How far do you usually shoot your handguns?

[Mikhail Weiss]

I concentrate heavily on 3 to 15 yards, though the distances at which I shoot depends on what I’m working on during a given range trip.

So it mostly goes roughly about like this:

3 to 7 yards: 60% of my shooting is probably done at these ranges.

10 to 15 yards: 25% of my shooting is within these ranges, though the vast majority of it is at 15 yards.

20 yards: 10 % I’ve been decently and reliably accurate enough to be satisfied that I can do it at will and it’s not that much greater a challenge than 15 yards, so...

25 yards: 5% of the time I work at this range and the results tell me I need more work. Which is why some days this is where I do more practice, though those days are lately too few.

A note about my goals: Although my ostensible aim is “pie plate” accuracy across all distances (keep rounds within an 8-inch circle while shooting as fast as I can), I find that level of accuracy merely “ok”; I find 6-inches of accuracy acceptable, and 4-inches of accuracy across those ranges makes me feel like I have a good balance of speed and accuracy.

Those things said, there are also days where I’m more interest in precision at those ranges and nothing is good unless I can dot-the-i (hit the bullseye) at those distances. This is where I really need to work at 15 yards and farther.

 

[peacemaker45]

At the indoor range, I do the majority of my shooting at 50'. (It's a slow fire only range, so the best practice available is the full distance.)

Outdoors, it depends what I'm working on. Might be contact distance, might be 50 yards or more. Defensive practice is usually 7-10 yards.

 

[defjon]

At my range I shoot steel at 25 yards. If you ring it at 25 yards you'll be fine closer.

Sometimes I will work at 10/7/5 at speed, if working on drawing from concealment, while sitting, etc.

At 25 it's no problem with full size guns, or some smaller.

The hellcat noticeably is very easy.

The ppk will also do it, but I had to learn how... I have to hold it lower to avoid beavertail and see the front sight, and you have to learn to roll with the trigger. Then, it is very fast and accurate.

You can sometimes see 380 or 45 on its way at 25 yards! There's about a half second delay.

 

[defjon]

One thing that had changed is I rarely shoot at targets or for grouping since the range installed steel targets at variable distances.

I'm not sure how big they are, I may measure next time I go. They sure look itty bitty at 25 yards. (or even at ten, etc.. Adjusting thick glasses lol)

 

[Spats McGee]

Regular handguns, not handrifles lol. . . . . What I noticed is that a great deal of what Im seeing, and reading, is 10-25yds being average to long for many/most handgun shooters.

Am I wrong in that observation? what ranges do you guys usually shoot at?

You'd be correct as to my shooting. I shoot out to about 25 yards, at least when target shooting. I'll shoot a little further if I'm out plinking, but the targets I use out there (soup cans, oranges, a coconut, etc.) are quite a bit larger than the 1" center of a range target.

 

[EMC45]

From point blank to 50yds. That's for revolvers and autos.

 

[spraay]

What ranges do you guys usually shoot at?

Usually 10-25 yards.

 

[Col. Cornelius]

Multiple ranges.

Raw Speed: 7-12 yards
Accuracy: 25-50 yards
Pure fun: 100 yards

 

[Rexster]

During 2020, well, it is mostly dry-fire, with the occasional live-fire, in a winding creek bed on private land, at distances measured in feet, not yards or meters. Pre-2020, two to fifteen yards was the norm, at a couple of ranges.

I plan a road trip, in late October or early November, to public land, much farther west, to vet a couple of lever rifles, and will do some longer-range handgunning, in isolation from other folks.

I retired from LEO-ing in 2018, which limits my access to the outdoor PD range. That range shut-down during much of 2020, anyway,

My wife and I have an understanding that nobody in the household must be exposed to COVID, so we are limiting excursions to the necessary, and keeping visits inside buildings very brief. She and another adult, in the household, are in the more-vulnerable population, and need to stay healthy until election day, when they will be working at a polling location. (Yes, the election is deemed worth the risk to their health.)

