Rediscovering the Joys of Rimfire and Dry Fire...

Ammo availability for replacing one's 'go to SHTF ammo' has had the effect, at least on me, to move to 22LR practice during at least half the time I go to the range.  This is becoming even more important as standard FMJ practice in practical calibers such as 9mm and .45ACP stay near, at, or over $1.00 per round.

A great workaround that many know about, but relatively few are using (at least what I see on my ranges) is the venerable .22LR.  It's a great little round to shoot, and using it is kind to your wallet as well.

Whether it's with a .22LR bolt gun or a CMMG 22 Adapter in my AR, or my Buckmark, I can still expend a hundred rounds in meaningful practice while focusing on the fundamentals of sight picture, sight alignment, breathing, trigger depression and follow through.

I think a lot more people are going to be turning to the 22LR for their marksmanship maintenance activities.  Call it a hunch.

We should all still be religiously doing our dry fire, too.  There's a few training aids out there to keep that from being boring, as well, and will provide feedback.  All you need is a reduced  target on an 8.5X11 Inch piece of paper, and this:

A laser bullet; this one is the Pink Rhino brand, and costs just under $39.  You can get it through this site, and it comes in .380ACP, 9mm, and 45ACP.  Simple to use, too.  First, last and always, make sure your mag is out and the chamber is clear!!  

Once that's done, lock the slide to the rear and insert the laser bullet in the chamber with the black circle portion shown at the rear - the laser end has the white dot on it.  Let the slide go forward, and close over the training aid.

Aim your pistol in a safe direction (not smart to look down the barrel to see the laser - just sayin') and depress the trigger as you would during live fire.  When the hammer drops, the striker/firing pin will hit the black circle (a rubber pad) hard enough to activate the laser, and you'll see a red laser dot on the target where a round would have it.  For the next shot, simply cycle the slide - the laser won't fall out because it doesn't have anything for the extractor to grab ahold of, and it also has 2 rubber O-rings to hold it in the chamber.

Keep doing this as long as you want to dry fire.  

When you're finished, lock the slide to the rear and remove the training aid.  I use the eraser end of a Number 2 pencil to GENTLY push the laser bullet out of the chamber.

So, between the 22LR  live fire practice, and the laser training aid, there's absolutely no reason your skills shouldn't keep improving!