What's your specialty? Rifle, pistol, or scramble-club?

[Amadeus]

I was chatting with the RSO at a local range recently about the different firearm disciplines. He noted that of the three (handgun, rifle, shotgun) the handgun is the most challanging at which to become proficient.

I first learned to shoot with a pistol, and it might be because my formal training comes from that discipline that I find his theory to be debatable. For me the basics of the rifle are far more challenging to master. The distance to target is longer and the firearm requires far more physical involvement. The best analogy I can use here is: a handgun does well with a firm "handshake". A rifle requires a loving embrace. The shotgun -- our beloved scramble-club --- well, a firm shoulder and a loving home.

So what's your take on this? Is there one discipline over the others that is generally accepted as being more challenging? Are you more gifted in rifle, shotgun, or handgun? Do we have any 3-gun prodigies among us? I know I'd like to be one of those "3 gun grand master" fella's who can pick up any gun anywhere at any time and pop off a 3 round group right to point of aim. Sadly --- NOT!

 

[Sean Smith]

I'd say that the handgun gets alot harder alot faster as you increase the distance. Precision at 50 yards is trivial for a rifle, but difficult in the extreme for a handgun.

 

[Ol' Badger]

First, I take a nice plump Rabbit and I brown it in Bacon fat.
Then in a Iron skillit I put Potatoes and Parsnips(SP) and onions and cover with red wine. Bake for 45 min in a 375 oven in same skillit.
Take Rabbit out and make Gravy from drippings.
Serve with Butter Milk biscuts and Burbon & Coke.
You might throw in a Green veggie or two if your the health consceinse type.

Also works on Squirrel and Deer and my Grandad same Cat if'n you be hungry enuff!

 

[nico]

I don't have the experience to say that one is more difficult than any of the others. For what it's worth, I have found that I'm less likely to flinch with a long gun than with a handgun. The only non-22lr handgun my family has is an S&W 910 (9mm) so I don't shoot higher caliber handguns all that often. But when I do, it seems like after going through 3 or 4 magazines, I start to flinch a little. Shooting a couple magazines of 22lr seems to help this. Also, I hardly ever flinch with a shotgun (when it happens, it's caused by a lack of concentration) and didn't have any flinching issues when I fired ~15 rounds through the only rifle I've fired (a marlin 30/30). Hopefully I'll be able to say the same thing after I've had a chance to take the .270 M77 I got for christmas to the range

 

[Ala Dan]

50 yard shots with a handgun ain't nutt'in

Try 100 yard shot's with a good revolver

or a H&K .45F USP Oh yes, it can be done.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Amadeus]

Ol' Badger can I use carrots if I cannot get parsnips.

Smart*ss!! Love it. LOL

 

[Ol' Badger]

Amadeus

Of course!

Carrots and Rabbits complment each other!

 

[Amadeus]

You realize I will be saving that recipe. Sounds really good. Now if I can find some rabbit in SoCal. I'll be good to go.

Couldn't just answer the bloody question, could ya'?!

 

[BerettaNut92]

Come to UC Irvine. Bunnies have taken the place over, but it's only a matter of time before the assault skunks wipe them out.

I'm a pistol guy. More opportunity to practice with them.

 

[Majic]

I love handguns, but in reality I'm a better rifle shot.

Try the 10" steel gongs at 300 yards with magnum revolvers. Everyone at the range thought I was crazy till they finally tried it.

 

[Amadeus]

Majic:

Why are you better with rifle? More practice? Is it; like someone posted earlier, less susceptible to flinching?

 

[Sean Smith]

50 yard shots with a handgun ain't nutt'in

It is if you are trying to keep all the shots in a 3-1/3" 10-ring.

Scoring hits somewhere on large objects at 100 yards isn't in the same class.

 

[Correia]

Ok, I'll chime in as a 3 gun addict. However I ain't no master, and I'm no prodigy either.

None of the weapons are easier to master than the others. To some of us one type may come more naturally than the other two. I love shotguns, I started using a shotgun to hunt as a little kid. When I got into 3 gunning shotgun came naturally to me, requires the least amount of practice, and still provides me with my highest scoring stages. A special note on shotgun, in 3 gunning shotgun is possibly the most controversial weapon and the one that causes the most trouble for many competitors. It may seem easy to use for every day use, but in 3 gun you need to use it fast, and (this is the hard part) keep it loaded.

Now on the other hand pistol is a challenge for me. I'm pretty good, but I've only been shooting IDPA for a couple of years. I can finish pretty well with a pistol, however it requires constant work and practice.

