I shoot at a local indoor range and they have a 25 ft and 50 foot range. I Shoot my K22 at both distances. I too am dismayed at the dreadfully bad shooting that is going on around me. What these people really need is some professional training. None of them were firing a 22. and some were very large caliber guns at 25 feet. The last time there, the person next to me was either teaching his wife to shoot or something, but oh my G...! I have taught shooting in the Coast Guard and we would have sent these people back to the range for more training, again and again until they could at least get them inside the 5 ring. These people were shooting at large targets. I use a 50 yard rifle target. Anyway, when it t finally quits raining here I will go to the Army outdoor range and shoot at 15 yards.

PS: when I go there on Tuesdays which is free for military, the shooting is much improved.

I'll shoot various .22's any range to suit the course of the day. That said, for me there is NOTHING like knocking over a Silhouette Ram with a .22 handgun at 100 yds.
One of the cool side effects is watching the ram start to tumble before you hear it ring. It's addicting!

__________________
Dave

It's not the guys shooting 7 yard shot groups you can't cover with a poncho that bother me as much as the guys shooting into the walls, floor and ceiling. It's probably not deliberate, but it still is rough on my nerves to be around shooters like that. On an indoor range it would be nice if they reliably hit the backstop.

25 yards minimum but I go up to 100 with a pistol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll have to drive out sometime for a lesson.

Never said we should strip them of their right to shoot. Just wish they would learn to shoot and be able to hit the target and not the wood. Not everyone can shoot to the same degree, that is why the military has several rankings for qualification. The range officers at the local range will try to help everyone that wants help to shoot better. However there are some who are asked to leave because of their conduct.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

At the range I go to, there is a line several inches above the where the target is clipped on to the cardboard backer. If you hit anywhere above that line it is 5 bucks per hole. I think they may make more money on that than range fees.

Sneads Ferry, NC......haven't been through there in years. Grown any?

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

LOL, BROTHER AJ. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOU WERE TRAINED TO SHOOT IN THE MARINE CORPS, WHERE HITTING A TARGET @ 25 YARDS IS NO BIG DEAL. (SOMEONE MAY HAVE "TAUGHT YOU THE BASICS", EARLIER IN LIFE---BUT I'M CERTAIN THAT THE USMC STAMPED THEIR OWN IMPRINT ON YOU)......

THE "ARMY-L" TARGET IS SHOT AT 25 YDS.---AND IT ACTUALLY IS NO BIG DEAL. ITS A BULLSEYE STYLE TARGET, THAT IS USED TO QUALIFY PEOPLE FOR A CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT, IN MANY JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDING THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. IT IS GENERALLY SHOT ON OUTDOOR RANGES. SHOOTING HANDGUNS AT 100 YDS, IS A SPORT ENJOYED BY MANY, AS IS SILHOUETTE SHOOTING, AT LONG RANGE.....

NRA SANCTIONED BULLSEYE COMPETITION, WHETHER IT BE RIMFIRE OR CENTERFIRE, IS SHOT AT 50', USING "NRA OFFICIAL" SLOW FIRE, AND RAPID FIRE TARGETS. FOR THE MOST PART, THAT TYPE OF SHOOTING IS CONDUCTED ON INDOOR RANGES......

OTHER THAN AT ORGANIZED "STEEL PLATE SHOOTS", OR "BOWLING PIN SHOOTS", SHOOTING AT OBJECTS OTHER THAN PAPER (TIN CANS, BOTTLES, WATER JUGS, ETC) IS USUALLY FORBIDDEN AT CLUBS OR PUBLIC RANGES IN MY AREA. THE REASON IS TO CUT DOWN ON DEBRIS, STREWN ABOUT THE RANGE. CONSTANTLY POLICING UP THE RANGE WITH RAKES AND GARBAGE CANS GETS OLD. NATURALLY, PEOPLE WHO HAVE ROOM TO SHOOT ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY, ARE FREE TO LITTER THEIR OWN LAND, AT WILL.....

