What distance do you shoot from?

[Sasquatch-1]

When I go to the range I constantly see the majority of people going to the 5 to 7 yard line to shoot their handguns. I believe this is a result of concealed carry courses. I normally try to do most of my handgun shooting form 15 yards or further.

I am just curious of where the majority of the members here shoot from.

[Hossfly]

I think the further out you practice the better. You learn where your combination of pistol and ammo will group.

[Earlwb]

15 yards is good for me too. I like to change it up some when practicing, 5 to 7, 15 and 25 yards all work for me.

[35isit]

.22s normally 25 - 100 yards. Centerfire 50 - 200 meters. I don't get much time to shoot up close. I shoot a lot of silhouette. On July 31 I'm going to try .22s at 50, 100, 150 and 200. Centerfire at 200, 300, 385 and 500.

[Budzilla 19]

Heavy stuff, like that .44 Magnum, 25-50 yards, others , I change it up , like previously mentioned, 5,7,25,21. Keeps it interesting.

[NSB]

I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of handgun rounds over the last fifty years. I doubt that even one tenth of one percent were fired at less than 25 yards. Most of my shooting is at 50 yards and out. I personally can’t see any point of practicing with a handgun at 3, 5, or 7 yards. It seems like a waste of time and ammo. I spent years shooting silhouette and steel plate competition and my belief is that if you can hit the target accurately and fast at twenty-five yards you shouldn’t have any trouble hitting it fast and accurately at any closer distance.

[rintinglen]

For CCW work, I shoot 3-25 yards. For my hunting guns I shoot 50 to 100.

[bedbugbilly]

I think that a lot of folks limit themselves to SD distances - based on my observations - and I guess that's fine if all you practice is for .

Im mainly a SA revolver shooter - 38s, 357 and 45 Colt. I have always mixed it up - lots of odd yards and with the 45 Colt, I often shoot at 50 yards and even beyond. It teaches you to "learn" your handgun - where it shoots with a particular load and how to adjust your sight picture - POA as opposed th POI - i.e. "Kentucky windage".

Why? Because I never saw a woodchuck or other critter that would sit exactly 10, 25 or 50 yards away. The same with using a handgun - such as a 22, to hunt tree rats. When I was a kid, I used to hunt bunnies with a '51 Colt Navy revolver, and the distances were never the same.

I see nothing wrong with someone shooting at set distances if that is what they like to do - if you are going to hunt though - it just seems natural that you practice at odd and varying distances and learn just how your gun and load perform.

[Savvy Jack]

Depends on what I am shooting and why.

Am I replicating defending myself or my family from 10 feet with a 40 S&W or am I shooting at "something" at a fast food restaurant, bank, mall etc.? Is it strictly defensive (short distance) or maybe a little offensive ( a little further away) but still in a defensive position? Has it turned into a firefight?

So many questions, so little time.

Best to keep current from the belly (point aiming) all the way out to 50 yards so you can learn your own limitations with what you are shooting.

With my 44-40 revolver.....and shoot out to 100 yards...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s771FOfv0l8

[ioon44]

I do most shooting for IDPA practice around 10yards to 15 yards and do some at 25 yards but when shooting .44 Mag I like 100 yards and some times 200 yards.

[Drm50]

My first serious center fire handgun was a 44mg SBH. At the time we shot mostly 50 to 100yds. It seemed a waste to shoot at short range. Mostly varmit hunted since Ohio had no handgun season for deer back then. 22s we shot out to 40yds.

[memtb]

We’re also guilty of shooting our carry guns at around 7 yards. For several years, I've had plans to put about 20 yards of road-base ( blend of sand, clay, and very small gravel) in front of our 300 yard backstop to facilitate easy brass recovery from the semi-autos!

My hunting handguns get use at 100 yards, and the .223 Rem. Contender gets stretched out beyond 100 yards! memtb

[country gent]

When I was competing ( NRA High Power and Long Range) I would drive 45 mins to a range that had a 600 yd practice for the 1/2 hour on the line to test loads rifles and practice.I normally shoot center fire rifles at 200 yards rim fires at 50 but they do get stretched to 200 occasionally. I like tp shoot as far as possible as I think the feed back and gathered info is more accurate.

Hand guns get shot from 7 yds to 50 yds again here are some excretions ( my contender gets worked out to 200 yds) depending on gun and caliber. A sub compact in 25 or 32 gets shot 7-15 yds mostly tho my little sig 380 gets worked to 25 its really an accurate little gun with very good sights.

My BPCR rifles get worked at 200 yds but in matches they go out to 500 here.

