How many rounds during a range session?

Alllen Bundy

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Jul 8, 2021
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Location
Murderapolis, Minnesota
How many handgun rounds do you typically fire at the gun range?

Is it ammunition availability, cost, time constraints, hand discomfort, or something else that limits how many rounds you fire?

I bought my P365 just before the 2020 election. As you may remember back then, ammunition was in short supply and it got even worse after that. At my very first range session with a handgun, I shot 50 rds of Browning 9 mm 115 gr FMJ rated at 1,190 fps. At that time I did not shoot any of my Speer Gold Dot JHP ammo because it was just too scarce to use for practice.

To be honest, shooting that first 50 rounds was plenty. Not wanting screw up and accidentally shoot anyone and getting used to the pressure waves from other shooters blasting me in the face and body was a bit stressful.

Now I probably average about 150 rounds per range session limited by the cost and the availability of what I want to shoot.
 
I have no set number as it all depends on whether shooting the revolver or the pistol. I just shoot until I am happy but don't drag it out. If I'm shooting the .22 I will put more rounds down range. Ammo availability is not an issue with me...
 
I think 50 is a good number. Some for slow accuracy and some for speed. If you find other shooters distract you I would use double hearing protection, plugs + muffs, especially indoors. Shooting next to someone indoors who has full power mag loads like a .357 can be very challenging. I'm not sure of your experience but in general I think most newer shooters flinch as much from the report/noise as they do from the recoil. I would much prefer more frequent/less round count trips to the range if the goal is to improve and not just shooting for fun, which is ok too. If you are practicing for self defense I would concentrate on the first 3 rounds of the session to access your improvement on both speed and accuracy.
 
Usually 100 . I do shoot a lot less now that reloading components are expensive and hard to find , but I still usually shoot 100 rounds or more when I shoot , unless it is load development , then it is less than 100 rounds .
 
...If you find other shooters distract you I would use double hearing protection, plugs + muffs, especially indoors. Shooting next to someone indoors who has full power mag loads like a .357 can be very challenging. I'm not sure of your experience but in general I think most newer shooters flinch as much from the report/noise as they do from the recoil....

I shot rifles and shotguns enough in my youth that I didn't have any flinching problems. I didn't have any issue with the recoil or muzzle flip. I didn't have any issues with the noise. It was the pressure waves coming from other shooter's pistols that I felt on my body and eyeballs that I found disconcerting. And yes, I was wearing safety classes and ear plugs. I'm going to try to find someplace where I can shoot pistols outdoors.
 
If a semi-auto handgun I usually shoot about 3 boxes, 150 rounds. Honestly depends on caliber too. I have a lot of .38spl so I shoot a lot of it. 9 is relatively available/affordable. .25acp is beyond all price these days so I don’t find myself going crazy with it.
 
Handguns: 50-100 centerfire rds, 150-200 rimfire. Rifles: 20-40 rds (.223 or .308) maybe every 3 trips. 2 trips/ mo October-May, 1 trip end of July in the June-September time frame. Gets pretty hot around these parts. Joe
 
It varies. Probably most often it's one or two magazines or if a revolver one or two reloads. Some days it can be several boxes of ammo but most often it is simply to check some specific issue like new ammo, new parts or adjustments. A new handgun will also be a longer session, generally a hundred or two hundred rounds. The good folk at my range kinda laugh about how short my sessions are.
 
Depends on what gun I'm taking out and what the purpose of the trip is. I'm going to shoot a lot of 9mm if I bring out my mp5, but not as much if it's just my p365 or 1911 going out.

Also true if I'm taking out a contender with .22s vs my volquartsen.
 
Since I usually bring a variety of handguns to a shooting session, the total can be 50 per gun but 350-400 overall sometimes.

if I am bringing rimfires or one of my favored 9mm’s, 500 shots could easily be eclipsed.

Stay safe.
 
Back when I went to a convenient indoor range every week, it was typically 50 pistol rounds for practice. Plus extra for any load workup, zeroing, or troubleshooting.

Now that I only shoot outdoors, and so less frequently due to driving distance and weather restrictions, I prefer to take 100 rounds for pistol.

