So what is a good handgun shot?

[felix]

Yes, it seems, whenever the challenge goes away, so does the effort. That is why it is always best to never enter your hobby into a profession, whatever either are. Mr. Clark did the correct thing. ... felix

[MT Gianni]

to me its someone who can make hits under pressure. Whether it be two or four legged critters or in the heat of competition. I think im a fair had with a handgun but when put under pressure of competition my scores drop off about 5 percent which isnt good. Ive seen guys that were a good hand with a handgun at the range that couldnt make a good shot on a deer at 25 yards. Handguns arent near as forgiving as rifles and to me mastering one mentaly is tougher then mastering one physicaly. Competitive shooting is something i stuggle with. I dont even enjoy it because i get so frustrated but i keep making myself go back hoping someday ill beat that monkey on my back. but until then keep the young kids and tender ears back a ways from me when im scoring my targets!

Very true Lloyd. When my wife shot PPC with us once her practice scores were 265-275 out of 300, her match scores were 200. I shot with a man who would consistently shoot 565-570 in practice and 585-590 in a match. The pressure made him focus that much more but they are very few and far between.

[softpoint]

I've learned that a good shot is all a matter of perspective, and frequently involves a healthy measure of luck...

At the local range there are some steel posts driven into the ground at 25 yards to hang targets on. One day I pulled up, and there was a younger gentleman taking turns with a number of pistols, shooting at what appeared to be nothing at all, in the vicinity of one of these posts. So as he was reloading, I asked him what he was shooting at.

"There's a .410 shotgun shell sitting on top that post. I've been trying to hit it for the past 15 minutes."

"I can't see it," I said. "Which post?"

"The left one. It's a green Remington-- it's hard to see against the sagebrush. Give it a try, you might have better luck." Was that a hint of smirk I saw on his face?

I looked at the left post and still couldn't see it. All that was visible to me was the fuzzy post. But I took out my .45 anyway, racked a round into the chamber, and aimed at a spot just above the post. At first I wasn't going to give it much of a try as I truly couldn't see the .410 shell. But that smirk prompted me to give it my best shot.

I'm going to go try that with my 625 right now, I have it out of the safe, and I have some empty 410's

[EMC45]

I have been shooting almost 30 years. From rimfire handgun on up. I recently had to qualify for my job on the M9 Beretta. I aced it on practice fire (expert) then on qualifier I dropped expert by 6 rounds! Pressure. I can shoot wheelguns and my Hi Power quite well, but other guns aren't so accomodating.

[peter nap]

That's a very good question. To me, it is someone that hits what they're shooting at. That also means they have to stay within their range limits.
I admitted a long time ago, that I would never be a GREAT pistol shot.
Some days at 20 yards, I shoot one ragged hole and some days, I play the devil keeping all my shots on a pie plate.

I won't take any shot at game over 40 yards using a rest.

I do shoot a lot of .410's out of my BFR. I'm a much better shot with number 6's.

[Wally]

I feel this way...at 75 yards I use a 6" x 18" suspeneded steel plate. If you/I can hit it 5 out of six shots, that is plenty good. This is shooting offhand and with factory iron sights. To those who can do better--God bless...that's great.

[softpoint]

Results: 1st shot at the 410 hull at 25 yds. MISS Decided to check sight setting, shot at a vertical line at 25, about 3/4 to the right of that, Was it me ,or the sights? Moved the sights one click to left. Try again, Bingo! retrieved the hull, Barely scratched the brass base, but did hit it. Decided to try something else, Nickel .44 Magnum hull ,discarded because of split neck. Took three trys, thirds the charm they say. Don't know where I hit it, 'cause I can't find it, .45 slug took it way out in the pasture somewhere.
The 625 is one of the most accurate pistols I own. I have a tuned 1911 that may shoot a little better, but I don't think I could do any better with it. or my FA either,
Just a couple of days ago I was shooting at some bowling pins that I'd put up at 100 meters offhand. I shot about 100 rounds out of my 7mmBR, 10 inch Encore, and .44 Mag FA. my best average was about 1out of 3 or 4 with the Encore, probably only about 1 out of 6 with the FA, both with iron sights, the Encore has silhouette sights by ISGW.