How far you shoot depends on whats available to you ( most 1000 yd ranges are military and only open to civilians during scheduled matches) How confident you are and the firearms themselves. Around here there arnt many clubs with ranges to 600 yds a few with 200 tds and most 100 for rifles, This limits what can be done. At the farm we could shoot catty corner and get 900 yds. A local deputy stopped one day and ask what I was shooting t i told him the target was back at the woods He asked have you even hit it yet grinning. I told him I had just finished a 10 round test string lets go see. We got back the Target scored a 98 7 x /100 10x He looked back at where I was firing from and mumbled If I hadnt seen it I wouldnt believe it. was shooting my nm m1a with iron sights

[Thumbcocker]

25 yard minimum for handguns for load development. After load development 50 to 200 yards with a proven load. Few things in this life are more satisfying than hitting a gallon jug or Tide pods container full of water at 200 yards with a .44 from the seated backrest position. Extra credit if there are black rifle shooters doing 50 yard mag dumps present.

[tazman]

Since I can no longer walk the hills to hunt and was never good enough with a handgun to hunt effectively, I practice for defense.
The distance from my bedroom door to the front entrance door is 24 feet(8 yards). I practice at 10 yards because that makes an 8 yard shot seem easy.
I make sure to work with all my handguns so I am instantly familiar with the controls on all of them.
I will occasionally fire shots at 15-25 yards to make sure I can hit a man sized target at those distances if needed outside.

I always start with small bullseye spots to train for accuracy and end the session with a silhouette. It shows just how practical my shooting is and gives me confidence in making the shot in my expected defensive situation.

[atr]

usually 25 yds for 35 and 44 calibers. If I can consistently hit a tin pie plate at that range I'm happy. Sometimes I will try at 50 yds.
usually 15-25 yds for .22 caliber

[375supermag]

Hi...
I shoot at two different gun clubs.
Both have handgun ranges from 7-25yds plus rifle ranges from 50-200yds.

I shoot steel plates at one club and paper at the other, because they won't allow steel plates. All my handguns get shot out to 25yds off the bench and unsupported out to 25yds.
The big bores(.41Magnum, .44Spl and Magnum, .45Colt and .375Supermag, .357Maximum and my S&W 686 Silhouette Model.357Magnum get shot out to 200yds regularly.

I am picking up a BlackHawk in .30Carbine this Saturday and plan to shoot it out to 200yds as well, if I can find a die set to use to reload for it.

[BamaNapper]

Looks like I'm in with the rest of the responses. If it's 3-4" bbl on a semi-auto, I'm usually in the 7-10 yd range with a SD mindset. When I get out the larger pistols I'm at 25-100 yds trying to get the accuracy for hunting. Practicing with a 7.5" SA 44mag at 7 yds seems kind of pointless, but it is my gun of choice on the nightstand. I don't shoot competition and realize that's a whole other mindset.

[Norske]

My indoor range has a 50 foot handgun range, and an underground 100 meter rifle range. I used to sight in my hunting handguns in the rifle range at 25 and 50 yards. Then the AR "pistols" showed up. They can't be used in the pistol range because they shoot a rifle cartridge. So their owners showed up with AR pistols and red dot sights at the rifle range and hit everything but the targets. They broke target carriers, fluorescent lights, and even conduit. So, no more handguns at the rifle range.

[243winxb]

Handguns 25 50 yds. 2" snub 25 yds. When younger, 44 mag 100 yards. All iron sights.

Seen people shoot at 3 yards. DOT TORTURE. :guntootsmiley:

https://pistol-training.com/drills/dot-torture

[TimD]

I shoot anywhere from 5 yds. to 100 yds. Usually 25 yards and under with CCW guns. Target shooting usually 25 yards and up depending on the sights. Occasionally at the club a few of us will shoot snub-nose 38's, off the bench, at 100 yards just for fun.

[Rick R]

There is a huge emphasis on self defense these days and scads of new gun owners. “Dot Torture” is more of a gun handling than marksmanship drill, there are lots of similar exercises out there on the Internet. They believe God smiles down on the shooter who accomplishes a 2 second “Bill Drill” with a $1,500 Roland Special.

Shooters around here (Castboolits) tend to be older and most have probably stood in a classic bullseye stance and shot a B-21 target one handed at 50 yards in days of yore. Different strokes and all that…

In my humble opinion, a well rounded shooter should be able to draw from concealment, shoot an IDPA target clean while moving at 5 yards with a serious carry gun AND hit a 200 yard ram from prone with a serious hunting handgun.

Really, it’s what tickles your trigger finger.

