Best distances to practice at (pistol)

[nighttowl]

I'm going to start shooting limited 10; I already have all the gear, but Im wondering what distance(s) to practice shooting at?

[ysr_racer]

I'm going to start shooting limited 10; I already have all the gear, but Im wondering what distance(s) to practice shooting at?

Most of the matches I've shot the targets are no farther than 10 to 15 yards.

[wpage]

http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/whats-the-best-distance-to-practice-at-for-self-defense-its-not-what-you-th/law-enforcement-defense-security

[rodralig]

I'm going to start shooting limited 10; I already have all the gear, but Im wondering what distance(s) to practice shooting at?

Varied - you don't shoot all targets the same way...

In my case of Production Minor - practice for point shooting at speed at 5-yards, target focussed at 7-yards, then front sight focussed but imperfect sight picture/alignment at 10-yards, then go near-perfect sight picture/alignment at 15-yards and over... You need to fire the shot once it is "good enough" not when it is perfect - or you'd be wasting time. Easier said than done, and that is where the training/practice comes in to recognize it at that instant... That said, the assumption is that you have your other fundamentals at a decent level - as Rob Leatham once said, "aiming is useless"...

Depending on whether you'd be shooting Major VS Minor - I would vary my "good" criteria. In my case of Minor, I try to get more than 90% As. Wide open targets deserve all As!

And one reminder - even if you are shooting imperfectly at closer distances, do NOT disrespect the target. We have folks, even myself, ending up with Charlies at CLOSE range OPEN targets.


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[ysr_racer]

!

And one reminder - even if you are shooting imperfectly at closer distances, do NOT disrespect the target. We have folks, even myself, ending up with Charlies at CLOSE range OPEN targets.

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Charlies? I've seen people Mike them at three yards

[rodralig]

Charlies? I've seen people Mike them at three yards

I didn't even mention Deltas... I am being nice...

(*knock on wood* So far it hasn't happened to me, yet)...

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[broadside]

We build stages with targets at 3 to 35 yards. But if you are shooting 9 or 40 then sight in at 25 yd and let them fly with nearly no hold overs. Only thing to manage and get a hand on is head shots and where you need to aim for those.

[naz]

Hi, what about going to practices at your local action shooting range, instead of shooting in the stalls?

[IVC]

This is a VERY tricky question.

You'll start by having some sort of long(er) distance group accuracy, then you'll move to being able to hit close targets at speed, you'll get better, then you'll have to go back to shooting hard targets on the clock.

In short, you have to have ability to shoot in the first place (groups at moderate distances), then you have to learn to shoot fast and on the clock, which will require you to start shooting closer targets (initially), you'll realize that you can be sloppy to a point and get away with it most of the time, then you'll realize that the close targets that are covered are actually the same as far out targets and that "unexplained misses" on close targets are all because of the "fundamentals at speed," so you'll have to go back to working on hard targets on the clock.

As a rule of thumb, if you have to pick a single distance for practice, choose 15 yards for groups and slow fire, 10 yards for shooting at speed. That will get you to the point where you can enjoy the sport.

[ysr_racer]

.

As a rule of thumb, if you have to pick a single distance for practice, choose 15 yards for groups and slow fire, 10 yards for shooting at speed. That will get you to the point where you can enjoy the sport.

Yep, what he said