Author Topic: Do you care whether you can shoot well? (Read 1613 times)

Questor · « **on:** September 18, 2006, 09:45:20 AM »

Do you care whether you can shoot well? Or do you just shoot to get out of the house once in a while? What is your training regimen if you are trying to improve?

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2006, 03:33:27 PM »

Even informal plinking with my friends gets competitive.
If we shoot paper we measure our groups. if we are plinking we see who can hit smaller or further away.
I HATE having someone shoot one of my guns better than I do!!

After the shooting is over we get out the cold beverages and begin to clean the guns and inspect targets. At this time the BS gets very thick.

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2006, 04:18:04 PM »

Quote from: Hairtrigger on September 18, 2006, 03:33:27 PM

Even informal plinking with my friends gets competitive.
If we shoot paper we measure our groups. if we are plinking we see who can hit smaller or further away.
I HATE having someone shoot one of my guns better than I do!!

After the shooting is over we get out the cold beverages and begin to clean the guns and inspect targets. At this time the BS gets very thick.

This sounds like the majority of my plinking with friends!

greener · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:53:01 AM »

"Shooting well" is a relative term. I don't think shooting would be much fun if you didn't hit what you were aiming at most of the time. Everytime I go to the range my intent is to improve my shooting skills and get better. With pistols, I know I'm probably never going to be one of those guys who can measure his groups at 25 yards with small coins, but it doesn't stop me from trying to get there.

Mikey · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:56:01 AM »

Na! I just like to shoot. Mikey.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2006, 07:14:34 AM »

I worked hard and put a lot of lead down range to get to where I am. I do care how well I shoot.

kyote · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2006, 07:39:10 AM »

Quote from: Redhawk1 on September 19, 2006, 07:14:34 AM

I worked hard and put a lot of lead down range to get to where I am. I do care how well I shoot.

ditto......
rifles, shotguns,pistols, subguns and machine guns.I want to hit what I aim at..with the 1st shot.

Questor · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2006, 08:16:47 AM »

By and large, I go to the range with a purpose and something to improve. But sometimes it's just so pleasant to bang away for a while. Sure I want to get better, but I'll switch away from formal targets and use something different. For example, a few weeks ago I went to the range and only practiced my double action revolver shooting ala McGivern.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2006, 11:30:35 AM »

I care and put alot of work into having fun doing it.

rockbilly · « **Reply #9 on:** September 19, 2006, 12:02:46 PM »

I just like the smell of burning powder.....................course I like to hit what I am aiming at too.

Heavy C · « **Reply #10 on:** September 19, 2006, 01:27:58 PM »

Yep, sure do. Even casual plinking with friends and/or family gets competitive. It's always fun to go to the range, but it's always with a purpose. Whether it's competition, self defense, or hunting you want to be sure you're finding your mark.

ButlerFord45 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 20, 2006, 09:26:25 AM »

Quote from: Mikey on September 19, 2006, 12:56:01 AM

Na! I just like to shoot. Mikey.

For some reason, I'm finding this one hard to believe

BD · « **Reply #12 on:** September 20, 2006, 01:34:40 PM »

As I get older, I find myslf caring whether I still can shoot well. The older I get, the more practice it takes.
BD

sureshot2040 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 20, 2006, 01:40:22 PM »

i started shooting a singleaction when i was abt 8yrs old
by the time i was 17 i was doing a trickshot/fancy gun handling show every weekend for money
at my best back then i could light matches at 20 paces (aimed fire)
i could throw a clay target out with my drawing hand and draw and hit it from the hip before it hit the ground
i could split a wax bullet on the edge of an axe from the hip at 10 feet and bust two ballons with one shot
drop a can off the back of my drawing hand and draw and put a hole thru it before it hit the ground
now 30yrs later i still play with the gun spinning and fastdraw informally and can keep em all on a playing card at 25 yards aimed fire
but im no where near as good as i was in my youth and it bothers the hell out of me
i think my eyes have alot to do with it
sure sucks to get old

as far as other guns go i carry and shoot a glock 19 i can hit fair out to 10 yards which is what i feel this gun was intended for (self defense) but i still shoot a tighter group with my old thumbuster

i also have a winchester model 94 buffalo bill commemorative that i named Lucrezia Borgia and with the marbles tang sight that i installed on her i can consistently hit 12 inch ballons at 300 yards

im proud that i had the chance to grow up around an old cowboy who owned one pistol and one rifle and knew how to use them and who took the time to show me abt em at a very early age so i could learn to appreciate and respect guns

yes i care

in a world gone to hell where guns are generally frowned upon i just hope i can teach my grandson to care abt em the way i do
sureshot

Chris · « **Reply #14 on:** September 20, 2006, 02:43:54 PM »

Guess it depends on what I'm shooting at and how much the ammo cost.

If I'm rolling tin cans with .22 shells at $0.69/box...I care, but not that much. As long as the can keeps rolling, I'm happy.

Now, if I'm shooing center fire or .22 match ammo...well, that's a whole different story. I get pretty serious about where these rounds go and am always looking to improve.

...Chris

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #15 on:** September 20, 2006, 04:32:23 PM »

i think everyone here likes to hit what they are aiming at. I'm not really a great shot due to hand tremors (genetic not recoil induced). I can shoot well enough to hunt with, and I know my limitations. I still try to improve my technique when I practice, but I'm mostly happy for the friends and the fun and don't spend too much time measuring.

