When you have trouble keeping your shots on paper at 3 yards...

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StrikeFire83

StrikeFire83

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So I was in Austin yesterday for a friend's birthday and I took him to the range for his present. Let me preface this by saying now that I'm no expert marksman (far from it)...here's what I did with one of my guns yesterday:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=588930 (bottom of thread)

That said, a man and his daughter (or maybe wife :eek:) were shooting in the stall next to me. They had a S&W body guard with a laser, a Kahr PM9, and a small j-frame with a laser. This guy was "teaching" his daughter (or wife) how to shoot, and yet he had trouble keeping his rounds ON PAPER at THREE YARDS! The paper looked like a shotgun blast, and one of his shots even hit hit the clothespin holding the target up. AT THREE YARDS!!!! Now it is not my place to correct a man in front of his daughter (or wife) so I kept my mouth shut. Another shooter on the other side of them gave the man some guff when one of his shots hit THAT SHOOTER'S target. But damned if the daughter (or wife) didn't shoot at least as good as (maybe a little better than) him on her first day behind a trigger.

Yikes. :banghead:
 
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It's pretty sad when the teacher is as lousy as his/her students. The guy probably doesn't shoot, and most of what he was shooting was sight-radius impared. He probably doesn't practice much with what he's shooting and he's going to be in trouble if and when he needs to pull his pistol out and use it for real.
 
I never understand why people think it's a good idea to start a new shooter out on a tiny sub-sub compact pocket auto or a tiny j-frame revolver. I've been shooting handguns for 8 years now and I still have trouble with the tiny j-frames. Just seems like a good way to frustrate and anger a new shooter. Get the fundamentals down with a full size .22, 9mm, or .38 special before you move to the little mouse guns.

And I forgot to mention that this guy was kind of a brow-beathing jerk when he came to "instructing" his daughter. (I've decided he was far too old and she was far too cute to be his wife.) The guy can't hit the broad side of a barn and he's barking incoherent commands at her while she manages to do at least as good as him.

Oh well, free country and all that jazz.
 
Kinda funny. You should of put a target out right next to theirs and put one in your X for every one they fired. :evil:

One time at the range 2 "tough guys" show up with .45's. Their method of shooting seemed to be about seeing how fast they could empty their mags. :rolleyes:

For 20 mins there was an almost constant roar coming from their lanes. Then, being out of ammo, packed up and left. Of course they didn't even bother to take down their targets which had ZERO pattern; bullet holes were evenly distributed across the entire paper.

I got a good laugh out of watching that.:p
 
I never make a comment.

For all I know, the person is working on weak hand shooting, trying different ammo, sights, grip, or maybe he/she is actually putting the rounds exactly where he/she wants them. You're not in the other person's brain and don't know what they are trying to accomplish in their time at the range.
 
My granddaughters will spend a few hours in the backyard with my 60 year old Daisy BB gun, learning muzzle control, sight alignment, and trigger squeeze before we go to a range.

The range is not the place to learn those skills.
 
I always make it my policy never to get between an man and his wife or a man and his gun. Edit that to whatever politically correct individuals is appropriate.

The thing is, unless asked it just isn't any of my business. And maybe not even if I'm asked!
 
And that's why I kept my mouth shut. Not my business.

But it was hard not to laugh when he shot the clothespin off and one of his targets fell to the floor...AT 3 YARDS!

Now if I'd been shooting at 3 yards and he'd put holes in in my target, bet your butt I would have said something.
 
For all I know, the person is working on weak hand shooting, trying different ammo, sights, grip, or maybe he/she is actually putting the rounds exactly where he/she wants them. You're not in the other person's brain and don't know what they are trying to accomplish in their time at the range.
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First time I shot weak handed, my group was about 3 inches bigger at 10 yards then my right handed shooting. Its really bad to shoot like that at 3 yards.
 
I never understand why people think it's a good idea to start a new shooter out on a tiny sub-sub compact pocket auto or a tiny j-frame revolver
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It's because so many people tell them to do it that way. Particularly with smaller or older newbies, the idea is (I guess) that the small handgun is the right match. It makes no sense, but consider the number of threads even on THR where starting out with a short barreled revolver is offered as a good idea. Particularly for those who are recoil sensitive (try to unravel the logic behind that one).

I don't know where the idea got started, but it's worked its way into the shooting culture like an infectious worm. Nobody seems to start off with .22 bolt actions anymore. They go right to the handgun range with a little handgun. Sweeping everyone and destroying target stands.
 
I try to talk as little as possible to others at a range, unless they are doing something stupid or dangerous. I hate public ranges, and feel sorry for the people that have to oversee them. What a job.
 