[sharps4590]

These days it's 25 to 100 yards. Only time I ever burned up much ammo at spitting distances was as an LEO....43 years ago. When you can cover all 5 or 6 rounds with just the palm of your hand shooting fast DA, at 3-10 yards, without using the sights, it seems a waste to continue to burn up ammo at that distance.

When we owned our farm and I was raising beef I had two ranges out to 500+ yards. One was 519 and the other 512 measured with a Bushnell laser range finder. We would set up my steel buffalo targets anywhere from 100 out to the full distance. After reading a lot of Elmer Keith and Ed McGivern and practicing it was surprising...and a heck of a lot of fun...to assume Elmer's sitting hold with the revolver braced between your knees and hit an 18 X 24 inch target at 300 and 400 yards until it got boring. I never got that good at the 500 yard mark but 3 out of 5 rounds from the cylinder, on target, was pretty regular. Open sights and cast bullets. Probably couldn't hit a barn door from the inside like that today. I still do pretty good at 100 and sorely miss those two 500+ yard ranges. I did learn if you're going to have consistent success at long distances you better practice a lot, at least I better. That's another of those learned skills that drops off fast.

[smithnframe]

Handguns 25-100 yards…………rifles 100 yards and beyond!

[FISH4BUGS]

I shoot up to 200 yards with iron sights.
Let me explain: we have a 24" steel plate set out at 200.
Yes, i can hit it.
One out of 6 with some regularity. 2 out of 6 on a good day.
It really is a miracle with my old eyes but most of the shots are close anyway.
You should try that sometime. It is not as difficult as you might think.
Bench rest on folded a towel.
I have a 3 screw Super Blackhawk 44 mag that is a tack driver with cast lead gas check bullets.

[358429]

assume Elmer's sitting hold with the revolver braced between your knees and hit an 18 X 24 inch target at 300 and 400 yards until it got boring. I never got that good at the 500 yard mark but 3 out of 5 rounds from the cylinder, on target, was pretty regular. Open sights and cast bullets. Probably couldn't hit a barn door from the inside like that today. I still do pretty good at 100 and sorely miss those two 500+ yard ranges. I did learn if you're going to have consistent success at long distances you better practice a lot, at least I better. That's another of those learned skills that drops off fast.

Wow that's really awesome.

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[ABJ]

I practice at the distance the gun will most probably used at. Small carry guns 15yds out to 25. General field guns (revolvers mostly), whatever the distance is from my tractor seat down to the ground, guessing about 2 to 5 yds. Some of you may be laughing your heads off, but try hitting a target the size of a field mouse at a down angle without practicing. Windage is not the problem.
Irons on hunting revolvers I limit myself to 60/70 yards on game but out to 150 for kicks. Scoped handguns are 100 yds which is the longest hunting distance I will encounter.
The most fun we have is a walk-about with our field guns, see a likely target stop and shoot. Could be a bright yellow leaf, or a snake sized stick at many different angles or a pine cone, this type shooting will sharpen your skills. Do not discount the short shots as easy. Three to ten feet in front of you and a stick at 90 degrees is the most often missed. Not by much but still a miss.
This thread has got me to wanting to go kill some pine cones.
Tony

[white cloud]

I shoot snub revolvers at 25 yards and larger pistols at 50. I used to shoot NRA Bullseye so anything less seems like wasting ammo.

A visit to my local public range will clear up any misconceptions about the current state of marksmanship. I see people snickering when I pull out a 6" .357 revolver but it seems to stop when I start hitting the black at 50 yards. Many at the range need a bucket of bullets to hit one of those zombie targets at 15 yards.

[Burnt Fingers]

Mobility is somewhat limited.

I practice with handguns from contact distance back to 25 yards. Almost always from the holster, against a timer. My goal is 2 seconds for accurate shots on a 3x5 card.

Out to 15 yards I can manage that 90% of the time. As I move back I either lose the accuracy or increase the time.

At seven yards I can usually manage to draw and put two shots on that 3x5 in 2 seconds or under.

I'll shoot my rimfire rifles at 25 yards if I'm managing the targets. 50 if I can find a gofer.

[Scrounge]

There is an accuracy drill that I like, though you need wide open and empty space to do it safely. Toss or drop an fired shotshell a couple of yards in front of you, and shoot it without using the sights. Keep bouncing it around and driving it farther from you until you can't hit close enough to bounce it again. I could hit it out to about 25-30 yards with every pistol I owned.

