What target distance and which guns?

[Redcoat3340]

Okay, I've gotten lazy.

I used to shoot mostly at 25 yards when I shot revolvers outdoors.

But after joining an indoor range I find myself shooting pistols mostly at 7 or 10 yards (And yes, it's a lot more fun blowing the center out of the target when it's up close.) I'd say 85% of the shooters at the range reel the target out to 7 yards at most (and don't keep 'em in the black at that) except for the guy shooting a .44 mag and proving I need better ear protection.

Once in a while I'll shoot my Sig 250 .380 at 5 yards but usually just to transition between SA on my Walthers or 229 and the DAO on the 250.

So here's the question: at what distance do you shoot which guns? (I almost always shoot my 226 or P99 or BHP at 10 yards and my 99c, P6 or Walther P4 at 7 yards.)

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

20 to 100 yds and beyond....Up close gets boring...........

 

[sixtwoniner]

Yes, 20 to 100 yds. But then I hunt with my 44 mag. Folks at the range by my place give me unfriendly looks when I cut lose indoors. Depends on what you want to do with your revolver.

 

[jessebogan]

25 to 50 yards outdoors.any pistol. 50 to 100 yards, model 28-3 6" Still working on the 100 yard range,but improving.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I have a small range bag that gets packed tight, so I only bring small 3" stick-on targets, for 7, 10, 15 yard practice for all the handguns (2.7" to 4.6" barrels).

 

[jaymoore]

Even my Centennials get exercised at 25yds and beyond. But mostly: 25yd, 50yd/m, 100yd/m, 150m, and 200m.

Plate racks for speed usually at 15 yds.

Sometimes "in your face" on combat type targets just to keep the muscle memory, but after all these years, it's usually a yawn.

 

[cmansguns]

Max distance at our indoor range is electronically adjustable from 5 yards to 25 yards, and increments can be set in feet, meters, yards....so best for me is the FBI full silhouette with red X center at 50 feet. Beyond that with these old eyes I am all over the paper with my 25-2 in .45 acp. (still in the black, but I'm grazing elbows on the bad guy, or unintended head shots).

Best fun indoors is my youngest daughter, a North Carolina LEO with her Glock 21, Gen 4 in .45 acp in one lane, me with the 25-2 in the adjacent lane (3 full moon clips) and targets out at 50 feet. It is no longer embarrassing to be out-gunned by a 28 year old female as I realize her life depends on her speed and accuracy...so while I can keep a "respectable" 6" to 8" group of 12 rounds....when we each push that "home" button, there ain't much left of her X zone with 39 shots (2 mag reloads). Of course mine is standing off-hand and she is "holster qualified" so already in proper stance and balance and the RSO likes to try to rattle her with "present" followed by "threat" or sometimes no follow command and she eats it up too.

Outdoors? for me, can't beat 200 yards with the old 1943 03-A3, or the M1 Garand, for the younger kids, plinking at 10 to 15 yards with M34 .22, spinners at 15 yards with the 15-3 .38, then at dusk the 637-2 in 38+P at any distance, just to watch the fireball fan out from every shot!

Bottom Line? Don't really much care about the distance, the gun, indoors or out......worst day shooting is way better than best day at work.

 

[CajunBass]

Something in the environment has changed in recent years and pistol sights have gotten fuzzy. I'm not sure what the problem is but I have a hard time with anything more than 15 yards or so.

l think there should be a government investigation or something.

 

[diegobxr]

I'm not gonna lie, it feels good shooting an FBI silohuette at 7 yards.
Why?

Well... Because it's easy, fast, looks cool, you place a mozambique drill + 3 shots center of mass in 4 seconds and look like a total badass.
You think to yourself "7 yards is the average defensive encounter distance", and you feel like an invincible death machine, feeling sorry for any poor sould who shall dare defy you, and leave the range riding on the cloud of your own ego.

Now... reality is that two-handed pistol shooting at 7 yards at an FBI silhouette can barely be called "shooting". Let's face it.