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Normally I just shoot. When they see me shooting much better than them they usually approach me for pointers. If they are doing something unsafe I will say something but if they are just shooting poorly they may be just having fun and don't want a lesson so I tend to mind my business and just shoot.
 
Yeah, I don't get the concept of "Small person/Small gun"

Every pocket gun I've ever held, let alone fired, was uncomfortable. I suppose if that's all I had, I'd be a bad shot, too. I'd never want to go practice.
 
This guy, having heard and about how inaccurate small guns are, probably thinks he's doing pretty good.

In 3 weeks we will be having the second annual OK State Snubby Championship. This guy would be astonished at what a competent person can do with a snubby.
 
some people belive their only need to practice for the average gunfight. You know that 2 rounds at 3 yards crap or whatever the current range round count is. At the range I frequent I hardly ever see anyone run the target much past 7 yards. The real zinger is when the two guys in the lane next to ya are patterning service size autos at 3 yards and you take your snub out and shoot a group at 25 yards.
 
This guy, having heard and about how inaccurate small guns are, probably thinks he's doing pretty good.
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OMG! This!

I was at the range a few days ago and there were a couple folks who were shooting about three inch groups from three yards and they were all happy and glad that the gun even hit paper at seven. And you know what the kicker was? It wasn't even a sub compact! It was some sort of Compact 9mm about the size of my PT911.
 
David E said:
This guy, having heard and about how inaccurate small guns are, probably thinks he's doing pretty good.

In 3 weeks we will be having the second annual OK State Snubby Championship. This guy would be astonished at what a competent person can do with a snubby.
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That is no joke, I scored one of our Lt's target when he went to put his Model 13 3" on his carry card... shot a 100-59X..(60round qualification course)... ranges. 2 to 25yds..
 
Diggers said:
Kinda funny. You should of put a target out right next to theirs and put one in your X for every one they fired. :evil:

One time at the range 2 "tough guys" show up with .45's. Their method of shooting seemed to be about seeing how fast they could empty their mags. :rolleyes:

For 20 mins there was an almost constant roar coming from their lanes. Then, being out of ammo, packed up and left. Of course they didn't even bother to take down their targets which had ZERO pattern; bullet holes were evenly distributed across the entire paper.

I got a good laugh out of watching that.:p
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I know what you mean......but:

I do that often as well. I want to see how fast I can shoot and keep all my rounds on a mansized target at 10 yards. It helps me get used to the rushed rapid fire I may have to use in real life.

I slow shoot as well, but alot can be learned by pushing your limits. If your making nice little clover leafs in your target, your not pushing your limits, shoot faster, or move the target further away.
 
Sounds dangerous and ugly to me. Had he been teaching next to me and shot a round thru my taget at three yards, I would have intervened and said he needed to stop firing until the range master had a look at the situation because it was a dangerous situation.
 
I just smile when I see someone that shows up to the range with one box of ammo, blasts a shot pattern on a 10yrd target, and then leaves. My guess is that the guy mentioned in the OP was brand new to shooting with a brand new gun that read too many internet articles (or not enough) and thought that he was now an expert on small arms.
 
What bothered me most was not his shooting, which was BAAAAAAD mind you, but the scorn with which he "instructed" the young woman with him. I've seen this all over, husbands teaching wives, guys teaching their kids...the way some of these people berate a brand new shooter turns my stomach. And when the teacher can't hit the broad side of a barn himself, it just makes it all that more difficult to take.
 
Someone trying to teach shooting when they don't know anything about it themselves irks me to no end. Since of course since I have been training people how to shoot since about 1972 and have been a shooter myself since about 1965. I will say, and this is probably going to start a riff, that I see some "instructors" who just don't have anything teaching talent wise save for the right basic method. Some are too much show, and some not enough. There has to be just the right combination, especially these days because the new shooters have such a short attention span.

You've all seen them those who drift off into battle stories, and leave no time for the course of instruction, or those who do ALL strict course of instruction leaving students bored as heck and put off of getting more lessons.
 
JTQ said:
I never make a comment.

For all I know, the person is working on weak hand shooting, trying different ammo, sights, grip, or maybe he/she is actually putting the rounds exactly where he/she wants them. You're not in the other person's brain and don't know what they are trying to accomplish in their time at the range.
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AMEN Brutha!!

I have been critical of people in the past and still do on occasion, only to find that there is either a situation or process that I was not aware of! I've been embarrassed several times..therefore..I just understand that there are people of all skills and qualifications coming down to the range. The part that is good, is that they are supporting the practice of shooting. Just like bowling and golf. You can be great and bowl in the high 200's...shoot par or below in golf..or scatter your rounds all over the target.
 
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