Curious as to what distance most folks around here practice when out at a range. I've been away from shooting for a while due to not having a good place to do any, but I've recently joined my local indoor range and now trying to go once a week.

I typically set my target out to about 20 feet or so. I like the distance because I feel it gives me the best range for most situations. Anything farther than that (unless I'm being fired upon) I don't see me taking the shot.

I used to do a lot of bow hunting and the practice that went along with it and even though I could put 6 arrows in a pie plate at 50 yards, I would never consider taking that long a shot at a live animal. In fact, I only used 2 site pins set to 10 and 15 yards. I hunted in pretty dense woods and most shots would be 20-25 yards max.

Anyway, just wondering what's the most common distance for practice when out at the range?

I shoot 25 feet or less

I've been shooting at 20 yds or less, but I'm thinking about going back to long range, to push me. If I can hit from way out, then up close is no problem.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

typically i shoot 10 yards-15-and 25

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Handgun 75-100 ft. If I can hit that, closer will be easier.

The regular target range is 25meters.

@Qball: what do you mean by "regular target range is 25meter."? Regular for what?

99% of the time, 7 yards. That's all the range I go to most of the time, has. It's good enough for me. I'm not training. I'm not really even practicing. I'm just going shooting.

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John 3:16 .

Depends on what I'm shooting. I have a 50BMG rifle and often practice out to 2500 yds. with it. With the 7.62 (.308 Win.) rifles, maybe out to about 800 yds. If I'm on an outdoor range, I'll shoot the bigger center fire handguns like the .44's and .45's out to about 500 yds (it's great fun), and on an indoor range most handguns get shot to the range's limit, usually 25 yds. The only handguns that I regularly practice in close with are the small, defensive pistols like the Ruger LCP and the PPK, and I usually stick to 30 feet or less with them.

Same here. 5, 7, and 10 yards. But mostly 7 yards (double action rapid fire)

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John

Usually 11 yds with defensive pistols. 17 yds (50 ft) with target pistols.

Even with glasses, since I passed 50 my eyes just won't allow me to focus both on the sights and target well enough to shoot the customary 25 yds.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

Handgun 50yrds and some 25yrds. Both SA and DA.
Some 100yrd too.
All standing, off hand shooting,,no tacticool stuff.

Rifle is 50 & 100 but usually I shoot those from the bench most often. No sandbags, just elbow rest unless I want to sight something in.
Once in a while off hand at 100 just to see what I can still do but a rifle gets mighty heavy real quick.

3, 5, 7, 15, and 25 yards (like my ¼ly qualification course), and often 50 and 100 yards to fine tune accuracy/fundamentals.

Static offhand Target? 100 yards on down to three feet.

Self defense point shooting on the move one handed ? 15 foot and closer

I'm going to be doing some 7-10 yard shooting for a while with my 6" revolver then I may move out beyond that to 15-25 yards. The .357 plinks pretty good at 100 yards but I can't count on hitting anything that far.... just scaring it. I usually do rifle at 100 yds but I'm going to be doing more close in work with that too, around 50 yards at least until I get some loads evaluated.

Usually 30 to 50 feet. Target is always a 2 inch shoot n' see stick on.

Well, don't feel bad. You can't keep the rear sight, front sight and target in focus. It's a physical impossibility. Your front sight should be in focus; the rear sight and target should be fuzzy. What would help is a Merit Optical attachment for your glasses. I use one and it's helped immensely.

I shoot at 25 and 50 yards, offhand. Old school, I guess, and it helps for bullseye competition.

With handguns 25, 50 and 100 yards.

Sorry... the standard distance for target shooting here in Sweden is 25 meters.
Then there is IPSC and Cowboy Action.

Our local action pistol matches will use 40" poppers and full size IDPA targets out to 35 yards. I like to push my practice 5-10 yds. beyond what I will see @ the match. Lots of practice on moving stuff a bit farther than normal. You won't know what you can do until you fail. Failure means work some more on the problem.

