+1 to that.
whats a good practice distance?
- Thread starter cant shoot straight
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+1 to that.
DevilDog72
US Veteran
For what its worth. I start at arms length and work out to 7 yards point shooting..2 rounds as fast as I can. I will practice out to 15 yards for self defence purposes but not as much as the close in ranges. I read a statistic once that said the majority of self defence shootings occur at ranges under 7 yards and actually as close as just beyond arms length.
ldp4570
US Veteran
Two Cents is all your gonna get here. Practical training, notice I said practical not "Tactical"!!
Arms distance to 7yds I practice one getting off the "X", and point shooting from a modified crouch. At arms distance the last thing you want to do is go into a full twohand hold on your weapon(You just gave Mr. BG something to hold onto), and lost precious seconds getting shots off. Do this strong and weak handed. If your holster is properly postitioned you should be able toget to it with either hand(3:30 to 4:00 right handed, 8:30 to 8:00 left handed). At seven yards you can go to a twohanded hold aimed or point shooting(Remember to keep moving). Once you get back to 10 to 15yds sighted fire should be the norm, not saying point shooting can be done at those ranges, but it takes lots and lots of practice!!! Now from there practice at 25yds, standing, kneeling, or even prone. Use a baracade if possible, one it gives you a steady platform, second it gives you some cover from possible incoming fire.
Now if you've got the range find out where your gun hits at 50yds, those of us who've shot the old PPC course know what I'm talking about. You'll never be able to decide what type of encounter you'll be envolved in. Those of us who've had to practice the Tueller drill can tell you, it doesn't matter if Mr. BG has a knife, gun, or stick, from 21ft aka 7yds, he'll usually be on you before you break leather, thats the reason for getting off the "X", don't get caught with "Deer in the headlights look". If you've got a partner, get yourself a training gun, airsoft, watergun roughly the same as your carry gun, and practice this.
Next, dryfiring is your friend, use him every chance you get. Start slow, put a penny right behind the front sight, and practice squeezing the trigger(works best with revolvers, but can be done with semi-auto's) slowly till you can do it without the penny moving or falling off, and build up speed from there. Got a full length mirror, Please make sure your gun is unloaded, and practice your draw, from point shooting to aimed fire. When doing the point shooting look where the muzzle is pointing, it should be in straight alignment with your forearm pointing at the target. When doing aimed fire, practice looking under your weapon, or over, thats where the vital areas are. If you continue to point at your weapon, you'll probably hit Mr.BG's gun or hands.
Arms distance to 7yds I practice one getting off the "X", and point shooting from a modified crouch. At arms distance the last thing you want to do is go into a full twohand hold on your weapon(You just gave Mr. BG something to hold onto), and lost precious seconds getting shots off. Do this strong and weak handed. If your holster is properly postitioned you should be able toget to it with either hand(3:30 to 4:00 right handed, 8:30 to 8:00 left handed). At seven yards you can go to a twohanded hold aimed or point shooting(Remember to keep moving). Once you get back to 10 to 15yds sighted fire should be the norm, not saying point shooting can be done at those ranges, but it takes lots and lots of practice!!! Now from there practice at 25yds, standing, kneeling, or even prone. Use a baracade if possible, one it gives you a steady platform, second it gives you some cover from possible incoming fire.
Now if you've got the range find out where your gun hits at 50yds, those of us who've shot the old PPC course know what I'm talking about. You'll never be able to decide what type of encounter you'll be envolved in. Those of us who've had to practice the Tueller drill can tell you, it doesn't matter if Mr. BG has a knife, gun, or stick, from 21ft aka 7yds, he'll usually be on you before you break leather, thats the reason for getting off the "X", don't get caught with "Deer in the headlights look". If you've got a partner, get yourself a training gun, airsoft, watergun roughly the same as your carry gun, and practice this.
Next, dryfiring is your friend, use him every chance you get. Start slow, put a penny right behind the front sight, and practice squeezing the trigger(works best with revolvers, but can be done with semi-auto's) slowly till you can do it without the penny moving or falling off, and build up speed from there. Got a full length mirror, Please make sure your gun is unloaded, and practice your draw, from point shooting to aimed fire. When doing the point shooting look where the muzzle is pointing, it should be in straight alignment with your forearm pointing at the target. When doing aimed fire, practice looking under your weapon, or over, thats where the vital areas are. If you continue to point at your weapon, you'll probably hit Mr.BG's gun or hands.
David LaPell
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If this is a self defense gun, start right out at 1 yard. I know that is going to sound a little weird, but that is one of the first drills we learned in our class when I started work at the sheriff's department. Look up strike and step drill. From there, I would go to 3, 7, and then 15 yards. Remember that most gunfights happen up close, brutally close. It doesn't hurt though to later on move back to 25 yards, but those up close drills are very important.
Steve in Vermont
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David, practice at 1 yard may sound strange but you are right. I learned on the old PPC and as I recall the closest we ever came to the target was 3 yards. After listening to others I amended my training from the 3 to 7 yard line (sometimes out to 10) to touching distance to the target. That was a real surprise, to pull the trigger at a distance measured in inches instead of feet. Initially it's very uncomfortable, especially when you can't assume any of the traditional stances. It becomes draw, point and pull. Real fast, real basic, real close.
ldp4570
US Veteran
Correct, point shooting is something that should be practiced by anyone who CCW's not just police, because thats probably the distance its going to happen at. What we used to call "Bad Breath Distance". Just remember where that off hand is!!!
JayBird686
Member
I just did the New Mexico concealed carry class, and you qualify at 3 yards and 7 yards. Very easy to obtain good groups at 21 feet. Infact seeing how I am 6'2" 3 yards became 2 yards! It was like i was touching the target!
During the class, the instructors stated the FBI has found that the average attack is with in 3 feet, i.e. someone hiding in the bushes type thing. So being able to fire that close, one handed or maybe on a knee is a good thing to practice as well.
During the class, the instructors stated the FBI has found that the average attack is with in 3 feet, i.e. someone hiding in the bushes type thing. So being able to fire that close, one handed or maybe on a knee is a good thing to practice as well.
Calico Hunter
Member
3 ft. is beyond “scary” close for an attack / gun battle . . . I just wet myself !
I was shooting at 100-yards in the 70s, My buddie was reloading,And still is,At that time we were shooting 6 days a week. When we would tell some one, They just looked and Ha HA. I used a 6"Colt,You guess with one, I couldnt do it now. Iam 72 and shake a lot,Now At 15 yards i have a hard time.Thanks for looking, Sorry for lone post.
I think the average gun fight is 7-10 yards maximum with some at arms length, 25 yards would be rare. FBI stats show an average of less than 3 rounds fired per incident. Of course we want to be prepared for any eventuality but common sense should prevail. I suppose if you really want to be prepared carry an machine pistol with a 50 round banana clip, wear body armor and pack a few grenades..... you just never know what can happen.
As a retiree I qualify each summer for my LEOSA certification. We start at 3 yards and move back to 25 yards shooting very fast (2 rounds in three seconds and so forth). At the 25 yard line we have 90 seconds to fire 18 rounds. Hope that helps.
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