Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Competition vs "real world"

I am not pushing others to do as I do. Nor am I deriding their decision to walk a different path.

Don't bother answering, I have lost interest in what you have to say.

Practice the same way you fight. Games is games, sports is sports, neither translate to when the schit hits the fan.

doesn't apply to all disciplines, but you're spotter can make or break your shooter..

Goalie is right.

In my observation working with some of the best special operations shooters, one thing was obvious. The guys who were really switched on, generally went and did competitions. That included both handgun and rifle shoots. There were a good number of USPSA shooters. PRS was in its infancy when I was doing what I was doing, but sniper matches like the USASOC International Sniper Competition were available. One of my team mates was an ISC winner and was/is exceedingly talented.

He is standing pictured w/o gear on in this pic. Their faces are blurred, as some are still working.



Anyways,

I noted that our best shooters were all USPSA guys. No surprise there. I cannot think of any of our instructors who were not USPSA shooters. You had to really be a switched on shooter to get a shooting instructor slot. You were already amongst a group of guys who shot a LOT, so to stand out in that crowd, you needed to be talented.

That begs the question then, do you think competition shooting, games if you will, is detrimental to "gunfighting" since it doesn't translate, or just neutral?

Practice builds skills.

Don't believe it, look at your keyboard.

Good post - if I recall correctly didn't you and your partner win the first sniper match held at the Blacks Creek range in the early 2000's? Lots o' USPSA shooters at that match as well.

That was a while ago!

Yeah that was a state sniper championship. We took top Mil/LE team and third overall. I have won one or two things. I try not to bring some things up here on the Fire as it turns into a measuring contest of sorts. These days I would be lucky to hit a hillside.

I can however say with certainty that those skills have translated into being calm under pressure/under fire during engagements. Knowing your capabilities has direct correlation. Knowing you have the ability to dominate a situation probably has saved a few idiots from being shot since I knew they did not stand a chance and giving them just a little bit more time to reconsider their choices.

I used to pooh-pooh the idea of shooting in competitions. I have been to Gunsite 6-7 times, been through Tom Givens' Rangemaster classes (when he had his building in Memphis), took a class with Larry Vickers, and a good bit of local training.

I always figured I was good to go and didn't need to try any matches. I practice pretty regularly on my range at home and figured I had reached a fair level of proficiency and was doing ok. Of course, that was just me shooting alone, with the dog watching from a distance.

On a whim just about a year ago I signed up to shoot a Steel Challenge match. It was quickly made apparent to me that there was a BIG difference between what I could do at home alone, and what I could do with people standing around watching, and a timer going off in my ear. It was a big awakening. Man it's a lonely feeling standing there going pew-pew-pew and them plates ain't ringing.

I will never be a Grand Master Steel Challenge shooter. I shoot the match with my every day carry gun, stock CZ P-10C. And a plain old Ruger .22/45 with iron sights for rimfire. But going to the matches has opened my eyes to where I need to be, and there are a lot of cool guys there too. Most of them are better than me, a few are worse. And it's fun! And my 17-year -old daughter comes with me now and shoots!

My goal is mainly to be able to do what I can do at home alone, in front of other people watching and a timer running, and try to improve from there. It has not been easy but I am coming along, and having fun doing it.

Signing up for a match has definitely increased my interest in improving, it has been well worth it.

I'd rather be hunting something than spending time shooting targets. YMMV.

I think at least some here are confusing ‘need to’ with ‘it helps’.

I for one, do not believe a person needs to compete in any formal competition to be good or the best. I am sure doing so could be useful in ways but it isn’t a requisite.

As an aside, I personally can’t stand any type of formal competition. I have never competed in any kind of match and have zero clue what F class, USPSA, etc. is. It just doesn’t interest me but rock on if that’s your thing.

Here is real worl shooting with iron sights and guns over 100 years old. The first is 3 shots with open sights at 100 yards with 2 separate Sharps rifles at the same target. The second is 2 groups with a slight adjustment to center the group with a Remington Rollong block at 200 yards. That is long range with those sights...

The problem is that without competition, there is little/no motivation to improve once one attains a minimal level of competence.

they're not mutually exclusive. And, FWIW, I agree with you. I don't spend enough time shooting with a purpose anymore because I don't need to, and a lot of range time is my son shooting not me nowadays.

Thankfully, deer are big and easy to kill inside 100 yards.

I don't agree. I competed with a lot of guys who had literally ZERO desire to get better. They just liked shooting. Go out, hit their 40% and never improved. I know others that would spend all kinds of time on skeet fields, shooting open to get better for duck season - not a single league or registered target ever shot.

IMO - motivation comes from within the person. Their own drive, the competition or not can be an outlet or a means to an end but it's not a replacement for personal accountability and drive to be better.

FWIW, the original post doesn't say anyone NEEDS to compete, but questions the assertion made by many here on the 'fire that being good at, say, PRS isn't "helpful" to hunting. I simply am making the assertion that, yes, it is. It builds skills that hold up under stress, and while not exactly the same as shooting at game, they're skills that are positive in the equation of competence and skill.

Absolutely







Hilarious. Are you sucking your thumb now?

That’s where my “I am sure doing so could be useful in some ways” part comes in.

👍👍👍

I was just clarifying that in the OP, I wasn't saying you NEED to complete or that everyone who doesn't compete sucks at shooting.

The 24HC tend to look at things as binary absolutes.

The worst field/ game shot I ever hunted with (twice- I thought the first was an off-day), was a "competition shooter." On the 3 animals I saw him take, none were clean kills. "Buck fever" maybe. Or not...

I don't know how good or bad he was at competition, not having observed him there.

He was better than I on doves, tho. But that's not saying much.