Used to do this when I lived in North Las Vegas, in the early 80's. The wide open spaces I used then are covered with houses now. Don't have any place like that here, now, either. :(

Bill

[tankgunner59]

I have never hunted with my handguns. If I wanted to I only have one handgun that is/was legal in Illinois, my 357 magnum. I do shoot from 25 yards with it sometimes. Other than that our handgun practice is for self defense and we stick to Illinois distances, 5, 7, and 10 yards going to 15 sometimes. I can shoot my pistols from further out but my wife has neck problems and she can't shoot for very long before it causes her to loose accuracy.

[charlie b]

I tend to shoot the way I would in the field. With a pistol that usually means standing unsupported or supported (wall/tree). Distances 15 to 50yd, most at 15yd. Can I hit targets further? Yes. Just don't practice it much.

I scratched the long range pistol itch when I had my Contender. No desire to do it again.

90% of my shooting these days is rifle, 200-1000yd.

[pworley1]

For handguns I practice from 15 yds to 100 yds depending on the handgun and the purpose.

[gwpercle]

Now that I've developed Glaucoma , gone blind in my right eye and half blind in my left eye ...I've gone from 50 yards to 50 feet and the next range trip I'll have to shoot at 50 inches .
Don't let anyone tell you how great getting old is ...they are Lying to you .
Everything on you stops working and them danged pills don't work ! Trust me.

[jim147]

I like to start with handguns at 1000 inches. That lets me know that myself, the firearm and my ammo are working. Then I go to anything. That's the nice thing about being in the country.

[M-Tecs]

It depends what gun I am shooting. My Ruger LCP 380 is shot at 21 feet to 50 feet. My XP-100's are shot out to 500 yards. My bullseye guns are preferred at 50 yards but if 25 yard is all that is available that is what they are shot at.

[Texas by God]

The walking and plinking at odd natural targets at unpaced ranges is fun- and good exercise. And doable with all my handguns. On my range, I'll shoot magnum revolvers up to 100 yards, but mostly 40 yards or less for the rest. I don't have any hand rifles( the old nickname for XPs and Contenders).

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[Combat Diver]

Depends on the range I'm on at the time. At home my max distance is 35 yds in the backyard. When I was in Afghanistan for work (17-21', or few weeks ago) anywhere from 5m-300m with my Glock 17.

CD

[Leadmad]

I shoot mostly Cowboy action so here we shoot mostly 7 yards for handguns with the emphasis on speed, some clubs have huge targets up close and personal and although i would take advantage of that if it was a competition like everyone else would, I wouldn't make it a habit at my home club at all as firmly believe the end result will be poor shooting on my behalf

[sharps4590]

The walking and plinking at odd natural targets at unpaced ranges is fun- and good exercise. And doable with all my handguns. On my range, I'll shoot magnum revolvers up to 100 yards, but mostly 40 yards or less for the rest. I don't have any hand rifles( the old nickname for XPs and Contenders).

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Well said and, it is fun!! Fortunately we have a trail through our place that's just short of a mile. Different sized rocks, something we have no shortage of, set on stumps make for fun and challenging targets and good field shooting practice. Field use constitutes 99% of my revolver use. The amount of time I spend in a city would be counted in hours per lustrum.

[EMC45]

With SD pistols it is 5-25 yards. I have also shot at 50 with them as well on silhouette targets.

[usedtobeyoung]

I shoot at 25 yards mostly. I don't see the point in practicing under 25, for self defense if I can hit at 25, I can at under 25 yards.

[Shanghai Jack]

25 miles

[Thumbcocker]

25 miles

You win

[Goldstar225]

I usually shoot my defensive handguns at 7-15 yards with the round count about evenly split.

[rintinglen]

I shoot at 25 yards mostly. I don't see the point in practicing under 25, for self defense if I can hit at 25, I can at under 25 yards.

The difference is TIME. At 9 feet, your attacker can be on you in about 3/4's of a second. A fast "nine" that hits is better than a "ten-x" that never gets fired. As distance increases, your need for speed diminishes, while the need for accuracy increases. Practice at several distances, striving to shoot as fast as you can hit. But the hit is more important than the speed.

[rintinglen]

25 miles

You must have really big pockets. ;-)

[AndyC]

10 or 25 yds with handguns.

[jimb16]

With my self-defence handguns, 25 yards and under. With my hunting handguns, 50 yards out to 125 yards depending on which gun. And with my Contender, out to 150 yards with some barrels. With the contender, I could go much further IF I HAD THE RANGE to shoot at!

[PNW_Steve]

IMHO:

Shooting close builds confidence. Shooting far builds skill..... And, occasionally, humility.....

[trails4u]

The difference is TIME. At 9 feet, your attacker can be on you in about 3/4's of a second. A fast "nine" that hits is better than a "ten-x" that never gets fired. As distance increases, your need for speed diminishes, while the need for accuracy increases. Practice at several distances, striving to shoot as fast as you can hit. But the hit is more important than the speed.

