Target Distance

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Currently I usually practice at 10 yards with good results. 15 yards is difficult and 20 I'm lucky keep it on a 12" target. I use a full size 45 and a M&P Shield 9mm. Results are about the same. 8 months experience.
 
Do your really think it likelyy that you will ever awfully engage an attacker at that distance?
I assume you meant "lawfully". No, it's not likely that any of us will engage an attacker at that distance. It's not likely, under the current circumstances, (though I think that's going to change. Different subject) that any of us will engage an attacker at any distance.
 
Currently I usually practice at 10 yards with good results. 15 yards is difficult and 20 I'm lucky keep it on a 12" target. I use a full size 45 and a M&P Shield 9mm. Results are about the same. 8 months experience.
I'm gonna keep saying this. Get some professional instruction. One three day handgun class with a good instructor will do more to improve your pistol shooting than 20 years of self taught "experience".
 
I can't do this, and few people have

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I can't do this either. The gentleman who did this, I scored at a Bullseye Match, and he had a President's 100 patch.

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But, these are standards of excellence. If they can do it, then, it can be done. And, maybe with enough hard work, you can do it.

All it takes is practice, practice, practice.

You think you are on a roll, and a couple of mess ups, and you are back to mediocre.

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Depends on what kind of practice.
A 10 yard 10 inch target while drawing from a holster and shooting Bill drill under 2 seconds doesn’t sound like child’s play to me.
 
A 10 yard 10 inch target while drawing from a holster and shooting Bill drill under 2 seconds doesn’t sound like child’s play to me.
I agree. Not sure what you're getting at though, since a Bill drill was clearly not what walnut1704 was talking about.
 
I start with the 25yd distance slow fire for 5-shot groups to see if the gun is capable. 2" or less is my goal and ALL of my defensive pistols can do it. Almost. The S&W M&P40c struggles and is usually around 2.5". Still need to play with some defensive loads to optimize it.

If I know the gun is capable of decent accuracy, then I move on to the short range stuff.

I like to be able to draw and fire 5 shots in under 3 seconds at 7yds that is under 4". That's where the inherit pointabillity of the handgun and how it fits me comes into play. If I can shoot that tight of a group at speed, then I know the gun fits me.

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We just enjoy having fun with firearms.
We'll put a tin can at the bottom of the berm and shoot it. After it bounces up, we try to keep it from rolling down the berm. As I said, we make it fun.
 
M&P Shield 9mm. Results are about the same. 8 months experience.

Has someone that you know is an accurate shooter shot the Shield at distance?

I bought a new Shield PC 9mm a couple of years ago and it was great at 7yds. I then went to ring it out at 15 yds and groups opened up alarmingly. Tried it at 25yds and it could barely get on paper.

Upon closer inspection, the factory barrel had a bump in it on top. I sent it back to S&W and it came back with a new barrel. Took it to the range and 8" was the best I could do. Called S&W and they said that was within specs, so I sold it and got an XDS 40 that would do the requisite under 2" at 25yds.

So I am skeptical of the Shield...

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What distances do you target practice with handguns? How tight a pattern can you shoot? Where should a beginner be?

It depends mostly on the handgun.

My Kel-Tec PF-9 and Charter Arms Bulldog are short range self defense tools. I'll practice some snap shooting with them at 7 yds. and slower more deliberate shooting at 15 yds. and even 25 yds.

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When I first began shooting the Kel-Tec, bullet impacts were a little left of POA. I figured out that more finger on the trigger corrected this.

Moving up to larger semi's, and DA revolvers, 25 yds. is the minimum distance, but I also shoot a little at 50 yds.

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My SA revolvers are fired primarily at 50 and 75 yds, because I hunt with them.

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All of the targets so far have been fired offhand. While I do plink offhand at my 12" 75 yd, gong, and hit it most of the time, shooting at that distance is mostly done seated with the revolver rested over my knees.

When I started shooting handguns I started at 25 yds., then graduated to 50, then 75 and am now working my way to 100. Every time the distance increased, good groups at closer ranges became much easier, and now 25 yds. is a piece of cake and 50 yds. is no big deal. Last year I shot a buck at 38 yds. with a Uberti SA revolver and it was a super easy shot.

OP if the picture above your name is of you firing a revolver, you need to work on how you hold a handgun. The barrel should for the most part line up with your forearm as much as it can that will still allow you to get a sufficient amount of finger on the trigger. Your weak, or left hand should cup under your right hand.

I don't think it's necessary to hire a shooting coach (I never had one), but when you encounter problems with your shooting, you need to experiment until you find the solution to the problem.

Just keep shooting!!

35W
 
What distances do you target practice with handguns? How tight a pattern can you shoot? Where should a beginner be?

