How long does it take...

[JTROKS]

Three times a week, 30X3 =90 rds/week.
I practice about 800 rds of 9mm+45ACP+380ACP+38SPL+357MAG+44SPL+44MAG and 300-500 rds of .22LR per week.
Learn to reload so you can shoot more.

Shooting up to 1K rounds a week is about right if you live in SoCal and very active in shooting USPSA, IDPA, 3Gun, Steel Challenge. When some of the big matches overlap the practice as preparation will put you over 2K per week.

[sexybeast]

i took up golf 10 years ago or so, played 2wc a week and practiced 1+ hours a week, started out as a 20+ handy. few years later was practicing 5 hours a week and got down to a 10 handy, i was able too shape shots, read the greens, drive it pretty straight and keep my 3 putts down to a minimum. 3 years ago i had 2 surgeries kinda back to back and could not play for a year, shot back up to a 20+. practice makes perminant.

[rodralig]

This question reminds me of what we usually hear in the martial arts from students, ".... how long does it take to become a Black Belt....?"




... and then it becomes a Philosophical discourse between the Sensei and more senior students - does the training stop when you have received your Black Belt?



_

[damon1272]

Rather than all the advice, which btw has been solid (other than YSR recommending blowing a hole in your wall &#128514 I would say you would do well to seek out some training from an instructor. They will be able to diagnose and fix issues faster than trying to fix things on your own.

[Wheellock]

This question reminds me of what we usually hear in the martial arts from students, ".... how long does it take to become a Black Belt....?"




... and then it becomes a Philosophical discourse between the Sensei and more senior students - does the training stop when you have received your Black Belt?



_

Definietly this. I am a bulleye shooter, and if I don't practice 4-5 hours a week my scores will drop 10 points at least (significant change with other good competitors). And it has to be focused practice where you are mentally present. It's a bit like meditation (at least it sounds like it, I'm not a meditator)

[divingin]

As Rodralig implied, it takes... as long as it takes. Everyone is different, so there's no timeline for reaching a certain point.

But, there are things you can do:

First off, you won't shoot multiple good shots without being able to fire a single good shot. That should be your first goal in learning.

Second, you need to have a good follow through on the first shot in order to fire a good, quick second shot. So once you have point 1 down, concentrate on the sights when the gun returns from recoil - it should end up spot-on, or at worst, very close to spot-on being lined up on the target.

Last, practice. A lot. Dry fire when you can't get to the range, and live fire when you can. You will never get to a point where you can't improve.

[RandyD]

Your success is unique to you. Dry firing is the best technique to improve shooting skills. As noted above, there are a lot of drills. Find the drill that will improve the skills that you desire. I dry fire a lot while at home and at the office. I am self employed so dry firing at work is not an issue. Also take note that the Marine Corps has its recruits in boot camp dry fire for an entire week before they get live ammo.

[AFTII]

....to improve one's consistency on the basic two handed grip of a handgun so that it becomes second nature? I am finding that I can get decent groupings taking things real slow and thinking about every shot but as soon as I try to fire anything faster than once every 5 or more seconds, my right hand grip tightens and the POI is not consistent

OP, you didn't mention any distances in your post. If it's taking you 5 seconds to regroup for shots at 25 yards, that's a lot different than taking 5 seconds between shots at 3 yards.

If you're already shooting at 3 yds, I'd venture to say its your grip. A proper grip on a pistol is a lot tighter than most people think. Death grip the gun until your arms begin to shake and then relax until the shaking stops. That is the proper grip. The fatigue will diminish with time.

To shoot faster, bring your target in closer. Start at 3 yards. From the low ready position, shoot controlled pairs at a 9" paper plate. Shoot do not shoot for pinpoint accuracy - work on being smooth and keeping all your shots in the 9" plate. When you can comfortably keep all of your shots in the plate, more the target further out to 5 yds and 7 yds. (7 yds, or 21 feet is statistically where most self defense shootings occur.) Your goal is to be able to place a controlled pair of rounds in the paper plate from the low ready position in less than 2 seconds at 21 ft.

Again, forget about precision. Line up the front sight with the target and make sure it is anywhere in the notch of the rear sight and you will hit the pie plate (9" circle - approximating the vital area of a human) at 21'. It's called a "flash sight picture." Here is a really good video that sums it all up.

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/flash-sight-picture/

I wish I had googled flash site picture before I wrote the above novel.