A lot of accuracy is related to the wrist. Any small motion in the wrist can translate into significant inaccuracy at the target.

If you have a laser pointer (or better yet, a pistol with a laser sight) observe how the sight dot will move with just slight motion in your wrist.

If you practice (you do not need to be actually holding a weapon) tightening the muscles in your wrist and moving your trigger finger while keeping your wrist "locked" in place, you will find your accuracy will increase when you apply the same action while shooting.

I was feeling some fatigue, so I was taking some time between shots until I felt I was properly lined up and had my wandering wrist under control. I was aiming more with the rear sight than the front. I know my mistakes, I just need practice.

With practice you should be able to hold 3" groups at 50" when target practicing. Under stressful conditions those numbers will degrade significantly. But for practice go for 1" groups at 25 feet.

Target shooters go for 1/2 inch groups at 50" But thats with very good guns.

Is the 7-day waiting period an Illinois thing or a federal thing? Does it apply to all handgun transactions or just sales of new handguns?

There is no Federal waiting period, in SC if I want a handgun, rifle, or shotgun it takes 10 minutes to complete the transaction.

There was a federal waiting period as part of the Brady Law in 1993-94. But that law had a provision to end the waiting period as soon as a state got their NICS (nat. instant check system) online. Since Virginia had this going even before the Brady Law, we really never had waiting periods. BUT, some of the more liberal parts of VA passed their own local waiting periods. Fortunately, the state outlawed them a few yrs. ago. But plenty of other states have passed them.

You can get a nice WALTHER PPK/S .380 Stainless for $400 or if you go for a lower caliber my choice is WALTHER P22 Target

PPK/S
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170704299.jpg

Walther P22 Target for $370

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170704349.jpg

Illinois has the automated background checks AND a 7-day waiting period for handguns (24 hours for long guns). :rolleyes:

Ruger -

I've had experience with both a P89 and a P345 - I loved them both, especially the P345. It was an excellent out of the box shooter. I gave it up for one minor reason -FTF on last round in the magazine. Just didn't want to fool with it. Other than that it was a great, concealable weapon. Ruger service is reputed to be amongst the best in the business. THey repair basically any Ruger weapon pending it hasn't been illegally modified. I'd reccommend a P345 - you can find 'em new for under $400. Make sure it uses your ammo correctly, I'd put at least 100 of your carry rounds thru it to break it in.

I presently have a Colt Series 70 Combat Commander that's hot rodded, and a Glock 27 (monkeyed with too) that both rotate as a carry gun. Some feel that the lack of external safeties on the Glock make it easier to operate in a tense situation. that, and they're infinitely reliable, cheap to operate and upgrade make it a good choice.

A Series 70 Commander is WAY too much gun for a first timer. Buy one if you can afford it. But until you really know what you're doing, you can get a decent beginner gun for a lot less. And for carry duty, I don't know that would use a Series 70 Commander. It's really too valuable a gun to risk having end up in an evidence locker, should you ever have to use it in a real situation. I am getting my dad's Commander pretty soon and it will be a shooter and a safe queen, but not for carry duty.

A Colt Series 70 Commander a "SAFE OUEEN" boy oh boy how times have changed..I got rid of virtually everything in Colt past 1970.

My definition of safe queen is anything I don't carry. I do shoot them all regularly.

mine is hacked up - doesn't have much collector value. Just didn't want a tupperware gun as my only carry.

The Glock I got for free from my brother.

My two pistols...
 

Here are mine... Beretta 92FS in 9mm and Sig P239 in 9mm. Both are cheap and fun to shoot, but the Sig is much more accurate and feels better. When I go to the local range, I put 300-500 rounds through each and the Sig has never had a problem with the mixed ammo I use but the Beretta is finicky.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170782626.jpg

still ain't wantin' to sell that beretta, eh art..? ;) i've been looking off and on for a 92f or 92fs. btw, still no sign of that plastic polish..hope it isn't coming back home to you again!
ryan

Ryan,

My wife bought me the Beretta for a Christmas present 10 years ago, so I won't sell it... The polish should be at your place near the end of the week. UPS told me the "cold weather" is slowing down their deliveries... it's been below zero for a week here...

gotcha' art...i'll keep a lookin'. loud and clear on the beretta, too! :)

All I care about is being able to keep a 1 FOOT group at 5 feet as I throw 155gr JHP slugs as fast as my finger can pull the trigger. :D

I'm pretty sure I'm between a P89 and P95. It looks to me like the P89 has 15-round magazines and the P95 ten round, yet the P95 is more expensive.

(I don't like to walk into a new hobby and buy the most expensive implement in the hobby. I like to start with a workhorse implement and decide what I like and dislike about it, then find something that meets those needs. In a lot of hobbies, the high-end stuff can be pretty specific to a certain type of use--one that I may have no interest in or talent for.)

I've seen worse! There are holes in the roof of our outdoor shooting range.