Definition of a Good Shot With a Handgun

[x10]

shoot a National Match course and score better than a 250, Then you can gauge yourself against shooters for the last 50 years

 

[ViperJock]

I am glad it just remained static and took the beating.....

That's the reason I like to shoot really wide groups. It's practice for a moving target... No really, that's why!

 

[rvb]

To be blunt, it sounds like many folks are accepting mediocrity as "good." When I take newbs out who have never shot a gun in their life they can usually do much better than a paper plate at 7-10 yds their very first time after some basic instruction.

I had to swing by the range today to take care of a couple things so I tossed the gun (glock 34, stock except for taran connector, sevigny sights, and grip mods) in the truck. I shot these "cold" (figuratively and literally, it was 23 degrees). These aren't cherry picked or best-of. I was winded from having to dig the truck out after getting it stuck driving into the range. It was snowing, etc. I say all this because except for the 10-yd slow fire group, I'm kinda emarrased of these, and even it had a flier... So I'm making excuses.

the targets were 7/8" pasters and a square of 2" duct tape.

10yd slow fire (a round about every 3 sec)


10 yd somewhat quick fire (avg .7 sec splits according to a timer). The low left was my second shot.


25 yd at about 2 s between shots. that low right shot pissed me off, I almost started over when I broke that one. Usually my slow fire 25 yd groups are right at 3-3.5"...
i had to stand in a 2' snow drift to try for these...


I share this not to brag, but because I don't consider myself a "good shot." There are so many who are much better than me even if I've worked hard to get above average... I'm constantly working to improve my abilities. I'm never happy. In USPSA I call myself a "mediocre master." Don't be happy keeping them on a paper plate at close range because you read online that's what is considered "good"

no holster work today due to lame range rules...

-rvb

 

[rvb]

Here is something to play with:

Dot Torture Shooting Drill | Active Response Training

http://pistol-training.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dot-torture-target.pdf

This is a really good drill, especially if you add time pressure...
lI've attributed much foul language to this drill over the years.
Same w. Garcia's dot drill

-rvb

 

[hps]

I'm notta "paper poker".
I've shot 1 time at the place in Avon,it was fun and a great bunch of guys but I like reactive targets. I think I can hold my own and I guess thats all that matters.
I did get 1st place at FNS last month (SS) not braggin just stating facts.

 

[VERT]

7 shots at 50 yards with a scandium framed commander

http://rs933.pbsrc.com/albums/ad174/vert52/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0055_zps1a62495d.jpg~320x480?t=1425179402

Unknown round count at 7 to 25 yards with a couple different 1911s. Sighting in a 9mm and testing the new trigger in my 45. This was what was left behind the paper plates.

http://rs933.pbsrc.com/albums/ad174...IMG_0092_zps180e346b.jpg~320x480?t=1425179588

 

[churchmouse]

7 shots at 50 yards with a scandium framed commander

http://rs933.pbsrc.com/albums/ad174/vert52/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0055_zps1a62495d.jpg~320x480?t=1425179402

Unknown round count at 7 to 25 yards with a couple different 1911s. Sighting in a 9mm and testing the new trigger in my 45. This was what was left behind the paper plates.

http://rs933.pbsrc.com/albums/ad174...IMG_0092_zps180e346b.jpg~320x480?t=1425179588

 

[Harleyrider_50]

Here's how I gauge myself. I like to use paper plates as targets.... anything that hits the plate is a good shot. That being said, a paper plate is a "kill shot", and my handgun shooting is geared toward defensive practice. 2" group vs 8" group.... dead is dead.

.....Yup......could'n give a ratz 'bout hold'n a quarter-sized group at 20', myself......everthing in'at plate's ....dead-meat.....

 

[ViperJock]

Above I was goofing on CM but now I'm going to enter my 2 serious cents. Well, as serious as I can be.

Aim small, miss small. If you can't shoot tight groups on a still target, you will miss a moving target. You won't be able to hit the bad guy mostly hidden by cover. You will not come close to shooting the guns out of their hands.