If the attacker is at 9 feet and you've not drawn yet.....you're dun.

[Win94ae]

I practice 3 ways...
One way is in self defense mode; which I shoot from 7 to 25 yards, like most people here.

The other way is in militia mode, where I use my rifle and handgun. I'll shoot the handgun at 50 yards or more.

The last way is hunting with a handgun, which I practice at 30 to 125 yards, but mostly at 100 yards.

Then I like to shoot for fun, and love to shoot a handgun at longer distances.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7H79oMn-4

[Harter66]

I build everything for the hunt .
I do draw and fire occasionally but focus on aim and accuracy .
If I have to defend myself a jack russell sized critter and less , save for badger , is a stomp and kick deal so I'm not shooting a football at 20 paces . I once ruined my rifle shooting with a shotgun and vis a vis . My carry where needed do most of the work for me . If I can draw and lock on a 25 yd or less 8" plate times 2 shots that ought to be enough to not shoot myself in the hand , foot , or arm .

That said I used to shoot 25,50,75 , and 100 yd , pistols to 50 and rifles 50 and out . I had a public range with "known" range targets out past 350 yd and a place if desired several miles to just shoot for the sake of ranging and making hits . Today I have a half scale 25 , 35 , 50 , and 100 yd range . The likelihood of a shot much over 150 yd now is slim to unlikely but should the need arise I have a couple of rifles available that make 350 yd a spine and elbow hold and squeeze deal .

I'm not likely to shoot an auto much past 100 ft ever .
Revolvers I tend to shoot further , but then I'm not likely to carry a 5.5 to 7.5" N frame class to Walmart for milk either .

[Dieselhorses]

I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of handgun rounds over the last fifty years. I doubt that even one tenth of one percent were fired at less than 25 yards. Most of my shooting is at 50 yards and out. I personally can’t see any point of practicing with a handgun at 3, 5, or 7 yards. It seems like a waste of time and ammo. I spent years shooting silhouette and steel plate competition and my belief is that if you can hit the target accurately and fast at twenty-five yards you shouldn’t have any trouble hitting it fast and accurately at any closer distance.

Well, you got a point but I met a many a fellow that could shoot a moving target with sleep in their eyes at 75 yards but couldn't hit a still target at 10 yards! Don't ask me why.

[Win94ae]

Well, you got a point but I met a many a fellow that could shoot a moving target with sleep in their eyes at 75 yards but couldn't hit a still target at 10 yards! Don't ask me why.

It is two different disciplines.

I practice moving targets before every deer season, I'm pretty good at it; I've always shot moving targets, I'm a hunter.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JxlS9EMYVQ

But I struggle to get good hits in self defense practice; I never really practiced it before, I'm not so good.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnUF7XbqcGk

[2A-Jay]

I depends on the Range I am at, and what I brought with me. my conceal Carry Snubby 7 to 10 yards. My Taurus PT 24/7 out to 50 yards.

[Dieselhorses]

Generally speaking, if you have to engage a human target at 50 yards, it’ll be hard to convince the jury it was self defense. Being proficient at any distance is always good practice. I recently purchased a 6.5 CM and plan to push it/me to it’s limits.


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[Sasquatch-1]

I said handguns not long guns.[smilie=1:



25 miles

[44MAG#1]

If I could shoot on the rifle range I could shoot to over 250 yards. Although target sighted and or hunting handguns are legal on the rifle range I am paranoid doing it.
There are some members there that thinks their discipline is the only one and they also think their waste doesn't stink and would whine and cry about someone with a handgun on their precious rifle range.
When I do go to the rifle range, which is not often and early so no one will be there I shoot offhand at 100 yards.
If I get there and someone is there I turn around and go back to the pistol range.
I will say this, if one can't shoot well at 5, 10, 15, 25 yards or there about you won't shoot well at longer distances. If you can shoot well at long range you will do well much closer regardless of the technique you shoot with.
To put it country simple you won't shoot teeny tiny ten yard groups then go completely down the tube at 100 and you can't shoot good groups at 100 and then go down the tubes at 10, 15 or 25 yards.
If you do you need to do a strict evaluation of oneself.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

10 to 20 yards off hand at paper and 50 yards on steel. Need an eye exam and some new shooting glasses. All my handguns are iron sighted.

[murf205]

The secret to long(er) range shooting of handguns is bigger targets with lots of contrast284516This is a homemade target that I can see at 50 yds for open sights and still has a pretty good aiming point for 100 yds or a bit further with a scope. Can't shoot it if you can't see it.

