What distance do you train for to be prepared for a self defense situation? I normally set my target at about 5 yards so that my practice might actually improve my shooting ability for real-life possibilities, but I have read that most self defense shootings are done at more like 5 feet. Practicing shooting at 5 feet seems like a waste of ammo since even a mediocre marksman like myself can do pretty well with shot placement at that distance even with the guns that I shoot the poorest.

If you were a weight lifter would you limit yourself to only a 5 pound weight ?

I think 5 yds. is a good place for a beginner to start. When your groups improve. Try 10 yds. , 15 yds. , 25 yds. ,, etc..

I use to practice keeping all the shots in the 'A' zones of a USPSA target at 25 yds. If you can't keep them in the 'A' zone, slow down. If all your shots are in the A zone, speed up ..
Then a target at 10 yds. was a piece of cake.

Old saying: Fast is Fine. But accuracy is Final.

I do what the range allows. If their max is 50 ft then I'll start closer but end up at 50

1,5,7,10, and 25 yards.
1 yard is from weapon retention.
5 yard is strong and support hand only.
25 yard is barricade left, right kneeling and standing.

When the real thing happens you can easily miss from a few feet away, I've seen experienced cops do this. As to my training I practice from three, five and seven yards. A couple of times a year I'll go out to 15 and 25 yards b/c LEOSA certification requires that and I want to keep up.

A drill I like is: At three & five yards using a standard paper plate you empty your gun as fast as possible, reload and repeat. The goal is to keep all your rounds on the plate. I've gotten pretty good w/my J frames doing this w/a speed loader.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Not as quick as I once was. I practice speed and accuracy at 10 feet. If anything happens that's where I figure it will be. Then I target shoot at 30 feet. Can't shoot a perp running away but you can shoot a raccoon dry humpln' yer melons.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I usually run at least two cylinder's full at bad-breath distance- pushing off the target with my off-hand and drawing with my right. Not quite aiming, more like pointing.

I find it useful to shoot at all distances-from 3 ft to 50 yds, just for fun. You're always learning something.

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Because of the metric system?

Close encounters of one ot two yards is using your front sight. Since the target is very close, you don't have time to take the proper sight alignment. At that distance, you front sight is what you are looking for. Shoot double tap, center mass and you are pretty much dead center without jerking the triger. It takes practice because the distance is short and the target is close. As the target increases, then time and sights will come into play. You can dry fire these distances in your home, live ammo away from the area you are dry firing, and practice. It will save you ammo and then shoot the same technique at the range. Most ranges will not let you draw from the holster, so you can practice at the ready low position. I dry fire every day for at least 15 minutes in my garage using different distances and targets, simulating baracades, behind car and prone and kneeling positions, dominant and non dominat hand in shooting. There are many different positions you can practice to hone your skills at the privacy of your home. Make sure your gun is not loaded and alone while you practice your skills.

Nick

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NRA Instructor\GCA Gunsmith

There's no downside to practicing at long range; only benefits. Sight alignment and trigger control become more important as range increases--an angular movement that would move your gun 3" at 5 yards would still result in hit in the A zone of an IDPA/IPSC target, but that exact same movement at 25 yards subtends to 15" off the mark--a complete miss.

Push the speed to the limit. If you're shooting bughole groups with self defense practice in mind, you're shooting way too slow. Speed up your shooting so that you are shooting 8" groups at any range--this will mean slightly faster when closer, slightly slower when farther.

Might as well practice some retention shooting. I was surprised how accurate this can be at ~1 yard; I can keep them all in the A zone no problem, as fast as I can pull the trigger (0.25 second splits roughly.)

My range only gives me two choices -- 10 yards and 25 yards.

I practice J frames at 10 yards.

That was frustrating at first, but now I can keep the holes in a paper plate with a J frame snubby.

I train at 1, 3, 5 & 7 yards. At 1 yard I am firing from retention everything past that is full extension.

They also have us training to move to the right and left while shooting and we do moving forward and back drills from 7 yards in and 1 yard out. My favorite one is when they have us run 50 yards or so, draw at the 7 yard line and engage the target as we move forward.

