I shot bullseye pistol and rifle during portions of the 60's and 70's. I was serious about it and competed in a lot of big matches, All Army, All Services, Perry, etc. I was not in the same league with the likes of Bill Blankenship, Hershel Anderson or Bonnie Harmon, but I shot with them often.
Even so I could shoot one ragged hole at 25 yards in timed fire most of the time and I could, in competition, stay in the ten ring in rapid fire most of the time. I quit Bullseye when red dot and scope sights came into the game. It violated my whole sense of what pistol shooting was all about. Joe Pascarello, whom I knew well, won Perry with a red dot sight around 1978 or 79. That ruined the game in my opinion. I never forgave him for that.
I took up PPC in the late 70's and early 80's. Then moved into IPSC for awhile. After I retired I got into Cowboy Action shooting, and I still shoot a couple of matches every month. I am blessed to have a range in my yard, so I can practice anytime I feel like it.
Today I am pushing 75 years. Though time has taken its toll, I can still outshoot anybody I currently know in terms of precision shooting. I'm just not as fast as I used to be. I consider myself to be a good shot but not a great shot. Nevertheless, I have know many great shots. So if somebody says he shot a two inch group at 25 yards, I accept it as truth. I also acknowledge that he was using a damned good gun.
Today, I have a cowboy shooting buddy who can at a signal draw a single action revolver with each hand and put ten rounds on a torso target in 1.89 seconds at a distance of 25 feet. That includes reaction to the beeper, drawing the pistols and having to manually cock the hammers for each shot all done in the blink of an eye. That sounds like BS, doesn't it? But it is fact.
If you want to be really good with a handgun, practice is important, but it isn't enough to just practice. It is competition that provides the impetus for striving for perfection, for analyzing every shot and finding and correcting errors in technique. Competition also teaches total concentration and focus; moreover, through competition, one learns how to eliminate or control stress. Bullseye is the discipline that truly teaches the fundamentals. When you have mastered the fundamentals move on to one of the "action" games. If you are getting older and don't have great mobility, then cowboy action shooting may be your game. If you just aren't interested in competition, then buy a timer and use it each time you practice. You can compete against your own best time in whatever drill you are working on.
Even so I could shoot one ragged hole at 25 yards in timed fire most of the time and I could, in competition, stay in the ten ring in rapid fire most of the time. I quit Bullseye when red dot and scope sights came into the game. It violated my whole sense of what pistol shooting was all about. Joe Pascarello, whom I knew well, won Perry with a red dot sight around 1978 or 79. That ruined the game in my opinion. I never forgave him for that.
I took up PPC in the late 70's and early 80's. Then moved into IPSC for awhile. After I retired I got into Cowboy Action shooting, and I still shoot a couple of matches every month. I am blessed to have a range in my yard, so I can practice anytime I feel like it.
Today I am pushing 75 years. Though time has taken its toll, I can still outshoot anybody I currently know in terms of precision shooting. I'm just not as fast as I used to be. I consider myself to be a good shot but not a great shot. Nevertheless, I have know many great shots. So if somebody says he shot a two inch group at 25 yards, I accept it as truth. I also acknowledge that he was using a damned good gun.
Today, I have a cowboy shooting buddy who can at a signal draw a single action revolver with each hand and put ten rounds on a torso target in 1.89 seconds at a distance of 25 feet. That includes reaction to the beeper, drawing the pistols and having to manually cock the hammers for each shot all done in the blink of an eye. That sounds like BS, doesn't it? But it is fact.
If you want to be really good with a handgun, practice is important, but it isn't enough to just practice. It is competition that provides the impetus for striving for perfection, for analyzing every shot and finding and correcting errors in technique. Competition also teaches total concentration and focus; moreover, through competition, one learns how to eliminate or control stress. Bullseye is the discipline that truly teaches the fundamentals. When you have mastered the fundamentals move on to one of the "action" games. If you are getting older and don't have great mobility, then cowboy action shooting may be your game. If you just aren't interested in competition, then buy a timer and use it each time you practice. You can compete against your own best time in whatever drill you are working on.