Rifles and shotguns get fewer range trips per year, so I typically shoot until I run out of ammo, or until I'm too fatigued to want to continue. I won't take more than 200 rounds with me though.
 
200 - 400 rounds per range session for the last 10+ years. Indoor/outdoor, pistol/rifle, rimfire/centerfire, doesn't matter. Generally I shoot twice a week.
 
Ill shoot as much as you brung! :D:p

Generally, a range trip will burn up around 1000-1500rnds of centerfire between 3 of us, if it's just me I might shoot 100-150....but i only have my guns to play with then, and I tend to be more conservative.

OK. I'll bite. Three (3). Unless the gun was knocked. Then I'll take 3 more after adjustment. But, typically 3 to verify zero.



I didn't lose my ability to line up 4 objects. Did you? It's simply not a perishable skill. "I shoot a thousand rounds every weekend" guy somehow can't outshoot me.


Now, there's these "competition" dudes and crap but that's totally irrelevant to putting bodies in the freezer or just downing an enemy. Nobody has ever, ever, ever benefitted in the real world from "training" by shooting more rounds than the next guy.



What matters? Tactics, not getting clapped. Strength, seriously hit the gym. Stamina, run until you puke, then do it again every day. And shoot/no shoot training. All of that can and should be done without firing a round. Ammunition spent at paper is the single biggest waste of money in the firearm hobby. Sure, stockpile it. That's useful.
I honestly cant tell if you're being facetious........
 
To be honest, shooting my pistols hasn't quite reached the level of fun that it was when I was shooting rifles and shotguns as a teenager. Learning to shoot my pistol is a deadly serious business because it's mainly for self defense. But I'm becoming much more comfortable shooting.

Minneapolis has managed to drive out every gun shop and gun range with zoning regulations. I have to go out to the 3rd tier suburbs to find any gun shops or gun ranges. Even then all of the pistol ranges that are anywhere near me are indoor, even when they have outdoor rifle and shotgun shooting. Of course, some people practice shooting outdoors at George Floyd Square. But that can involve too much paperwork.
 
I think 50 is a good number. Some for slow accuracy and some for speed. If you find other shooters distract you I would use double hearing protection, plugs + muffs, especially indoors. Shooting next to someone indoors who has full power mag loads like a .357 can be very challenging. I'm not sure of your experience but in general I think most newer shooters flinch as much from the report/noise as they do from the recoil. I would much prefer more frequent/less round count trips to the range if the goal is to improve and not just shooting for fun, which is ok too. If you are practicing for self defense I would concentrate on the first 3 rounds of the session to access your improvement on both speed and accuracy.

Last range trip with my son. A few gentleman where shooting a short barrel AR like 6-8 inch’s. That thing was painful. With plugs and muffs.
 
I shoot 120 to 150 rounds per range session. Sometimes a bit more if I bring a 22. I bring 2 or sometimes 3 guns.
I generally shoot twice a month.
Cost is definitely a consideration. Shooting a lot of 357 or 45 could cost $60-70 per month, and I reload. Hand fatigue can be an issue as well as it being hard to stay focused at the needed level for a couple hours. A friend and I usually will go out for 2.5 hours, but take a break in the middle
 
Typically I take 3 handguns with me, in .22LR, 9mm., and .45 ACP. Somewhere around 100 to 200 rounds with the .22LR and 100 rounds each with 9mm. and .45 ACP. Since I got another .380 ACP, I will be adding that to the mix on occasion as well.
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200 rounds give or take on average and I try to make it out once a week when weather permits or once a month when freezing. I'm up to about 50% .22 lr just to conserve centerfire ammo and reloading supplies. I shot just as much 5 years ago but only about 20% .22 lr.


Anyone who thinks shooting isn't a perishable skill, hasn't ever built up enough skills to lose them. Shoot 50 to 100 rounds every week for a couple months working on a specific skill - 200 yard accuracy, clearing a table of bowling pins at 15 yards as fast as possible, shooting a handgun at 50 yards, etc and then take a few months off. If you don't notice a difference in your performance something is wrong.
 
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