Anyone practice Bullseye Rounds?

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the 50Yd line you'll be by yourself.

So true. Some shooters come and ask if i can hit the 50 yard target. Like its never been done before.lol

Its amazing to watch a Master class shooter. (Not I)

I had the honor of scoring a High Masters targets back in the 70s. Watched him break a National Record with 45 acp and iron sights.

http://www.bullseyepistol.com and a forum https://www.bullseyeforum.net


I also competed in the ISU , now called ISSF types. Air, rapid, free , standard, dueling. It has also changed a lot. All fun.
 
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I still do it at home for practice. I shoot a round with the 22 first and then use the same targets for a center fire round as you can easily tell the bigger holes. People often mention the 50 yard slow fire target but in actual scores, the 50 foot slow fire indoor target is generally tougher. You get into the 90s in slow fire, you can feel pretty good about your performance. Almost everyone does well in Timed fire and Rapid fire is more mental timing than shooting challenge. FYI: I also shot a little Free Pistol now that will frustrate you. :)
 
I feel one handed shooting makes [m]e a better shooter.

Other posters here have echoed the idea that they feel that Bullseye helps improve certain shooting skills.

Perhaps.

Any trigger time is good trigger time. And measuring performance against any defined standard helps identify progress. And practicing Bullseye shooting makes you a better...wait for it...Bullseye shooter.

But I just don't see much in the Bullseye game that is a good vehicle for developing those skills that are most appropriate for a generally close-range, quickly-employed defensive weapon like a handgun. Except, perhaps, for practicing smooth, repeatable trigger presses.

And even this might be overstating things a bit. Bullseye-style trigger press repetitions seem to be of limited value for the majority of handgun shooters today who use guns with striker, DAO revolver, or DA/SA triggers, triggers that few Bullseye competitors would likely say are commomly used in that game.

Bullseye does develop skills with the dominant hand. But it only goes halfway down that road; it does little to develop the non-dominant hand.

I could see how Bullseye would be a benefit for those who carry 1911s with SA triggers. And how it might be a good skillbuilder for handgun hunters.

For sure, I'm not ragging on Bullseye competition. I'm sure its great fun and rewarding. But I am always looking for activities that improve my practical shooting skills and that keep my practice sessions fresh, and I don't see a lot in Bullseye that would help me here. If I'm missing the bigger picture, please help me see it.

I look at it this way: taking scarce practice time to develop the ability to take shots at distances of up to 50 yards several seconds to a minute apart with one hand to cut tiny groups just has never been a priority for me. Producing quick pairs no more than a fist's width apart at that distance with two hands while standing or from unconventional positions like prone or kneeling, yes. But practicing to methodically put shot after shot into the x-ring on a B6 while never so much as shifting the weight on your feet or bending your knees...not so much.

In the same way, taking the time to try to duplicate Jerry Muculek's feat of hitting steel from 200 yards with an upside-down revolver isn't a priority for me, either.

Although the skill of both is incredible, and in Jerry's case is fun to watch, they both seem like soccer or golf: activities dedicated to putting a ball [...bullet...] into a target using methods and tools that are poorly suited for and far too slow for the task at hand.
 
I look at it this way: taking scarce practice time to develop the ability to take shots at distances of up to 50 yards several seconds to a minute apart with one hand to cut tiny groups just has never been a priority for me. Producing quick pairs no more than a fist's width apart at that distance with two hands while standing or from unconventional positions like prone or kneeling, yes.

I'm not bullseye shooter, and I find doing it both boring and frustrating. But I will say that there is surely some benefit in the practical/tactical world that carries over for the serious bullseye shooter in the knowledge that they absolutely can make the shot if they have to. I think that's got to be worth something.

Just as there is a benefit to the shooter who knows he can land the first shot on a 7 yard target in less than 1.2 seconds from concealment, or whatever.
 
But I just don't see much in the Bullseye game that is a good vehicle for developing those skills that are most appropriate for a generally close-range, quickly-employed defensive weapon like a handgun.

As I opined earlier in this thread, Bullseye shooting is one way to compete in one of the shooting "games" that will aid in developing the skills needed for shooting pistols and rifles accurately by instilling the discipline for acquiring the prerequisites of proper sight alignment, trigger squeeze, breath control, grip, stance and follow-through. Once these "building blocks" required for accurate shooting are ingrained, faster and more practical shooting with a handgun intended for use in self-defense can then be practiced and learned.

I don't think drawing from a holster, firing two shots at a target at the distance of seven yards in under two seconds (which was one of the stages of fire we had when I was shooting in my agency's bi-annual le qualification courses of fire) is the best way to start learning to shoot a pistol accurately. I recall how most of the officers in my unit shot fine @ the shorter distances but dreaded shooting at the 25 and fifty yard distances. A formative background in Bullseye competition would have gone a long way in alleviating their anxiety because they would have had the skill sets and experience needed for shooting accurately at longer ranges.

You can always learn to shoot faster later but, imo, there's simply no substitute for learning the basics of accurate shooting first.
 
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Shooting one-handed bullseye is about as much fun to me as long division or sit-ups. But - like doing long division by hand - there are some things to be learned from it, and, like sit-ups, some benefits that accrue from making it part of your routine I suppose.

