Author Topic: Practice routines..........Distance? (Read 660 times)

papajohn428 · « **on:** November 20, 2005, 08:33:08 AM »

I'm amazed how many people never shoot their handguns past 7 or ten yards, am I the only fool who shoots long range? I shoot a lot of bowling pins at seven yards, but I probably shoot several hundred rounds at soda cans at 50 yards, on the dirt backstop. It gives me immediate feedback on where I'm hitting, makes me hold steady and stage the trigger properly. I figure if I can keep a can rolling at 50 yards, I'm probably good at the shorter ranges. I also shoot at 100 yards now and then, to to remind myself what the holdover is, in case I ever need to make a long shot.

Anybody else try this? I grew up reading Elmer Keith, and when I lived in the boonies I regularly shot all my handguns at rocks and weeds out past 400 yards. Made more hits than I expected, too. I always knew the guns were capable of long-range accuracy, the fun part was finding out that I was too. Some days I was pretty good, others I was just lucky. Trying to decide which I was on any given shot was the hard part! :roll:

PJ

Lawdog · « **Reply #1 on:** November 20, 2005, 11:41:14 AM »

papajohn428,

I believe the reason most don't shoot at longer distances is it will be hard in today's court to prove to the Judge that you were defending yourself if you shoot someone at 50 or more yards. Judges today just aren't going to buy that. Lawdog

ButlerFord45 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 20, 2005, 01:32:19 PM »

If you think that once I've retreated to the cover of a dumpster 25-50 yards away that I'm going to quit firing back if I still have ammo, you and the judge are mistaken, besides that is the very reason we have to convince 12 rather than just one. I'm not the type of person that starts crap, goes looking for someone else that starts crap or even goes places where crap happpens just to see if if I can get into the middle of it (that's what Lawdogs get paid for :wink: ) but once it is forced upon me, I will do everything, and I do mean everything within my power to end it once and for all, permanently.
I practice from arms length to 50 yards and on the move, forward backward, laterally, and just to make sure I have all the bases covered, sometimes I run in circles, well maybe that's an exageration, but with both hands and either hand.

Patriot_1776 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 20, 2005, 01:46:21 PM »

PJ,

I understand your interest in shooting long range with your pistol. I really enjoy shooting at targets out to 100yds., and I can remember hitting a steel plate at a measured 400 yds. with several shots (not counting several more trying). I used a 6" GP100 for that. If anything feels awkward shooting that far, it is the excessive holdover. Talk about shootin' for the sky. :lol:

I'm one to say it is pretty valuable knowing what you can do at longer ranges; helps point out what both gun and shooter are capable of. I remember an article in some gun magazine that was comparing several different pistols' tactical accuracy at 100 and 200 yards as well. Being ready for any situation is better than...you know.

Lawdog wrote:

Quote

I believe the reason most don't shoot at longer distances is it will be hard in today's court to prove to the Judge that you were defending yourself if you shoot someone at 50 or more yards. Judges today just aren't going to buy that.

I agree with ButlerFord's logic. Although I do wish I the time to practice more often than I do.

If it is still not looking good, maybe an argument that he came at you with some unidentifiable long range weapon would help. :roll:

-Patriot

Mikey · « **Reply #4 on:** November 20, 2005, 03:01:29 PM »

Papajohn, I agree with you. ButlerFord45 I absolutely agree with you. I would probably shoot beyond 200 yds again if thy made a target big enough for me to see, that is.....but I do, on occasion, shoot the 100 yd 'gong' with my 38 snubbie (when nobody is around to see how many rounds it tamke for me to get on that.........). Mikey.

rockbilly · « **Reply #5 on:** November 21, 2005, 12:17:42 PM »

:roll: :roll: I shot at a wild dog 11 times with my model 60 Smith. Ain't hit that sucker yet, but would bet I scared the crap out of him. He was out in an open field about 100-125 yards away. If it had been a man I am sure he would have been looking for cover.

If all of you are nuts like me, then please advise me of the brand of ammo you waste. I want to buy stock in the company.

