Target Shooting - Is Anyone Telling The Truth?

[Walkalong]

I don't recall anyone shooting on my range that lived up to their bragging.
On the other hand some people that said they shoot OK, were very good.

Yep, it is much harder "on demand" and great shooters don't generally brag much.

I read about some amazing shooting on line. Quite amazing. Those folks should be shooting competitively.

I shot Benchrest for some years. I have been unable to do so lately and I really miss the competition. It is so very satisfying to shoot well when it counts. I was told I would eat a lot of humble pie when I started shooting it, and they were right, but that just made the successes so much sweeter. If it was not hard, it would be no fun. Easy success is not satisfying because, well, it's just to easy.

 

[TEDDY]

compitition

practice of the right sort makes a good shooter .most are into speed and make poor shooting.Learn to shoot proprerly slow fire speed comes later.the north east has many target shooters I was one.50 ft/25 yds and 50 yrds.how about siluete shooters.I shot a few times with a 1911 fixed site at up to 200 yrds.50 and 100 yrds was ok 150 and 200 was not so easy.
any one want to try the 38=2.8 bullseye/700X--148 gr lwcfor the 45 acp= 3.6bullseye/700X 200gr swc 50 ft will stay in X ring,at 50 yrds will stay in 10 ring.
pistols ar very accurate.I use a S&W mod 10 bull barrel with bomar rib.and a WW2 1911 with AMT longslide.

 

[PzGren]

I use a S&W mod 10 bull barrel with bomar rib.and a WW2 1911 with AMT longslide.
TEDDY is offline Report Post

By the selection of your guns and their modifications, you set yourself apart from many folks. Your guns seem to be made for accuracy - and I would not be surprised if you handload.

 

[Treo]

Personally, I lie my ass off any time I talk about how good I can shoot, I got some good fishin' stories too.

Seriously at the range I almost never fire off hand I'm all about that prone supported firing position

 

[Geno]

Treo:

That's nothin'! I got your lies beat...heck, I don't even own any firearms!

See, I told you I tell better lies!

Doc2005

 

[loop]

I'm a pretty good shot when I have a lot of time. But, I've had 40 years to practice and to acquire a few really accurate guns.

But, that is where the issue comes in. I have more than 100 guns in the vault. I have two accurate rifles and two accurate pistols. I have one other pistol that is really accurate, but it is a compact and therefore I don't count it.

What surprises me is that so many other people can buy any old gun and outshoot Annie Oakley.

I recently shot an IDPA match with a gun that will shoot one hole at 25 yards and completely missed the No. 3 target in one string at five yards with three shots.

What I love about IDPA is it really shows what you can and will do when the pressure is on. Then you can try to correct it.

I can take that same gun and make one big hole at 25 yards all day long. Add a little pressure and I miss a man-sized target three times in a row at 15 feet.

The one thing it has taught me is that slower is sometimes faster when you really want to hit your target.

And, despite the three misses I still won the match - go figure.

 

[wep45]

I have sight only in my right eye and enjoy shooting my S&W 686-4pp.

My average performance at target practice is about 3"-4" groups at 7 to 8 yards using .38 special rounds.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Rest.....

Anything I've stated about what my guns will do was my gun resting on a bench - possibly on a bag and turret.

Everything else is up to me. That's why two of my rifles have Harris bipods on them and I use a rest whenever there's a long shot with my pistol.

It's not hard being a good shot, you just need to be creative.

 

[MrBorland]

Man, there's been a fair bit of whinin' and gripin' about keyboard commandos and other shooters at the range. Personally, I don't concern myself with them one way or the other. I know what I'm capable of and they're not keeping me from shooting, so why embrace the distraction? Every neuron fired worrying about someone else is a neuron not focused on my own shooting, and makin' it better. Just my $0.02, FWIW, YMMV, yadda yadda.

 

[jpatterson]

Hey Zespectre, does that correction chart you posted on the first page really help you diagnose your shooting? I went to that sportshooting.com site but it said it didn't exist, do you have a saved copy on your computer you might be able to email me?

 

[Justin]

Or could it be expectations, based in part on the above? Do people just not expect to hit consistently at 25 yards, or 50 yards? Are folks just following the rest of the shooting crowd by setting up at 21 feet? Have they not taken their weapon out and tried one slow shot, then compared where they aimed and where they hit? Until they can hit consistently where they shoot? And then move the target farther downrange? Where did we get this idea that '100 yards is rifle range?'. A .357, 44 spcl, Colt 45, 44mag. will all easily hit accurately at this range and we have old timers like Elmer Keith who proved it. I'm not aware of anybody hitting at that range with a 9mm, but heck, certainly you could hit accurately at 25 yards.

It has nothing to do with the prevalence of auto vs. revolver. I've hit targets with offhand and two-handed grips at 100 yards or more with pistols chambered in .22, 7.62x25mm, 9mm, and .40 S&W.

The slow fire component of an outdoor bullseye match is shot at 50 yards, and very, very few people shoot revolvers in Bullseye matches, and of the few people who do, I can guarantee you that none of them are using anything even close to a magnum loading.