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Retired Career Security Guard

I make a difference between SD and HD.

SD is when I get attacked outside my House. Here apply different distances depending on the area. I for example am always in a code orange stage. I don’t like to have anyone walking right behind me. I slow down and let the other pedestrian in a Park pass me if they come to close behind me. It is more a habit than an inconvenience.
My distance that I shoot for SD is 7-10 yards. You have to train this distance but not with any weapon. You have to train this distance with your carry weapon. It makes no sense to change your carry gun often, because with the change of the gun comes the practice too. Remember the 2 second rule. The response with this concealed weapon must be very, very fast. You don’t have more than approx. 2 seconds to place 2 bullets into the target.
In this moment that you are aware of a girl attacking you, you have only 2 seconds to respond.
Keep in mind that the girls are sometimes with their girlfriends, so all of a sudden the girlfriends could be right behind you. So be aware that you have to make a Foxtrot sidestep in a way that your back turns in a safe direction. With a little practice of awareness you know where this is. It is not as bad as it sounds; it is more training your senses sensibilities for your surrounding area. It is really amazing how many people just running around and are not really aware what is going on around them.

The bad news on this is that most of the gun ranges don’t allow you to exercise double or triple shots and not allow anyone to do drawing practice. I argued always with my rifle range about that. So this is how I do it:
Double shot practice. 1 round in the barrel an empty magazine in the gun. First shot the target second click. Keep your eye always on the gun muzzle, don’t turn the eye away until the second click was done. Keep the muzzle as close as you can on the target. I’m for example, do triple shots in 2 seconds timeframe now. I found an outdoor range that allows on certain areas draw and shoot practice.

Always remember if you can’t fix it with 10 bullets and no help is in sight, you should have practiced in praying too.

Concealed carry means not carrying visual but easy accessible. Keep that in mind.
Double hit (triple if you can) on a target in 2 seconds. The distance is between 5-10 yards or 15 – 30 feet. That is park or parking lot distance.
Keep in mind that as longer the distance to an attacker is, it is more likely that you have more than 1 attacker from more than one direction. Make sure you recognize where the main attacker comes from because this is not in all cases out of the front of you.
Carry concealed but not access impeded. Easy access, practiced for speed and 1-2 shots accuracy in 2 seconds is a life safer.

Oh and never forget to call the artillery. I have a portable Samsung AT&T 9.11 device to do that.

All distances have there learning points, from reactionary (point shooting), front sight only, to proper front/rear sight alignment and trigger pull. Ideally you should do them all cause they're all beneficial in different ways.

IMO, if you're able/allowed where you shoot, learning to move and shoot from 15 yrd and in is where you'll find a lot of value in training for an SD encounter. That includes drawing, shooting, and reloading while you're moving.

Adding your feet to the equation is a much different experience than standing still shooting at a stationary target.

HD is Home Defense. It’s a much easier and a more relax practice. You have greater distances. If you practice distances inside our house, than you have to measure how far it is from a safe place to have the oversight over doors and windows. In my case is it 2 doors and distances between 40 and 12 feet. Normally in a Home defense scenario you have more prep time and you are the master of the castle. You know your layout and you know where to position yourself to be protected from incoming bullets but having the advantage to place your bullet where they belong.
That means that HD is more than 2 guns in the house. Home defense means that you go to your home and play through several scenarios and than you make your plans for your safe castle.
I am always concerned that I hear an intruder to late. In addition to a gun, there must be an early warning system in place.

And here like in SD before:
Never forget to call the artillery. I have a portable Samsung AT&T 9.11 device to do that.

I agree, practicing at a much farther distance than you are likely to encounter "for real" will only help matters as far as trigger and grip control. Even if you only end up being a "decent" shooter at 50' you will be amazed at just how tight your groups are at combat distances (3 - 10 feet).

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Don

I do the IDPA monthly events at my local range. If I blow a stage then that is what I practice.

