Do you count rounds as you shoot?

I don't count but I always know when the gun is about empty. Even when shooting a rimfire I know when I am out of ammo.

I always do. And it's actually a detriment to my revolver shooting. I'm trying to get rid of a flinch. If I don't count and I fire on a previously fired round I can see if I'm flinching. When I count I know when that round shows up and I anticipate it and am aware of it. Same with ball and dummy drills. I end up counting down the dummies since I can't safely load it with my eyes closed.


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No I don't usually count. I've got my mind on other things.

I never did before but my Rohrbaugh R9 doesn't lock back on last shot and I don't want to dry fire it without a Snap Cap, so I've started to count.

Much like many things I do, sometimes I do, others I dont

I had a "get your head on straight!!" moment the other day at the range. I was shooting mostly 6 and 7 shot revolvers and counting off my shots. I switched to run a mag through a sig P6 that my buddy was having trouble getting a good group. After 6 shots I dumped the mag and pointed the pistol down toward the bench (though still down range.) It was at that moment I realized the slide wasn't back. My brain was still counting like a revolver. Had I not been following the rules of gun safety, who knows what could have happened. For a split second I was treating the pistol as though it was unloaded...or at least as unloaded as one can ever presume a gun might be.

Always - hell, I count rounds when other people shoot.

Drives the boys nuts when I bust them not firing 10 uninterrupted rounds when they're test firing. I can be on the phone and note the string.

Seems down right odd to me to not know what you've fired. I don't even recall ever coming up surprised on full auto in the badlands hence my dumpin' mags with 1-3 rounds in them cause the time was right.

Also a great deal of my problem with alternative capacity 1911/M-9 mags. Messes me up remembering whether it's more than standard.

When I was young and being taught how to use a firearm properly my dad wouldn't randomly test me by asking how many bullets were left. If I got it wrong the gun would be put up for the day. So it's permanently etched in my brain.


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Yes i was taught to count rounds fired in the police academy.

Counting

I count subconciously always have,don't know why but I do.

Why count? Where is the actual text book importance of this logic listed?

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As bds said, for competition to let the gun run dry and to have to change mags "when there is a target presented" costs wasted time. Mag changes are best done when on-the-move or when no target is presented.

The same would hold true in a gunfight. I don't care how fast you you are at changing mags. If you need to shoot, running dry at the wrong time could be a bad thing.

All this being said, if you are self defense situatuation, you probably won't have any idea how many shots you fired. If the opportunity presents itself, change mags.

No....I do not.
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Slowfire target shooting-Yes
Revolvers-Yes
Informal plinking-Not very often

FWIW.... I don't count as I shoot but I know when I'm empty.... All my semi autos have the last shot slide lock feature and the recoil feels different telling me that I'm out of ammo in that mag.
As for total shots fired @ range... I "re-cycle" 50 count boxes and trays to transport re-loads to the range so all I have to do is count the empties....

.. rimfires. I try not to dry fire those.

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Same here

I don't bother "counting-until-empty" but I do keep track of rounds fired per gun over the course of a year.

Yes, i try to always keep a count in my head if i'm shooting or my wife or friends or whomever. I want to know when my gun is empty or getting close. it's good training if you were ever in a position contemplating a quick reload or not.

I get mad at myself if i miscount.

I also either check that the slide is locked back or pull the trigger again with a revolver just to be on the safe side.

Creature said:

I always count. It comes in handy when shooting various courses "on the clock" that require a reload...ie: shoot 7 from an 8, insert a new mag as the near empty drops and carry on shooting. Not having to release the slide manually can shave a few tenths of a second off my time.

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You're shooting slower than you could doing it that way.

I can also see how counting your rounds can also have benefits if shooting for your life.

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How? If I'm shooting for my life, I'm going to have far more important things to do than count my shots! You know, things like "front sight!" or "is he down?" or "is he out?" or "is he alone?" or.......

Counting my shots wouldn't make the top 1000 list of things to do in that situation.

herkyguy said:

Yes, i try to always keep a count in my head....it's good training if you were ever in a position contemplating a quick reload or not.

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If you're shooting up most of your ammo-in-gun, then a reload doesn't need to be "contemplated," it needs to be done!

I get mad at myself if i miscount.

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So, under NO pressure at the practice range, you still miscount. Do you think you'll count more accurately when someone is actively trying to kill you?

I also either check that the slide is locked back...

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You can't tell by feel when it locks back?

Wow I'm suprised by this thread.

In the words of Sterling Archer, "you're out! You fired 7 shots! Am I the only one who keeps track of that?!"

Sent from my CZ85 Combat

I learned to count rounds when I first started shooting IPSC/USPSA matches. You save a lot of time on reloads if you never shoot the gun empty and have the slide lock back. You want to do your reload when the magazine is empty but there is still a round in the chamber and the slide is forward. It takes a while to learn to always count the shots but it puts you ahead of the competition that does not count their shots. It is so ingrained now that anytime I hear shots fired (even on TV) I count them. It is a VERY GOOD habit to develop. David E., if you think this is a waste of time why do suppose people like Rob Leatham never shoot to slide lock and teach their students to reload before the gun is empty?

Depends on what it is. Model 66 yes, vz 58 no

I do count shots, although I'm not sure when I started doing this or why. As to ND's, I would think counting has no bearing on it, as we all should be following proper safety rules, no?

Nope. Part of what I'm trying to do on each shot is focus on THAT shot at THAT moment. Frankly, that kind of in-the-moment attention is probably the biggest reason I enjoy shooting.

As David E. suggests, it's not hard to feel a slide lock back. Nor is it difficult to have an awareness that you are near the end of a magazine without counting.

I don't usually count when I am shooting handguns. It is a nice feeling when shooting a revolver and you squeeze the trigger on a spent round and the gun doesn't move at all. Let's me know how far I have come in overcoming a flinch since I first started shooting.

If I am at a public range and shooting bolt action rifles with a blind magazine that I have to work the bolt to remove every round I try and keep a loose mental track of how many I have left in the magazine versus the time until the range is next called cold, just so I don't have worry about working the bolt as many times to empty the rifle.