Revolvers out to 100 yds nearly every trip out back to the range. I've got gongs @ 50, 60 80 and 100 yds, great fun. Sight my handguns in @ 50 yards. Like to plink at longer ranges, out to 500.

Most of the time, I shoot handguns at around 15 yds and rifles at 50 yds because my knees do not like to walk 100 yds and back. I may try 100 now that I have a new knee.

An AR sighted at 50 yds is back on again at 200 and +- 1.5" to almost 250yds. Close enough for me.

I have shot my 8 3/8" 27-2 at 225 yds aligning the top of the rear sight with the bottom of the front. I was able to hit a 2 ft square plate at that distance more than I missed it. Yes, I do have witnesses.

Here is a target shot at 15 yds with my 460 standing with two handed hold. I did pull a couple.

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Corripe Cervisiam

I usually practice self defense shooting with my snubby at 7 to 10 yards. I'll sometimes stretch it out to 25 yards just for fun.
At home I practice dry firing with a laser also at 7 to 10 yards.

Most of my adjustable sight handguns are zeroed at 50 yards. I have one M41 zeroed at 25 yards and the other at 50 yards.

CCI SV is not doing well at 50 yards (vertical stringing), I am going chronograph various loads out of a 5” barrel to check variance.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

Depends where I go. My gun club only has 25 50 and 100 yard ranges. If I go to the indoor range I shoot 7 and 15 a lot

Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

90% of my handgun shooting is at 25yds one-handed. I'm a target shooter.

I was taught that if a handgun was meant to be shot with two hands it would have two handles on it.

Couldn't care less about rapid, close, self defense type shooting.

And I do enjoy plinking with a 44 Mag at 100yds.

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Where we go one, we go all

Anywhere from 10ft to 300 yards depending on the gun. I've been meaning to expand my range so I can shoot longer distances, but I just don't feel like clearing out all the brush and trees. Besides, I'm not as into long guns as I am handguns.

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- The Federalist #46 -

With a handgun verything between 1 and 25yd.

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Jorge

Handguns 25 & 50yds . Rifle 200yds .

Handguns for self defense: 5-10 yds. Out past 15 yds, the techniques for sighting are different, and not really applicable to fast, short range shooting. I also shoot some handguns at 100 and 200 yds, just for fun.

Ideally I shoot at walking in the field of my friends place down at the end of the dirt road. Just walking and point shooting at targets at random--It is most pleasurable and less tedious.
At my range, I do about the same thing. I shoot in the mornings during, the week, and stand in one spot and just pick out old targets left by folks at distances up to 50 yards--point an fire.
I am not into real target shooting.
I think my way is more fun and probably provides better training than shooting a target from one position.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

When the range isn't crowded, 50 yards. When the 50 yard range is full, the only other option is 15 yards, which is no fun.

Mostly at 15 yards or less. Most police confrontations are less than 7 feet (at least that is what I recall). A fairly large percentage are in low light settings as well. Consider that factor when practicing and also practice with your weak hand.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

As most of my range time is to help keep whatever self defense skills I still have, I'm interested in desert plate sized groups shot fairly quickly. So
my normal shooting distance is between 25 -30 feet. At that distance it's still easy to see the target but not so close there is no challenge.

I shoot my handguns at 25yds. mainly but after the shoot/practice is over i will take them out to 100yds at small rocks on the berm to see how much kentucky windage is needed to make pinpoint shots with my ccw guns.

My rifles are sighted in at 100yds but most of them have scopes with the manual BDC turrets (bullet drop compisation) out to 500yds adjustment with no error or hold over.

The drop of a 230 gr FMJ .45 ACP bullet is measured in feet at half of that distance. Do you point the muzzle up at a 30 degree angle when you shoot?

25 yards off hand for revolvers.
50 yards for rimfire rifles, off a bench.
100 yards for centerfire rifles, off a bench.
I enjoy it even though I am not a very good shot!
Ed

Most of my range time is with handguns of various calibers. My present sweet spot is 10 yards off hand. I am starting to challange myself though and going out to the next rafter at the club which is about 44 ft.

