Where do I measure up?

PzGren said:

the biggest detrimental factor in shooting well is the lack of practice and knowledge of the fundamentals.

Click to expand...

A big +1.

Add "ego", and you've got the Evil Trinity

I'd say OP is doing great.

I always encourage folks to hit a match now and then. There is something about seeing somebody else perform really well that makes it easier for us to advance our own skills.

Not exactly sure how to explain this effect.

DMW1116 said:

I went to 9-hole reviews to see what kind of accuracy I could expect from service style pistols. They had way better shooters than me shooting pistol from a bench/bag getting 3 to 5 inch groups at 25 meters with factory ammo

Click to expand...

DMW1116 said:

I know watching some ransom rest videos there is quite a difference between that and even rested shooting by a good shooter.

Click to expand...

I just watched a few of their videos, and yes, this is what they were showing (I didn't actually see them actually shoot the groups), yet the vids I watched featured some pistols that are known to be, or should be pretty accurate (e.g., H&K P7, CZ Target, Kimber custom). I had a chance to shoot an H&K P7, and based on my experience, and it's reputation, off a bag, it should be printing very tight (I'm guessing sub-2") 25m groups with decent ammo. You might be giving the 9-hole folks much more marksmanship credit than they deserve

In the videos featuring pistols and PCC shooting they have a target shot rested from 25 meters in the intro before the shooting starts. They also post the group size with target in the video.

I may be giving them more credit than they deserve but a master level action pistol shooter is certainly a better shot than me.

DMW1116 said:

I may be giving them more credit than they deserve but a master level action pistol shooter is certainly a better shot than me.

Click to expand...

With those pistols, a master-level action pistol shooter should be able to shoot much better groups than they did, especially off bags

Recent outing with my 617 revolver at 15 yards. I'm happy with it even with the flyer.

You are doing well so keep it up.

MrBorland said:

With those pistols, a master-level action pistol shooter should be able to shoot much better groups than they did, especially off bags

Click to expand...

If the guns can do it.

DMW1116 said:

If the guns can do it.

Click to expand...

As I said…the pistols I saw in those vids definitely should…

You would think. They are typically shot with 115 grain FMJ range ammo. Would that handicap them?

DMW1116 said:

You would think. They are typically shot with 115 grain FMJ range ammo. Would that handicap them?

Click to expand...

I've not spent much time shooting groups with a 9mm. When I shot that H&K P7, it was a range rental with factory ammo I had to buy from the range, and I recall it shot ragged holes at 15 yards while standing, unsupported. I don't know if some weights are more accurate than others, but IMO, the pistols I saw in those videos I watched should be doing much better than 4"@25 from a bag, even with 115gr factory ammo.

DMW1116 said:

I may be giving them more credit than they deserve but a master level action pistol shooter is certainly a better shot than me.

Click to expand...

I should've pointed this out in my earlier reply, but as a former master level revolver, pistol and rifle shooter myself, I can tell you there's a wide variation in skill and motivation, even among master-level shooters.

A "master" classification simply means you know, and are reasonably proficient at the basics of your game. In the case of action shooting, the game is to win matches by, among other things, getting the best balance of accuracy & speed. "Don't let perfection get in the way of a good score" is an effective strategy.

Many master-level action shooters will rarely, if ever, shoot a slow fire group to see how small a group they can get, and when they do, they're often satisfied with "good enough", which isn't likely to be very impressive (compared to someone who actually practices this). But they're also the ones in danger of plateauing, IMO. The ones that will progress (or have progressed) to Grand Master do likely work on their fundamentals and can likely shoot a respectable group on demand. The very best could probably put some fear into a whole bunch of very skilled folks at Camp Perry if they were so inclined.

Bottom line: The accuracy that the 9-hole folks see is what they see, and not necessarily representative of the gun's capability. As I showed earlier, even a bone-stock polymer gun (shot unsupported by a revolver shooter) did better than they did off a bag.

wbwanzer said:

I would like to get a feel for how I'm shooting. I don't shoot competitively, just against myself, always trying to improve. I'm retired and go to the range on weekdays, so about 90% of the time I'm at my outdoor club range and no one else is there.

Click to expand...

That sounds very good. I would like to know your gun make and model and what loads your are using? I shoot alone most of the time at my club, too. But it would be nice to shoot with someone at times. Why not try to find someone to shoot with so you can critique each other's shooting for improvement. I also think it would be nice if t.h.r. members would include some personal info like the city, state and maybe the range in their bio. Maybe we could meet each other & shoot together sometime.

My best score on timed fire at 25 yards was my first try.