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Steve
The Lounge Rant Master

Although I do some 15 and 25 yard work, I concentrate on 1 to 7 yards

We were both trained by the same Jedi....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I train at 3, 5, 7, 15, 25, and 50 yards, static and moving, with and without barricades.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

I guess I'm living large. I've never been to or heard of a range that won't allow the shooter to draw from the holster and fire . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

21 ft. FBI stats show about 95% of gunfights happen within this distance. Any further and I have brought the wrong gun. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Hummm pharmer
And what did I say?
I said:
Self Defense
7-10 Yards and that is mummel-pain = 20-30 Feet.
I said Home defense:
10 - 40 yards measured on my house measurements and my safe positions inside the house. I said also that it only works with a early warning system.
Lucky you. I had o search for months until I found a range that allows draw and shoot. The most ranges here don't allow it periot.

Shooting range rules:
No doubletaping (the rule is, 1 second break between the shoots)
No drawing from a holster and shoot.
No other rapid firing and only on target shooting.

The range that I found is a private range and there are 2 spots to practice.
It allows me to practise:
Draw shooting and double and triple taping on 2 targets in an 75 degrees angle to each other.
Empty an entire magazine as fast as I can on a target.

Lucky me.

I seldom shoot a handgun at more than 50 feet any more, and do most of my shooting at half that or less. However, every once in a while when I am at a venue that allows it, I stretch it out more.

Public ranges in my area also do not allow drawing or 'rapid' fire. There is a new range being built and when I asked if they were going to allow those normally prohibited things, they said they were going to try it.

I think if at any point a range once allowed drawing and rapid fire, the first time a few knuckle heads shoots themselves, lights, target system, floor, etc...the range is going to quickly change their minds for liability and increased cost to repair the facility (especially the target system).

Private or club ranges are generally run better.

Very few ranges allow draw and fire. I've never been able to do it at a local range (Dallas) except in a combat training class. But I've done it so many times in cowboy action shooting I'm not unfamiliar with it, except for where the gun is - which does matter.

Personally, I like to shoot long distances just to keep my skills up and my knowledge of what this or that gun can do for me. But defensive shooting, as far as I am concerned, in the home or on the street, is 7 yards or less. Since I already know that there is no target too big or too close that I can't miss it (thanks to cowboy action shooting!) I want to be sure I know what's what up close and personal. More than 21 feet and I can either run away or cause my opponent to think twice - closer than that, there is no time - two to the body, one to the head, thank you Jeff Cooper.

NOTE! If you're shooting a low capacity handgun, the above Mozambique drill leaves you very low on ammunition. You fire - you better be looking around to see if there is another opponent because you can't afford to miss. High capacity will alter that for you, obviously. So will a shotgun but that's a different subject for another thread.

***GRJ***

I mainly just keep it to 7 yards with my carry guns(j frames), but I'm curious now as to if I could hit the target consistently out to 15 yards.

Found out about a range that allows drawing from a holster and double tap shooting. I'm planning on trying it out in the next two weeks.

For those of you in South Florida, the range is called Long Shot and is located in the Homestead area.

I start with rapid fire at 5 yards emptying the mag as fast as I can to keep the hits center mass. Then I put up 4 eight inch targets and fire moving the gun from target to target.

Then left and right handed, double taps, etc.

Then I back out to 30 feet with more of the above and finish with some bulls eye shooting.

So to answer your question, I practice from 5 to 10 yards most of the time. On occasion I will target practice at 25 yards but that's just for fun.

I shoot my carry gun (M60-7) at 7, 10, and 25 yards but the BULK of my practice with it is at the 7 yard line.

M110A2 8-inch SP Howitzer - YouTube

There was a time when I trained at 18 Miles.

Of course then I didn't carry the gun it carried me

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Retired Career Security Guard

Everything between 1 and 25 yards with a handgun.

