HOW MANY GUNS TO BRING TO THE RANGE

[chief38]

In answering another post something popped into my head that I wanted to post here separately.

I am not being braggadocios here nor trying to lecture, just want to mention something that I have witnessed all too many times.

Fellas & Gals come down to our local Range all exited about the new acquisitions they purchased since their last Range session and want to shoot them ALL. Others come down with 4, 5, and even more guns and will shoot each for 15 or 20 minutes shooting terribly with most or all of them. They don't understand WHY they can't hit squat and when I tell them they usually think I am too old fashioned! I will tell them they should choose one gun (a smaller caliber and lighter recoiling gun would be smart) and shoot the heck out if it again and again until they can master it. Then move up to the next one - so on and so forth. Once they have mastered all of the calibers, gun styles, mechanisms, etc. then it will almost become second nature when they pick up a gun that they have never shot before. I routinely shoot one of my friends new guns to "check it out" at their request because they have not hit paper with it. When the target is retrieved and most or all shots are in the black they scratch their heads and wonder why. I am a fairly good shot, as I am sure lots of guys here are,
but I have been shooting hand guns for 45 years and there are not too many that I have not fired somewhere along that time line. Bottom line here is I have shot A LOT.

Once a Newbie masters sight alignment, trigger control and stance, all they have to do is become familiar with the guns themselves and practice. I tell them all the time that coming down to a Range and shooting a gun they are not all that familiar with for 15 minutes (and not even bothering to sight it in) shooting all different types of ammo through it is not going to make them a good pistol shooter.

As I said before, not trying to lecture here, but if I can help only a few people or new shooters by posting this then I fell good about it. Try it.

Regards,
Chief38

 

[chief38]

Mod's,
Please move to Lounge - posted here BEFORE coffee, sorry!

 

[tbury]

May be a little off your point; but last range trip I took three guns. A rifle and SA revolver in 44-40 and a Blackhawk in 44 mag. Ran all loads through the chronograph and logged the results. Usually I take 2 or three guns to the range, frequently a .22 to start the practice and then it depends on the purpose. For CCW practice my carry gun is of course the choice. For target work a 45 acp or 38, for steel fun any cf will work. How many I take depends on how may I want to clean.

As far as proficiency goes my Browning Challenger 22 and 38-44 Outdoorsman have had may thousand rounds through them and I still shoot them the best. A 5" 625 with a red dot on it always seems to impress my buddies.

 

[BigBill]

Sometimes I bring just a few like two or three just to plink with them. But I may take 6 or more to fire them for the first time. If I'm looking for target accuracy I bring one to get better with it. But I'm pretty good now accuracy wise shooting for over 5+ decades of experience.

I think the problem with some people is they don't shoot enough so they try to jam it all in one session at the range to catch up.

Larry I bring the guns I did work on like my norinco 1911 build. I just can't shoot better than 3 shot cloverleafs with it. I just finished working on my norinco m14S with national match upgrades and a oprod guide block repair. She is laser sighted in and ready to put her to the paper. Now this one gun will go to the range and be hammered thru the break in just to check the functioning and accuracy.

So it's one gun for serious shooting, a few guns for plinking or many guns for just test firing that go to the range. I do not bring a zillion guns to the range trying to make up for lost time in not going to the range as often as I would like to go.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

I have a friend such as that, brings everything to the range every time we go to shoot. He doesn't understand why I do something different.

I only take one or two guns to the range at a time. If two, both are the same type of action. I go to the range with specific goals in mind in shooting. Working on sight picture, grip, stance, or whatever. Have I mastered all of these decades ago? Yes, but each needs constant work if you hope to maintain proficiency.

 

[vipermd]

Chief38: I understand what you are saying, I have been hunting 45 yrs and shooting since I remember. Common sense dictates exactly what you said, unfortunately that seems to be in short supply. 10 shots fired CORRECTLY in the 9/10 ring is better practice than 30 shots all over the target, where you only get better at making your mistakes. Be Safe,
Also I no longer go to a public range since mine has been completed- I do not like being rushed nor do I like to wait, so out of courtesy to others I used to take 3 and spend an hour max. Be Safe,

 

[ridgewalker]

Chief, I understand what you are saying and essentially agree with your points. I do think however that most of what you are saying relates to people who don't regularly shoot and practice.

