How important is 25 yard accuracy with your edc?

For the most part, if you shoot somebody at 25 yds. you will need a lawyer. In my state I have the duty to retreat before shooting.
I also think the concentration needed for practicing at 25 yds. may be fine, but in a actual SD situation, peeing your pants while point shooting may better replicate what will most likely happen.

9mmepiphany: The importance of shooting at 25 yards and longer is that it exposes the flaws in your shooting technique that are often ignored at closer distances.

There is a lot of rationalization to avoid acknowledging weaknesses in your shooing technique, but you're the only one who suffers because of it

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That's precisely the reason why most people don't shoot at that distance or utilize the 50yd line either.

While I'm under the impression more training is always better, it really depends on your EDC gun as well. Cops or others that open carry larger handguns are going to have an easier time hitting at 25+ yards than someone carrying a little North American Arms PUG .22mag. Not everyone can carry their full size glock for EDC.

With my glock I am comfortable at 25 and getting better at 50, but my Sig 938 (my EDC) I couldn't do that at this point in time, I intend to improve, but if I were shooting a little modern derenger I wouldn't expect the same results at 25+ yards as I do with my glock.

Just my thought.

For self-defense, if you shoot someone who is 25 yards away from you, it will be very hard to prove you were in immediate danger. I believe the police rule is 7 yards of distance (Tueller drill?) between you and a potential threat. I think going much over 10 and you are going to be hard-pressed to prove the threat was imminent

I read stuff like this a lot and it implies that it's unnecessary to ever shoot someone past 7 yds.

A guy shaking his fist at you and saying he's going to kill you from across the street doesn't yet earn a bullet. Same thing if he's armed with a knife. But how about if he's shooting at you? How about if he's attacking someone near him, but 25 yds away from you?

The 7 yd Tueller Drill is NOT a "police rule!" It is a drill developed to show cops that over 1/2 the time the cop will DIE if the bad guy decides to use deadly force, such as a knife, even if starting from 7 yds away.

Why are we shooting anyone at any distance? Because they are actively trying to kill you or someone else, regardless of the distance.

One of my drills is to draw and hit a 8" steel target at 25yrds within 2secs. I expect to keep my repetitive shots on a 8" steel target at 25yrds shooting at a reasonably brisk pace. I can do better, but those are my current standards with my EDC (NOT my BUG).

I think it's a worthwhile goal to have decent, practical accuracy out to longer ranges with a hand gun. I'll even spend a little time each range session on the 16" 100yrd gongs. While a pistol wouldn't be anyone's choice for a 100yrd engagement, it's far more likely that I'll have a pistol on me at any given moment than a rifle, and I see little harm in understanding my capabilities at that range, if only to keep me convinced just how far down the list of viable options that particular one might be.

Although I don't routinely shoot at that distance, I do try to do it a couple times a year just to make sure I can. Most my shooting is at about 10yds and when I can shoot outside at my in-laws land its at at least 7 yards and practicing my draw, point shooting, and moving to cover usually shooting at a 2-litre size target.

I need to be able to hit a partially exposed head at 15~20m. That means, I need the gun to be able to group aboug 2 inch or less at 20m to allow for shooter error and still hit.

So, yes, 25 yard accuracy is very important. Not because I see 25m shot as likely, but I need precision even at closer range.

340PD said:

For the most part, if you shoot somebody at 25 yds. you will need a lawyer. In my state I have the duty to retreat before shooting.

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Look, if you're justified in shooting, distance doesn't matter.

Duty to retreat shouldn't mean you place yourself in more danger by retreating.

If he's shooting at you from 25 yards, are you saying that you're not "justified" in returning fire until you get within 7 yds of him??

That's what some people insist on, apparently.

"I've always used minute-of-grapefruit at 7yards for all my carry guns "

I love sayings like this. I will steal it and use it as my own. Thanks.

For self-defense, if you shoot someone who is 25 yards away from you, it will be very hard to prove you were in immediate danger.

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Movie theaters, restaurants, malls, highways are all areas where you may be forced to shoot in self-defense at longer distances.

I've found that shooting at 25 yards improves both my speed and marksmanship at closer distances.

I've found that shooting at 25 yards improves both my speed and marksmanship at closer distances.

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The way some people act you'd think shooting at 25 yards and shooting at 5 yards are mutually exclusive skills.

I am with David E on this.. If someone is shooting at me and my family from 25 yards or farther and we don't have any cover, I'm going to be shooting back at them until I can find cover. Thats a fact jack...

I practice on small targets quite a bit out to twenty-five yards and further. I suppose most of us practice for what we see as the most likely scenario. Much more likely than using a handgun in a self-defense scenario, I find myself supplementing my diet with rabbits and squirrels. When I miss a shot at a nice succulent and supper amounts to thinking about why I missed, it tends to induce me to practice harder.

I can't imagine ever needing to find that out. I suppose it could happen though. At any rate, my carry pistol is more accurate than I am so the limitation is me. I can consistently hit a pie plate at that distance if I'm calm. I have no idea what would happen in a real-world life-death situation except to state that I don't have fear anymore. I'm not entirely sure why but I don't think my accuracy would be bad in that situation. It might even improve due to necessary concentration needed to stop a bad event. Hell, I'd probably run (hobble) right at the SOB just to get a better shot. Not bragging... just nothing to lose.