Rifles are great fun, and when it comes to CQB style stuff, or just plain hosing down piles of targets, I'm great and I'm very natural at it. I can point shoot a rifle and make A zone hits out to 20 yards, figure 4 aimed shots a second, piece of cake. However when you start moving the target out farther and farther my skill curve begins to go down. I still shoot well, but the amount of practice and effort that I need to put in to be able to make good hits at 200 yards is considerable.

Now I know some guys who have a High power back ground who get into 3 gun. These guys may smoke with a rifle for accuracy, but their speed is far to slow. I know of guys with bullseye backgrounds who can't miss with a pistol, but can't shoot fast to save their life. I know guys with IPSC backgrounds who will absolutely smoke on the pistol stages, but then fall apart when accurate rifle rife is called for.

We are all different, and every single one of us has our strengths and weaknesses. Some people are natural pistol people, others are shotgunners, and others are riflemen. And even amongst that you have the balance of speed vs. accuracy. I know some superb shots who are slower than dirt, and some super fast shooters who can't hit for anything. And that is amongst all 3 gun types.

For example a good friend of mine posts on these boards, we shoot 3 gun together. At any given match we are usually with in a couple of places of each other. JohnL is an accurate shooter, and he is pretty dang fast as well, however if you look at the scores of any given match he is going to have probably the least points down of anybody near the top. Now right around him somewhere, (usually right behind ) is me, who out of the shooters will have by FAR the most points down. I'm very fast, but sometimes I get sloppy. That is just my nature.

The coolest thing about 3 gun is that you can be a Grand Master of one type of gun, but compleatly suck with another and end up at the bottom of the pile. 3 gunning requires the shooter to develop all of their weapon skills if you want to be good.

That is why I spend the most time shooting pistol, followed by rifle, then shotgun, when in actuallity that is the exact opposite of how much I like each particular type of weapon. But if you only practice that which you are already good at, you will never progress.

 

[El Tejon]

brasshopper, have no favorite weapon.

[gong sounds]

 

[cratz2]

I can honestly say I am a better pistol shooter than rifle shooter. I just don't have the diligence to set on a bench or laid out prone and fire round after round while holding as steady as possible.

I can keep 3" groups at 200 yards with most any scoped centerfire rifle I'm likely to shoot seriously and I figure that is good enough for me... That's reasonably quickly off a bipod prone or off a makeshift rest.

For handguns, I have a fewguns I can hold (again, reasonably quickly off a makeshift or uncomfortable rest) to 2" to 2.5" at 25 yards. Not outstanding work, but good enough for me. I think it's probably a bit harder to teach someone to shoot 2" groups at 25 yards with an iron-sighted 1911 than it is to shoot 3" groups at 200 yards with a .270 with a trigger job and a 3-9X scope.

I've done a fair bit of 100 yard shooting and with the right guns and the right ammo, it can be very rewarding.

For shotguns? I have spent very little time with them doing anything other than just blasting fun. I've probably hit 100 times as many clays against a dirt berm at 100 yards with a 22 revolver as I have in flight with a shotgun.

 

[natedog]

Shotguns definatly the easiest to shoot (manual of arms, reloading quickly, is somewhat difficult) once you master the recoil. Hitting in-flight targets takes coordination, and a lot of skill to be a master, but being profficient is pretty easy. Long-range rifle shooting is very difficult, and it requires tons of practice. Handgun can be difficult, but since most handgun ranges are short it isn't that difficult to be profficient.

 

[Smoke]

Proficiency is directly related to the amount of time spent training.

I grew up with rifles and shotguns. I was not good with a pistol. I spent some time getting professional help, now I'm pretty good with a side arm.

Shotgun is the most natural to me. And I have also received some training with it also.

I consider myself a good shot with a rifle, I spent the most time with it as a kid, but I must qualify that to be with in 150 yards. I just haven't spent much time shooting past that. And have never had any teachings on the matter. Just learned on my own.

If you train equally with all weapons, you will shoot equally well with all weapons. (Discounting any "natural talent" with any one discipline)

Smoke

 

[Majic]

Amadeus the rifle is a more stable platform for me (4 point body contact vs 1 or 2). Plus couple that with a longer sight radius and I'm a more accurate shot with one vs shooting a handgun.
I grew up shooting both, but took to shooting a rifle like a duck to water. A handgun I had to work at much harder. The funny thing is I live in shotgun country and always have to work at shooting those well. I look down the barrel and my mind automatically goes into rifle mode (something I have to conciously change). Maybe if I add a mid bead I would do better as I know that I'm looking for a rear sight, but I don't shoot them that much to bother. That wouldn't correct the problem of me trying to aim a shotgun rather than to just point it, but it may be just comforting to me.

