that even with good technique it still makes my wrists sore.
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Old October 10, 2012, 08:07 AM   #13
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.45acp in an all metal full size gun is still a joy to shoot at 53 and I hope it stays that way for a long time.
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Old October 10, 2012, 12:35 PM   #14
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I'm 66 now and as yet haven't run across one that's just too ferocious to shoot and enjoy. That said, I've never shot anything beyond the .44 Magnum. Keith's old max load with a 240 gr LSWC is my perceived limit tho. My day in -day out play and pack on the farm guns are usually .44 Spl's or .45 ACP's; but I do shoot a .41 and .44 Magnum on a regular basis...in both Ruger and S&W guns.

Health issues have not been a factor so far, tho my eyes aren't where they were 30 years ago, but good glasses have negated that problem.

As to the poster who mentioned stiff hands after a nap...I'd had that problem too, and felt that add'l finger work would help....I played guitar through college but gave it up when my family began to grow....since I've retired, I've taken it up again, and find that it really helps...I play the better part of an hour a day...enjoy it thoroughly, and have regained enuf proficiency that family members, especially "she who must be obeyed" don't complain.

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Old October 10, 2012, 01:19 PM   #15
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When you can't pick it up.

Seriously though, My Father-in-law bought a S&W 500 a year back. We finally took it out and shout it a couple months ago .... that is too much gun! (Fun as all heck to shoot though).
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Old October 10, 2012, 06:32 PM   #16
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For defensive carry you have too much gun when the bullet passes through the bad guy and into (maybe through) one or more bystanders.

For plinking you have too much gun when it starts to beat you up.

For hunting you have too much gun when it makes mush out of your meat.
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Old October 10, 2012, 06:52 PM   #17
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If the gun beats you up ...because its too small in your hands...or it has too much recoil, to effectively ( in 1 sec at the most ) make a follow-up shot...then its not the right gun for you....( too much gun, maybe - maybe not)...

I'm in my early 60's ....hand injuries and hand strength are not what they were 40 yrs ago ...but I know ...it was too much gun, when I know its going to hurt before I pull the trigger....( like on a .475 Linbaugh or a .500 Wyoming Express in a gun under 60 oz )...and after I pulled the trigger, I definitely knew it hurt .../ or when I reach into my range bag, for a pair of shooting gloves, before I go to shoot that gun ....../ maybe at some point, I'd say, no - put that thing back .../ you can observe, you don't have to shoot everything ...!!
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Old October 11, 2012, 09:24 AM   #18
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Im 40 now and know issues yet..LOL. I think that as I get older my skills get better. At some point, tho, it might affect me, but, Ill cross that bridge when it comes.
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Old October 11, 2012, 09:29 AM   #19
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I decided that the .44 Magnum was too much gun for me, in my mid-thirties. Not pleasant to shoot, and hot .357's cleaned pins off the table just fine.

It wasn't a hand strength issue, as I was installing wood hardwood floors 5-6 days a week with a manual Powernailer and a 4lb mallet at the time.
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Old October 11, 2012, 07:33 PM   #20
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I'm 64 now and have arthritis in my hands and wrists. So I can see a day, if I live long enough, where I might have to drop from 45 to 9mm. But that day is still a quite a ways off, I hope!!!
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Old October 11, 2012, 09:04 PM   #21
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.44 and higher is usually getting into that "too much gun" range. That is, unless the application suits the caliber, like bears and such
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Old October 11, 2012, 09:07 PM   #22
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.44 and higher is usually getting into that "too much gun" range. That is, unless the application suits the caliber, like bears and such.
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Old October 11, 2012, 09:31 PM   #23
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That squirrel story reminded me of my experience with a squirrel and too much gun for the job. I was sitting in a tree stand when a squirrel above me started chattering and sending bits of limbs down on me, the last straw was when squirrel droppings fell on me. I had my 357 for back up gun and always carried a speedloader of 38 wadcutters, sighted the rat in and pulled the trigger, caught him just behind the shoulder and down came the back half with the tail. I kept it and cooked it up just for spite, tasted good and was half cleaned.
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Old October 11, 2012, 10:44 PM   #24
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I prefer larger calibers for carry guns, but it isn't required to shoot the heaviest loads in them. You can load a big gun down like a small gun, but a small gun will always be a small gun. The noise level of a 44 with medium level, or 44 spl level loads is far more pleasnt to shoot than a 357 magnum, and have much more room at the top end if you want it. I do in fact live in bear country, any time I walk out my door is potentially a day I could run into a bear (the G kind, as well as the B kind). I won't carry smaller caliber guns, they won't do the work a larger caliber gun will when it comes to large critters. Age has some bearing on what I like to shoot, heavy loads just aren't that much fun any more, but I keep them in the gun when out in the hills. I also find single action revolvers more pleasant to shoot with any given load than a DA because of the grip shape. I find myself carrying the Ruger 45 more often, and the Smith 29 less as time goes on.

I shoot small game and grouse with 30-30, 348 and 45-70. You just have to tailor the load to what you're doing. Round ball loads at low velocity work great, dont tear up the game, and are quiet to shoot. light cast bullet loads work well also.
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Old October 12, 2012, 02:06 AM   #25
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At a pistol match we had one stage with a required 100 round count. Talk about cry babies. Waaa, boo-who, woe is me, tist tist. A few months later we had a 60 something round count stage where the range officials acually counted holes. 50% or more of the rounds were from regular competitors using all manner of 'race-guns'. I havn't heard that much cry babying since Bush won Florida. I know how tuff these, magnums-are-no-big-deal-to me, shooters are from behind the keyboard.
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