Why shoot Pistols over 20yds

[mjwcaster]

My club is having some issues and starting to make more rules. Standard deal, people don’t follow the current rules, so let’s make more rules.

And I have a real problem with them, so I am gathering info before approaching the board.

So I am looking for info on why people shoot pistols over 20yds (our pistol range distance)

Info on competitions and disciplines would be greatly appreciated.

Links to formal organized shoots would be best

To start off-

Hunting
NRA precision pistol (25/50)
Just for fun, but this won’t work so well I’m afraid.

Thanks,
Matt




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Burnt Fingers]

Bullseye pistol is shot at two distances. 25 yard and 50 yard.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

There should be no restriction on a max distance for shooting handguns with the exception of the longest backstop you have at your range. Handgun silhouette shooters compete at 100 yds all the time. Good handgun hunters can take came at quite a distance. I personally shoot prairie dogs at up to 100 yds with my .22 pistol. And get them. Good luck holding the back more silly restrictions. BTW, every time I take my concealed carry handguns out to the outdoor range, I usually take a mag or two at the full 50 yards, even with my tiny .380. I usually use a rest, but can probably get half of each mag on a IDPA target. Think of how far you may have to take a shot across the mall some day. Easily more than 20 yards.

[Chainsaw.]

Why would you NOT?

[WebMonkey]

Because I left my rifle in my other pants?

[Maine1]

generally, carry handguns get worked to 100 yards, a bit further sometimes.
have a 55 yard plate at home that I expect to hit with anything.

Cops used to qualify out to 50 yards....not anymore, and it shows. Some can not hit at 25.

A competent handgunner should be shooting at least to 50 yards.

a 20 yard limit would not even be far enough for most police handgun qualifications. sounds a lot like ** to me.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Like Chainsaw, HUH, why would you NOT shoot a pistol past 20 yards. I have never understood shooting at targets less than 50 feet away with most firearms. Hip shooting tin cans, rolling those plastic ball targets does start at 10 yards, but does NOT stop at 20 yards. A 1911 Officer's model or 2" J-frame is surprising at 150 yards, though it does take a lot of holding front sight and even slide to hit. Even 22 handguns hit stuff past 20 yards. More DUMB. Training - a person that can hit at 25 or 50 yards will hit at 7 yards, a 7 yard shooter at 25 ? ? ?

[mjwcaster]

We all know why to shoot handguns over 20yds.
I just need as much documentation as I can get to drop on the board.

When the pistol range was built years ago there was a move to ban rifles from the 20yd range.
Luckily enough the NRA magazines cover article was defensive drills for your carbine at 25yds, with a pretty AR in the cover.
When I mentioned that at the board meeting the issue was dropped, until a few years ago.
Rifles are now banned so I just shoot my AR pistol on the pistol range.
Even told the president I was doing it, and most of the board members. Just to prove that more rules don’t work.
And the safest place for the type of drills I do is at short range.
Plus it is a heck of a lot of fun.

Members do not use common sense, do not follow the rules, and the answer is becoming MAKE MORE RULES.

Part of our problem is that the board members are not shooters, only a few even use the range.

Decades ago the place was a social club with a gun range and many of the guys grew up in the club, including our now second generation president.

It is no longer a social club, we have over 600 members and the same 30 guys show up for meetings.

And we do have issues that need to be addressed, there is no easy solution to our problems.

But punishing decent members for others infractions is the wrong way to do it.
And won’t work any way.

I have been advocating a scorched earth policy, maybe get one chance if caught breaking the rules combined with public humiliation and then kicked out of the club.

I just about threw some people out on my own last year, I am so fed up with this.

So I understand and share the boards frustration, just disagree with their solutions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kungfustyle]

At the Eustis Gun Club, they restricted pistols to the pistol range at 50 yards. You were able to bring your Super Black Hawks/hunting/Contender type pistols to the 100 yard rifle range and the Range officer would watch you shoot a few times to make sure that you were safe. Then he/she would let you go about your business.

[mjwcaster]

We do not have an RSO, cost prohibitive.

I have been advocating a volunteer RSO group, even offered to head it up.
Hasn’t been well received yet.
Individual board members might agree, but not the board as a whole.

It is getting to the point I either need to fight a better fight, just shut my mouth and roll with it or move to another club.

But I like this club, it used to offer the most freedom of any around.

And that is becoming part of our problem, as we grew new members are not enjoying those freedoms responsibly.

The answer to questions about policy used to be-
It’s your club, be safe and do what you want.
Just clean up when your done.

If you had the range to yourself you could run and gun from the berm back to the firing line.
Running whatever drills you wanted to.
If another member showed up then move back to a common firing line.

Straight from the late club presidents mouth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rbuck351]

Because there is something over 20yds away that I want to shoot and I also left my rifle and my shotgun in my other pants. Sounds like you are dealing with folks that can't shoot hand guns worth a **** and think that hitting a barn with a handgun beyond 20 yds is just not possible. Hitting a man sized target @ 100 yds with a 1911 in 45 acp is not that hard.
I was at a police handgun training course and was amazed at the lack of ability of 80% of the shooters. Most of the class were taking 10 to 20 rounds to hit a 6" balloon at 25yds. I suppose that's where you get the mentality that handguns are only good for 20 yds.

