“Natural” skill and your limiting factor to becoming a better shot?

What is your limiting factor

  • Time

    Votes: 52 29.9%
  • Money

    Votes: 40 23.0%
  • Motivation

    Votes: 13 7.5%
  • Equipment

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Physical Limitations

    Votes: 30 17.2%
  • I can't get any better because I am already perfect

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • Other or multiple (please explain)

    Votes: 25 14.4%

  • Total voters
    174
  • Poll closed .
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at 49 years, I am hitting my limits. I can still get under 1 MOA, but I need stronger scopes than I did 10 years ago, and settling into a position is starting to involve groans and creaking. Iron sights are behind me, and while my pistol is still inside 3 inches at 10 yards, the groups are not as neat as they used to be.
 
Some interesting replies so far and results to the poll.

I guess it comes as no surprise that time is the leading contributor. Life is pretty busy! I was a little surprised that physical is coming in second, but I guess it makes sense. For a lot of people, by the time they are old enough and established at their career, kids grown up, or maybe even retired, is the time they get to shoot more, but also the time at which vision and such start to go south.

Strangely, it's one of the things that has pushed me more into collecting and admiring the aesthetic side of firearms.

Sorry to hear about your eye disease, but I am glad you can at least enjoy shooting. A friend of my dad's is entirely blind so can't shoot, but still collects firearms. It puzzled me at first, but if you think of the mechanical touch and feel of firearms, all the different materials and textures, the history behind each type, and the cool sounds they make when cycling the action and stuff, it makes perfect sense.

I've got shaky hands so it's kinda hard to make bullseye shots when the front sight is dancing all over the target!

I never considered myself to have the steady hands of a surgeon, usually my shakiness is due to caffeine though (or lack thereof). :) But it also does make me wonder if there is a gene or something that gives people incredibly steady hands. Maybe a higher concentration of slow-twitch muscles or something? I have heard women are naturally better shots because of this, have no idea if this is true or not (I think they are better students though, because they have fewer preconceived ideas and smaller egos).

You didn't list range access, so I'm an "Other". Only two local ranges. One range close to me is a private club, but open to the public. But half the time it's closed to the public for a competition, preparation, clean up, maintenance, or whatever. The other range is a 180 mile round trip.

That is tough! I guess it would fall under time and money. Even if you had time to make the trip, the gas would make you go broke!

Thanks for the responses so far everyone.
 
I said Time. This sort of poll is not quite as good as one in which respondents can pick multiple options...but that of course was not available to you.

Money is second for me.

Let's face it, physical limitations should be divided into two. Physical limitations that might make getting to the range or out in the woods challenging vs my "physical limitiation": eyesight. I have a condition called EBMD and/or ABMD which is basically moving wrinkles in the cornea. Right now, my right eye won't focus to beyond a blurry state no matter what I do. In a month or so, the wrinkle will have moved and with glasses I'll be fine.
 
Time. I'm a new father. I can tell you that nothing has ever cut into my range time like my beautiful baby girl and you'll never hear me complain.
 
I think that for more of us then we would like to admit, a lot of it is motivation. I recently shot a revolver match with a master classified shooter on our squad. He shot a plate rack through a window from a position on the stage that was much farther than if you shot it at the end of the stage. He knocked them right down one after the other, no problem. I was standing by his buddy who commented that in addition to other practice, he said the shooter does dry fire drills for 1 hour, every day.

Also, you've all probably seen examples of guys who get into competition, and decide they really want to get better, a lot better. They find out what kind of a practice regimen it would take to really do it right. And then they proceed to follow their plan and you see one of these shooters who is a Master level shooter a year later. It's not easy or common, but some people make it a priority and get it done.

Even with limited time available, many of us, if determined, could improve a lot faster than we do. You do have to have enough money to at least get some equipment and ammunition. But a lot of top shooters do a lot of dry fire practicing. A lot of us find the time to get to a couple of monthly matches and several bigger matches throughout the year, with occasional practice sessions in between. I get to the range and practice some, but it's still not the focused, with a particular purpose, that a really dedicated shooter would do. Mark
 
I think that for more of us then we would like to admit, a lot of it is motivation.

Smokin' Gator, great response. I totally agree.

I could do a lot more dry fire practice if I had the motivation. Sometimes when I get home from work I just want to eat dinner and veg in front of the TV with my wife and a beer. To be honest, I could probably get to the range more if I really wanted, but I choose to allocate more time (and money) to family and friends. I like catching a game or grabbing a drink or going to a movie. I guess now that I have reached what I consider 'adequate' proficiency for defense and to frankly be better than all my friends, I am more content, even though I still want to continuously improve, the immediate urgency is not there. It is still mostly for fun after all.
 
Sorry to hear about your eye disease, but I am glad you can at least enjoy shooting. A friend of my dad's is entirely blind so can't shoot, but still collects firearms. It puzzled me at first, but if you think of the mechanical touch and feel of firearms, all the different materials and textures, the history behind each type, and the cool sounds they make when cycling the action and stuff, it makes perfect sense.

