Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns silhouette for hunting practice

Maybe everyone else knows this, but I have been so happy with how my iron sight shooting has improved after I've shot silhouette some this summer. I use an 8" ruger governmeent model for the 3/8 size silhouettes in the scheduled matches here and a ruger 454 for hunting. Although I've yet to break 25 in silhouette, it's a real hoot. I was using the 454 offhand last Saturday and really noticed how much bigger the targets seemed, and how everything was easier. Silhouette is definitely in my future plans. Anybody else have the same experience?

I've been shooting critters with handguns since the early Fifties and definitely prefer iron to glass for aiming. Critters ranged from mice to moose (inclusive). Handguns (that I can remember) included .22 Long Rifle, .38 Special, 9mm Parabellum, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum -- more than one of each. Haven't shot handgun silhouette with any caliber but have shot targets as small as .22 LR empties and thumb tacks. Experience with iron sights and small targets definitely "enlarges" all larger targets and reduces hit zones -- especially when you hunt with a rifle.

Couple of months ago, I popped several eastern Montana prairie dogs with a Taurus .22 LR revolver with a 12-inch barrel (iron sights). Some were head shots -- only the head showing above the mound. One was a measured 87 yards. Some were farther -- none a lot closer. Missed a lot, too, of course, but anything bigger than a prairie dog is likely to be in deep doodoo at any reasonable distance if I can perch him atop my Patridge.

I believe I can shoot better with iron than with glass. Should run an actual field comparison some day, to see for sure.

Ken,

That's some shooting! I'm not sure I could make out 22 empties
and thumbtacks, let alone hit them, but there's no reason not to try after reading your post. Those are some great shots on
prarie dogs too - something to aspire to.

Dave

No, not for a real handgunner. Lots of guys can shoot worlds better on an average day than I can on my best day.

Push your edge, and it'll go forward farther than most nonhandgunners imagine. Practice (a lot!) shooting smaller and smaller things, farther and farther out, and what you can do will surprise you.

But start with big and close -- beer cans of water at fifty yards, say. Then move 'em out when you can hit 'em easily at fifty. Have a nasty friend hand you an empty gun (without telling you it's empty) every now and then, with the gun loaded in between such times, and you'll see how much flinch you have to overcome. Once you master sight picture and trigger control -- and conquer flinch -- you'll be deadly on small targets at long distances.