Savage · « **Reply #6 on:** November 21, 2005, 01:39:31 PM »

I frequently shoot handguns at extended ranges-------make that absurd ranges. Mainly because it's fun! If I ever have to engage an adversary with a handgun at out to 100yds or so, he'd better take cover! (Hope he doesn't have a rifle)
Savage

papajohn428 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 21, 2005, 05:19:01 PM »

I've always been an experimenter, and after reading of Elmer's exploits, I always wished I could try shooting at ultra-long range. A few years ago, I was living in corn country, and once the crops were down, there was a chance to do it, every day. Before a week went by, I had found three targets of opportunity, the farthest being a bush about three feet tall about 400 yards out. I was amazed how often I dropped shots right in front of it and sprayed dirt on it, I even recovered some bullets that plunked into the dirt within a few feet of it.

I also got into the habit (just another excused to shoot up more ammo, really) of shooting my 44 Mag rifle and my 35 Remington at a rock on a hillside a measured 235 yards away, and more often than not, I either hit the rock or splattered dirt on it, my son tells me that one good day I hit it three times in a row, and sent up a puff of dust each time. I do remember going six of eight on that rock, the holdover was around 3.5 feet or so, with the 35. The holdover with the 44 was a LOT more, it was sighted in at 50 yards, but I still hit the rock more often than not. Days like that are the reason we go out to burn powder!

PJ

Bubba w/a 45/70 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2005, 05:24:39 PM »

Shooting with a handgun at distances greater than most hunters take their animals at with rifles is nothing new for me.

It it pretty much summed up in this statement for myself: Aim small, hit small.

jimster · « **Reply #9 on:** December 01, 2005, 02:12:23 PM »

I also like to shoot longer distances, mostly because it's fun, and I can. I also grew up shooting at 50 and 100 yards at cans, milk jugs, ect.
It taught me trigger control, and it still does. It's nice to know that I CAN hit regularly at those distances, and it is a great time kicking cans around at 50 yards. That being said, I spend a lot of time shooting combat distances, and I train myself to shoot in some different situations as well.
I spend a lot of time by myself at the range, with nobody else around so I can do all the things I want to do. Sometime, I'll practice shooting laying down, kneeling, running from target to target, shooting from behind things, ect...I don't like an audience when doing this, as you can imagine, I'm there to train myself. What the hey, if I throw myself on the ground down in the dirt and shoot targets, some people might think I'm a little nuts if they see this, although I'm sure some would understand, some might not. At any rate, I love shooting long range for fun, and gives me the confidence that I can hit targets at long range. As mentioned above, it could cause some eyebrows to raise if you ever had to shoot someone at longer range (hopefully most of us won't have to ever shot anyone, but it happens) and I'm sure the circumstances would have to be unusual for this to happen. But...if you ever HAD to...you've had the practice.

Jimster

papajohn428 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 02, 2005, 04:32:21 AM »

I remember reading one of Ayoob's tales of a shootout years ago, involving a cop about a hundred yards from the suspect, who was armed with a rifle. The guy was a regular IPSC shooter, and emptied his gun at the suspect with no hits. When it was over, the cop found he had been shooting too high, all of his shots were nicely clustered in a door frame right over where the bad guy had been standing. Had he known the correct elevation, he could have ended things a lot sooner. That's why I practice at longer ranges.....you may never need to know the drop, but then again, you just might!

Papajohn

Dana C · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2005, 02:53:02 PM »

I routinely shoot 30 yards or more with my .45acp's and much longer than that with my .357 and .44 mag. I think that learning the hold over for a lot of different distances makes you a better shooter at short ones.
As I am sure you have found out, trigger squeeze has to much better at 100 yards than at 15 or 20 feet. I think shooting long ranges with pistols is a hoot anyway. I shot at at old car wheel hanging from a chain at 200 yards with my .357. Once I figured out the hold over, I hit it almost every shot. When I pulled the trigger, I had to wait for the bullet to get there and listen carefully for the little "pling" the the bullet made hitting the wheel at that range.
Shoot away, the longer the better.
Dana