[2A-Jay]

I shoot more Lon Guns than I do Hand Guns. The closest Range to me is over 100 miles round trip.

The range is mostly Trap and Skeet. the 3 lane hand gun/rifle range is only out to 100 yards So my longest shot is 100 yards.

[Walks]

Until I stated Cowboy Shooting in 1987, I don't think I ever fired at a target under 25yrds.
Shot some Handgun Silhouette before then, Bullseye too.
Dad said if you can hit it a 25-50yrds, you can certainly hit it inside of that.

I still prefer 25yrds for most handguns. 50yrds for the big Revolvers.

[tazman]

Until I stated Cowboy Shooting in 1987, I don't think I ever fired at a target under 25yrds.
Shot some Handgun Silhouette before then, Bullseye too.
Dad said if you can hit it a 25-50yrds, you can certainly hit it inside of that.

I still prefer 25yrds for most handguns. 50yrds for the big Revolvers.

Your Dad was entirely correct. There is just one issue with that statement.
I can't hit reliably beyond 25 yards these days. My eyes and my shakes no longer allow it. I was never very steady when I was young. Now that I am old, it is not going to happen no matter how much I practice.
Now, I practice at the longest distance I can hit reliably and feel comfortable if I need to shoot at closer range.
The last target I shoot during a practice is a man sized silhouette at my expected combat distance. It reminds me that I am still good enough for that, at least.

[QuackAttack24]

My pistols I shoot mostly at 25 yards, first from a rest at a target until I can figure out where to aim for each particular load. Then I generally shoot free hand standing at the metal targets which vary from 8 inch down to 4 inch. There's something about that immediate "tink" sound of the bullet hitting the target that is very satisfying. Makes it more fun for me.

[Blood Trail]

25 yards for my carry guns. Out to 200 with my magnum pistols.


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[Idaho45guy]

All pistols get bench rested at 25 yards when determining loads and capabilities. Then, they get shot off-hand from 25 down to 7 yards. All my handguns are for defense, except my .22 pistol. I don't own any hunting handguns. But if I lived in the Midwest where hunting deer is boringly easy, I might take it up to make it more challenging.

[danmat]

All pistols get bench rested at 25 yards when determining loads and capabilities. Then, they get shot off-hand from 25 down to 7 yards. All my handguns are for defense, except my .22 pistol. I don't own any hunting handguns. But if I lived in the Midwest where hunting deer is boringly easy, I might take it up to make it more challenging.

Dang you need to take up bowhunting, I have never found it easy taking a trophy whitetail from a low fence, free ranging property with a rifle much less a handgun. I am in Texas where deer are more than plentiful.

[Idaho45guy]

Dang you need to take up bowhunting, I have never found it easy taking a trophy whitetail from a low fence, free ranging property with a rifle much less a handgun. I am in Texas where deer are more than plentiful.

https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/best-deer-hunting-states-five-factors-for-success

States are ranked by hunter success rates. Meaning, how many deer were harvested per tag sold. The easier it is to hunt, the higher the success rate of that state.

The easiest state to shoot a deer? South Carolina at 87% success rate. Texas was third at 80%. Idaho is near the bottom at 24%. Hunting is just harder out here due to terrain, weather, and the amount of animals and the amount of wilderness.

Texas has 37,000 acres of designated wilderness in the state with 14.4 deer per square mile.

Idaho has 4,792,969 acres of wilderness, with another 9 million acres of roadless areas eligible for wilderness status. And only 2.4 deer per square mile.

[sharps4590]

Obviously never hunted the Ozarks.

[GhostHawk]

Pistol mostly 20 feet with once and a while a try at 25 yards.

Rifle I shoot shorter than 100 yards pretty much only for getting a scope on paper and adjusted.

I do have a couple of pistol caliber semi auto carbines that are mostly IMO for inside the house work. Those mostly get shot at 20 to 50 feet with now and then a visit to a 100 yard range. The exception to this is my Hipoint .45acp carbine. This will stack them up at 100 just as well as any of my other rifles. Stacks them in real nice and tight. Better than the shooter can hold.

[one-eyed fat man]

...tend to be older and most have probably stood in a classic bullseye stance and shot a B-21 target one handed at 50 yards in days of yore...a well rounded shooter should be able to draw from concealment, shoot an IDPA target clean while moving at 5 yards with a serious carry gun AND hit a 200 yard ram from prone with a serious hunting handgun...

Really, it’s what tickles your trigger finger.