 

[sparkyv]

Typically I shoot my centerfire handguns at 15 yds for SD practice and for 1st-pass load development. Then 2nd-pass load development is at 25yds. Hunting practice (if I ever get the opportunity to handgun hunt) is at 50 yds. Plinking gongs at 50 yds to test my off hand skills.

Now with 22LRs, I shoot the entire silhouette range, 40m to 100m offhand. Ever try to known down those heavy borregos at 100m with a 22LR handgun? It usually takes more than one solid hit. Very fun and challenging!

 

[wtf808]

25yds usually.. if i went farther id go steel.. cant see jack beyond that.

 

[tipoc]

I only shoot at them rarely. Usually the ones that I'm mad at. Sometimes 10 -25 yards, occasionally 40 yards with a handgun. With a rifle I'll go 100 to 200 yards. By my count I've shot 65 handguns with my pistols and revolvers and 27 with long guns. I could of made some money by just selling them, but like I said, I was angry at them or disappointed.

I've shot more Glocks than anything else. Second was various Ruger semis. Ruger makes good wheelguns but their semis...well I've shot second most of them to pieces.

 

[daniel craig]

7-10 yards

 

[wiscoaster]

For indoor range target practice my usual is 25 feet. I'll stretch that out if I need a little challenge, or bring it back it for a new gun I'm still experimenting with sight picture/trigger usage.

If I remember, the usual for new gun / pistol intro class here is 15 feet.

We normally run our targets by feet at the indoor range I frequent.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Black Powder Cartridge and Military Matches, 25 yards minimum.
BPC has two stages: ten shots slow fire, then two strings rapid fire: each five shots in two minutes.

For woods walking, I have practiced on paper target at five to ten feet mostly shot shells (I prefer to practice snake avoidance).

 

[SharpDog]

Generally 7 - 10 yds.

 

[Ru4real]

Practice action shooting sports at ranges of 50 to 100 yards with handguns for a bunch of reasons.

 

[Matthew Temkin]

Regular handguns, not handrifles lol.

Ive been doing quite a bit of reading and watching youtube etc, as handguns in general are my weakest firearm type. I really only started investing time in them about two (maybe 3) years ago. What I noticed is that a great deal of what Im seeing, and reading, is 10-25yds being average to long for many/most handgun shooters.

Am I wrong in that observation? what ranges do you guys usually shoot at?

Most of mine from 0-15 feet.

 

[Howland937]

I started off shooting at 25 yards on some new steel targets I picked up today. After switching from 9mm to 38 Super, I moved closer. Not that it was harder to hit, but my brass kept going over the fence into the weeds. And the 4" & 6" plates kept flipping over the frame so I got tired of walking down to fix them.

 

[Rex in OTZ]

15 to 20 yards.
The furthest was shooting a old steel pail at the city dump.
About 200 yds with my 9mm braced against my leg.
Like the fellow in photo below.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Because I shoot Bullseye I will on occasion shoot a 5" clay target at ~50 yards.

 

[Scott.M]

Up to and a little over 100 yards.

 

[ECVMatt]

I can pretty much shoot as far as I want. I always shoot my defensive handguns out to at least 100 yards as I spend most of my time in the great wide open and can see how being able to hit at longer ranges could be useful.

I like to shoot my big bores even further. Today my son and I were shooting our Ruger Toklat at a rock formation about 500 yards away. We are not great shots, but it is pretty easy walk rounds into the target and have a great time doing it.

Handguns are generally more accurate than they are given credit for.

Here are some pictures from today...

 

[BWS]

Loon,10-15 yds working on load development,or dialing in a specific "change" in equipment or technique.

Then hit the 50yd berm for gettin serious. It's rare that a load that proves at the shorter range doesn't produce at 50. Occasionally with either really lite loads,but also some of the 45acp lighter bullets,they don't fly well being so short and stubby. Get into the 200g H&G 68's and a little more juice,they do great at 50..... and 75yds,they'll tear a beer can up.

 

[film495]

10, 20, 30 feet. longer at times for amuzement, but it is just to see if you can do it, but has little pratical value.