What to Recommend for My Dad

[Tucker 1371]

Recoil to me is very mild.

Are the rest of your guns 10mm Autos and Magnum revolvers? Compared to any full size 1911 I've ever shot recoil was stout. Really the only auto I've shot that bucked harder is a Glock 20.

He didn't think the recoil was bad either until he shot my CZ. He's not recoil sensitive, he's just new. I don't want him developing a flinch. He's open to the idea of trading for a 9mm and I think that's a better way to go for a new shooter than .45 ACP out of a 26oz gun.

 

[AL45]

Tucker1371, I do shoot "Ruger Only" loads through my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt which has considerable more recoil. In fact, my 2.25" SP101 .357 magnum has a pretty stout recoil with certain loads. It's probably just the newness of shooting. When my wife first fired my son's all steel, full sized .45 ACP, she thought it was too much gun. Now she has no problem with her alloy compact Sig .45 ACP. I can certainly relate to the "flinch" which has been caused by my hot .45 Colt loads. It's been kicking my butt lately at the range. If you are a reloader, you might try loading up some 185 grain loads and letting your Dad work up. That's what I did for my Wife. Good luck and enjoy shooting with your Dad.

 

[kraigwy]

Guess I'm the odd ball here. I vote let dad get the gun he wants.

I have a few guns that I cant shoot very well, but I like them anyway, I got plenty others I can shoot.

We all have different taste. My kids may not like what I like, and I may not like what they like. If I'm gonna buy someone a gun, I let them pick it out.

That especially goes for wives.

 

[JDBerg]

I really don't know what role his astigmatism might be playing in his shooting but I imagine it can't be good.

I can tell you I've been at "been there & done that"! A lot of this is just admitting that your eyesight just ain't as good as it used to be for target shooting.

I can shoot fine with my astigmatism using high power but regular spherical contact lenses, I don't need toric lenses (yet). No way I'd ever go back to hard gas permeable lenses. I'd absolutely look at Lasik surgery options if that ever was the case.

If you or your Dad could get in contact with an optician who specializes in fitting prescription shooting glasses for sport shooters, preferably near you Dad, you might get some good ideas to help solve the problem, can't possibly hurt!

 

[dahermit]

When you buy a Kimber, you are paying for a "name." It's a shame that he did not choose the Colt Commander.

Of the four Colt's (3 Combat Commanders, one full size Government Model), only one was reliable as shipped. I was paying for a "name", also.

 

[Tucker 1371]

AL45,

Will do, sadly I had to sell my reloading equipment a while back. All I have left is a Lee .50 BMG press kit that nobody wants.

Guess I'm the odd ball here. I vote let dad get the gun he wants.

He asked me for advice when making the selection he made and did not take it. Now that he's shot my 9mm CZ he wants a 9mm handgun of some sort. So we're all good on the "what dad wants" front.

JDBerg,

Thanks for the astigmatism pointers, he says his optometrist told him he didn't need contacts that corrected for it but I'm not so sure he/she was thinking about shooting when she told him that.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Vision correction is tough -- and it's worse because there's no way to know if an optometrist or optician is going to freak out when you mention GUNZ!

In general, the front sight is what's supposed to be in focus, and when shooting the front sight is a few inches beyond arms' length. That happens to be about the same distance as where my computer screen sits, so I just tell the eye docs to set me up for working on the computer.

Annnnnnd ...

They ALWAYS get it wrong. Going back to the optometrist I went to from when I was 14 and he was just starting his practice, right up to when he retired, we always argued about my prescription. Half the time, he made up the lenses the way he insisted they should be, they didn't work, and a week later I was back to have him remake the lenses.

Now that he has retired, I'm having the same problem with the eye clinic at the VA hospital. Six months ago they gave me new glasses with a new prescription. The VA mailed them to my home, I sat down in front of the computer, took them off and never touched them since. I do better with drug store reading glasses than the "professionals" do. I use a 2.25 for reading and computer, and it should probably go up to a 2.5 but I'm stubborn. For shooting, a 1.5 to 1.75 seems to work pretty well.

Some of the dollar stores sell reading glasses. It's cheap enough to pick up a couple or three pairs in different strengths and try them out.

 

[Tucker 1371]

Vision correction is tough -- and it's worse because there's no way to know if an optometrist or optician is going to freak out when you mention GUNZ!

Meh... I grew up there, it's a not-so-little-anymore but still redneck town, most of the doctors I knew there were duck Hunter's and clay shooters, probably still are.

I'll see if I can get him to test drive a pair of astig-correcting contacts and shoot with them.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

That's good IF astigmatism is his only problem. Astigmatism is basically just the periphery of the vision area not focusing to the same point as the center, so the effect is MUCH less noticeable in bright light (when the iris is closed down) than it is in dim light when the iris is wide open.