AS AN NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR FOR 50 YEARS, IMHO--THE "PROBLEM" THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN THE TERRIBLE LOOKING TARGETS THAT YOU SEE, CAN BE ATTRIBUTED--IN LARGE PART--TO THE FACT THAT A SIZABLE PERCENT OF NEW SHOOTERS (ESPECIALLY YOUNG MALES) FEEL THAT THEY "ALREADY KNOW HOW TO SHOOT", WHEN THEY BUY THEIR FIRST GUN. THEY HAVE WATCHED ACTORS SHOOTING ON TV, SINCE CHILDHOOD, INCLUDING THE LATEST FAD, POPULARIZED BY THE "GANG BANGERS", OF HOLDING THE SIDE OF THE WEAPON PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. ALL OF THOSE BAD HABITS MUST BE UNDONE, WHEN THEY FINALLY FIGURE OUT THAT THEY SHOULD GET SOME TRAINING FROM A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. SOME PEOPLE REMAIN CONTENT WITH THAT ABYSMAL LEVEL OF MARKSMANSHIP, FOR YEARS---NEVER MOTIVATED TO TRY TO IMPROVE. THEY NEVER SCORE THEIR TARGETS, OR KEEP A WRITTEN RECORD OF THEIR RANGE SESSIONS. IMAGINE A GOLFER, OR A BOWLER, TAKING SUCH AN APPROACH TO THEIR SPORT......

I WOULD MUCH RATHER TEACH FEMALES OF ANY AGE TO SHOOT. THEY HAVE A RESPECT FOR THE FIREARM, AND NO PRECONCEIVED NOTION, THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO SHOOT. THEY LISTEN, AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS, AND GENERALLY--IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME--ARE TRANSFORMED INTO RESPECTABLE SHOOTERS, THAT EXHIBIT SAFE GUN HANDLING HABITS (MOST IMPORTANT ! ! !) AND RANGE ETIQUETTE.......

__________________
'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I used to shoot my 4" 617 no dash regularly at 100yards. Double action. There was a ranging stake at that distance at English Range at Ft. Benning which was a convenient target. Good practice for the various 3 gun/tactical and IDPA matches.
Didn't hit it all that often, but could easily judge misses in the sandy soil. One of the ROs (Enos) enjoyed watching my nuttiness so much he made sure the stake stayed there permanently.

If it was really dry you could walk in hits on the 300m man sized silhouette by watching the puffs of dust kicked up by the bullets. Generally the sighting point was well into the tree tops downrange to get enough elevation to make hits on that distant target!

That old 617 has also launched untold thousands of rounds at closer distances as well.

I used to shoot soda cans at 15-75-ish yards in the desert. Gotten hard to find a place to plink, though. At the range, I tend to shoot at 10-15 yards so I can see the holes. Shooting at paper is no better than 1/10th the fun, for me, but civilization....

my bulls eye range is set up for 25 n 50 yards, one hand.
this is the best training you can do for bunnies.
point shooting is at 7 to 15 yards.

__________________
susie

Out to 100 yards on a 12" steel gong with various revolvers.

I thought this just happened to me! I have seen many targets posted on this forum where the poster claimed they were shot with a pistol freehand and I could not shoot the group with a scoped rifle on a bench rest!

__________________
Possum—The other white meat!

22 handgun (S&W 41) indoor range with paper targets: 7 - 25 yards but mostly 7 to 10.

Shooting a 1 inch group at 8 yards is just as challenging as shooting a 3 inch group at 24 yards. By shooting close I can see the holes without moving the target closer and do not have to replace the target as often. You can get a lot more distinct groups on the same target by shooting close.

22 handgun (S&W 41) outdoor range with swinging steel targets: 12, 20 or 25 yards, the furthest I can go depending on which range I am shooting at.

When I make the hour plus drive to the gun club I belong to I can stretch things out. With steel I can hear when I get a hit and I can shoot as long as I want without replacing the targets.

22 rifle (CZ452 with scope or Ruger 10/22 with iron sights) outdoors: 7 to 100 yards.

I never shoot the rifles at the indoor range. With the 10/22 I often shoot at the same swinging steel targets at the same distance I use with my 41 and just get more hits. With the CZ the range is usually 50 to 100 yards. Trying to correct for the wind adds an extra challenge. But small targets up close can be fun too. I like to shoot at empty shell cases at 12 yards. I find the aluminum Blazer 9mm or 45 cases work best but when I want an extra challenge there are always plenty of 22 cases lying around. Brass cases work too but if you put a hole in a 45 Colt case all the guys that reload for cowboy shooting act like you committed a crime.