Swamp Yankee · « **Reply #16 on:** September 21, 2006, 02:13:31 PM »

I try to do my best but have also excepted the fact that I'm on the backside of my shooting career. Im 55 and eyes and health play a part. When I shoot with my close friends I try my hardest because it's for bragging rights and ball-busting!!!........Jim

44 Man · « **Reply #17 on:** September 21, 2006, 02:34:18 PM »

Amen to the 'old eyes' problem. I have always been a decent shot, but I'm finding the last couple of years that my eyes have affected my shooting much more than my trigger control. Oh, you still don't want to get in front of the muzzle when I am shooting, but those tiny little groups I used to shoot have expanded just like my waistline! I have a stigmatism and without glasses, I see three of everything. When wearing glasses it depends where the focus is. I have a pair with the focus set at 24" to get maximun clarity on the front sight. But after I got them I find there are still three targets! With regular distance focused glasses the target is clear but there are three front sights. You can say that my shooting has suffered because of it. I guess lazor surgery would be the next step. 44 Man

oso45-70 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 21, 2006, 11:48:21 PM »

Just like 44man i have a hard time figuring which target i am going to shoot. At 73 yrs old she ain't what she used to be when it comes to shooting ( or anything else for that matter ) The years do take their toll. But it don't keep me at home. Keep your powder dry............Joe...........

Mikey · « **Reply #19 on:** September 22, 2006, 02:21:34 AM »

Butler Ford - Dang man, ya got me. Busted agin............... Mikey.

lester · « **Reply #20 on:** September 24, 2006, 02:55:53 PM »

I always cared, but in the last month or so it's been taken to the next level. I've been in the military my whole adult life, 23 years. Have always shot expert, with both rifle and pistol, but never shot competitively until recently. I got some great instruction on combat pistol shooting from a couple of Army double distinguished shooters. Shot in a two day match, first day individual, second day team. Ended up as the #2 Novice, 3rd overall individually out of 50+ shooters. Our team also placed 1st out of 10 teams.

The only civilian handgun I own is a S&W 28-2 .357. Never really shot it much, mostly just carried it in the woods while fishing or bird hunting. The day after the match was an off day, so I decided to go to he range at the base I'm stationed at. Shot 60 rounds of .38 special and .357 from 15 to 35 meters. All but 3 shots were in the 5 ring. The techniques I learned from these two guys are awesome. Grip, natural point of aim, focusing on the front sight post, and trigger pull all equate to me shooting better now than I ever have. Last October I missed a black bear with this revolver at 30 paces. Two shots, never touched him. Better not see one at that range now, I know I won't miss again!!

Lester

Questor · « **Reply #21 on:** September 25, 2006, 03:46:52 AM »

44 Man:

I don't think laser surgery does anything to help astigmatism. (Unless they devised a way recently.)

jro45 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 25, 2006, 03:47:06 AM »

I have always shot well all my life. I guess it was natural to me. I care about my shooting also.

oldandslow · « **Reply #23 on:** September 25, 2006, 05:00:16 AM »

Yes I do but it appears to be a losing battle. My user name says it all. Lineless bifocals have really helped with iron sights. My hand tremors come and go but seem to be getting worse. There is'nt much you can do about the march of time. I still enjoy shooting and still try to put 'em all in the same hole.

PaulS · « **Reply #24 on:** September 26, 2006, 07:17:47 PM »

I care. I practice and I do shoot well. I shoot for enjoyment but I can't enjoy what I don't do well. I have been called everything from "nit picky" to "fanatic" because of the care I take in the preparation and loading of ammo. All the rifles I own shoot subMOA with me firing. My revolvers shoot somewhat larger groups but I don't expect a revolver to shoot MOA - there are just too many variables in a production wheel gun. I shoot cloverleaf groups with them at 25 yards though and that is good enough for me. My contenders are really just short rifles that I shoot without a shoulder stock and I keep their accuracy in the same area as the rifles i have. The one auto-loading pistol that I own is a Ruger Mark1 and it shoots better groups than my wheel guns at 25 yards. At 50 yards the light bullets slow to under the speed of sound and it shows. The groups open up as one would expect.

Anyone who doesn't care if they shoot well is missing half the fun of the shooting sports. Even ay 56 my old eyes still respond to the tricks of small apertures and corrective lenses. I do shoot well and I do care - when I can't shoot well anymore I will have to get rid of my guns.

S.S. · « **Reply #25 on:** September 29, 2006, 05:44:52 AM »

Missing targets is no fun at all !

lester · « **Reply #26 on:** October 03, 2006, 03:14:47 PM »

Like I said in an earlier post, I do care and have been practicing w/ my S&W M 28-2. It paid off this past Saturday while bird hunting. I had stopped to dress down due to it warming up a bit in the afternoon. I was standing in a snowmobile trail when I turned and looked and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, was this coyote. It was just standing there about 25 yards away, never heard or saw it coming. I drew my revolver, aimed, and hammered it with a 158 grain soft point. It went down like a ton of bricks, twithched about 5 seconds, then ran off 20 yards and expired. It was standing quartering towards me, the shot hit it in the neck and passed out the other side behind the ribs. One less deer killer in the VT woods for now.

Practice makes perfect......

Lester

Mikey · « **Reply #27 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:02:54 AM »

lester - way to go! Good shooting! Practice helps, as you know. And thank you for one less coyote. Mikey.

corbanzo · « **Reply #28 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:36:52 AM »

Ammo is getting too expensive to keep missing!

stimpylu32 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:35:39 AM »

I do most of my serious shooting when i go to the range by myself , when the kids or friends are along i spend most of the time helping them get better .

stimpy