Thank you, I'm very grateful that I can still participate in shooting sports among other things. It's funny how protective I am of my eyes, and how annoyed I get when I see people with perfect vision taking it for granted. Oh well. It's interesting about the blind gentleman collecting guns - I can relate to that attraction for mechanical aspects, the craftsmenship behind it, and the history too. Thinking of it, you're completely right, most of my guns have a variety of textures and materials, ranging from engraving to roll stamps to checkering. It would be an interesting object to feel and not see. I could probably learn a thing or two from that gentleman.. I bet he has a unique understanding of firearms.
 
Hard Work and Guts can overcome any obstacle.

I think a lot of concerns over natural ability are really just people who are too focused on what they're supposed to be doing and not experimenting to find what works best (as in, most naturally) for them. You need to find your own way rather than just drinking the "thumbs-forward, isosceles stance" Kool-Aid.

Once you find what works best for you, all you need is practice and you'll be as good as anyone.
 
Primarily it's motivation, but also lack of continuous instruction.
Bench shooting doesn't drive me much, compared to blowing up a piece of concrete block (or sinking a bottle) with an orange blob sprayed on, which is fun.
 
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Time and money. I've got a family, work all the overtime I can get (which isn't much lately) and spend most of my time and money with and on my family. I spend enough of shooting to stay proficient, but I'm not fooling myself into thinking I'm getting any better right now.

Ditto, hit the nail right on the head.

Jim
 
First and foremost I think in my instance time and money are interchangeable. It seems if I have the cash it is because I work all the time and no time to play. Or time to play and no funds to do so.:banghead:

We recently had a demo by a blind shooter who had special targets (squares instead of circles) and a camera/sensor setup. He shot a better group at 50 YDS than I could.:eek::) He does need help with everything but I can see that being blind does not stop one from shooting thank goodness.
 
back when I had money,, I didn't have time.. now I got the time and no money!!!! I used to own a small farm with plenty of land to step outside (some times simply open a window up in the reloading room) and try a new load or simply keep my eye hand coordination up. now I own more land but its bordered on three sides by people, so to be safe I have to go to the F&G range, thats 10 miles away so I'm limited.
 
For me its money and physical limitations. I shoot USPSA but my physical limitations means I will never get far in that sport. ATA has a chair division which is great as thats where I'm headed. That and bench rest are in my future. Thats whats great about the shooting sports as it has a format for shooters from the run and gun type to the sit down and shoot bunch.
 
I voted motivation. I shoot 9mm pistols, so ammo isn't too expensive. The range is about a mile from work so time isn't an issue.
Motivation is my main issue in that I have to get my range bag together and unload my HD pistols in the morning before leaving for work.
The range is only about 15 minutes from my house. Though, if I get home I generally will want to stay there for a while before doing anything. By then, the range will be closed.
 
i voted for physicall. in the end that's what it is, time and money are limiting factors.. but i have a bum left shoulder turning quickly into a completely locked up left shoulder. I can't turn my left palm up at all so i'm limited to pulling in on a strap. all things considered i do pretty well with it. i'm hunting accurate, about 2-3" from a sitting position at a hundred. so that's good enough for now till the shoulder gets taken care of.
 
I have enough time and motivation to shoot 2+ days a week. I also have enough money that I don't have to ration ammo and enough to buy decent equipment. I also am in pretty good shape and have good vision. Being middle aged, I don't think my skills will get any better than they are right now, though...I reckon I have peaked.:D
 
Money...with Time being a close second.

Right now i can only afford 2 range visits a month, and even then I'm only getting out my handguns (the range is indoor, and only 25 yards long). And of course I blow all my ammo when I do go, so that opens up a whole other can of worms!
 
I'm in a physical limitations group. As with others its mostly age...vision to be exact. I never was a great shot but as my vision got poorer so did my marksmanship. Handgun is most noticable. It is hard to stay in the "sweet spot" with my glasses. I've found that peep sights help greatly on rifle. I don't have a scoped rifle except for the .22 I keep from my father in law. I rarely shoot it...my grandson likes it very well.

No doubt, money is a factor along with time. Seems life has gotten faster and days are shorter. Too many things pull on your time to the point of almost no free time. Oh well.

Mark
 
Motivation, sort of. My problem is, as one of my shooting buddies tells me, is that I am interested in too many things. Maybe "focus" is a better term. I like to shoot pistols and do about 30 matches a year. But....I also like Trap shooting and do that once or twice a week when I could be practicing with the pistol. I like smallbore prone match shooting; that has had me turn my attention to HP Service rifle.
I just bought a new bow - one of the Asian horsebows - and find myself at the archery range instead of at the pistol range.
Heck, I like anything that shoots.....carry one of a dozen or so slingshots that I have in my pocket when I am outside....and a pocket full of marbles - buy'em by the case.
and then theres....

Pete
 
For me, it's time or money. When I have time it's because I'm between contracts and have to be careful about money. When I have money it's because I'm on contract and have less free time.

Eyesight is an issue for lots of us as we get older. I doubt that equipment limits very many people. It certainly doesn't limit me.
 
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