However ... over about the age of 40 we also begin to suffer the onset of presbyopia (or "when did my arms get too short to read the newspaper?" syndrome), and it gets progressively worse. Presbyopia makes it difficult to get the front sight in focus, and no astigmatism correction can do anything about it. But a cheap set of drug store readers can offset the effect.

 

[Hook686]

He is your father. Be nice to him. Let him pick whatever he wants. When he passes you can sell it and get what you want.

 

[JDBerg]

Read this article from the Decot HyWyd website;

http://www.sportglasses.com/content/Front_Sight_Blur.htm

 

[Tucker 1371]

Hook686
He is your father. Be nice to him. Let him pick whatever he wants. When he passes you can sell it and get what you want.

I'm not being a Drill Instructor about it, just providing polite, constructive criticism. Even if I were he was a Navy Lt on the Abe Lincoln, he can probably handle it. He is a very competitive, results oriented person and wont settle for being a mediocre shooter. And geez, he's only 51, I'm hoping I've got at least another 30 years with him. Dang man. Even if, God forbid, that were to happen tomorrow I wouldn't sell his gun, I would keep it for sentimental reasons.

I'm recommending him get a different defensive pistol because I don't want him taken from me before its time. I want him to have the gun he can most proficiently defend himself with. He is a pharma rep and rides around with samples for doctors, granted none of them are opiates but there's no way the pillhead watching him leave the doctor's office could know that he only has insulin and not OxyContin.

JDBerg,

Thanks for the link, I'll forward it to him.

 

[EIGHTYDUECE]

Maybe nudge him in the direction of a Browning High Power. All steel, single action, not much bigger than a Commander, and soft shooting.

 

[Tucker 1371]

I was waiting for someone to recommend that. I honestly don't know much about the BHP other than it was designed by JMB, used on both sides of WWII, and recently dropped by the Brits.

Who makes a reliable Hi-Power under $1000?

 

[EIGHTYDUECE]

Browning can be found for $900 to $1000 depending on finish. The Browning will be the real deal also.

 

[Spats McGee]

I was waiting for someone to recommend that. I honestly don't know much about the BHP other than it was designed by JMB, used on both sides of WWII, and recently dropped by the Brits.

I looked into BHPs recently: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=571622 I haven't gotten one yet, but still want one.

I also posted over on THR, and one site that was consistently recommended for learning about BHPs was this one: http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com It's apparently down right now, but when it's up, it's got a lot of information.

 

[tallball]

A possible cheap solution...

There are still Star Super B's out there for $250 or less. They look and feel a lot like a 1911 and are 9mm. If he had one of those to practice with he would more easily get used to shooting. After a while the 45 would be nbd. A range toy is the answer to every problem!

Well poo, I will be 51 this summer. Perhaps y'all will be getting a similar post from my son!

 

[pilpens]

If your dad likes the 1911, then 9mm 1911 commander or full size.
Look at Springfield Range Officer.
There are other brands like RIA, STI, Sig, etc--- just depends on ow much you are spending.

 

[WinterStyrm]

I think your Dad has what I have with today's pistols. I Shot rifles and some pistols when I was young. Then life happened and stopped until the last couple of months (25 years later). I'm 45 now and am having a hard time wanting to buy the polymer (plastic) pistols. I even shot a couple rented plastic ones and really liked them. Then I tried the Beretta 92 FS and just fell for it (was a little concerned for the aluminum part). I'm not sales pitching here, only that he might have that same mindset that I do with the plastic thing. He might be not very trusting with what you offered and went for what he bought seeing that it was solid. So maybe help him and have him try different solid rent pistols or work him in with the polymer (plastics). Cause its so different now

 

[Big4Freedom]

I think maybe your dad just jumped in too fast with caliber and gun selection. He just needs more experience with handguns before going to this caliber, and he may never be comfortable with it, who knows.

I would think he should save it for down the road when he's more comfortable and buy something else if he can afford both or get rid of it now to change caliber with different gun.

If he really likes the 1911 style, he might really like the sig p238 in stainless steel. No recoil, doesn't jam or misfire, great night sights, and very accurate. Yes, it's .380 but it sounds like it would be much better fit for him now.

If he decides to keep, I'd recommend a bicycling glove on primary hand. They are nice and padded with half of each finger exposed. I use one when I shoot .45 Colt/.410 shells out of my little Bond Arms snake slayer or .357 mags out of my 11.4oz Sw 340pd. It makes range time decent with the glove. I haven't found a gun yet with more felt recoil than snake slayer, so the glove might be worth a try for him.

Good luck.