I go to the range on average once a week. I generally bring 3 S&W revolvers with me because I have decided that is what I wanted to focus on and get proficient with. I don't like to clean more than 3 after my range visit. Generally one is a 22LR revolver. I have found for me this is my most important gun because it is the gun I go to whenever I get the Yips from shooting my more powerful guns. The subconscious mind controls so much of the fine skills required for shooting revolvers well. By going to my very soft recoil and not loud 22, I can get relaxed and back on track when my shooting gets off.

The second revolver is the one that I really wanted to work with and dedicate my time to. For the last couple months this has been my 627 Pro. I recently bought a nice chest holster for this so I can wear it with a backpack and this gun will be going with me as my woods gun when I take a trip soon up to Idaho.

My third revolver is whatever I want to rotate in and practice with. Often it is whats new for me. This spot has recently been my 686 SSR, my newest revolver. I have found it takes at least a few range visits with a new gun before I can consistently shoot it well. I often rotate a snubnose revolver into this spot or something that I feel needs my attention.

I wish I could shoot more but I this method has worked well enough for me because I do feel that I have become more accurate and proficient with all my guns which of course has been my goal. Generally my range visits last for about 3 or so hours and I shoot 100 to 300 rounds of 22LR and 100 or so rounds of centerfire ammo. Soon I am hoping to get into action shooting. At this point I am planning on using my 686 SSR for that. I need some ideas as to which type of holster would be best for action shooting with that revolver because all the guys I have watched at the action shooting range were shooting autos.

 

[WNC Seabee]

Sometimes the purpose is to relieve stress and make noise. On those days, I very well may roll up to the range with 5-10 different boomsticks.

On the days I feel like concentrating or making tiny holes far away, I'll bring 1-2.

No need to convey any particular meaning to one approach or the others, sometimes things just are what they are.

 

[MichiganScott]

We would all be better off leaving all other guns at home until we can shoot out the ten ring with a .22lr.

But, being Americans and mostly male, whoever dies with the most and the biggest toys wins.

 

[serpentine]

As of late, 1 or 2. Basically what I carry. I use a toiletry bag as my range bag. I can fit a tupperware container that can hold up to 150 rounds of 9mm, folding ears, plugs, eyes, three extra Shield mags, and 4 5906 mags and the 5906. It's like Tetris, but it all fits and the Shield is on my hip. I practice with what I carry. I just started wearing the 5906, so I have been practicing with that. My only problem now, is that I can't fit the 5906 holster anywhere, so if I want to practice from draw (without simulating it), I need to wear it and pack the Shield in the bag.

This is the bag.
Amazon.com: Black Mini US Army Style Travel Kit Case: Clothing@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bxjTpCs4L.@@AMEPARAM@@41bxjTpCs4L

 

[silentflyer]

Always the K-22, usually at least one 38/357 and one 41 or 44 magnum.

 

[sodacan]

The only two things I really don't like to do when I go to the range are packing up to go and cleaning the guns afterwards, therefore I usually only take two with me. Most of the time they are in the same caliber so the ammo is the same, and cleaning the guns uses all the same tools. My range sessions rarely last longer than an hour because time is usually a factor when I go. I have been a shooter for longer than I would like to admit, but the joy of shooting has never left me, and I can still remember when my only gun was a .22 revolver, and how much fun it was just to shoot tin cans off of a stump

 

[LimaCharlie]

I bring somewhere between three and ten guns to the club range. If I go to the pistol range, the first gun shot is the 1911 on my hip and the second is my pocket BUG which is either the Sig P938 9mm or the Springfield XDS-45 .45 ACP. I like to know what I carry will work when I draw it with the carry ammo in it. The third through the tenth guns shot is whatever I brought for the range session.

