Does shooting rifles hurt handgun shooting?

[Thumbcocker]

Most of my shooting has been done with handguns. It was easier to find a place to shoot handguns and there is less paraphernalia involved. Also for a long time I had access to a police department pistol range through work.

Now that Mrs.Thumbcocker and I are retired and belong to a club with a 500 yard rifle range we are shooting long guns more. Mrs. Thumbcocker prefers rifles.

I always take a handgun to the range when we shoot rifles and usually shoot it at 50 yards. Maybe its mental but I feel like my handgun shooting is falling off. Rifles just feel like cheating. Concrete bench and sandbags, proven loads, line up cross hair hit target.

I feel there is a handgun "mindset" that is required to shoot them passable. When I shoot handguns it is standing 2 hand hold. My reasoning is that if I practice that way then any support I use for a hunting shot will make it easier. Also once I get a good performing load I shoot at things instead of paper.

I have never had any type of training, other than what was required for the ccw class, so I don't know a lot of stuff.

We shoot weekly and I an shooting around 2 dozen full power .44s per session. Not counting rifle rounds.

So, dies shooting rifles have a negative effect on handgun shooting?

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[Tokarev]

It is inevitable. If you shoot rifles you spend time off shooting handguns. Not shooting the same amount hurts your handgun shooting. It is the same thing with any sport.

[hoodat]

Don't you feel that shooting "two handed" is cheating??:wink:

Shooting rifles is simply a different game.. much as handgun silhouette is different than steel challenge. I say enjoy them all, and don't feel guilty. jd

[rintinglen]

To the extent that your rifle shooting supplants your pistol shooting, it does affect your ability to shoot a handgun well. You just don't get as much practice when the range time is split up between disparate activities. Before you took up rifle shooting, you may have fired 200+ rounds a session, now it's down to a box or maybe just a couple of magazines. Even if you are still shooting as many rounds, most often, the rifle is fired first and then, after a bit of fatiguing manipulation of the long gun and its scoped sights, you shoot the pistol. Your a little weary and if you are like most of us who are out to pasture, your eyes get tired too.

However, shooting rifles offhand, as opposed to bench resting them, involves much of the same mental discipline as does off-hand pistol shooting. In my case, I found my lever action silhouette scores went up when I started shooting pistols more.

Ultimately, you want to have fun. A little of both, if it is enjoyable, is not a bad thing.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I never thought about it from that angle before. I guess you can lose your edge by doing something less. The solution is obvious-- do that something more. Myself, I don't believe I'm really good at any kind of shooting anymore, just passable, but I enjoy every round fired (and reloaded!). :D

DG

[scattershot]

Here’s a thought., and please don’t take offense. You mentioned being retired. Maybe your full powered .44 mag loads are a bit much for you now. I know they are for me, at 75.

[tazman]

I found my handgun accuracy improved after shooting benchrest rifle all summer. The rifle shooting forced me to improve my trigger pull and this helped with the handgun shooting.
I tend to keep my rifle trigger pull weight very close to the same as the pull weight on my handguns. Usually 3-3.5 pounds.

[charlie b]

If it feels like cheating then try different shooting positions. NRA standard series is a good place to start, standing, kneeling, sitting, prone. Sihlouette is also a challenging game. Standing with some relatively small targets to shoot at.

I take my pistols to the rifle range and set up some targets at 50yd. Nice way to kill time when letting the barrel cool on the rifle. Our 300yd range has a Ram at 300yd. When I 'get tired' of punching targets I'll stand up or use sitting/kneeling position and shoot at the ram.

And, yes, my handgun shooting is not as good as it was. Tremors is one cause, along with eyesight and arm strength. I don't carry anymore either so I am not that motivated to improve over where I am at.

[NSB]

I used to think that shooting a rifle was a lot easier than shooting a handgun until I started shooting matches where you had to shoot both. Shooting a rifle is easier….if you shoot it benched with a rest. Try shooting a rifle off-hand if you want a rude awakening. It’s harder than a handgun! If you want to keep both skill sets up to par, you’re going to have to shoot more to do it. They both take a lot of work and commitment to do well at each.

[Char-Gar]

I don't think rifle shooting is harmful to handgun shooting for they both share similar basics. The basics are implemented difference, but you have to run the same bases to score. Now shotguns are a different breed of cat. In all cases, practice is the key. Practice until the transition is smooth and almost without thought.