Many people are jaded with life sadly...... The result of constant TV bang-crash, movie car-chase overdose I suppose.
 
es we shoot at 25 & 50 yard lines, mainly with a Colt 1911 series pistol 45ACP. Most shooting ranges the 25Yd line is sparsely used and the 50Yd line you'll be by yourself.

The first time that I ever shot a pistol at 50 yards was in a formal .22 bullseye competition with a Browning Medallist. However, having practiced so much at 20 yards with a smaller bullseye for a couple of years, it was no more difficult. I took second place among a group of shooters who had competed and won in a number of local competitions to reach this one.

The second time at 50 yards was at an outdoor range. I had a new Ruger 6 1/2" barrelled .44 magnum reissue Super Blackhawk flat top with Micro sights and the standard short Blackhawk grip frame. Since I had the whole 25 and 50 yard range to myself, I sat in front of the shooting bench and braced my elbows on my knees. To my surprise I easily shot a 5" group with full power 240 grain loads.

As well as being a very enjoyable way to spend every Sunday morning with friends at my indoor .22 club, it made me a much better shot.
 
I don't compete but I do bullseye shooting as part of most range sessions, partly for fun and partly as rehab. I lost some stamina and steadiness after a surgery (don't recover as fast as I did 40 years ago) and bullseye lets me know how things are improving. For 22s I use a Ruger MK II competition or a Smith K-17. For centerfire I use a K-38 with WCs or a CZ 75b in 9mm. The results can be laughably bad or surprisingly good but it's all shooting so it's fun.

Jeff
I will need to do the same.
 
Hmph. I started out in the precision disciplines before I was 13. Mostly black powder (N-SSA, some NMLRA, these days a lot of MLAIC). I'll take the Olympic disciplines over NRA Bullseye, but they are harder to find.

I find it interesting that books on combat shooting written before the big-money shooting school business all gave the same advice - get a solid foundation in the precision disciplines. It builds a rock-solid foundation for everything else.
 
One handed bullseye shooting sounds like a good way to practice (or verify) good form on the trigger press. True?

What other fundamentals does bullseye shooting strengthen or verify?

Errors in sight alignment, errors in grip, errors in shot release...and above all, errors in mental focus. Many shooters think about the next shot before they have fired this shot.
 
Bullseye:The population that participates in shooting matches is aging. It has to be black with a threaded muzzle to be of current interest. For me, shooting BE improves handgun skill across the board. It takes work and will teach humility.
 
Bullseye:The population that participates in shooting matches is aging. It has to be black with a threaded muzzle to be of current interest. For me, shooting BE improves handgun skill across the board. It takes work and will teach humility.

Formal bullseye target shooting has been losing ground in appeal to the majority of people who shoot competitively for many years.
Hell, I can remember the rising popularity of IPSC at one particular outdoor range in my area as far back as 1978.

The thing is that a great many people have absolutely no interest whatsoever in shooting competitively in any form.
They just want to set up targets and punch holes in them, or knock them down, or send them flying, or fill them with colored water and blow them up.

Unfortunately, at my range I can only shoot at paper targets, so that means bullseye shooting in one form or another.
Although, I have thought of using water-filled milk cartons. :D
 
But I just don't see much in the Bullseye game that is a good vehicle for developing those skills that are most appropriate for a generally close-range, quickly-employed defensive weapon like a handgun. Except, perhaps, for practicing smooth, repeatable trigger presses.

By the same argument, anything other than close-range, quickly employed defensive shooting will be of little value towards that goal.

I, however, disagree. The discipline to trust the sights, the smooth trigger release, and forced follow through will all bleed over into any kind of handgun shooting (and some rifle shooting) that you care to do.
 
Two instructors, in my personal experience, have made the point that Bullseye is not combat training. That may be, but I personally feel more confidence as each match goes by shooting my Colt 1911. Of late, the handgun of choice has been a Clark custom light weight S&W revolver in 38 Special. I enjoy shooting and find Bullseye to be positive. It is not combat shooting. In combat the personal choice is a shotgun with #4 buck.
 
I used to shoot competitive bullseye in college. Made collegiate nationals in 2003.

I still love the game but don’t get to shoot competition anymore.

The skill sets used are still relevant to all shooters. Excellence in fundamentals will usually translate to other firearm disciplines.
 
With eye sight going to hell and ripped up right shoulder I still shoot at 25 to 50 yards but have to do it off of a rest if I want hit something smaller than a bus these days.
 
eye sight going to hell and ripped up right shoulder
I have helped many with declining eyesight and shaky hands point shooting and it has helped them tremendously. I usually start point shooting instruction with shooter's eyes closed to establish natural point of aim and one retired coworker with declining eyesight with shaky hands got tighter groups than with his eyes open. :eek:

I now wear progressive glasses but tell my eye doctor that I shoot pistols and need to see my sights.

For those having trouble seeing/focusing on front sight, consider point shooting - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...defense-situation-video.849479/#post-11091007

At 1:25 minute mark of video, Rob Leatham demonstrates point shooting with eyes closed:



With deliberate practice, you may be able to do this



And this

 
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Bullseye shooting is what trains the fundamentals of marksmanship - sights and trigger squeeze

I find the trigger squeeze for Bullseye and silhouette shooting (which I describe as applying gradually more pressure until it goes off) totally different from firing on demand of action pistol sports.
 
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