Practice or store

By Joseph Parish

I sat in my living room chair watching the military channel on cable last evening and all of a sudden I started to think about all the ammo which is being wasted for practice. The thought occurred to me that perhaps all this practice is simply not necessary. What will these same people do in the event that ammo is extremely scarce when the big emergency occurs? The only thing I can envision them doing is sitting on the curve with their head in their hand wishing that they had not wasted such a valuable commodity.

Don’t get me wrong as there is simply no problem in checking your weapons and ensuring that they are in prime condition. The only point that I am trying to make here is that perhaps the ammo would serve better being stored for that frightful day when it just may be needed.

Let’s face it a weapon is not going to hurt itself by merely sitting in its assigned location. Its adjustment is not going to be modified if it is not bothered. Each weapon that you have you should already be proficient with and practice is merely a time to enjoy your weapon and not completely required. In the military they train you to pick up any weapon at any time and be able to use it. If you have had similar training then you too should be able to master any weapon tossed in your circle within a mere matter of minutes.

Many people are planning to add to their gun collection during the next month or so but the thing to consider is how much practice is going to be needed to master your new weapon. Ammo is quickly becoming a hard to find item. It is not usual to discover that you are purchasing the last brick or two of a particular type of ammo.

If you happen to find that this is a hard to believe fact then consider this situation. Here you have a fairly new weapons handler purchasing an AR. Imagine who surprised he will be to discover that he can not locate any ammo to purchase for his new weapon.

Often people state that only through constant practice can they stay proficient in the use of their weapon whether it is a rifle or a combat pistol. These people are firm believers that you must practice live draw and fire drills, that you require practice in moving targets and other fire related activities in order to maintain your abilities. In reality what it actually boils down to is muscle recall and repetition. Live fire and its associated practice drills merely assist your muscles in remembering and tend to make your movements instinctive. These same people contend that in an emergency situation you simply would not have time to react as quickly if you forgo your training and practice. Most of these are only excuses to “play” with your weapons and won’t really affect the outcome of a situation that much.

So, give careful though as to how much of your ammo you will be able to waste and still feel secure in your weapons accumulation.

Copyright 2009 Joseph Parish