I remember reading that when Elmer Keith was young and herding cattle that they would get bored(imagine that). He and his friends would shoot at an outhouse. Finally they measured the distance at 700 yards. The shooting was done with Colt SAA's in .45 LC, He did the math and figured out they were aiming 34 feet high to be able to hit it and the did hit it.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I do not particularly get over excited at shooting at paper , but for the most part it is the only game in town. We can shoot some steel if we bring our own to the range. We do have a .22 steel shoot once a month eight months out of the year(gets to hot during the summer for folks to stand around waiting to shoot). But what I really miss is going to my cousins farm and shooting tin cans and bouncing them around like in "RED RIVER". Or going to the dump and shooting "targets of opportunity. The farm and dump were done at all different ranges.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

OK, at 67 years of age and having been a NRA and BSA instructor off and on for about 30 years or so, I can say from experience that the 22 has inherent accuracy for pistols and revolvers to 50 yards (Bullseye competitions were and are held to that distance) and rifles are used in regular competitions on paper out to 200 yards, but more often limited to 100. With new shooters on rifle ranges, 50 feet was a long held standard and in many places still is, and a lot of indoor pistol ranges are limited by space to 50 feet as well. Longer shots for fun are certainly available outdoors, FOR FUN, but they wouldn't be practical for hunting or organized target shooting... more for winning bets, etc. I agree that for teaching pistol shooting, 22s at short distances (5-7 yards or so) is a good starting point, but once the the new shooter is successful it's time to move out to at least the 15 yard/50 foot distance to promote concentration on aiming at a target.

I don't understand the writers who are chiming in here defending Billy Bob and his ilk who come to the range with a bulk box of ammo and see how much damage and destruction they can wreak on the target frames, walls, sound baffles, lights, etc, etc. As one who has to help build and repair the facilities at my local club, I regard these folks as a lower form of humanity. If they bring target material at all, it is junk and trash, and once they have finished mutilating it with the relatively few hits they are capable of making as they randomly blast more-or-less down range, they leave the remnants right where they lie for someone else to pick up. As for target frames, they put their intended targets on the edges of the frame so that if they DO accidentally hit what they "aim" at, it is sure the frame will be damaged. They have even been shooting through the 4x4" steel pipes we use for target stands at 100-300 yards! If you attempt to suggest they might want to hit a regular target somewhere near the center of the frame and properly located on the range, they take the attitude of "what fun is that?" I find all of this pretty strange at my local club as the shotgun sports are big there, and no one would dream of intentionally shooting the low house on a skeet field just to see the pattern. I just don't understand the destructive mentality when a pistol is in their hand. Rant over!

Froggie

apparently you are having a hard time grasping the difference between your so called "Bubba and his ilk" purposely destroying things to someone who may be new to the sport and is just not a good shot.

I understand that people who purposely destroy your property needs to leave and you have every right to ask them to leave.

What I was saying is that unless they are reckless with their weapon, they have just as much right to shoot as you do whether they are a good shot or not.

I have also been in situations where I just left a public range because of the shooters next to me and their antics but don't look down on shooters because they may not be as accurate as me.

Okay enough of this. Sorry to side track the thread. I have seen some ****ty attitude from so called ROs in the past.

If you're talking a .22 handgun then 25 yards is standard for me. I taught my wife to shoot that distance. She had never shot a handgun before. I had her shooting 3"-4" groups at 25 yards in 30 minutes. Shooting is not rocket science. You do the right things you can hit what you're aiming at.

But if you think people are bad shooters for shooting at 7 yards with a .22 let me tell you about the day I went to the range with my Sig P220. A group of guys were shooting 9mm and .45 caliber handguns at 7 yards. They were shooting 8" steel targets at that distance. I can't imagine why they didn't get a bounce back in the face. I looked and there were countless holes in the building around them including over head in the roof. They didn't even realize bullets were bouncing back their way.

Then I asked if they would mind if I moved a target back to shoot farther. They sorta chuckled and said, "Go ahead." I moved the target back to 25 yards and they were laughing every time I turned my head away from them. I thought they were gonna pee their pants they were laughing so hard.

Then I started shooting. Ping. Ping. Ping. They started going on about how "lucky" I was. After about 30 rounds with at least 27 hits they weren't laughing so much. In fact they went to get their friends to come and watch me shoot. Before long there were 30 people standing there watching me shoot. Then they went to get the range master who was apparently the local shooting hero. He came out with a 629 and he was matching my shooting almost shot for shot. We had a big crowd watching this. I couldn't believe they were so easily entertained.

Then I ran out of .45 ammo. I asked the guy to wait while I got another gun out of the truck. I came back with my own 629 and suddenly the guy decides it's "too late" and they need to close the range because there had been complaints about running the lights on the range at night. Yeah right. That club is bulging with cash. They are constantly buying more property and developing it for all sorts of uses from ATV trails to fishing ponds. The local hero didn't want to go up against my 629. He should have because I had just bought that gun and wasn't real familiar with it yet. I had the Sig a long time before that and that thing is a real shooter.

After we were done shooting and I was gathering up my gear one of the laughing guys looked at me and mumbled something about most shootings happening within 7 yards. I about started laughing myself but I wasn't going to be a jerk just because he was.