1. Both require a proper grip/hold on the firearm.
2. Both require a proper sight picture.
3. Both require proper trigger control.
4. Both require proper breath control.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

When shooting, I find I can shoot 15-20 'full power' jacketed 300 Mag, 45-70, 358 Win, 44 Mag or 45 Colt before losing focus/enjoyment... OR I can shoot 50, 100 or more light/ moderate loads through the same rifles or use a 9mm, 38 Special, 223 or 243 for extended shooting sessions. Recoil or lack of recoil is why the 6.5 Creedmoor has become so popular. I found off-hand firing of handguns helps a great deal with rifle trigger control. You may find rifle shooting more challenging by shooting offhand, sitting or kneeling than sitting at a bench. A sure thing 8" dinger at 300 yards off the bench becomes more challenging at 150 yards off-hand. Recoil does affect shooting pleasure and capability over longer strings. Recoil is the enemy of good shooting.

[Baltimoreed]

That’s why I play CAS, pistol-rifle-sg, big targets, closer than I practice so they’re even easier to hit. And our cas club is also a WASA club and does Wild Bunch and bolt action rifle matches so I get to play with all my cool toys.

[unclemikeinct]

Thumbcocker Wrote : "So, dies shooting rifles have a negative effect on handgun shooting?" If they really kick & have stiff triggers. I'd say yes. When I was shooting indoor bullseye. The old dudes used to tell us Trap n Skeet shooters that we sometimes slap the handguns trigger. So, it is a definite maybe effecting your handgun handling skills. unclemikeinct

[dverna]

Shooting a CF rifle off a bench at 100 yards is relatively easy, unless someone has a flinch. It gets more challenging if shooting rimfires and air guns and there is a wind to contend with. Getting a 2" group is not difficult, unless shooting cast...LOL. A slight inconsistency operating a rifle trigger is not catastrophic like it is on a pistol.

Pistols are more demanding, at least for me. At 71 I do not have the steadiness I once had. In my "salad days" I found my scores shooting a rifle in the standing position improved when I started shooting pistols. Pistols teach you trigger control.

Consider getting a good quality air pistol to maintain your pistol skills inexpensively and without needing range trips. We purchased two Crosman 1701P's this year for that reason. If you cannot shoot an airgun well, shooting a "real" gun does not get better. The airguns above will group 1/8" at 10 yards. Put up some 1" dots at 10 yards and practice, practice, practice.

The 1701P's are PCP so if you do not want to go that route, look at something like this:

https://www.crosman.com/product/crosman-2300s-silhouette-competition-co2-air-pistol-177-caliber

You will get 60 shots out of a standard CO2 cartridge and pellets are currently on sale at Amazon for $6/500. A 60 round session will cost you $.75 for CO2 and $.75 for pellets. A lot less expensive than .22LR, more accurate, and safer. Depending on where you live, you can shoot in your backyard.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DM0ZIU?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1
https://www.airgunmegastore.com/crosman-12-gram-co2-100-cartridges/

Shooting full powder .44's to hone pistol skills is not a good plan, unless you enjoy the noise and recoil. If you are opposed to air guns, download your .44's, or practice with a lighter recoiling gun.

Shooting is a perishable skill. Shoot or lose it.

[Thumbcocker]

I am shooting the .44 exclusively because I am contemplating a handgun hunting trip. I do dry firing. The gun has had a trigger job an a creep free pull of 3 pounds or less. I have taken several deer with it. I try for 24 serious shots per session.

Maybe I should do handgun only practice one day a week or shoot the handgun first.


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[tazman]

When I was shooting indoor bullseye. The old dudes used to tell us Trap n Skeet shooters that we sometimes slap the handguns trigger. So, it is a definite maybe effecting your handgun handling skills. unclemikeinct

The old dudes were right. I shot trap for years before I began handgun shooting. My trigger control was terrible. It also had an effect on my rifle shooting. Jerking the trigger is a hard habit to break.
That is part of the reason working with the bench rifles improved my handgun shooting.
Now, if I could just get my lack of steadiness figured out......

[Bigslug]

I've trained a number of former military guys on handguns who had previously been all-rifle/no-handgun in the service, and for sure, there are sometimes issues to work out.

