Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns The Bell Curve Of Shooting

I started to post this in the Glock 43 thread but didn't want to derail it. I've mentioned this in the AR section before but I think it holds true to pistols as well.

In my experience from shooting box-stock to highly modified guns and watching other shooters do the same, I'll offer this....There seems to be something like a bell curve with the level of experience a shooter has and the benefit they'll receive from gun modifications.

At the far left you've got new shooters or the people who might have trouble hitting a bucket at 10 paces. The benefit of gun modifications for those people is minimal. If they're not properly aligning stock sights, they'll probably ignore improved sights. And they'll probably jerk the piss out of an improved trigger the same as a stock trigger.

As a shooter improves the benefit they'll receive from gun modifications will increase. When you know what to look at with your sights and what to do with them, a more refined sight picture can benefit you. When you're able to maintain some control over a stock trigger, a modified trigger will allow you to maintain more control and manipulate the trigger faster without disturbing the sights.

But the better you get, the less benefit you'll receive from gun modifications. Then you'll start down the right side of that bell curve. IMO, most people never reach the point where they'll outshoot a moderately modified gun. Most shooters don't have the time, money, or desire to invest either, to perform at that level. The low hanging fruit is gone, you're back to square one and can't buy the improvements anymore.

At the far right of the graph are the people who are performing at the top. Those guys have developed their personal ability to the point that they can shoot most anything better than most anyone else. They'll still shoot better with their best gun, but they can shoot any gun better than most anybody. I'd guess that there are probably only a few dozen people like that in the country.

Well, we know Blue ain't a marketing exec!

Think the principle is damn near universal when it comes to any 'performance' product. I kept that at the forefront of my mind when I got back into bow hunting last year and needed a bow. Everyone's bow was the smoothest, fastest, quietest, most shock free, etc.

When it comes to things like that I like to start with a middle of the road approach. Buy something above my skill level that I can grow into instead of having to upgrade so soon.

I'm definitely on the 'uphill' slope of the curve. Good enough to notice and take advantage of sight, trigger, grip etc improvements but by no means in the upper echelon. The Dillon is really helping in that regard allowing me to shoot more than ever.

Of course, the whole economy depends on getting people to ignore this principle!


Good post, Eric.

I normally suck at all shooting but it's fun to spend money on the off chance I might one day hit on that magic ingredient that turns me into wild bill hickock. I am that fellow who cannot hit the bucket at 10 yards,

I've figured out that I shoot all pistols about the same. Modified or not.

If I shoot the same course of fire with a revolver, Glock, Sig, or whatever, you'll see almost no change in my scores.

I don't know if that's good or bad.

Dave

The Bell Curve Of Shooting

At the far right of the graph are the people who are performing at the top. Those guys have developed their personal ability to the point that they can shoot most anything better than most anyone else. They'll still shoot better with their best gun, but they can shoot any gun better than most anybody. I'd guess that there are probably only a few dozen people like that in the country.

for example take the 7.5 pound glock 43 trigger, for some of you marksman pulling a G43 out of a holster and putting 7 rounds in the 10 ring at 7 yards in under 3 seconds is a piece of cake. I mean 7 COM hits with a G43 of all things in 3 seconds or less! While others they cannot keep the gun on the paper with all the time in the world! If the G43 had a 2.5 pound trigger pull these same people might possibly shoot better or then again they might shoot themselves in the leg or ass! Its a real dilemma.

I've figured out that I shoot all pistols about the same. Modified or not.

If I shoot the same course of fire with a revolver, Glock, Sig, or whatever, you'll see almost no change in my scores.

I don't know if that's good or bad.




Dave