Pretty much sums it up for me, except it's the Wednesday night informal geezer gathering, making neat and tidy clusters with the .22 caliber bullets on a B-16 slow fire target as the local indoor range is only 25 yards. I used to shoot IPSC with a Combat Commander (tried IDPA but I ain't buying the stupid vest.) Many years ago, I shot my way up to IHMSA A class with a three screw Super Blackhawk and cast bullets. Throw in some random critters for the freezer or the stew pot with whatever was handy that day.

Over the years, played most of the "bowling with bullets" games at one time or another, but the most fun was shoulder to shoulder against Dan Cash and his dueling tree.

[Thumbcocker]

https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/best-deer-hunting-states-five-factors-for-success

States are ranked by hunter success rates. Meaning, how many deer were harvested per tag sold. The easier it is to hunt, the higher the success rate of that state.

The easiest state to shoot a deer? South Carolina at 87% success rate. Texas was third at 80%. Idaho is near the bottom at 24%. Hunting is just harder out here due to terrain, weather, and the amount of animals and the amount of wilderness.

Texas has 37,000 acres of designated wilderness in the state with 14.4 deer per square mile.

Idaho has 4,792,969 acres of wilderness, with another 9 million acres of roadless areas eligible for wilderness status. And only 2.4 deer per square mile.

Maybe you could come to the Midwest and show us how boringly easy it is to kill a deer with a handgun. A deer shot at long rane with a rifle strikes me as much easier than getting inside the see and smell zone of a critter that has been at the top of every carnivor or omnivores menu for mellinia. They know their home turf and have been dodging bullets, slugs, boolits, bolts, and arrows from the time they were 6 months old.

I really envy your ability to speak authoritatively on a topic with zero personal experience.

[Soundguy]

When I go to the range I constantly see the majority of people going to the 5 to 7 yard line to shoot their handguns. I believe this is a result of concealed carry courses. I normally try to do most of my handgun shooting form 15 yards or further.

I am just curious of where the majority of the members here shoot from.


15 -25 yards is great for target shooting accuracy.. but if you carry for self defense.. then for sure you should also shoot at 10-20 feet... because that is the most common shooting distance according to fbi spec. Remember.. if you see an attacker running at you. By the time you draw a concealed weapon to fire.. you are shooting from 21 feet to point blank range... so best to be able to hit close targets.. which sounds easier.. but.. the shooting is different.. remember.. at 25 yards you are aiming.. at 5' you had better to be able to point and shoot from the hip or other 'non aimed' style shots.. and possible have your off hand ready for defense in case the attacker has a weapon... etc.

[Idaho45guy]

I really envy your ability to speak authoritatively on a topic with zero personal experience.

I hunted a few seasons in Iowa with a .54 caliber muzzleloader with a 70 yard range. Been there, done that. It's easy and a walk in the park compared to out here. The farthest I ever had to walk was less than a mile.

This was my first elk, at age 13, taken at 260 yards with a .257 Roberts. I had to hike 5 miles in the mountains in the dark to get in place and wait for the sun to come up and the elk to come out of the timber. After I shot it, it rolled downhill over 100 yards until it hit the bottom, where this picture was taken. I then had to butcher it on the spot into 100lb quarters, and pack each one out on my back over a mile to the nearest passable road. Then come back and get another quarter.

284646

Hunting out here is brutal, physical, tough work. You Midwest people have ZERO clue just how easy you have it. That is evident when you think the hardest part of the hunt is the shot. Pfft...

Tell me, when was the last time you killed a deer and had to have someone watch your back for bears and wolves coming in to try and take your deer?

This is where we went for deer and elk last year. It was 10 degrees overnight and 65 degrees during the day. We went from deep, damp draws with ferns and moss where you couldn't see past 40 yards, to clear cut ridges where you had shots up to 800 yards away. Several hundred feet in elevation changes in an hour hike.

284649

I know there are some hills and heavy timber in the Midwest. The seasons are shorter, so there is more hunting pressure. Back when I hunted Iowa in the 90's, you could only use either a shotgun, muzzleloader, or handgun. Public hunting areas were a joke with more hunters than deer. The best places and biggest bucks were on private property and if you had the wrong last name, you were locked out. Once I got to know a couple of farmers and the manager of a Christian camp, I had access to some prime whitetail territory, and it became a game of finding the biggest buck I could. It was really easy to get within 70 yards of deer. Even if you judged the wind wrong or made noise, there was always more deer to try again on.

I am familiar with Midwest hunting. Come out here and spend a week hiking the mountains all day and seeing a handful of does and maybe a little buck. Then tell me how I have zero experience.

[Blood Trail]

Dang you need to take up bowhunting, I have never found it easy taking a trophy whitetail from a low fence, free ranging property with a rifle much less a handgun. I am in Texas where deer are more than plentiful.