Long range rifle shooting is a blast once you learn your load. My favorite is sniping whistle pigs across large fields. 300 to 400 yard hits will bring grins any day.

 

[ChopperKen]

I shoot all 3,
The handgun is my main hunting weapon (Dan Wesson 357,6")
and is good for at least 125 yds.
My 12 gauge is good for killin pesky squerrils.
And the rifle 30-06 is used mainly for skunks( I want them dead a long way's from the house)
Ken

 

[itgoesboom]

I started shooting with rifles and pistols, and did decent with them, and then decided to start using a shotgun. For years I used my step-fathers Savage SXS, but was always well below average when it came to shooting trap. I would get a 8-12 out of 25 almost everytime I went out. The one time I tried a semi, that dropped to a 3 out of 25 :banghead: . Absolutly dismal performance.

When I turned 18, the first purchase was a Mossberg 500 with an 18 1/2 and 28" barrels. I started to practice shooting and patterning the shotgun with target shells, buckshot and slugs. Solid hits with the bead sight with slugs @ 50 yards were no problem offhand, and I patterned the buckshot out to a max of 35 yards. After a few months I went out and shot another few rounds of trap and I scored much higher. Its been a few years, but I think that I scored 18, than 20 than my last round was 23 out of 25. Haven't shot a round of trap since then.

Before long the shotty became my favorite home defense weapon, even though I almost never get to shoot it. Whenever I do grab a shotgun, it still is the easiest for me to shoot, requires the least amount of effort.

Right now I am really concentrating on pistol shooting, but I have more faith in my abilities with the shotgun than any other weapon I posess.

I.G.B.

 

[Cosmoline]

I'm best by far with military surplus rifles, unscoped. It's no mystery as to why--I've put about 10,000 rounds through them over the past few years.

Then again I've probably put twice as many rounds through handguns but I still stink with them.

As to shotguns, I must admit I'm afraid they wouldn't allow me over on the trap and skeet ranges. For the same reason they don't want me in country clubs.

 

[JohnKSa]

My (very unscientific and informal) observation has been that pistoleros are better all around (rifle, pistol, shotgun) shooters than the shotgunners or musketeers.

I consider myself a decent pistol shooter and don't think of myself as being very good with a rifle. However, I generally place well in the company rifle matches--especially if they include a standing (offhand) component.

I haven't done much shotgunning. I did shoot some trap on one occasion. I was told that the ammo I was using was a very bad choice. I only scored 11/25.

 

[sm]

I first learned on a revolver, when I became older I was taught the pistol, this would be at the ripe old age of 6

Then I was introduced to rifles, 22lr single shot bolt action, never stopped handguns, but this lead to rim-fire to centerfire rifle competitions.

Shotguns were introduced with the rest of the stuff, this felt more natural. Understand I was taught to shoot without any sights on any gun. My eye/hand coordination with shot guns was the best.

Most folks like me were poor, the 22lr and shotguns were used alot to fed families. The fella that reloaded the '06 cartridges died, I had no gun to use or shells to shoot. I shot a lot of 22lr in handguns and rifles, I reloaded many a paper shell, then plastic, just so I could shoot, either food or pleasure, The Uncle did reload centerfire handgun ammo, pulled many a handle to shoot those K frames and 1911s.

I have not changed much , the world I grew up with had concerns, "trouble is usually fast, close and ugly" my Uncle, and many returning Vets kept repeating. So I focused on shotgun then pistol, I can do a rifle, but gimmee a 12 ga and a 1911 style, I 'll use a K frame for a BUG.

 

[N3rday]

Well, I would say handgun is the hardest. I wasn't particularly happy with the rented Glock 19 that had several problems. I'm still not sure if the mag was supposed to drop out from the gun after the last round, but it didn't.

I was good at shotgun when i took it at scout camp. We used 20" single loaders.
I hit a little over half the targets they threw out.

We also had .22s, which couldn't keep holes in the same part of the paper at 25 feet...

 

[Majic]

N3rday, what do you mean by if the mag is suppose to drop from gun after last round?
Were the .22s you were using that inaccurate or was that an analysis of the shooter?
I'm confused over the statements as I can see this as either young shooters just learning to shoot or a shooter with no knowledge of the platform they are using.