My observation - possibly flawed, but take it FWIW - is that a rifle gives you a lot more points of contact to steady the gun, and that the longer sight radius is a great benefit to alignment on target. Folks become accustomed to being able to get away with a certain amount of slop in their technique when they can still hit the target. That same amount of slop that you thought was acceptable will not lead to success when applied to a short sight-radiused handgun held way out at the end of your wobbly arms.

Once you internalize that, I find that handgun and rifle aren't really different - -maintain correct sight alignment while pressing (not bashing) the trigger.

[Tokarev]

The rifle shooting forced me to improve my trigger pull and this helped with the handgun shooting.
Wow, that's good to know! I never viewed it from this angle because I usually shoot both and was always convinced that have I been shooting one kind I'd be better at that one.

[country gent]

I believe serous practice with either will enhance the other. BY serius I mean true practice not out burning ammo or plinking, those can deteriorate both skills quickly. The eye hand link is basically the same the control is also and is the concentration. The eye hand link where the sight picture and alignment being right pulls the trigger with out thinking.same with the relaxing down into position and staying stable and steady. I have seen pistol shooters transition to rifles with little prolems as they have sight picture trigger control and the mind all worked out already. Rifle to handgun is quite as fast. You do need to practice with both as the muscles and muscle memory needs to be maintained for each.

[farmbif]

I remember shooting at public ranges, never much cared for sitting at a bench with a rifle on some support bags or a gun holder except to zero in a scope or get the sights adjusted.
but I've always tried to keep my shooting skills sharp in handgun, rifle and shotgun shooting
at the public facilities in the rifle only areas the range officers would sometimes harass me because I liked to stand up and shoot or maybe lean against the support poll. but sometimes it balanced out when they were curious about the old or ugly or unique guns I'd bring out. but for the time in my life when I lived in the endless suburbs of sw fla. the public range was the closest legal place to shoot.
I know when critters are out in the field eating up your livelihood, where I grew up and learned how to shoot, you just dont got time to pull out a bench and some sand bags to get that critter dead.
but now Ive got my own property where I can shoot whatever and whenever I want. and lately ive got this nagging desire to maybe try to learn about precision long range, 500-1000 meters, shooting. but it would mean joining a private club which might not be a bad thing at all.
so back to your original question, I think there are different techniques in rifle and handgun shooting. and its best to do what is comfortable for you.

[FergusonTO35]

My biggest problem shooting offhand with any sort of gun is I can't hold the thing steady to save my life. Minute of deer vitals, sure, but that's a pretty large area. Don't know if it's more poor technique or a little essential tremor inherited from my mom's family, but it never improves. Today I was shooting my little Savage Mk. II at 30 yards offhand. The rifle is quite accurate, but I can't make the front sight go to the exact spot I want. It's always a little high or low. Sometimes I'll have a streak where I manage to put the front sight in the same place for a few successive shots and produce a nice group, but that's it.

[charlie b]

Just out of curiosity. What is the current method for teaching sight and trigger control from standing position (or any other position for that matter)?

[M-Tecs]

Like most thing in life there is no one size fits all answer. Rifle disciplines like NRA small bore position and NRA Highpower Across the Course teach sight alignment, trigger control, muscle control, proper positions, coping with your wobble are, etc. That is highly beneficial to accuracy shooting on any platform.

Some speed shooting competitions not so much. Trigger mashing is not conducive to accurate shooting. Best example is cowboy action. Speed is a priority over accuracy. When I shoot cowboy I have to work to unlearn the bad habits that game re-enforces.

In the OP's case one bad habit you can learn from bench shooting is sucking/milking on the trigger. Off the bench get everything prefect is the goal. Shooting handgun off hand sucking/milking the trigger tends to have you break the shot in the wrong part of your wobble area.

[Winger Ed.]

Not counting some sort of competition discipline--- I'd think they would complement each other.

As far as hurting your ability with one, from doing the other---
I think it wouldn't apply any more than sometimes driving a motorcycle would make you a worse of a car driver.

[charlie b]

Like most thing in life there is no one size fits all answer. Rifle disciplines like NRA small bore position and NRA Highpower Across the Course teach sight alignment, trigger control, muscle control, proper positions, coping with your wobble are, etc. That is highly beneficial to accuracy shooting on any platform.

