quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Pistol/rifle targets that look like shotgun targets is the norm at most public ranges.

And the closer the target, the worse the shooting. Just the opposite you might imagine. It's funny as hell if you take a break and watch that shit. And some of the shooters don't even know bad it is.

Myself, my wife,and a friend went to a local indoor range, she came back with the observation that we were the best shots. I told her i certainly hoped so, all of us had been M.P.'s, we had all shot on our company's rifle/pistol team, and they both were pistol instructors. You had two shooting 12gauge slugs that couldn't hit a silhouette target at 10 yards, three that were gangsta shooting their hi-points sideways,and a husband and wife team that were asked to leave after multiple times hitting the ceiling.

That happened to me yesterday only I was shooting my Smith 638 and an M&P340.

Now I am not capable of surgical precision with those two guns but I can achieve something resembling a group while firing fairly quickly.

That humble skillset made me the object of some admiring comments and questions.

I don't let stuff like that stroke my ego though. I know there are people far more talented and skilled than I.


There are a lot of newbie shooters at public ranges these days. It is obvious. In a way it's nice to see people taking their own protection seriously.

Hopefully some stay with it and develop some skill. Hopefully all of them at least learn safe gun handling.

There are real opportunities these days for those who can teach and train others.

I was the best shooter at my range not too long ago also. Of course, I was the only one there at the time.

Shooting targets at a square range is good but, if you can 'participate' at monthly USPSA, IDPA, 3-Gun, or Steel matches that's where you'll see improvement over time.

If matches aren't your thing (or even if they are), participate in a couple of Pistol and/or Rifle training classes per year supplemented by square range practicing.

Sounds similar to my experiences at crowded ranges.

I used to joke with a buddy of mine who has that extra chromosome ...you know the one that enables them to pick up any pistol and out shoot you with it.

my line always has been "yup...I suck but I am still better than 98% of the shooters on the line"

Stopped by the range I used to frequent, with a ton of new gun owners and reduced store hours the range is constantly full of "shooters".

Having some sense of self preservation, haven't been back to shoot and didn't renew the annual membership.

Last week someone was firing an AR on the rifle range with tracer rounds in the mag. Needless to say they are not allowed and he set the backstop on fire, caused the whole range and store to be evacuated. Manager searched the bags, found the mags with regular and tracer rounds mixed in, of course he said he didn't know they were in there...

Fire department came and evac'd the range and store.

At most indoor ranges you'll find an abundance of used B-27 type full size silhouette targets. At 7-10 yards I'll just use one of those, and shoot the little guy in the corner.

So today I was at the outdoor range at approx 20 yards. I had a shotgun target. . I was working out an issue and pulling the trigger as fast as I could with the sun directly in my face. I couldn’t see my hits I was effectively shooting blind (safely, I could see the blobby silhouette in the wind. I still managed to keep all but three inside either the head or center mass of the big bowling pin type target so. I guess I was one those “shotgun” folks today.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:


When I was shooting competitively, a fair number of cops would show up for one weekly informal match. One, and no more. They had too much ego to come back after a poor performance. A few would stick it out and get to be good shooters, too.

We have the same experience at our club. They usually show up for one match and then you never see them again. It's not just cops, you get a lot of guys saying "I qualified expert in the army/marines/whatever".

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
what does that say about these 14 other folks!!!! ...

Several years ago while visiting a friend at a Army post he took two 2nd Lt's to a local range to qualify them on M4's. I watched them and commented nice patterns, one got nasty and wanted to shoot for money, we agreed on beers. One from Arkansas did good, mr.mouth from Boston not so much, my LTC friend best of the three, but i have to admit i shot better than all. I voiced my surprise and my friend said they don't promote marksmanship like they did in the 80's when i went through, he said he knew they had been sandbagged we i adjusted the sling and went out prone.Now red dot three rounds and go on to the next, not one shot one kill.

Join a good bullseye club. If you haven't done that type of shooting before, it will be an eye opener and get your ego in check.

I've been fortunate to shoot along side a few national level bullseye shooters. The level of precision and consistency these guys achieve is amazing.

Like many of you, when I go to a public range I'm typical far and away the best shooting there but...

If I shoot next to a nationally ranked or champion precision shooter though, I am a neophyte.

Two of the better shots I have seen were women, one in probably her 50s, the other in her 70s. The latter one I encountered at my CCW class (required at the time). They gave us Ruger .22s for the live fire part. She was worried because (she said) she hadn't fired a gun in years, but she shot nearly one-hole groups with it, better than I did. Some of the other students, to put it charitably, needed help.

While I am far from an expert shot with a handgun, I am not terrible either. I am almost entirely self-taught. I was once complimented on it and asked if I was a LEO. Actually, my rifle skillz need more work.

quote:

Join a good bullseye club. If you haven't done that type of shooting before, it will be an eye opener and get your ego in check.

This. I don't shoot bullseye, but there are a number at my club who do, and I've shot with them. It's a humbling experience, to say the least.

If nothing else, come join us for the postal match over in the competition section. It's very informal, but it's been good to compare my targets to those of a couple of guys who routinely wipe the floor with me...it definitely keeps me honest, puts things into perspective, and highlights areas where I need work (which is most of them!).

One of the most satisfying things about IDPA is watching a new shooter (who comes back month after month) who listens to coaching, apparantly practices dry fire at home and live fire at the square range) improve and get competitive with us ordinary guys and girls who've been at it for some time.