I don't know what the deal was. I grew up with a gun in my hand I guess but I know lots of people that shoot as well as I do. I guess none of them go to that gun range. Well there was the range master. Shooting straight is not that hard to do. If you learn a few basic things anybody can shoot. But I've seen some that couldn't hit a 4 foot square at 7 yards. I guess no one ever showed them how. Some people I took my CCW class with had to try 3 or 4 times to get shots on the target well enough to get their CCW and it was a man size target at 7 yards. They liked to never got enough hits on target to qualify and the people teaching the class were practically shooting for them. Go figure.

It does take some time and training to shoot bullseye with one hand, but shooting at 25 yards comes pretty quickly. The 50 yard target, really is the tough one. After mastering that, two-handed shooting is a breeze.

"Strip them of their rights"? Whoa! Way to escalate!

__________________
Fight socialism. Never stop.

His words not mine or anyone's else's words here. Quick to go into the hover mode.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

25 yards comes quickly?
took me 8,000 practice rounds to get nice groups.
i can't look down my nose at people who have to shoot close up.
if i had to get my stuff together, get in my car n drive to a range i'd never practice.
i'm very good with my guns, but only because my bulls eye range is 6 steps from my back door n my point shooting range is 10 steps from my front door.
there's no substitute for lots of practice.

__________________
susie

My wife and I have a shooting game round our neck o' the woods . We shoot BUGS. That's right. BUGS. We stroll through the hills with our .22 revolvers assisting local pest control agencies. Distances vary from lady bugs at say 15 ft, to the occasional distant 10 yd grasshopper. That being said, necessity requires an occasional follow up shot on more aggressive species. " Don't Forget to Pay the Insurance"

If you are referring to the wood further out, this is caused by near targets being placed too high. A good hit on a very close, but too high, target can hit wood down range.

Our gun club's pistol range has target placement at 7, 25, and 50 yds. You must pass a shooting test at 25 yds to be allowed to shoot at 50. I shoot at 25.

I've got my own range, so I shoot out to 100 yards.

Our range understands about where to place the targets and we only have a single carriage per firing point. We have holes in the benches, the overhead, uprights for the baffles and any where else you can think of....... I mean in the front portion of the bench right in front of where their muzzles are. This is a county range with over 100,000 folks with cards to use it.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I shoot a 1886 enfield rebarreled to 22lr I can put all rounds on target at 200 yards but having trouble getting the group tighter. Revolver 10 and 25 yards.

The best shooter I've been around said "if you don't shoot and try longer distances, you'll never know what you are capable of". If you limit yourself to shooting at 15, 25, 50 yards you'll never know if you can hit things at further distances. Currently we are shooting at a 16x16" steel plate offhand with a 6" SW model 17 and making hits at 150 yards. Next time out, we will see if we can extend that. The biggest challenge is figuring bullet drop. Give it a try.

617 6 inch... 50 yards at clay pigeons... then chase the big chunks...
some people at the range can't believe it... I load the cylinder and tell them to give it a try... the gun can do it if you can...

I do exactly that. I chronograph a load, calculate the bullet drop st different distances. Then I try for it.

Even with my 22 LR rifle, I can hit the 250 yard gong.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

25 and 50 yards with handgun. 50 and 100 yards with rifle.

Here's a 50 yard rifle target result:

__________________
Bob

Sometimes when I go to the range and it's "hot" , no way to put any targets up, I break out my coffee can of old golf balls, toss some down range and get out my 8 3/8" model 17.
This gets some looks from the 7 yard crowd blazing away with what ever semi-auto they are spraying away at the man size targets.
When I start smacking the golf balls around with my "obsolete" wheel gun, I get some looks. As the balls start moving down range to looks get more serious. Sometimes a few of them will walk over and ask "what are you shooting with". I ask them would hey like to try it, usually they say sure.
After a session of making them sit down, dry fire it with some snap caps, so they get a feel for the trigger before I let them try it hot.
They are amazed at the single action trigger vs. the usual semi trigger.
After running some rounds though it the question comes up "how do you learn to do that".
My reply is close to 50 years of practice and a quality fire arm. A few of them ask can you teach me how? I always tell them yes, but most of the skill is simply practice with the same firearm, and basic fundamental technique. Over the years some of them start to work at it, and are now helping others. Pass it on guys.....that's how we all learn...

when I cheat... and don't use my 617... The gun I use is this one...
shoots about 5/8 inch groups at 50 yards... if I do my part...
Marvel 22 conversion on a Kimber 1911 early frame.. an amazing piece of engineering. accuracy is guaranteed...and they are just down the road.