Shooting is a perishable skill. If you aren't getting better, well, you know. How good is good enough? Hopefully we won't ever need to know, but IMO if you think you are already good enough, your mind is in the wrong place.

 

[halfmileharry]

With my eyes going slowly south all of my guns shoot better than I do.....

I understand and have joined the same club in this last 6 months. I've made 3 trips to the eye doc and have another pair of glasses ready to pick up tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have renewed vision to punch holes again.
I shoot/shot a lot and considered myself competent with half dollar sized groups at 15 yards slow fire. 6" groups rapid fire.
I like to practice at 25 and 50 yards regularly with the sights.
I also practice draw and shoot with no sights to about 8 yards. I'm trying to make what I consider real life practices.
I shoot 1911s only and I'm very familiar with the guns I have and shoot regularly.

 

[churchmouse]

rvb,
There was a day when I could do the smiley face on a full sized silhouette at max distance indoors. I thought that was pretty good as no one else I was shooting with could do that.
As time rolls on and my 65 year old eyes start to fade I think the paper plate pictured was more than fair. No, it was not moving but still.

Viper....I knew you were goofing................

 

[churchmouse]

I understand and have joined the same club in this last 6 months. I've made 3 trips to the eye doc and have another pair of glasses ready to pick up tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have renewed vision to punch holes again.
I shoot/shot a lot and considered myself competent with half dollar sized groups at 15 yards slow fire. 6" groups rapid fire.
I like to practice at 25 and 50 yards regularly with the sights.
I also practice draw and shoot with no sights to about 8 yards. I'm trying to make what I consider real life practices.
I shoot 1911s only and I'm very familiar with the guns I have and shoot regularly.

I was trained on draw and shoot no sights as a youngster. I have gotten away from the draw part of the discipline due to range rules.

 

[Thegeek]

To be blunt, it sounds like many folks are accepting mediocrity as "good." When I take newbs out who have never shot a gun in their life they can usually do much better than a paper plate at 7-10 yds their very first time after some basic instruction. -rvb

Big difference between aimed shots and throwing lead as fast as possible. If I shoot with a 1 per second rate, I can keep a really tight group. But I'm not practicing for timed, well aimed shots. Half the time, I'm not even looking at the sights.

 

[VERT]

Big difference between aimed shots and throwing lead as fast as possible. If I shoot with a 1 per second rate, I can keep a really tight group. But I'm not practicing for timed, well aimed shots. Half the time, I'm not even looking at the sights.

Why aren't you practicing aimed shots?

 

[Thegeek]

Bad guys don't wait for you to aim.

 

[Seancass]

Good guys standing in the background appreciate when you hit the target with aimed shots...

I can't stand it when people think 4" at 10 yards is the best a handgun can do/is good for. (That sentence was not directly aimed at any member above.)

 

[VERT]

Bad guys don't wait for you to aim.

True but missing doesn't help your situation. In fact in a society full of lawyers and people more then willing to pass judgement missing is a HUGE liability. Even peripheral hits do little to help you out. Handguns suck! There are several case studies looking at both LEO and non-LEO shootings. A very high success rate followed those that learned to utilize a fast sight picture. I actually have a little demonstration that I do for people how this works. The human brain is a remarkable computer capable of all sorts of feats.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

IMHO if you qualify "Expert" for pistol on AQT, then you are "a good shot with a pistol".

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

My bad, I believe I showed you the rifle AQT, the pistol AQT looks like a man silhouette,

Found that one with a google search. However, best I remember when I qualified the silhouette had a circle in the head and another center mass. We were instructed when to shoot head and when to shoot center mass. The score was tallied from those two regions. That's been a while and perhaps it's changed. However, if you qualify "expert" on the army's AQT, you're a pretty good shot with a pistol.

 

[cedartop]

Bad guys don't wait for you to aim.

That's good stuff right there.