The reason why most people consider 25 yards to be the maximum distance for a pistol has more to do with the difficulty of being able to quickly and effectively hit the targets past those distances vs. doing the same with a rifle.

Rifles are an inherently much more stable platform than handguns, and the additional sight radius and longer barrel only serve to make a rifle a much better platform.

But then again, even up close, a rifle will be faster than a pistol. At the local Steel Challenge matches, one of the guys shoots a 10/22 with a dot sight on top. His times with that rifle are consistently a second or two faster than my times with a rimfire handgun.

 

[j1133s]

I think there's is probably some "fudging" on most of the claims. Maybe 1 day , for once, they shot a 2" group with an old box of mil surp ammo out of an even older 1911 with a broken off front sight. Then on the net, it'll become an everyday occurrance for them. It's like online posting of golf conquests!!

As a shooter, you should already know what is a good group. For example, if you are into bullseye, action pistol, or any competition then you can checkout the scores posted online at the official sites. You'll know that if you get close to the top, then you're pretty good.

Back to your original post, 2" at 25 yards off hand, pistol, is difficult but not impossible. The right gun, sights and ammo is important. You'd be amazed at what accurate ammo can do.

 

[AndyC]

I consider myself a fairly fast, accurate handgun shooter, but I'll need to actually shoot some groupings at 25 yards before I say anything.

What I do usually shoot when working on my accuracy are those round 1" stickers at 10 yards (30 feet) and try not to break the outer edge of the sticker itself. The short distance makes any error on my part immediately apparent - a feedback-loop, if you will.

 

[loop]

I once shot a coyote at 300 yards with a CZ52. I turned to my friend and said "I'll never shoot another gun in front of you again."

All it takes is one good shot to be a great shot.

OTOH, my friend rode a buffalo for 8 seconds....

I love being a redneck...

 

[Radagast]

Back when I shot three times a week and qualified for the Australian IPSC team I could manage one to two inch groups at 25 meters, with a good gun and good ammo.
Now that I'm older, fatter and only shoot once a fortnight if that, I'm happy of I can manage a three inch group at 15 meters.

 

[Ankeny]

I can honestly say I have been beaten by some of the best shooters on the face of the Earth.

As far as Internet lore, I think pistol shooters often times like to forget about poor and/or average performances and rifle shooters toss out too many fliers.

 

[TEXAS]

Five shots at 25 Yards using a 500 Linebaugh.

 

[WhisperFan]

????

That photo is too pixelated to see anything

Was that the intent?

 

[tinygnat219]

Well, if we ever meet up and have anything like we had at Hite Hollow, VA. I think it's safe to say we'd know who the fibbers are pretty quick.

 

[Deanimator]

The slow fire component of an outdoor bullseye match is shot at 50 yards, and very, very few people shoot revolvers in Bullseye matches, and of the few people who do, I can guarantee you that none of them are using anything even close to a magnum loading.

I actually find bullseye shooting at 50 and 25 yards easier than 50' because the scoring rings on the 50' slow and sustained fire targets are MUCH closer together. My only issue at 50 yards is not crossfiring, which is easier to do than people might think. The range where I shoot is 50' ONLY.

 

[Meowhead]

????

That photo is too pixelated to see anything

Was that the intent?

He posted a crappy pic to hide the fact there's not a single hole in the card..

 

[Guns and more]

I feel better. I have some nice guns. CZ, H&K, Springfield, Ruger. I shoot them all about the same, maybe the .45's a little better than the 9's. At 10 yds. I'm happy to keep everything on a 10" circle. I'll admit to not being a great shot, but I think a lot of those "tack driver" stories are bull twinkies. (and magazine reviews are the worst.)
When I got my new CZ Rami, and I took it to the range, the first shot was within 1/2" of dead center. I thought I found the perfect gun. I should have taken the target down and gone home. The next 50 were all over the paper. Oh, to get that one shot back.

 

[[email protected]]

Muzzleloading Pistol Target

Well I've been reading about all the good shooting out there. Here is the real
world. This is a 25 yd. 10 shot using one hand hold shot at the Nationals
last week at Friendship Indiana. The guy that shot this is a friend of mine
and he does shoot like this all the time. This target did win first place.
This is with a black powder pistol.

 

[[email protected]]

Wife's Pistol Target

This is a 10 shot 25 yd. Pistol target shot using one hand hold. This is with
a black powder muzzleloading pistol

 

[bigmike45]

With the technology that is used in designing todays firearms and the quality of todays ammunition, it is not unheard of, and is actually more common than one thinks. I have done it, but only a few times. I usually keep my shots easily within that 8" target at 25 yards though. Of course I shoot way more rounds in a month than most. It is a process of human mechanics, gun and ammunition and the ability to repeat what works consistiently. I have seen quite a few at my gun club do the 2" @ 25 yards thing, and some on a consistient basis. One guy is a surgeon and has hunted the big 5 and I heard from one of his hunting buddies that he shot a running animal at 70 yards with a single action revolver, a Freedom Arms 454 Casul and dropped it. I guess anythings possible.

bigmike