Attached Images

20170318_120457.jpg (52.6 KB, 13 views)

I love my 22's and shooting them from 7 to a 100+ yards . I small game hunt with my k22's and rarely ever go beyond 45-50 yds. and everything has to feel right for that shot . Most shooting is 15-25 yards but when the opportunity comes it's fun to try and make shots on targets at the 100 yard range , paper targets. It's a shame hunter silhouette isn't around in my area anymore.

Superman,
I agree with you, I am all over the place at 15 yds on a
circular target. Yet I can shoot beer cans all day at 100 ft.
Shotgun shells, never could figure that out.
Blackie

AJ,
I am with you. I love shooting tin cans. I can "walk" a tin can all day long. But if I put up a circular target, I am all over the place. And I have been shooting for 70 years. Since I was
12 years old. Pity they do not allow tin cans at ranges.
QweekStraw

This is exactly the rig I've got. I bought the Marvel from a seller on this forum. I have a Kimber 45 that has an overly light trigger pull slightly below 2# which made a perfect combo with the Marvel.

__________________
Bob.
SWCA 1821

There's a group that shoots IHMSA small bore sized metallic silhouettes out to 207 yards at one of the places where I shoot IHMSA:

Extreme Rimfire Silhouette | Cherokee Gun Club
(Srcoll down a bit to get the details.)

Might try it sometime, but my rifles don't exactly fit the classes and I haven't felt like configuring them to suit. ETA: But I note there IS a pistol class, which might be fun!

I shoot Steel Challenge matches these days so I shoot from 10 - 35 yards with my 617. At the local Indoor Range I shoot at 15 yards and 25 yards. Funny but almost all the other people are shooting at 3 to 5 yards.

I shoot with both hands and just try to keep my groups to minute of target. No need for bullseye groups for me.

I have a C-More 12 minute dot on the gun, Hogue grips and a great 7 lb trigger pull.

I shoot my Ruger Mark IV 22/45 at the same distances. For a good practice session I'll fire off 300-400 rounds per 2 to three times a week.

Attached Images

617 W C-More for posting.jpg (106.3 KB, 5 views)

Typical internet pi$$fest where a member asks a simple question and people manage to skew the thread into an argumentitive dik swinging bragfest about who's the best shooter.

o/p , my simple answer is I'm just a recreational plinker so I shoot my Ruger MKIII pistol from 50 ft to 25 yds, and my trusty ol' 10-22 mostly at 50-75 yds.

Our range is equipped with 300, 100, 50 and 25 meters lanes.
When shooting my revolvers .22/.38/.44 i use the 25 meters lane
Due to the regulations here i can't put up a target closer to the bench.

__________________
Jamie wants big boom

I shoot my S&W 617 at 7, 10, 15, 20, 25 yards as those are the distances used for local fun tournaments. I use a number of different targets.

__________________
"In God We Trust"

I shoot my .22 handguns on the 15/25 range my rifles on the 25/50/100 ranges. Sometimes use a steel plate or just tin cans

One really doesn't need to get training from a professional to advance marksmanship. If one studies good written training information and applies it to their range sessions, they will improve. Of course, you have those who don't have the self-discipline to do this. I really worry more about cavalier (unsafe) gun handling. I was out and about yesterday. One guy called me over to introduce me to another fellow. He had a new Charles Daly 1911 with green laser. It is a nice piece. When the fellow handed it to me the slide was closed and of course, the first thing I did was lock back the slide and visually check the chamber. The fellow said, "It's unloaded!" I don't know if he was offended by my checking or not and don't really care. Most folks seem not to have any idea of safe gun handling.

i agree with mike. you can learn without professional instruction.
i got tired of running in the house to get the rifle so i bot a handgun. i found out that i couldn't hit anything.
i went online n learned how to learn.
it's pretty easy but takes some time.
i started at 7 yards n once i got small groups i moved back a yard.
i kept moving back a yard til i was at 25 yards. from there it was 5 yards every time.
this is pretty simple n guarantied to work.

__________________
susie

It all depends on which gun I'm using at the time. Our local indoor pistol range, only goes out to about 27 yards and has markers on the ceiling for 7, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards. If I'm shooting my M&P 22 Compact or my el cheapo Rough Rider 22LR/22 WMR revolver. they both do well at any of those distances.
With my M&P 15-22, I go to the rifle range and I'm pretty good at 50 yards with open sights but for 100 yards or more, I need a scope just to see the target. The longest distance I've shot so far with it, is 200 yards.

Most civilian Defensive Gun Usage do not involve firing the gun. That can be taken into account on capacity issues.

__________________
Bob