[square butte]

Well - It's just plain fun, good entertainment, and good learning. I used to shoot everything from 22 Lr to 45 acp at 300yd's at the Deep Creek Range outside of Missoula. It was astonishing and good to know what could be done with a handgun off a rest at that range by experimenting with hold position and just getting it dialed in. Good to know what can be done if need be.

[country gent]

The club I belong to had issues and they decide to "quality" shooters We have a plinking range with eye brow and covered firing line 25 yds. Pistol range is 25 and 50 yds. High performance range is 7 yds to 60 yds. Rifle range is 200 yds with back stops and hangers at 25,50, 100, and 200yds. It is recomended on the pistol ranges for new members and beginners to work close up till they get proficient. On the rifle range you have to be qualified to shoot from positions other wise its off the bench. I argued that instead we should qualify shooters to shoot 200 yds if not qualified then only out to 100 yds.
As to handguns and over 20 yds. A self defense hand gun or carry gun then I would say 20 yds is a good working distance. But what about a handgun used for deer hunting or hunting there 100 yds or even a little farther for practice and testing. A silhouette handgun is even farther do to the match itself. We have a group that shoot the contenders, savages, MOAs, and some custom builds long range hand guns at 200 yds. One guy travels to shoot his savage striker at 500yds and beats most rifle shooters there.

[popper]

watch you shoot a few times to make sure that you were safe. Pretty much the reason pistol ranges are kept close. Don't have manpower to qualify at distance. Rifle ranges are the same here, qual at shorter range before allowing long range.

[rsrocket1]

We do not have an RSO, cost prohibitive.

I have been advocating a volunteer RSO group, even offered to head it up.
Hasn’t been well received yet.
Individual board members might agree, but not the board as a whole.

It is getting to the point I either need to fight a better fight, just shut my mouth and roll with it or move to another club.

But I like this club, it used to offer the most freedom of any around.

And that is becoming part of our problem, as we grew new members are not enjoying those freedoms responsibly.

The answer to questions about policy used to be-
It’s your club, be safe and do what you want.
Just clean up when your done.

If you had the range to yourself you could run and gun from the berm back to the firing line.
Running whatever drills you wanted to.
If another member showed up then move back to a common firing line.

Straight from the late club presidents mouth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No RSO at all?
There should be a work schedule of volunteers or mandatory hours you can serve. Even if it means sticking around for an extra hour to serve as RSO shouldn't be a big problem. No RSO and more than 3 shooters? No shooting allowed.
The problem is the club grew too big too quickly without managing the growth or increasing need for organized safety. Time for an RSO policy or simply reduce the membership numbers, increase fees or leave.

This looks like the beginnings of a train wreck. If someone gets hurt or killed and there is no supervision, the club can be liable.

[mjwcaster]

I agree that it is fun and a good skill.
Which is why I need as much ammo as possible to fight with on this issue.

I used to get bored at the 20yd range so I would move over to the rifle and ring steel at 120(max range).
They took the steel targets out last year.

So yesterday I was scaring clays at the 120yd berm with my xd45.

4” barrel, factory night sights, try to aim at a small orange dot about 1/3 the width of the front sight then aim at an imaginary point about 30” above the clay.

Never broke one, but hit within inches of them many times.
I was very happy with my performance.

Next time I am going to cheat, start by set up an aiming clay about 30” above my target clay.
And then adjust the aiming clay to be right on top of my sight with my point of impact on the target clay.

This is all from bags, I am not good enough off hand yet.
Key word is yet, I need to keep practicing.

Heck I used to ring the very large steel plate we had, body sized, with my EDC, Ruger lcp.

So if any one has more associations/competitions for medium range pistol shooting I am all ears.

I have to call the president tonight about another incident at the range yesterday and I want to make sure it will not be used as justification to ban pistols.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mjwcaster]

I agree we need RSOs for the reasons mentioned.
But it is a hard sell.

For the size of the membership the range really does not get used that much.
Never full, rarely half full and many times no one there at all.
Even on nice weekends.
Hard to justify RSOs watching empty ranges.

Which is why I want to start with volunteers, something is better than nothing.

Our biggest issue starts with lack of membership involvement.
The same old farts that built the ranges and club houses decades ago are the same ones still doing all the work today, at least those left alive.
I am over 40 and always the youngest by far when I help out.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alan in Vermont]

Volunteer RSOs don't work for our club either. 3-4 years ago we offered the NRA RSO class at no charge other than the participant had to volunteer 12 hours of RSO time over the following year. We ran 25-30 people through the class and got mostly excuses when trying to get people scheduled to actually live up to it. Those that did show were coming to shoot themselves which pretty much made them useless as RSOs. I was all for putting some teeth into it, give them two excuses why they couldn't show and if they didn't show after a third call refuse them membership the next year. I got bogus reasons why we couldn't do that.

We allow handguns at all ranges (we have backstops at 25-50-100-200 yds.). Our problem is the jerks with ARs who will deliberately saw the target stand posts of. It's obvious it is done intentionally as the posts will be cut off at 45° right at ground level and there are piles of empty cases 6-8' back from the targets. Nobody ever sees anything like that happening, it's just flat amazing.

[Thumbcocker]

I sight my hunting revolvers in at 50 and practice/plink with them out to 200. Need 2 more reasons? Elmer and Skeeter.

[robg]

When we still had pistol/revolvers our practical comps included 50yard targets.its fun to shoot as far as you can and a good test of skill.