I do practice these drills and they do have their place and value, but the latest trend of 15 round mag dumps at 7 yards is just plain ridiculous.

Shooting at 25 & 50 yards one-handed is a humbling experience.

 

[gwpercle]

50 feet...all of them. I got old !
That's about as far as I can shoot decent groups with open iron sights any more .
My 50 and 75 YARD shooting days are over....the eyes were the first things to go . At 25 yards I need an optic now !

 

[sheepdawg]

I go out to 700 yards with this one but it's pretty hard to carry concealed.

 

[joe44va]

Me, 2" barrel at 20 feet. Add 10' for each additional inch of barrel.

 

[Arik]

All guns at 15 - 25. I do 5 - 10 as well but mostly further out

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[swsig]

My range is limited to a maximum of 25 yards. With a new pistol, I'll start at 15 yards and shoot until I can consistently get more than 50% of my shots within 2 inches of the bullseye, then I'll move to 20 yards. With my 5.25 inch FN FNX-45T (equipped with a red dot optic), I shoot half my rounds at 20 yards, and half at 25. I practice one-hand and rapid-fire shooting at 10 yards, because I want some of my shots to hit paper.

 

[SOTVEN]

WAS IT IN THE "BIG JAKE"? WHERE JOHN WAYNE PASSED A COACH GUN TO HIS FRIEND AND KEPT ONE HIMSELF AT THE EVE OF THE BATTLE? HE SAID SOMETHING THAT IMPLIED, OLDER EYES DO NOT GO WELL WITH RIFLES.

 

[buckyjames1]

From a competitor standard point, it depends:

1. What skill sets are you trying to work on Bill Drill, 1-R-1, trigger work, decrease times for splits...

2. I have a few targets to match drills for the day. It can be as close as 5yd (1inch circle) or at max 25yd (6inch) of my indoor range.

3. The problem with alot of peeps, or just lack of of knowledge, is that you should set up some time of goal/skills to work on for that day at the range. Splits, small grouping, transitions, reloads, etc...When you don't set some type of goal all it turns into is a functions check of the weapon and making loud noises.

4. A while back I took a look at my skills and came up with a plan/agenda word document with targets in order to better track progress or areas where I needed improvement. Managed to get my draws and 1st shot into sub 1sec with fastest being a .82. 1 reload 1@ 1.3s (which still need alot of work).

*Point of it all is that you should go to the range with a goal in mind, especially with ammo prices. Every time I pull the 9mm trigger its about $.20 per pop so I need to get the most out it!

 

[jimmyj]

Every Range Trip
Start at #1 and increase range

1. point blank
2. 3 yards
3. 7 yards
4. 15 yards
5. 25 yards

 

[M29since14]

These days I shoot anywhere from 35-feet to 50-yards. Vision limitations (viz., old eyes ) really make it difficult to do accurate shooting without the trusty Merit-device, or whatever it is called. I am considering the little red-dot gadgets, but hate the idea of starting down that path. For now, I can still handle iron sights, if just barely, even without the Merit gizmo in an "emergency."

 

[2152hq]

25 and 50 yrds,,all off hand. Occasionally 100yrds off hand too when shooting with my brother who always likes to shoot handguns at that distance and off hand too.
Lots of the time the shooting is DA.
We did years of Bullseye shooting together so that's probably where the strict off hand and DA tendency comes from.

Can't recall the last time I ever used the crank out short range targets.
I've always told myself..no scope on a handgun,,and so far I'm getting away w/o any help.
But the sights are getting less sharp. Maybe I'll just move over to the crank-out range when the time comes & shoot at those big Ninja and Zombie targets,,I just can not put a scope on a handgun.

 

[jake1945]

I sight-in all my handguns at 25 yards using the 6 o'clock hold. At longer distances I aim dead center and 100 yards aim a little higher. Back in the late '70s I shot metallic silhouette with a standard Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag. I did not have to adjust the sights for the different distances. The 200 yard ram target I aimed the top of the front sight level with the head and over center body mass. I won 1st place in the production class.