SIGforum
Were you born a good shooter?
October 31, 2017, 10:14 PM
mdblantonWere you born a good shooter?
Rifles and handguns, yes. Shotguns, nope unless I shoot a lot and frequently.
My oldest is a lefty and a good shooter with all three. He has the gift of great hand-eye coordination. Was out with him the other day shooting a few clays and he decides to try with the shotgun upside down over his head - no problem. I do well with a shotgun as long as the target is sitting still.
Michael
October 31, 2017, 11:22 PM
midwest guyStarted at 8 with a Daisy B.B., at ten a Crossman pellet rifle. At 12 a single shot Winchester 22. My first shotgun at 13 was Mossberg bolt action 20 gauge. Long guns came easy for me and I was very good with them. Centerfire handguns came much later for me and took a lot of shooting with them to be accurate and quick. I shoot lefty long guns and right with handguns.
October 31, 2017, 11:34 PM
chongosuerteLong guns-from an early age I was very good. I remember winning the .22 camp rifle championship for the whole summer at boyscout camp when I was 10 or so.
The first time I shot a handgun - a .45 auto rim olde S&W - I couldn't hit ANYTHING. It took several years to get good. And that's all I'll call myself-pretty good.
I certainly don't have the natural ability with handguns. I had to work hard to get from horrible to pretty good. But give me a long gun that shoots straight, I'm good.
Except my eyes aren't as precise as they were when I was 10
Knowing what one is talking about is widely admired but not strictly required here.
Although sometimes distracting, there is often a certain entertainment value to this easy standard.
-JALLEN
"All I need is a WAR ON DRUGS reference and I got myself a police thread BINGO." -jljones
October 31, 2017, 11:35 PM
mike28wWas I born a good shooter ??? Yes, I believe I was....but I've gone downhill ever since !
November 01, 2017, 06:04 AM
SgtGoldThe short answer is yes, I've got some natural tallent.
Then I started competing and found out I wasn't really all that good.
After countless rounds down range I can now claim to be a natural.
_____________________________
'I'm pretty fly for a white guy'.
November 01, 2017, 06:07 AM
BlackmoreNo, never had any gun exposure as a kid except scout camp. My parents weren't antis, but after WWII I think my Dad wanted no part of weapons again.
Only after I had a job, my own money and moved to NH did I start shooting more regularly but still am average at best.
The best natural shooter I know is my FFL's son. He can pick up just about anything and after a few shots shoot it as accurately as the gun is capable of being shot.
Harshest Dream, Reality
November 01, 2017, 06:18 AM
cincinnatijimI had to work at it. I was on ROTC and National Guard rifle teams. I had a lot of fun shooting Quad .50s at target aircraft in the NM National Guard.
_________________________
"Louis was furious with the sharks. He thought they had an understanding: The men would stay out of the sharks' turf - the water - and the sharks would stay off theirs - the raft...If the sharks were going to try to eat him, he was going to try to eat them." From Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
November 01, 2017, 06:21 AM
Skins2881Rifle - OK, Shotgun - Don't own one, yet every time I pick one up I surprise myself how well I shoot it.
Pistols - I am neither super fast or super accurate. For what I like to shoot I am fast/accurate enough to be a middle of pack shooter in competition. If I had time or money to spend on training I'm sure I could make it look like I was born a good shooter.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis November 01, 2017, 07:05 AM
bobandmikakoI started shooting earlier than most it always seemed pretty natural. My father has always been an excellent shot, much better than me, and some of it rubbed off. When I went to boot camp, I found it pretty easy to score expert in freezing weather with both pistol and rifle despite no experience with the M16 or 1911. Nowadays, I shoot handguns a lot better than I do rifles. I'm not that fast of shooter though.
十人十色 November 01, 2017, 07:42 AM
MNSIGI'd say I was born good enough to maintain an interest in it and continue to practice and get better.
November 01, 2017, 08:27 AM
jljonesNo, I wasn't.
I had to work really hard at it, and have to still work hard to maintain. There are no pills, potions, or "one weird trick" to being better. It takes work.
I find this topic (and the ongoing topic in the pistols section on buying skill) fascinating, and I am pretty opinionated on it. Most people over rate what their actual skill level is because the ego steps in and pile drives reality.
Take one course that I teach. The prereq is the ability to hit a man sized target from the holster at seven yards in 1.5 seconds on demand. After the lecture on the first day, guess what the first round fired is for time and score? Yep, one round from the holster in 1.5. About 20-30 percent make it. Now, the prereq says you have to have the skill to do it on demand. Where is the disconnect? Human nature and ego, generally. People naturally over rate their skill level. They try a drill or a skill 20 times, and actually complete it once or twice, they check the box of "I got this". If you are completing it 18/20 or 19/20, you are just getting lucky and mistaking that as skill for the times you do get it.
There was a thread on natural ability here a while back and some awesome points were brought up. I am in the camp that natural ability doesn't lean toward competence, only hard work does. You look at all the champions, and not a one will tell you that he is gifted. Ben Stoeger was once asked "How long did it take you to get this good". Ben replied something like "Two years. But, I was practicing six hours per day, every day".
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People hate you. Train like it.
November 01, 2017, 08:47 AM
610My #2 grandson has great hand/eye coordination along with natural ability. He starting shooting IDPA with me at 13 and was winning Regional in his class at 14 and 15. A couple of years ago the 4H shotgun coach was teaching a class that he took. She had them shooting a BB gun without sights. At the end of the class they would start shooting quarters out of the air at 10 feet. If they hit it they would go to nickels, then dimes, and then baby aspirins. He was hitting aspirins. She said he was only the second student she had even had to hit the aspirin.