Some speed shooting competitions not so much. Trigger mashing is not conducive to accurate shooting. Best example is cowboy action. Speed is a priority over accuracy. When I shoot cowboy I have to work to unlearn the bad habits that game re-enforces.

In the OP's case one bad habit you can learn from bench shooting is sucking/milking on the trigger. Off the bench get everything prefect is the goal. Shooting handgun off hand sucking/milking the trigger tends to have you break the shot in the wrong part of your wobble area.

Thanks. Just wondered if things had changed over the years. I was taught the 'figure eight' wobble and timing the trigger break. It still works but my 'wobbles' are a lot bigger :)

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I shoot mostly revolvers, 50' to 50 yds. off hand. I also shoot my rifles at 50 yds. off hand. 50 yds. probably seems rather close for rifles but it is a common hunting distance and still good practice. And 50 yards with my big bore revolvers let's me know i can deer hunt with them. And I don't have to walk as far.......

[FergusonTO35]

One thing I'm working on is to fire the gun as soon as the sights are where they need to be. We were all taught to aim for an eternity while squeezing the trigger a micron at a time. And that works well for alot of folks. But it doesn't work for me, just creates more wobble and jerking the trigger.

[tazman]

One thing I'm working on is to fire the gun as soon as the sights are where they need to be. We were all taught to aim for an eternity while squeezing the trigger a micron at a time. And that works well for alot of folks. But it doesn't work for me, just creates more wobble and jerking the trigger.

For me, that was a terrible mistake and caused me to have bad habits that are very difficult to break.
There is a short time lapse between when the mind says pull the trigger and the gun fires. You would be amazed just how far you can jerk a firearm during that time.
Also, since the firearm is moving during this whole process, the actual point of aim is different than where it was when you began the trigger pull.
By holding and getting a "mostly surprise" trigger break, your group is the size of how well you hold. By pulling the trigger when the sights line up, your group size is how well you hold plus the movement of the gun when you pull the trigger since the gun never stops moving.
The method you describe also tend to cause poor trigger control and flinching. At least it did for me.

[MT Gianni]

Take an unloaded pistol and remove the magazine. Lock the slide back if you want. Practice weekly, following the seam of your wall from ceiling to floor without varying. Then trace wall joint to wall joint across the ceiling. Hold the gun at your side then bring it to bear as fast as possible on the light switch. DO NOT do this in an area of Ill where you can be seen by neighbors. KEEP you Finger OFF the Trigger! When you feel you are doing it well, use just your strong hand then the weaker hand.

[M-Tecs]

Thanks. Just wondered if things had changed over the years. I was taught the 'figure eight' wobble and timing the trigger break. It still works but my 'wobbles' are a lot bigger :)

My wobble area has not changed that much, however, my ability to see the front sight has.

[Bigslug]

Just out of curiosity. What is the current method for teaching sight and trigger control from standing position (or any other position for that matter)?

Depends. . .

In NRA Highpower, we'd often blade ourselves to the 200 yard target and (right hander) twist our torso to the left so that our natural point of aim occurs with the body fairly tensed up to create a "locked in" state. Some guys would set that a little too far to the left and let their body unwind smoothly to the right, timing the release of their shot accordingly.

For faster tactical or just shorter range, you square up your shoulders, point your toes at the target and tuck the elbows down tightly on a pistol grip gun, or chicken wing the right elbow on a conventional (M1, M14, etc...) type stock.


As for trigger control, best to just get it in your head that the front sight NEVER stops moving. jAdust your body's position to center up your wobble on your bullseye , take a deep breath, let it all out and get a smooth press off within about five seconds before your vision fuzzes out.

[sharps4590]

Shooting has three elements; sight picture, breath control and trigger control and, they are all between your ears. Doesn't matter if it's a rifle or revolver.

Both are also perishable skills. Time spent doing one is time away from the other. I don't know believe that is a detriment to one over the other but, they are different.

No one can hold a front sight on target for very long, whether rifle or handgun. Milliseconds probably. THAT is where the trigger control comes in to play...and is controlled between your ears. A good trigger helps but good work can be done with some pretty dismal triggers. When you waver off target, and you will, STOP pressing the trigger. Don't release it, just STOP! As you waver back on, apply more pressure. THAT applies to rifle OR handgun. The rest is up to you.