Some days, I want to put little clover leaves on distant targets and some days I just want to make lots of noise and hit somewhere on the 10 yard target. If it is a new handgun, I like to put around three hundred rounds through it checking for infant mortality before trying for small groups on the target.

I am retired, belong to a gun club, and have been shooting for 60 years now including twenty-two years in the military. I like to have theme days like 1911 day, single-action revolver day, .44 magnum day, 10mm day, AR day, hunting rifle day, or target rifle day. It is fun to shoot lots of different guns whether I am going for tight groups or just tearing up paper targets for the heck of it.

 

[JPriest]

I only take one with me each time I go unless I'm taking non-gun owning friends out so they can shoot a few different guns.

For me the big issue with taking more than one is that I would be spending the rest of the day cleaning them all. Better to shoot one a lot and only have to clean one each time. I don't mind going more often to make sure they all get shot enough.

 

[Texas40]

Usually take at least three or four and a combination of long guns and hand guns.
Rotate what I shoot and distances as well..
As for the above poster "taking the rest of the day to clean um" you must be slow at cleaning. I can clean all the ones I take out usually in about an hr. Far from the rest of the day. And if I shot early and have other things to do Ill leave um till the evening or the next day then clean um. Heck Ive left um a week or more before cleaning um and never has caused any of them to "break". IMO most people over clean um any way they can be shoot many times before cleaning. What are you going to do if shtf and you cant clean it after every use??? I know mine work fine clean or dirty...

 

[SgtLumpy]

During the cooler part of the year (I think that's finally coming up!) I go to the range once or twice a week. Sometimes even more. I usually spend 5 or 6 hours or more at the range. Most of it is usually focused on 38s through a Model 66. But I alternate around to magnums, 22s, snubs, shotguns, rifles (I suck with a rifle). Sometimes I don't shoot at all for an entire 15 minute "You may begin firing" session. Sometimes I've got targets at 10 yds, sometimes at 100 or more. A LOT of times I watch other good shooters to see what they might be doing that I can incorporate into my own shooting.

I see guys shooting 308s with scopes at 10 yd targets. I see little kids shooting single action 44 Magnums at 100 yd targets. I see people seeing how fast they can empty a magazine. I see people chronographing and keeping spreadsheet records on a laptop, firing once per 60 seconds.

There's all kinds of shooters.

And just for what it's worth, MichiganScott...I respectfully disagree with your "start with a 22 till expert" theory. I know lots of people subscribe to that theory. There's nothing wrong with doing that at all. I just don't agree that we all "need" to do that. I think that growing as a pistolero isn't simply a matter of being able to handle heavier and heavier recoil. To me, a big part of the fun that I get, and that my students get, is that "Wow! It made a big bang!". And that big bang doesn't have anything to do with accuracy. The bullet gets on course, headed toward it's bullseye before we sense the bang.

But your way is fine too...


Sgt Lumpy

 

[Silversmok3]

Interesting.

The last few times I've gone shooting,it's been literally with the carry gun only.Bring an extra mag and ammo,set up,and have some fun.When it's time to go I stick the boomstick back in her holster and drive home.

I've done some math recently, and based on my income and schedule the most I can afford to shoot is once every two weeks.Best if I use that limited time and resources on learning the gun I plan to use if the flag flies.

 

[NeoBuckeye]

I usually bring 3 pistols with me to indoor range. I will bring my old stand by, .22LR Buckmark, my carry pistol and either a pistol to to function check if it is a new purchase or something else I haven't fired in awhile.
Since my range membership expired early 2013, and with the ammo being scarce, I go to the range at least once a month.
When my range membership was active, and ammo was plentiful, I was going twice a week. I would fire 200 rounds per range trip.

 

[mtgianni]

I use 1 per 30-40 minutes of range time. It is however a county range 2 miles from the house and other than 6 weeks before hunting season I rarely see anyone else.

 

[Smith357]

I generally take at least one.