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Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.
Henry Ford
November 01, 2017, 08:57 AM
TommydoggSome days I'm a good shooter, some days I'm not. I don't know where I fit in when born. The Navy takes credit when I have a good day.
___________________________
"I Get It Now"
Beth Greene
November 01, 2017, 09:01 AM
jaaron11I've always been a better shooter than my other family members. The first time I ever shot a gun was my 11th birthday when my uncle took my brothers and I skeet shooting. I beat everyone by a wide margin, only missing 2 birds as I recall. However, I didn't become a really good shooter until I got some training. Part talent, part training, like most endeavors.
J
Rak Chazak Amats November 01, 2017, 09:05 AM
MNSIGquote:
Originally posted by jljones:Take one course that I teach. The prereq is the ability to hit a man sized target from the holster at seven yards in 1.5 seconds on demand. After the lecture on the first day, guess what the first round fired is for time and score? Yep, one round from the holster in 1.5. About 20-30 percent make it. Now, the prereq says you have to have the skill to do it on demand.
While I understand that it is a prerequisite for your class, that may or may not be a good measure of a "good shooter". There are probably a lot of old school bullseye shooters that couldn't do it, but could knock the lights out at small targets or long ranges.
November 01, 2017, 09:08 AM
myrottietyI think some people are naturally better at certain things.
2 people can put in equal work and training. Yet one is better than the other. Why? 2 people both run equally fast, and are equally strong. Why is one naturally a better full back?
Train how you intend to Fight
Remember - Training is not sparring. Sparring is not fighting. Fighting is not combat. November 01, 2017, 09:57 AM
offgridquote:
Originally posted by jljones:
No, I wasn't.
I had to work really hard at it, and have to still work hard to maintain. There are no pills, potions, or "one weird trick" to being better. It takes work.
I find this topic (and the ongoing topic in the pistols section on buying skill) fascinating, and I am pretty opinionated on it. Most people over rate what their actual skill level is because the ego steps in and pile drives reality.
Take one course that I teach. The prereq is the ability to hit a man sized target from the holster at seven yards in 1.5 seconds on demand. After the lecture on the first day, guess what the first round fired is for time and score? Yep, one round from the holster in 1.5. About 20-30 percent make it. Now, the prereq says you have to have the skill to do it on demand. Where is the disconnect? Human nature and ego, generally. People naturally over rate their skill level. They try a drill or a skill 20 times, and actually complete it once or twice, they check the box of "I got this". If you are completing it 18/20 or 19/20, you are just getting lucky and mistaking that as skill for the times you do get it.
There was a thread on natural ability here a while back and some awesome points were brought up. I am in the camp that natural ability doesn't lean toward competence, only hard work does. You look at all the champions, and not a one will tell you that he is gifted. Ben Stoeger was once asked "How long did it take you to get this good". Ben replied something like "Two years. But, I was practicing six hours per day, every day".
I wasn't either. I've worked hard at getting where I'm at with a bolt rifle, come a long ways, still lots to improve on. Surrounded myself with a few very good LR shooter with the same mind set.
Three years ago shot a PRS rifle match that had two pistol stages. No worries, I have a pistol I can shoot it well enough. Two of the guys in my squad were Grand Master pistol shooters, machines with a pistol. Shortly after that match bought a Dillon 550, took a class.... long ways to go with the pistol. I'm fortunate a pistol instructor is a member at my range. He's been teaching self defense classes for many years. He generously gives me his time, taught me how to practice, taught me standards for self defense based on Jeff Coopers teaching. I work hard on those standards, only judge my improvement based I what I can do cold.
November 01, 2017, 11:00 AM
OTDquote:
Originally posted by MNSIG:
quote:
Originally posted by jljones:Take one course that I teach. The prereq is the ability to hit a man sized target from the holster at seven yards in 1.5 seconds on demand. After the lecture on the first day, guess what the first round fired is for time and score? Yep, one round from the holster in 1.5. About 20-30 percent make it. Now, the prereq says you have to have the skill to do it on demand.
While I understand that it is a prerequisite for your class, that may or may not be a good measure of a "good shooter". There are probably a lot of old school bullseye shooters that couldn't do it, but could knock the lights out at small targets or long ranges.
I think there is a missconception about what "bullseye" shooting is. It´s a combination of slow fire, timed fire and rapid fire. the international Version is 60 rounds. 30 rounds slow fire and 6 strings at 5 rounds rapid fire in 10 seconds at 25meters each string. That is really fast shooting, especially wiht a center fire pistol, also for experienced shooters.
Speed is one thing, but the process to hit the target another, but hitting the target in a bullseye match ore in one of jjones classes requires the same skills. Speed comes with the skill but is a matter of training. There is no short cut in Shooting.
November 01, 2017, 11:17 AM
MNSIGquote:
Originally posted by OTD:Speed is one thing, but the process to hit the target another, but hitting the target in a bullseye match ore in one of jjones classes requires the same skills. Speed comes with the skill but is a matter of training. There is no short cut in Shooting.
I am not familiar with all the rules of Bullseye, but didn't think it involved drawing from a holster. Perhaps I'm wrong.
November 01, 2017, 11:21 AM
OTDquote:
Originally posted by MNSIG:
quote:
Originally posted by OTD:Speed is one thing, but the process to hit the target another, but hitting the target in a bullseye match ore in one of jjones classes requires the same skills. Speed comes with the skill but is a matter of training. There is no short cut in Shooting.
I am not familiar with all the rules of Bullseye, but didn't think it involved drawing from a holster. Perhaps I'm wrong.
we dont draw. The pistol is held in a 45° ready position.