It is so easy to fall into the habit of spending all of your time shooting fast and close, that you fail to shoot far enough to discover flaws in your technique. It does make sense to practice for the most probable scenario but you should also work to have some confidence in yourself during the most improbable scenario. I suggest you not pick an arbitrary numerical range to practice you longest of shots. I think you should spend some of your time shooting to the maximum distance that your pistol's inherent mechanical accuracy will keep all shots on a human silhouette target. Knowing you can make some hits at that distance without using a rest is a real confidence builder.

Let's see. parking lot...one guy close, the seven yard senerio, ok, you got him. But, there is rarely one, probably two or three and they have shotguns. You have nowhere to go except hide behind your car and you can't hit a barn outside of 10 yards. What is it that some will not back up and practice at distance?

mls said:

Let's see. parking lot...one guy close, the seven yard senerio, ok, you got him. But, there is rarely one, probably two or three and they have shotguns. You have nowhere to go except hide behind your car and you can't hit a barn outside of 10 yards. What is it that some will not back up and practice at distance?

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Ten yards is thirty feet... really no hits beyond that?

you should also work to have some confidence in yourself during the most improbable scenario.

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The answer to the OP's question is really as simple as; this is a question that each indiviual must answer for themselves. Otherwise, if we applied the improbable scenario logic why stop at 25 yards? Why not 50, 100, 200? We could even practice shooting more or less staright up and lobing a round in over a barrier like a mortar round. This question falls into the same category as caliber, capacity, full size vs compact, spare mags vs no spares, etc. It can only be answered by the individual. We all end up determining a risk to preparedness ratio and equip/train ourselves to that level. Hopefully none of us ever get the chance to find out if we made the right choice or not.

Mike. Was there a question in there somewhere?

mls said:

Mike. Was there a question in there somewhere?

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Yes... sorry. You mentioned not being able to hit something at ten yards. Who can't do that?

Shawn Dodson Quote: said:

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I've found that shooting at 25 yards improves both my speed and marksmanship at closer distances.

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This is 100% my experience. I've been practicing more lately at 25 and a few times at 50 yards, focusing on precision accuracy (small targets) and often using a one-handed Bullseye stance.

Saturday I took my revolver to the monthly action pistol match at my range. Even shooting DA the whole match, the only shot that was hard was the first target of the first stage (pop up that fell behind a no-shoot). Everything else was very simple in terms of range to target. Speed reloads and shot-to-shot speed still need some major practice, but at least accuracy isn't the issue now.

I might even go so far as to suggest a "good" shooter should be able to pick up a service-size handgun (think Glock 19 or larger) and with no time limits make a headshot against an IDPA or IPSC target from 25-yards. And even with guns like the little Kahrs, Glock 26s, Ruger LC-9s and others I would expect solid body hits on the same silhouette targets.

PS: One of my favorite things to do is unlimber a .357 at the 100-yard rifle plate on my range. When I'm in practice and warmed up, 4 or 5 out of 6 isn't out of the question.

A lot of people. Long time shooters and especially new shooters.
Add into the mix that every thing is fluid is a self defence situation and everyone is moving. Most likely you are only going to get a head shot at someone behind cover. If you only practice at close range you are at a disadvantage.

Plan2Live said:

The answer to the OP's question is really as simple as; this is a question that each indiviual must answer for themselves. Otherwise, if we applied the improbable scenario logic why stop at 25 yards? Why not 50, 100, 200? We could even practice shooting more or less staright up and lobing a round in over a barrier like a mortar round. This question falls into the same category as caliber, capacity, full size vs compact, spare mags vs no spares, etc. It can only be answered by the individual. We all end up determining a risk to preparedness ratio and equip/train ourselves to that level. Hopefully none of us ever get the chance to find out if we made the right choice or not.

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Well of course it is a question that each individual must answer for themselves. Improbable scenario is not a synonymous phrase for “...practice shooting more or less straight up and lobbing a round in over a barrier like a mortar round.” The thread starter, camsdad, is asking for opinions to find an answer for himself. In my opinion, it is never a bad decision to discover the limitations of your equipment and your ability if you do it safely. “A man’s gotta know his limitations” is more than just a cliche from a Clint Eastwood movie. “Lobbing a round in over a barrier like a mortar round”, jeez, what do you think camsdad is, a 19th century British Infantryman practicing to use a 577/.450 Martini-Henry against massed infantry in defilade?

wanderinwalker said:

PS: One of my favorite things to do is unlimber a .357 at the 100-yard rifle plate on my range. When I'm in practice and warmed up, 4 or 5 out of 6 isn't out of the question.

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Yup. When I shot IPSC, between stages I would wander over to the Metallic Silhouette Range to tune-up with my 1911 .45. You can't knock down the pigs, turkeys, but you can wobble them. You can scare the rams. Sure helped make those 25-35 yard stop plates easier.