Concealed Carry: Accuracy, Consistency, Range

[hdwhit]

WrongHanded wrote:
What sort of accuracy, consistency, and range do we really expect to achieve from these smaller guns? And how close to that do we come when we look at our shooting objectively?

A very good question.

All I can tell you is that for handguns, I generally practice at 7 yards (21 feet) since this is about as big a room as I believe I'm likely to be in when I need to draw a weapon for self-defense.

My accuracy standard is based on the circular divot in the side of a gallon milk jug. At the appropriate distance (i.e. 7 yards for 25 ACP, 38 Special, 9mm, and 15 yards for 45 ACP, and 100 yards for rifle) can I get at least 9 out of 10 shots into that circular divot? Firing offhand, I can generally make this for 25 ACP and the rifles, but I'm still having to work on the other pistols.

Despite being a lump of Zamak, my Rohm RG-25 is surprisingly accurate and very easy to shoot with a clean, predictable trigger. i just wish I could still find reloading components for it so that I could shoot it more.

 

[Kleanbore]

All I can tell you is that for handguns, I generally practice at 7 yards (21 feet) since this is about as big a room as I believe I'm likely to be in when I need to draw a weapon for self-defense.

I think it makes a lot of sense to practice for home defense using the longest distance with which you will have to contend.

For concealed carry, I would recommend practicing at more likely distances, and those are likely to be shorter than seven yards. Rob Pincus' Counter Ambush--The Science of Training for the Unexpected Defensive Shooting, which may be out of print, explains why, quite well.

My accuracy standard is based on the circular divot in the side of a gallon milk jug.

How big is that?

 

[tomrkba]

4" at 25 yards. That will give you a 6" group under stress. This level of accuracy will get you hits on the torso, side of the torso and head. Obviously, you should strive for a higher level of control and get 2-3". But, is doing so worth the time, effort and money?

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

How big is that?

Many of the gallon jugs of milk sold nowadays don't have the "divot" he speaks of but I remember it from the days of past. It's somewhere between 2-3". Not what I would call SD groupings but hey, if that's what he wants to set his bar at then more power to him.

Personally, anything within the 8 ring on a B27 I'm happy with, shooting at very rapid paces.

 

[hdwhit]

Kleanbore wrote:
How big is that?

Depending on the manufacturer of the jug, between about 2.75 and 3.5 inches.

I don't know how that compares with what the experts say, but it has been a consistent objective for both handgun (at 7 yards) and rifle (at 100 yards) for decades and while I have so far never had to shoot another human being, it has proven sufficient accuracy (in the case of the rifle) to let me to do head-shots on muskrats and beaver. I figure if shooting that objective that has given me the skill to take a swimming muskrat at approximately 100 yards, I can certainly make a center-of-mass shot on an attacker.

 

[Kleanbore]

I figure if shooting that objective that has given me the skill to take a swimming muskrat at approximately 100 yards, I can certainly make a center-of-mass shot on an attacker.

If your attacker is moving at a comparable speed some distance away, it probably would.

I too once assumed that if one could shoot with reasonable precision at larger ranges, that skill would suffice in a fast unexpected attack at a short distance. That was what I practiced.

However, one of the first things that one comes to realize in a good tactical defensive pistol course is that neither the muscle memory nor many of the other learned aspects of the drill will prove very applicable.

 

[Mark 40]

I have, for many years, taught my NON-LE students that they MUST be able to put a full magazine or cylinder, regardless of capacity, into a paper plate sized target in the high center chest at the longest distance they will shoot inside their home as fast as they can press and reset their trigger. This is the minimum level of skill they will "need" and once that is doable on demand, then more advanced skills will come into the regimen. They are then amazed at how soon they are able to do that with minimal professional training because a good teacher can impart those skills rapidly. I use it as a starting block to demonstrate that they CAN do it and it builds confidence and makes the next steps in training easier for them to accomplish.

I like it; never quite heard it put the way you did above, but it sure makes sense. A great baseline to build from. Thanks for sharing