Strictly for target practice, I choose 25 yards. I do not go by group size but ring count on the ISSF 25m pistol target and an intermediate beginner, who has learnt the basics and has a half year of training should be around 82.5 to 85 % with steel sights. The 8 ring is about six inches in diameter, the 9 ring is four and the ten ring is two inches.
 
25 yards is my average. I'll change it up now and then and shoot a bit closer or farther, but 25 has become my norm.
 
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In my younger days, long past , I shot Bullseye at 25 & 50 Yds. Currently 3,7&10Yds utilizing the IDPA target with the 3in head scoring ring and 6in body scoring ring. Firing with movement lateral, angular, etcetera-etcetera. Strong and weak hand.
 
To me, handguns are primarily defensive tools. I practice from contact distance to 25 yards. I don't really look at shot groups, I'm looking for speed and hits on targets ranging from 4-8", depending on the drill. It doesn't matter where a beginner is- it matters how proficient a shooter is when he or she needs to bring his or her skills into action. Always seek- improvement- perfect practice makes perfect.
 
To me, handguns are primarily defensive tools. I practice from contact distance to 25 yards. I don't really look at shot groups, I'm looking for speed and hits on targets ranging from 4-8", depending on the drill. It doesn't matter where a beginner is- it matters how proficient a shooter is when he or she needs to bring his or her skills into action. Always seek- improvement- perfect practice makes perfect.
That mirrors my attitude.

I find defensive shooting practice at 25 yards on a 6” spinner target fun and challenging.

What I find though is when the target gets closer, as in bad guy running at you with a knife distance, I can get rounds center mass very quickly, because the target seems huge.
 
Firing 20 rounds with a .45 Shield at 7 yards and a roughly 1 second pace I will end up with a hole around 2" Tall x 1" Wide with usually around 3 unconnected flyers that open the group up to around 2.75". If I slow fire, take my time and don't lose concentration I can get a 5 shot group into the 1.0" 10 ring at 7 yards.

As to the 10 Shots in 10" at 10 yards that takes about a 0.5 second per shot pace for me.

I consider myself an average shot and my eyes are not really sufficient to shoot at longer ranges anymore.
 
There are so many practice "drills" out there that it can become confusing and frustrating to a new shooting.

What do you want to become good at? Find a simple drill (course of fire) that you can practice on your range. A COF that you can measure your improvement over time. Not something with a dozen variations, like the Dot Drill, but something straightforward, singular and easy to setup and repeat. Set a time and distance goal. When you've mastered that, lengthen the distance, shorten the time. Don't just use whatever targets the range has for sale. Buy your own standard targets (NRA D1/AP1, IDPA, USPSA, B6) which are cheaper, in paper variety, than buying a glorified zombie from a range.

You might want to try the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program. Very basic but you advance from very easy to harder elements. You can shoot it with a .22lr then go back and redo it with a larger bore. I used a .44mag for mine. Took a number of times through to complete the last couple of stages.
 
What distances do you target practice with handguns? How tight a pattern can you shoot?
I tell people most full size factory pistols are capable of 1" groups at 7 yards, 2" groups at 10-15 yards and 3" groups at 25 yards with decent ammunition.

I practice fast unsighted point shooting at 5-7 yards and indexed point shooting at 10-15 yards - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-help-me-speed-up.824618/page-4#post-10902245

I used to be able to shoot sub 2" groups at 25 yards but now getting older, eye sight is not as good as it used to be - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-6#post-9924922

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Here's a recent groups I shot at 25 yards using iron sights and Caldwell pistol rest (Not too bad for shooting with Glaucoma and touch of cataract :)) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...endence-from-work.853305/page-3#post-11212458

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Where should a beginner be?
When I train new shooters, I start them off at 5 yards using full sheets of copy paper with expectation of group size smaller than 3-4 inches. (Often, they are surprised their point shooting groups are comparable if not smaller than their sighted groups). Then I incrementally move the target back to 7-10-15 yards with expectation that they place all of their shots inside the target, including fast double taps.

As they progress, I have them use 1/2 sheet to 1/4 sheet targets (1/4 sheet targets for slow fire practice).

BTW, for beginner, it's important that they are able to release the hammer/striker without moving the front sight - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/point-shooting-and-old-movies.859668/#post-11306031
 
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Back in the day I shot 3-100 yards with my duty revolver and on a good day would muster a 4" group at 25.

Now I shoot 3-15 yards and consider it a good day when I can hold 4" at 15 yards with my 9mm Shield. Strangely enough I shoot it as well as my 1911 and better than my 5" M&P40.
 
Stay inside 10 yards to start.

if you can afford lots of ammo practice bill drill and el prez. They’re fun and actually practical.
Don’t shoot groups unless your local ranges don’t allow practical shooting.
 
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