When I was in high school, a friend who was intent on becoming a classical violinist came up to me one day and asked, "Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?" I said, "No, I've never been to New York City." He replied, "Practice, practice, practice."
Today I discovered how important that advice was for maintaining proficiency with my every day carry Shield 45. For a variety of depressing reasons, I had not shot it in nearly two years. But I'd shot it so well, (it's a great carry gun) that I figured I was still pretty good with it. I took it to the range today and got a rude awakening. My accuracy was way down, and my grouping was way big. During the first several years I'd owned it, I'd shot it twice a month, and had put around 7,500 rounds through it, so I'd had plenty of practice. However, just like musicians, you can't rest on your laurels. By not shooting it recently, my EDC Shield became a less accurate weapon.
The target photos below show how badly I'd slipped. The one on the left is from the last time I'd previously shot it, in July of 2021. The one on the right is from today. Both were shot at 15 yards, and both used the same ammo (American Eagle 230g FMJ). Can you see the difference, boys and girls? I think you can!
So if you haven't shot your EDC of late, get it to the range, and practice, practice, practice.
(BTW, my high school friend did get to play at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, which replaced Carnegie Hall as NYC's primary concert venue, so I give him credit for making it to the bigs.)
Today I discovered how important that advice was for maintaining proficiency with my every day carry Shield 45. For a variety of depressing reasons, I had not shot it in nearly two years. But I'd shot it so well, (it's a great carry gun) that I figured I was still pretty good with it. I took it to the range today and got a rude awakening. My accuracy was way down, and my grouping was way big. During the first several years I'd owned it, I'd shot it twice a month, and had put around 7,500 rounds through it, so I'd had plenty of practice. However, just like musicians, you can't rest on your laurels. By not shooting it recently, my EDC Shield became a less accurate weapon.
The target photos below show how badly I'd slipped. The one on the left is from the last time I'd previously shot it, in July of 2021. The one on the right is from today. Both were shot at 15 yards, and both used the same ammo (American Eagle 230g FMJ). Can you see the difference, boys and girls? I think you can!
So if you haven't shot your EDC of late, get it to the range, and practice, practice, practice.
(BTW, my high school friend did get to play at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, which replaced Carnegie Hall as NYC's primary concert venue, so I give him credit for making it to the bigs.)
