What does it mean exactly to "master the basics?" I also have a 22/45, my first firearm. I can hit center of mass consistently, but I am unable to place all my shots in a single ragged hole. Should I stick to Ruger before I move up to my Kimber .45?
First question I would ask is how far away is the target? I'd also say starting on traditional bulls and keeping a log of your score with 10 shots is a better way to track progress over time then shooting tactical targets.
That being said, I am sure we could have a long conversation about what constitutes the basics of pistol marksmanship
IMHO, when I teach people to shoot, I consider the "basic portion" over when:
1. They shoot safely, particularly with excellent skills in muzzle control/awareness, clearing and rendering the pistol safe, inspecting/clearing it before handing it to someone, and inspecting/clearing it again when its handed back. They also treat the safety as a mechanical device which can fail.
Just about every clerk at every gun store and every hobby shooter I've ever met fails the above.
2. They shoot with both eyes open with minimum flinch... i.e. no big stage blink every time they fire. This is where .22 practice and dry firing at a safe backstop at home come into play.
3. They can shoot groups consistently at 50 feet with a two handed grip that I can cover with the palm of my hand. This assumes they are shooting an accurate revolver or pistol in good working order... This is an ideal goal and not everyone gets there, but with practice every beginner can do 4 inch groups at 50 feet -- or about the 7 ring on a 50 ft target...
4. They understand and can apply (maybe not all at the same time
)
sight alignment, hold control, breath control, trigger control and follow through on each shot.
What is sad is that at every public range I go to, there are about 3 out of 20 people who can actually do the above.
5. I can move them to one handed NRA style target shooting
and they can keep all the shots on the paper.
Some people might chime in and say for defensive pistol, you just need to master out to 21 feet, that 1 handed shooting is irrelevant etc etc etc. Whenever I hear these arguments at the range, I lose interest, because it is usually some flinching yahoo who can't hit the broad side of a barn but loves to unload into silhouette targets at 7 paces...
As for you question above, try mixing the Kimber in. Warm up with some .22 then go to the .45. If you find yourself flinching or all over the paper, do some dry firing and shoot some more .22. Its really not about shooting X's at the beginning, its about achieving consistent groupings every time, then trying to shrink your groups down.
