Best handgun trainer

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Raden1942

Raden1942

Member
Feb 15, 2018
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California, United States
Hey guys im looking for a training platform to build speed and accuracy with a handgun. I want blowback and the ability to drop the magazine and reload. I was wondering what company you would suggest. Sig seems high on the list but I dont know if there are any other companies that do well. I would prefer a pellet pistol but havent ruled out bb. I just think pellets will be safer with less chances of ricochet. 
 
I use the Umarex Colt Commander (the same gun is available in several different names). It is a good imitation of my carry guns. Very few pellet shooting guns off blowback. You can use smart shot or dustdevils if you are going to be engaging steel targets. With steel bb's, double tapping 2" targets at 10 yards out of the holster is easy. It is less accurate with the dust devils, but good enough for action shooting. I get 3 19 round mags from each CO2 cartridge. Spare mags are available for it.
 
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in reality there isn't, all an air pistol will do is give you bad habits

back in my .45 acp competition days, people would practice with little loads and when they came to a match your ammo was checked and they couldn't deal with the added recoil

I bought a Magnum Research Desert Eagle and the pistol seems ok but the trigger is garbage and it sucks co2 like no buddies business

if you had a few friends and a course of fire you could have a good time but not for pistol handling training not a chance

if you what to practice with a real gun do just that, empty mag, extra mags, holster and draw and go bip, bip

run a 3 target course 2 rounds each mag change 2 round each in the opposite direction, have it timed from go to the last bip

A shooter could do in 5.5 seconds, I myself was more like 10

again just my opinion
 
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in reality there isn't, all an air pistol will do is give you bad habits

back in my .45 acp competition days, people would practice with little loads and when they came to a match your ammo was checked and they couldn't deal with the added recoil

I bought a Magnum Research Desert Eagle and the pistol seems ok but the trigger is garbage and it sucks co2 like no buddies business

if you had a few friends and a course of fire you could have a good time but not for pistol handling training not a chance

if you what to practice with a real gun do just that, empty mag, extra mags, holster and draw and go bip, bip

run a 3 target course 2 rounds each mag change 2 round each in the opposite direction, have it timed from go to the last bip

A shooter could do in 5.5 seconds, I myself was more like 10

again just my opinion
Click to expand...

I agree with marflow regarding creating potential training scars...but the caviate is which aspect of your training you're working on. If you are working on drawing from concealment , then a red gun (plastic/rubber) would be a better choice. For practicing your trigger pull and drawing, you can do that with your actual unloaded (no ammo in the same room as your training area) gun. You'll have to run the slide each time to reset the trigger, but no biggie. For firing on target to practice sight ailgmnet, trigger control and grip, it would be best to use your actual gun at the range. The recoil signature and real trigger will build better muscle memory. 


 
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I'll tell you the funnest air pistol for speed shooting I've had is the Cybergun Tangfolio Gold custom Co2 BB pistol. It's pretty realistic in a lot of ways including weight, and it's reliable. Has a blowback slide, 17 shot, good trigger, etc. Not the most accurate thing around, 1.25" at 6y was average. 

A bunch of friends and I bought them. We'd compete man on man using identical plate racks with crossover poppers in the middle to engage after the rack was cleaned, it was so much fun! Yes, you must wear eye protection but there is not even enough power at 6 yards for a ricochet to cause pain. Well the BB's would deflect up since the plate started falling backwards upon impact.

The fastest runs were just over 2 seconds for six 3" plates at 6Y.
 
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I guess I should mention that I take my xd 9mm up to the mountains once a month and fire off 200 rounds or so over a day or two. I absolutely will not draw quickly for practice with a loaded gun. I am not training for competition but would like to get a feel for drawing quickly and of course fun. I think i would gain more than i would lose shooting 100 pellets a day than not. My rifle skills have increased by leaps and bounds by shooting my pcps even if they have little to no recoil. Mostly I want to have fun in my backyard though! 
 
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There is a balance to all this, the practice aspect of firearm vs airgun, there's a lot to be said about trigger time with both!

After I won my 2nd year in a row as AZ state champion in a long range steel event with tactical centerfire rifles I was asked a question by a fellow competitor. He said, what's your secret for learning to shoot so well? In response I replied that I shot my PCP air rifles a lot and had for many years. #1 I had learned "correct form" with a rifle and #2 I had become studious in wind and the effects of it from shooting Field Target air rifle.

Back to the pistol. I won't go into my various accomplishments with that but I can tell you the basic fundamentals transition just fine in most ways when one spends trigger time with air pistols as well.

My wife hadn't shot a centerfire pistol before she met me. I bought her a inexpensive single pump pneumatic air pistol. After a few weeks of practice she was able to hit a pop can 9 for 10 at 10Y. All that was needed said when she started flinching downwards with her 9mm was, """Honey you have to shoot this just like you do your pellet pistol""". So I had her dryfire for a while, then I pretended that I had put a 9mm round in, and the flinch became apparent to her. Since now she had seen exactly what she was doing wrong with the firearm she was then able to follow through like she did with her pellet pistol.




 
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I have been firing powder burners for 30 years and am still learning tricks and getting better. I do feel like steve has it right as far as im concerned. More trigger time equals better form. So as far as blowback pistols which ones are most reliable and reasonably accurate. Caoable of hitting a pop can at 10 to 15 yards every time if i do my part? 
 
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I have also been shooting firearms for many years and have taught defensive pistol courses.

PRO's: For proficiency in holster work, proper grip, rapid sight alignment, trigger fundamentals (slack - aim - press); a CO2 blowback pistol can be a great help, and alot of fun on the cheap.

CON's: realisitc mag changes and response to malfunctions (FTF/stovepipes, etc) cannot be practiced. Muscle memory necessary to quickly react to firearm off-nominal situations cannot be developed with an air pistol.

I have a cheapo daisy blowback pistol (FUN) and a Sig P226 (also FUN).

The daisy has very good shot count/per CO2 and GREAT blowback, but the weight is too light. 

The Sig is spot on in the weight realm, less blowback, but fits in the trademark firearm holster perfectly. The Sig plows thru CO2 like a goat plows thru vegetables in the family garden - BUT - the realism for (PRO's) is worth it.
 
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