How far do you usually shoot your handguns?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I usually shoot 7 yards indoors and 25 yards outdoors with my 3" 45acp.

But last year I was shooting my 357 at 5 yards (fifteen feet) at a new to me range with a max of 25 feet. Put a new target out and fired six rounds from the revolver. Brought the target back and had eight holes. The guy in the next lane was shooting that badly that he was hitting my target at just fifteen feet.

chris
 
15 yards is the most common. I figure that if I can do OK at 15 anything closer will be easier, but I do sometimes shoot as close as 7-10 yards. Never any closer than about 7. Occasionally 25 and as far as 50 yards a few times.
 
I think you really need to practice at all distances, close/point blank, out to at least reasonably far, and everything in between.

You dont shoot the same at up close (or at least I dont), as you do as the distances increase. At the closer distances, Im usually moving, I normally shoot more quickly, and use the sights less, if at all.

As I move out, theres less or no movement, the cadence slows, and sighting shifts from over the top of the gun, to more focus on the sights, the dots (three dot night sights), and to a traditional sight picture, the further out I go.

Movement, stances and positions also change with distance/proximity.
 
Oh and for the thread 20-500 yards. Typically shoot at 9mm cases at 20, clays at 100 8 inch plates at 200 and 18x36 steel out to 500.
 
I've shot my Crosman 1377 iron sights out to 80 yds. I use a lined front sight and calculate an MOA system with it relative to sight radius, run the ballistics and divide into the front sight "units" I've calcd. for shooting solutions. Surprisingly quite accurate though not terribly precise. Big specialty pistols we shoot as far as we can often.
 
I mostly shoot revolvers I plan on hunting with.
With those, I start at 25 yards and about half way through my range session, move it out to 50. I'm just starting to seriously practice at those distances, so it's been frustratingly slow. You don't have to be off by much at 50 yards to be a lot off on target.

When shooting my CC handgun or the bedside gun, usually 7-10 yards.
 
As i am used to the metric system ,so i tried converting

Probably most of the time somewhere around 15 yards with handguns
 
Trey Veston said:
I feel a 3" 5-shot group at 25 yards with a micro pistol and cheap Blazer Brass ammo is good enough
Click to expand...
Well done.

Yes, I would say 3" group at 25 yards with subcompact is pretty good, especially with cheap factory ammo.

IMO, based on shooting various pistols, 3" groups at 25 yards from full size pistols with decent ammo is average but compact/subcompact pistols usually increase group size. Just about the only subcompacts that produced comparable size groups were Glock 26/27/30.

Here are some 25 yard groups with regular and thick plated bullets not known for accuracy as good as jacketed bullets - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ts-and-discussions.778197/page-6#post-9924922

index.php

index.php

index.php

Sig 1911 with MBC 200 gr SWC
index.php

index.php
 
Last edited:
Trashyshoots said:
Oh and for the thread 20-500 yards. Typically shoot at 9mm cases at 20, clays at 100 8 inch plates at 200 and 18x36 steel out to 500.
Click to expand...
What "handgun" are you shooting at 200-500 yards?
LoonWulf said:
How far do you usually shoot your handguns?

Regular handguns, not handrifles lol.
Click to expand...
And where do you aim to compensate for bullet drop?

Even with my 16" 9mm carbines that add around 150 fps to handgun velocities, at 100 yards, bullet drop is more than 8 to 10 inches. I can walk my shots into a farming disk placed at 150-200 yards but I don't "usually" shoot at those distances.
 
qHec1CQ9YIG6BOAI9xHTy6voXTZcOvV_pZYFbhUGcbKgID8j4TnHrlFZeujaiSUgPlluWx4=w1039-h779-no?authuser=0.jpg

Last weekend we were ringing steel at 60-65 yards.

We were most consistent with the red dot pistols (one glock 19 gen5, one SAO Legion Sig P226), followed by the old Uberti SAA.

I was actually surprised that I shot the Glock (with upgraded trigger) better than my trusty Sig P226.

And by consistently, I mean 3 hits out of 5 or better.
 
crazydice said:
As i am used to the metric system ,so i tried converting

Probably most of the time somewhere around 15 yards with handguns
Click to expand...
Feel free to use meters/yards interchangeably at the kinda ranges were talking, we can figure it out lol.

I was mostly curious about folks average ranges.
 
Last edited:
LiveLife said:
What "handgun" are you shooting at 200-500 yards?
​
And where do you aim to compensate for bullet drop?

Even with my 16" 9mm carbines that add around 150 fps to handgun velocities, at 100 yards, bullet drop is more than 8 to 10 inches. I can walk my shots into a farming disk placed at 150-200 yards but I don't "usually" shoot at those distances.
Click to expand...
Not counting my contender even though mines perfectly shootable one handed like a handgun should be, a gp100 6 inch.

Drop is measured in feet windage is also. I dont shoot rifles though, everything I do is a handgun. I am having a 1911 built for long bombs at the moment. Im hoping to take that out to 500 at least.
 
Heres a test for you guys on your next range visit. Take a silhouette target and place it at 100 yards. Shoot at it with your carry gun!

Where do you aim?

A good start is a LOT LOWER than you may first guess...

Try holding where the chin would be and see where the rounds land.

Good luck!
 
Plainsman said:
Heres a test for you guys on your next range visit. Take a silhouette target and place it at 100 yards. Shoot at it with your carry gun!

Where do you aim?

A good start is a LOT LOWER than you may first guess...

Try holding where the chin would be and see where the rounds land.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Just a waste of ammo. At 100 yds you're lobbing anything you shoot.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

sirgilligan
  • Locked
  • Poll
How much do you shoot your center fire handgun?
2 3
Replies
52
Views
4K
ljnowell
L
D
  • Locked
Most accurate handgun?
2 3
Replies
65
Views
30K
kymarkh
K
T
  • Locked
How long do you look at your sights?
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Robert Wilson
R
1
  • Locked
How long do you expect your guns to last?
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
Robbot
R
K
  • Locked
How do yall clean your handguns?
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
O C
O
Back
Top