Where at in Texas?


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[danmat]

Where at in Texas?


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I have hunted all over, south Texas, Hill country, East Texas paper company land. i currently hunt central east Texas
Key words in my post were TROPHY, which can be different for each person.

[Thumbcocker]

South Carolina and Texas aren't the Midwest. Iowa is one state in the Midwest.

Are there no river bottoms in the west? Those pics don't look especially "deery" to me.

[Sasquatch-1]

As per normal for this site, it appears there are those who wish to hi jack :hijack: the thread. The original post was meant mainly for hand gunners and was addressing those who only practice at 7 yards or closer and then brag about how tight a group they shot. I see it all the time at the club I belong to. When you move these same people out to 15 yards, which is the minimum distance we allow on our steel plate range, these same people can't hit a 2' by 2' target backer and then get upset because we won't qualify them to shoot steel.

[44MAG#1]

Sasquatch-1 said,

Understand I am not trying to hi-jack this thread.


"What distance do you shoot from?"


"When I go to the range I constantly see the majority of people going to the 5 to 7 yard line to shoot their handguns. I believe this is a result of concealed carry courses. "

The reason is most can't shoot a handgun well. So up close the better. That stands to reason. No secret to it. No one wants to look bad.

"I normally try to do most of my handgun shooting form 15 yards or further."

That is good. Evidentally you are better than many.



"I am just curious of where the majority of the members here shoot from."

5 to 50 and occasionally 100 yards offhand.

[Alferd Packer]

Primer powered wax bullet shooting using the revolver of your choice.
If you never tried shooting primer powered wax bullets you can Google it to see what it's about.
Servicemen and women, Police, guard, and anyone who likes to shoot can use this at home in the garage or basement to practice live fire exercises.
In cold winter and rainy days you can keep up and improve your shooting skills and reaction time.

[FergusonTO35]

I usually start around 5 yards and go up to 15. I also do some point shooting double action at bad breath distance.

[tobywan45]

I usually start at 25 to 50 meters.
After that I will shoot from snake strikingly distance up to 150 meters. Depending on which handgun maybe 200 at a 18 x 48 inch target

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[35 Whelen]

My handgun shooting, at least with my hunting handguns, is mostly at 50 and 75 yds. All shooting is done from a seated, back-rested position, mostly at the two targets on the right-

https://i.imgur.com/San3DVcl.jpg

My SD handguns and my beloved 4" K-Frame .38's are shot offhand at 25 yds. at a steel silhouette, but since my 100 yd. backstop is directly behind the 25 yd. stand, I occasionally lob a bullet at the 100 yd. steel.

https://i.imgur.com/rgGTG8Al.jpg

35W

[walnut1704]

The flip side question: What size target do you shoot at?

I started shooting at 25 yards. At the time it was the shortest distance available. As the decades passed shooting at 25 yards for handguns went from the norm for most, to being only for the old crazy guys. A lot of indoor ranges stop at 15 yards. The outdoor range I shot at for years whittled the number of 25 yard slots down to very few. Since they were popular with kids and .22 rifles I let them have it.

I was shooting at a 6" bullseye at 25 yards. I scaled that down to 3.6" at 15 yards. Same sight picture. Same level of difficulty. Well...pretty close. The major difference is wind.

[outdoorfan]

Because I shoot steel plates, it is impractical to shoot at less than 20-25 yards, for my own peace of mind. But usually 25-200 yards, 8" swinger all the way up to the 2'x2' square gong. G19, 686, Single Six, Blackhawk, doesn't matter. All short barrels and open sights, standing free hand. Hitting the 8" swinger at 200 doesn't happen often, but sure is fun when it does. The gong is fairly easy.

[500aquasteve]

Just have several revolvers of high octane type. 25yds to 110yds always unsupported, and occasionally one handed. I use my cell phone in 4K to video and review it to sight in.

[Idaho45guy]

Went to the gravel pit the other day and shot at 43 yards, off-hand, with my carry pistols, to replicate a shot that a Tucson, AZ officer made last week.

He shot a bad guy in the head at 43 yards. Fired five shots.

So I did the same with a paper plate, with 2-second splits. With my P365 and cheap Remington ammo, I scored no hits. Using an M&P40 with reloads, and a Glock G23 with the same reloads, I scored two hits with each pistol.

I was surprised.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwTPJCorojs

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I've got a 6" gong that I can hit consistently at 50 yards with my wheel guns, if I'm not having vision issues or tremors. My gongs hang off steel fence posts. I've been wanting to get a full size idpa style one for speed shooting.