Re: Accuracy International Kool-aid
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There is break in on any gun regardless of make. Freshly machined metal is not smooth and the best way to make things smooth is shooting it. I don't believe in the barrel break in procedures where you shoot one clean one for so many rounds or any of that BS, I'm one that believe pushing a brush down the barrel that many times is hurting things. I also know that ANY barrel even the hand lapped ones will smooth out (in other words "break in") with some rounds down it, hand lapped ones typically take much less than the non hand lapped, but it still applies to them. Not to mention while your doing this the action will also be smoothing out aswell as the trigger mechanism. Both of mine made a noticeable difference in accuracy, bolt smoothness and trigger smoothness after a couple hundred rounds. After a couple thousand now it's like butter.</div></div>
To a point I agree that there is some wearing in of the trigger and action. There was no noticeable "wear in" the barrel of our AE. It's at 700+ rounds now. It shoots the same as when it was fresh out of the box. I know. I put it on a rest and shot test groups with different ammo.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The cheaper the ammo costs, the more trigger time you can get, and the more familiar you get with the gun.</div></div>
There is nothing cheaper than dry fire. I guarantee that it improves your familiarity with the trigger and action MUCH, MUCH more than live fire.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As I said there is nothing wrong with ammo only capable of 1MOA to get used to the gun, there have been plenty of competitions won by good shooters with 1MOA guns.</div></div>
Depends on the competition the players and the level involved. The local competition I shot this weekend would not have been won by a 1MOA rifle or a 1MOA shooter. You could have placed well, but not won it.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Not everybody is set up to reload, or has the time to load enough ammo to get sufficient range time. </div></div>
That is why most instructors will tell you to DRY FIRE. Then spend your money on quality ammo so when you live fire you can VERIFY what you practiced and not have to wonder if it's you or the ammo.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: redneckbmxer24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">don't discourage somebody from using ammo that's plenty accurate so they can get more trigger time.</div></div>
You and I have a different view of "plenty accurate". Thus I will continue to discourage people from practices I don't feel are beneficial.
I really don't care if you enjoy burning barrels out with cheap ammo, or just want to brag about how many rounds you can bang away with. Lately I have been lucky to get to the range once a week. However I practice almost every day. THAT is how you excel at shooting.</div></div>
I think this philosophy cuts both ways. Dry fire is good and important, I agree. But dry fire does not teach recoil management, which is one of my toughest areas. From that standpoint, live fire is far more useful.
On the flip side, shooting inaccurate ammo can erode one's confidence in one's abilities, or worse, cause a shooter to start wrongly compensating for something that isn't wrong to begin with.
The more accurate the rifle, IMO, the better a training tool it is during live fire. For that reason, I think it doesn't make sense to cheap out on the ammo unless the shooter is just going to shoot it into a berm, and I haven't seen anyone do that. People want the feedback that live fire gives them, be it holes in paper or rings from a gong.
Bottom line... dry fire is great. Live fire is better. And good practice requires both.