Sometimes I like to try my hand at hitting the chain supported 4" metal squares at the 50 ft. line. I can manage to get a hit about half the time.

LTC

You need to focus on your sights not the target. Read and study this link it will improve your shooting. It did mine. Don

Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol

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"Don't worry be happy"

The "regular" target range for handgun silhouettes is 220 meters

I use the old Elmer Keith method of setting the target on top of the front sight - sometimes that means that I'm looking at the front of the ejection port on a 1911 instead of the rear sight. Most of the big bore Smith's have enough front sight that you can still use the rear sight and just elevate the front. I can tell you that holding all the front sight in the rear notch will get you pretty close to 500 yds. with a 6 1/2" M29. The art of long range shooting is in figuring out where to hold the rear sight when you have the target on top of the front. Usually a few shots to get the range will be sufficient. It's great fun!

Pistol: 10 meters

Shotgun: 25 Meters

Rifle: 100 Meters

On a standard FBI Sillhouette target.

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Fuego

With what we may come to expect extended range practice certainly isn't going to hurt. We may be fired upon by these perps from a longer distance.

Given the 7 yard rule (an offender with a blunt/edged weapon will be upon you from 7 yards before you can get your gun out and shoot, then 7 yards should be the minimum for self defence shooting.

I have a training regimen. Set out an IPSC target at 7 meters. Draw an unloaded but cocked pistol 5 times and concentrate on the fundamentals (stance, grip, sight alignment and trigger control) watching the sights each time the hammer falls. Semi-autos are usually single action, revolvers double action. Repeat with a loaded pistol (5 rounds total)

Then load with 5 rounds. Set the timer to delayed start then on the beep draw and fire 5 aimed shots that all hit the A zone. I actually do record the time aiming for a hit factor of at least 3 and preferably 4. (10 rounds fired)

Set the timer for 3 seconds and fire 5 X individual draws and shots hitting the A zone. (15 rounds on target) Set the timer for 3.5 seconds and draw and fire 2 rounds all into the A zone (25 rounds now fired).

If any shots stray out of the A zone on any string go right back to the beginning and start again.

Now move to 15 meters and repeat (another 25 rounds).

Afterwards I set up either an 8" or 10" plate on a stand and starting at 7 meters draw and fire 2 shots on the plate before moving back to 10, 15, 20', 25, 30, 35 and 40 meters. if I don't get 2 out of 3 shots on the plate I shoot the distance again until I do. If I have any ammo left at the end of this I'll set up an ISSF Rapidfire target at 50 meters and shoot prone, sitting, left and right side barricade.

Before my recent break from shooting I was doing this (taking 200 rounds to the range a time) twice a week. The 7 meter range was getting so easy I moved out to 10 meters to start and was about to move again to 12.5 meters.

The only drawback is I don't own a Glock so don't practice with my duty weapon, but during qualifications I never have to do a reshoot.

Around 5 - 10 yards defense stuff, as much as 20 but with SD guns I'm not much good there.

20-50 yards with target. I've done more but it's more of a joke than practice.

Rifle 100 max. (Low power scope and bad eyes) I can shoot about as well with good iron sights.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

What distance do I practice?

Oh, about 4 years.



ZOMBIE THREAD!!

Handguns; 5, 7, & 10 yards

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John

Firearms Instructor Detective Sgt.... - Skiatook Police Department

We shoot at 100 yards and in. I like to satart at 50 or 100 yards just to keep the fundamentals tuned and make those targets look huge at 25 and in.

We are shooting steel 2/3 IDPA targets in the video.

I concur with the hillbilly delegate from NY:

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

my backyard range has targets at 25 n 46 yards.
[i lose 4 yards due to heavy undergrowth]
bulls eye shooting is the best practice you can get for shooting evil bunnies with a handgun.

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susie