[vanilla_gorilla]

I've learned that a good shot is all a matter of perspective, and frequently involves a healthy measure of luck...

At the local range there are some steel posts driven into the ground at 25 yards to hang targets on. One day I pulled up, and there was a younger gentleman taking turns with a number of pistols, shooting at what appeared to be nothing at all, in the vicinity of one of these posts. So as he was reloading, I asked him what he was shooting at.

"There's a .410 shotgun shell sitting on top that post. I've been trying to hit it for the past 15 minutes."

"I can't see it," I said. "Which post?"

"The left one. It's a green Remington-- it's hard to see against the sagebrush. Give it a try, you might have better luck." Was that a hint of smirk I saw on his face?

I looked at the left post and still couldn't see it. All that was visible to me was the fuzzy post. But I took out my .45 anyway, racked a round into the chamber, and aimed at a spot just above the post. At first I wasn't going to give it much of a try as I truly couldn't see the .410 shell. But that smirk prompted me to give it my best shot.

I figured that 9.5 out of 10 people would place the shell on the middle of the perch, and this guy struck me as being pretty average --even if he was a bit snotty-- so I aimed at a spot just above the middle of the post, concentrated on holding the sights still, gave a good trigger squeeze, and cleanly picked the .410 shell off the top of the post with my first shot.

I may not have been able to see that tiny target on top of the post, but I could sure pick it out as it sailed through the air. And he could too. Without a word or a single look my way, the gentleman packed up his guns and gear, got in his car, and drove off, clearly irritated by the best shot he'd seen in a long while.

I, on the other hand, knew that I wouldn't be able to repeat that performance even if I'd spent the next three days trying...

A friend and I pulled up out at a pit the locals like to shoot at, and there was a group of guys banging away at bowling pins with AR-15s at roughly 125-130 yards. The friend with me whipped out his trusty 5.5 inch Super Blackhawk and assumed the classic "off hand on hip" Bullseye position. Bangflopped that bowling pin with the first shot. He just casually put his Ruger away and went back to helping me unload the truck, and by the time we got done, those guys had packed up and were long gone.

[waksupi]

Yes, it seems, whenever the challenge goes away, so does the effort. That is why it is always best to never enter your hobby into a profession, whatever either are. Mr. Clark did the correct thing. ... felix

Looking at it that way, Felix, Ad may be retrogressing. He used to fly jets off of aircraft carriers!

[rvpilot76]

I just love reading stories of old salts and days gone by.

[mike in co]

pistol is a short range gun.......if its further away you should be shooting a rifle.

does that mean shots cannot be made at long distance...heck no.


my most impressive to date is shooting a steel plate at 100 with a 45acp....and
put your boots on

i have two witnesses......

a steel gong at 300 yds with a


9mm!


( ok it has a dot scope on which allows me to hold over...a bunch, but still see the target)

took a couple to get on target...then shot it shot after shot

i have never tried a long shot with my 44srh.....

mike in co

[mike in co]

I feel this way...at 75 yards I use a 6" x 18" suspeneded steel plate. If you/I can hit it 5 out of six shots, that is plenty good. This is shooting offhand and with factory iron sights. To those who can do better--God bless...that's great.

off hand......jesss man why do think you have TWO HANDS.

STUPID IN MY OPINON to shoot one handed if two are available,

mike in co

[bobthenailer]

i have shot matches for many years. in the begining i folded like a cheap lawn chair when the pressure was on and it made me mad because i knew i was better than that. its amazing what the other shooters would come up with to help get me rattled + my owen problems! . well after you get put into enough pressure sooner or later you come out on top! hay look i did it !!!!!
now you start to get confidance in yourself as time goes on you win more pressure situations untill you lean to control pressure not 100% but pretty good! now the pressure is on the other shooters .
ive allways strived to be the best in any handgun matches, and ive spent alot of time & shooting in persute of this goal, i love it !! and being a good shot is alot of hard work & dedication
i dont like shooting easy matches as they make you a sloppy shooter because you arent trying 100 % .
my most memorable moments in shooting matches are the pressure matches even if you dont win its a real high if you gave 100&

[jim4065]

Someone who can out-shoot you with your gun.