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Jorge

Allowing the "general public" to draw & fire from a holster would scare the daylights out of me! I hope you have a better class of shooters than the "AVG" JOHN Q shooters I see at most ranges. Sounds like an RO's nightmare. Yes it is allowed (as well as other type events) for more experienced shooters in a different area, highly supervised, AFTER you have proven safety & skill. Many "seasoned" shooters still get DQ'd and stopped for the day. It's definitely NOT FOR ANYONE that just happened to get a CCL/GUN/HOLSTER, with little to no experience. After app 40 years experience, but physical conditions for the last 4 years, I won't try it yet, (with a loaded gun, outside my mancave) until I feel I am safe & ready. Back to topic, there is much more to it than distance, although I feel aimed fire at long (50 yards) makes you better up close. Realistically to prepare for self defense all ranges/ weak hand/ instinctive shooting/ one hand, both left and right/ dry firing/ one handed reloads/ eye patch over both eyes (one at a time)/ Vaseline on the shooting glasses & hands/ moving shooters and targets, etc. would all be part of a good program.

Sure I shoot in timed events and times count, BUT controlled fire quickly may be a better term. A missed shot, or worse, shooting so fast you miss a squib load, may ruin more than your score time.

WoW thanks for mention that. What I observed more than once on a shooting range is so unbelievable, if I tell you call me a liar.

Drawing and shooting have to be practiced first dry. To do it right is for others may be easy, but for beginners it could be very tricky.

I hear often: "I can carry concealed a full 1911". Question, "Can you draw and click, cklick on a 20 feet distanced target, with this weapon in 2 seconds also?
Concealed Carry is important but accessibility and handling is very important and have to be practiced first.
Always keep in mind, independently from any caliber discussion, distance discussion etc. Your survival timeframe is only 2 seconds to hit the target at least once. That is all what counts.

For me was it a long journey to find the right weapon, thee right weight so that concealed carry make sense, fulfill the protection level that I desire and fit in my personal lifestyle, so that my life is not circling around a weapon. The weapon have to fit into my lifestyle. Carrying dont make me to a Rocky Balboa and my level of pain don't have to reach his face impression only because my gun is pressing on my bones or is to heavy.

Practice, and practice again and again. That is a never ending story.

That's the 5 cent opinion from a old sucker. You can thank me later when the coin dropped.

25' and in. Anything beyond that is just for fun - not training.

I practice at 20ft or so, for two reasons. First, my state law requires me to retreat from the threat if possible, IOW, if the threat was farther than that distance, IMO, I should be able to get away from it. And second, that's the distance in my home that I've determined to be the most likely for defense against an intruder. I don't care if it's not much of a challenge practicing from 20ft; all my practice time is dedicated to SD and HD. In fact, I'm happy to have great hits, because that tells me I'll probably be able to stop a threat in a real situation.

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S&W SD40VE; So mote it be.

Our club range (in general) only allows 50', no more, no less.

If I can hit you at 50', I'm pretty sure I can do it at 7 yards, or 10 feet.

Now that I have a real job, I plan to occasionally do some closer shooting on one of the public ranges that have target return systems. There was only one at all close by until recently (the other is so dangerously unsupervised that I won't shoot there). A new one just opened, and although the fees are kind of high, it's pretty close by. It's worth it for occasional 7 yard practice.

Most of the qual course-of-fire drills I do run from 3-15 yards, give or take, as it can vary from one time to the next. This is possible because I'm working on a hot LE-Only range, though.

I still do pistol & revolver shooting from longer distances of 20-50 yards to maintain my skillset basics (as any mistakes become more noticeable as shooter/target distance increases).

I had to be cycled through an instructor update class before I retired, and one of the required courses-of-fire involved shooting issued/duty pistols (no revolvers brought to the class) out to 50yds. It was eventually done for score with both normal sighted fire, and then using black tape to cover the front & rear sights (applied & left wide, so you weren't just creating blacked out, normal profile sights).

Training & practice, both done properly & frequently enough to maintain skills. Shooting well at distance generally seems to make shooting at closer distances seem easier.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I normally practice at 5 to 15 yards. As others have said most attacks are very close. I just bought a Shield 9mm and went to the range today. Did most my practice at 5 - 7 yards. With my 1911 4" 45ACPs i will practice from 7 - 15 yards, longer sight radius. With more practice on the Shield, I'll stretch the range out to 15 yards.

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gunfighter48
NRA Life Member

I mostly shoot steel targets, so don't get closer than 10 yards generally. Occasionally I'll shoot cardboard (standard IPSC targets) and vary it.