Am I that bad?

[jondwright]

hey guys, I'm pretty new to guns, but I've told I'm a very good shot. Most of this while I was shooting pistols at 10 yards and rifles at 50. I bought a ruger 2 inch revolver for CCW and Home Defense. My only other gun is a 10-22. I'll be buying more, but wanted a HD/CCW gun suitable for both my wife and I. Since I was going to be NEAR the DNR range, I thought I would put some rounds through my pistol today. Their pistol range is 25 yards. Out of about 20 rounds, I put 1 on the bullseye, one on the outside of the circle, and one on the paper, but not on the circle. Should I expect to be accurate with my snubby revolver at 25 yards?

 

[El Tejon]

You're doing fine. Relax, don't get discouraged, short barrelled weapons are difficult to shoot well.

Get closer and dry practice. As Bruce Lee said, you will not be a holy terror in three easy lessons.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

you're not that bad... it's that hard...

Should I expect to be accurate with my snubby revolver at 25 yards?

like your life depends on it...

sounds like you need more time at the range, 20 rounds is hardly enough, try 200 next time..

 

[jondwright]

I had 200 with me to shoot. But it was sooo freaking cold! Thanks guys.

 

[jlwatts3]

You are doing fine. Just keep up the practice and don't get discouraged. Even the best shooters among us have off days. At least I think they do.

 

[MudPuppy]

Maybe it was the cold?

Seriously though, 25 yards is pushing it for a snubby unless you get lots of range time in (and then only maybe!)

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

. Even the best shooters among us have off days. At least I think they do.

i know i do...

 

[Ukraine Train]

Yeah, 25yd is a pretty long way for a snubbie with the short barrel and short sight radius. Plus it was cold.

 

[jondwright]

Sad thing is, I was all by myself for about 15 minutes, and I wanted to ask the RO if I could move up and shoot. I don't think it's allowed though...

 

[Standing Wolf]

Should I expect to be accurate with my snubby revolver at 25 yards?

Your revolver is probably capable of holding five- or six-inch groups at that distance; its sights, however, won't let you see well enough to take advantage of its accuracy. The short sight radius—the distance from rear sight to front—means microscopic errors are greatly magnified. If you were to clamp your revolver into a Ransom rest, which removes the human factor, you'd find it amazingly accurate.

All that saidâ„¢, there's no such thing as a self-defense shooting at 25 yards: if the criminal is that far away, he's not a threat unless he has a rifle.

Self-defense shooting happens at distances between a sixteenth of an inch and about ten yards. It's hard to miss when you're that close.

 

[M99M12]

The Wolf speaks the truth, get a little closer. Then see what you can do.

 

[ken grant]

25 yds.?????

Don't want anyone shooting at me from 25 yds or even 100 yds. I have saw some people shoot!!!!!

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Just keep up the practice and don't get discouraged. Even the best shooters among us have off days. At least I think they do.

I don't. J/K. Bring that target up to 7 yards. It's about as far as you'll shoot inside a house, and it's nominal for a defensive shooting outside as well. Practice, practice, practice at 7, then lengthen your ranges as proficiency allows. Then practice, practice, practice some more.

 

[dasmi]

I agree, practice at a closer range. If you can shoot 25yds with a snub just starting out, you're damned good. I have a hard time at 25yds with my 4 inch revolver.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

It's not that snubbies can't be shot accurately at 25 yards (or longer ranges!), it's that due to the very short sight radius they are difficult to shoot accurately beyond about 10 yards.

Most defensive gun uses will occur inside 10 yards, so work on getting proficient at that range. Once you can keep your shots on a paper plate at 10 yards -- when shooting double action -- then practice at longer ranges.

Also, if you are financially able, consider getting a larger gun to practice with. For example a used S&W Model 10 or a Ruger GP-100 with a 4" barrel will be a lot easier to shoot accurately, due to longer sight radius and greater weight, which will soak up recoil. With one of these you're less likely to develop a flinch or get discouraged because you're not hitting the target. (You should still practice with the snubby, of course.) The larger gun will make it easier for you to learn the fundamentals of pistol shooting.

 

[shermacman]

Practice both distances. The comment about microscopic errors being greatly magnified is absolutely correct. Closer shooting will give you better groups; distance will be more frustrating, but it will greatly improve your gun handling techniques.

Ain't no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear!

 

[Bear Gulch]

Double action snubbie shooting takes lots of practice. Don't let it get you down. Marksmanship, like most other worthwhile things in life, requires commitment. Seek aout a range where you can address the target from a closer rage and back up as you skill and confidece grow.

 

[sharpie613]

I agree. Start at 7 yards, till you get used to how the gun will feel when you fire it. Since you don't say, I'm going to assume you have a DA revolver. Fire some single action shots before you try the DA. Then move to 10 yards. Repeat.

You may also want to invest in a .22 of some sort. That will help you correct the aiming errors without having to fight the nasty recoil from a snub. Switch between the two often. One of the best training tools for working on a flinch that I've found is to shoot a few loads of the bigger centerfire, then to switch to the .22 right after. You can see if you have a flinch pretty easily. Besides, .22's are fun!

 

[Ky Larry]

I have heard of people being "natural born shooters" but I've never seen one.
The only way I know to be proficient with a weapon is putting a lot of rounds down range. If possible, some professional instruction will be well worth the $.
Good luck. Shoot well and often.

 

[spacemanspiff]

practice practice practice. no matter if its a snubby handcannon, or a full size 1911.
definitely work on your skills up close. get one ragged hole groups. then get faster at it. then go out to i'd say 15 yards. expect your group size to double.

remember that when you are at the range, and are getting impressive groups, that you are shooting in a controlled environment, your breathing is relaxed, you are concentrating on exhaling before the shot lets off, and you are pretty much training your body to shoot at paper in the best conditions ever.

a defensive situation will give you such an adrenalin dump that your breath control, front sight focus, and everything else you have practiced will be far far more tougher to manage.

also, use various types of paper targets. sure, those bullseyes are great, make for a great aiming point, but not every bad guy will have that bullseye target on their chest for you to shoot at.
use silhouette targets. aim for COM. i have seen some that have the major body organs outlined on it, so you can see if you are hitting major organs or just grazing minor stuff.

p.s. i rarely shoot pistols at 25 yards. i'm still practicing at 7 yards.

 

[c_yeager]

Start MUCH closer (esp with a snubbie). When you get nice tight groups at 7 yards then move out to 10 yards untill you can do the same, and so forth. Starting at 25yards with a snubbie is an excersice in frustration for most people. If I go too long without practicing even 7 yards can be challenging with my 2" ruger despite the several thousand rounds I have put through it (i'm not even close to being a "natural born shooter" though).

Accuratly shooting a short barreled small frame revolver in double-action is one of the most challenging things a shooter can accomplish with a handgun. When you work your way up to getting them all in a nice cluster at 25 yards you will be able to impress a LOT of people. Even highly skilled shooters will have a hard time with that if they are not experienced with that type of firearm. (Just about the only time I can impress anyone at the range is by letting them try that little thing to see how hard it is. Watch out for the old-timers though cause a lot of them know what they are doing with them, the younger guys are often fair game).