[rvpilot76]

I took a crow at an estimated 300 yards on Admiralty Island in Alaska in 1994. There was a witness, and I was lucky because that boolit (H&G 250 Keith) bounced about 10 feet in front of that bird off the wet sand from the receding tide, and went clean through him. First time I'd ever seen a boolit skip off the surface of the water displaying the twist of the barrel as the boolit moved in a RH arc. The weapon? A Ruger Blackhawk in 45 Colt with a 4 5/8" barrel. Let me tell 'ya, bluing rusts pretty quick in SE Alaska, especially when you're right on the water! It was a chore to keep that revolver from turning brown! Geez, and to think I was only 17 then. Man, time has flown by.

Kevin

[softpoint]

off hand......jesss man why do think you have TWO HANDS.

STUPID IN MY OPINON to shoot one handed if two are available,

mike in co

I guess he should say "freehand" I'm guilty too, I use the term "offhand" and freehand interchangably, One handed shooting I think of as "one handed" , or"weak hand" in the case of a right handed shooter using his left hand.

[farshooter]

waksupi,

Thanks for your reply regarding Ad Clark. Ad had won my National Shooters League match two years in a row. In 1976, his first year at the match, he finished second behind retired Air Force Major Frank Green. Major Green had won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympic Games. Green was the U.S. Olympic pistol coach at the 1968 games.

Shooters from 32 of our states entered the match. These shooters were from every pistol shooting discipline. A U.S. Olympic Pistol coach won my match in 1976. National, International, Pan-American games' gold medalists, Olympic medalists, PPC national champions such as Royce Weddle, Norman, Oklahoma (NSLs 1977 champion) IPSEC champions; Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps champions from many different matches; the Army Reserve Pistol Team, with Mel Makin, gold medalist in the PanAmerican games; National Guard in all branches; Camp Perry 2700 champions, including Jim Clark; Highway patrol, police such as the LAPD pistol team, Border Patrol, Texas Rangers, including their firearms training officer Reeves Jungkind; FBI, Secret Service, Sheriffs, Womens' PPC national champions and fine pistol shooters from all shooting disciplines participated. Major Nonte said, "This was the first professional pistol match in the world."

Bill Jordan wrote the first story about this match in "Guns Magazine."

Major Frank Green, U.S.A.F, a 30 year veteran of all other forms of handgun competition said this, as reported by Major George C. Nonte, Jr. in his book, "Handgun Competition": "This is absolutely the most challenging form of pistol competition I have encountered in my entire career, absolutely the best course I have ever known."

Ad Clark won the last two National Shooters League matches held in 1978 and 1979.

Doc Burgess

[Dave C.]

off hand......jesss man why do think you have TWO HANDS.

STUPID IN MY OPINON to shoot one handed if two are available,

mike in co

They are called HANDguns not HANDSguns!

Dave C.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
My old standard of good pistol shots were Elmer, Bill, & Jeff. Boy do I wish they were still with us!
One glorious summer I had was spent just trying to come close to what Elmer did with a hungun. 5,000 rounds of 357 and steel plates that sang to me. I did OK but anything past 200yds. was a bit of luck or a gift from heaven.
I guess I will never be as good as Elmer on distance shots. Haven't even tried to do what Bill & Jeff did but I am not dead yet , so maybe.
I asked some people to go shoot with me , got very few takers. Most only went 1 time. My 2 nephews were the only ones who went more than 1 time.
I would like to be able to get groups like 44man, to name just one of the many outstanding hangun shooters who post here.
WE WALK IN GOOD COMPANY.
Ed Magiven(SP) to name another great.

[EMC45]

I hit a 20 oz. Gatorade bottle at 100 yds once. I held high only to realize the trajectory was straight on. It took a few rounds, but I connected. This was with the Hi Power and a 120gr. Lee TC bullet over 3.5gr. Bullseye.