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When you go shoot your handguns how far do you normally shoot? What do you shoot at?

I know Mackey and some other members routinely shoot at targets way out there with handguns. I may have to get a piece of plywood and put up in a plowed field later this summer for an Elmer Keith experiment.

I try to shoot my handguns at least weekly and generally a couple hundred rounds at an outing. I’m lucky in that I have plenty of time to cast bullets and load ammo. And plenty of room to shoot as often and as far as I wish.

Most range trips will see me burning mid range loads out of 38 specials, almost always some 45ACP, and often 32 mag and 9mm. Some 44 both special and magnums fairly regularly as well.

On many evenings I will go to an old strip mine nearby and shoot at gyp rocks in the pit at ranges from 50 to about 200 yards. If I go to the farm I keep a 14x14 plate and a 4” swinger in an old dry pond that are at 42 yards. Out at the ranch I have multiple steel targets from life size prairie dog cutouts at 30 yards, 6” plate rack at 20, 6&8” swingers at 75, and a 12” gong that can be moved to as far as I want but normally sits against an old post at about 70 yards. I often put clay pigeons at various distances in convenient spots.

I went yesterday and shot for a couple hours. After a while I started to make some observations that I thought were interesting and useful.

Out of 2” and 6 1/2” 38 specials a 158 SWC over 6gr of Power Pistol will land right under the front sight at 75 yards with a 20 yard zero. 5 out of 6 hits on a 12” plate at that distance is fairly easy but you have to keep good form and a consistent trigger squeeze.

Full wadcutters with a mild load of 231 appear to still be stable at that range, but they land about 8-10” low.

After concentrating on form and follow through and making consistent hits out at the 75 yard line even with a 2” M15 makes good groups and hits seem easy when you come back to shooting at “defensive” distances.

I also am constantly amazed at just how accurate an iron sighted revolver will shoot with a load it likes and careful handling, I put 12 consecutive 250gr Keith bullets in a 4” group from the sitting position at 70 yards with my 2nd Model Hand Ejector 44 special. I’m sure it would do better with a real rest and or a more capable shooter.

As Hawkeye has stated before here, when you get out there a ways it is incredible how much flatter the trajectory on a warmly loaded 32 is than a 38 or Lord forbid a 45 auto or 44 special. One trip to the strip pit makes that readily apparent. The little guns are really fun to shoot out there because they don’t require very much holdover at all out past 100 yards and quite a bit further.

I’m easily bored with shooting paper or much of anything at close range. But if I can shoot at reactive targets at various ranges I can stay entertained until the ammo runs out. And hopefully be a better shooter and have learned some things in the end. I have fun anyway.

I shoot a lot of steel. Obviously this is because it’s a reactive target but also because an average number of hits on a specific sized target at a specific range is more important to me than shooting paper groups all day. I also practice shooting the smallest of targets at 5 to 20 yards. I really believe this helps me refine my sight pic and control for longer shots. I shoot a bazillion low powered 38s, 357s and 44 mags. I generally load 3k of 38s 158s at a time. I shoot a lot short barreled revolvers. Groups are fine for load development but eventually it boils down to the whole system… load, gun, sights/optic, and man and if you can hit what your aiming at.

When I go practice I set up USPSA cardboard silhouette target at 15 yards to the 25 yard line. I also hang a 11x7” plate up at 60 yards. Sometimes further than 25 and sometimes I’ll staple a B8 to one.

We shoot drills from 7 yards on out, do different stages practicing SHO, WHO, shooting on the move and reloads, etc. always with a timer. I don’t get bored with that.

The paper targets tell me more about what I’m doing and the 60 yard steel makes me focus.

25 to 50 yards. Both of the gongs I have set up are on the other side of our pond

"Normally" I'm shooting at 25 yards. Next would be 10 yards. Next would be starting at 25 yards and closing to 10 while I'm shooting.

Usually at steel. Next...and the only other really...is aluminum cans. I can't remember the last time I shot at paper.

I'm a bolt gun junkie. I shoot handguns about as often, and probably more rounds, but it's not what I enjoy most. Most of my handgun shooting is when I change/check rifle paper or go to repaint the steel between shots with the rifle...I consider it a good time to let the rifle barrel cool. I don't hunt with handguns so I don't shoot for little groups. I just draw then shoot to empty the mag/cylinder in a fist sized group in the middle of a 12x12 target or to make a can dance at a quick pace. Usually I'll practice a quick reload and back on target, sometimes switching to left front pocket bug, but that's about it for me.

I should probably do a bit more tactical stuff and really "train" but the very basics of draw, fire accurately, and reload...sometimes while moving....are about it for me.

I used to see guys at the range that would put up an NRA bullseye target at the 7 yard line and work on it the whole range session. Often several boxes of ammo.

Often the same guys would be in the shop the following week buying new sights and having them installed. Or talking about how J frames aren’t good for anything but card table distance.

I think it’s good to get some distance between you and the target once a shooter has the basics down. It magnifies shooter error and forces one to concentrate, or get frustrated and trade their pistol off for something else.

I don’t do many “drills” per se, probably should but I just have trouble getting into it, especially when I don’t have a partner to compete against. I do make it a point to shoot several sets where I’ll draw from concealment and shoot a target or plate quickly with whatever carry gun I have along that day.

Kids bought me a 12"x20" 3/8" AR500 steel silhouette (with bad guy swinger) for my birthday. So now I practice a lot at 50yds with my carry pistols. I can almost put 8 out of 10 in 12 seconds. I also have 8" round steel plates (1/2" ar500) that place at various distances. I love shooting steel.

Once in a while I'll shoot 100yds goofing off.

I try to get the whole barn in my fov.

When I was in my mid 20’s I could hit pop cans at 100 yards pretty regularly with my Gen 1 Glock 17. Any squirrel within 30 yards of my 5 1/2” Ruger Single Six was dead meat. Now that my eyes are 63 years old, I can’t hit at longer ranges anymore. I can still hit a deer through the ribs at 50 yards with my 5 1/2” Bisley Blackhawk .45 Colt. When practicing with my carry pistols I limit my shots to 50 feet. Inside 30 feet I can still shoot pretty good on a man silhouette. Never did get a chance to shoot Elmer Keith ranges.

Ron

What are the road signs lookin' like in your vicinity?

Unfortunately, the range I have to use is limited to 20 yards, and I usually shoot at 15 yards, mostly because of the layout, that's the distance I can recover most, if not all, of my brass. My 10 mm is problematic.

9mm, .45, and .38 Super is easy enough, but because of the terrain, the range cannot be stretched, nor widened, there's a ginormous honking rock under the thin layer of dirt. Even the backstop is just rock covered by dirt that had to be trucked in.

I used to shoot on a silhouette range for practice, and I enjoyed that a lot, distance shooting is a helluva lot of fun, but the new range doesn't work for that. I make do, but it's not as much fun as I used to have doing it. Oh well, I'm adaptable. Since I can't shoot distance any longer, I use smaller targets that make me work harder. It's not ideal, but it works.

That's good shootin,' Kid.

I’m reminded that being born when I was I missed out on the days of IHMSA. I’ve always thought it sounded like something I could have gotten into. But since it’s pretty much a thing of the past and I don’t know that there was ever anywhere close that had shoots any way, I just settle for making my own targets and amusing myself.

IHMSA even had a special shooting position for revolver, called the Creedmore. Laid on your back held your head up with left hand, knees together, revolver on leg, (after putting on mud flap). 200 yard targets. Use an 8" Dan Wesson 357 Max.

Use a Ruger 454 with 4x Leo on 400 yard targets.

Defensive type shooting is from 3 yards to usually 50 in IPSC events. But done with barricades, strong hand, or weak hand, sitting and curled up. But most important, done from a presentation (holster) start. You should check out your area and go to a match

I mostly frustrate myself with a 2" dot at 10 yards. After the Indiana mall shooting I kept backing up to 40 yards with the little M&P Shield Plus. I was pleasantly surprised on a 12" gong. Fortunately it's an accurate, reliable little gun. It's more capable than me.

I love shooting at 100 yards and farther, but it gets kinda tricky here in the land of black dirt and grass.

Dry, dusty ground makes for great long range practice and it makes for good practice to shoot well at closer ranges. Plus, you really know how good your load and techniques are when pressed at long range.

My usual range is 35-40 yards for most shooting, especially if shooting steel.