Shooting Distance

[LaP]

When practicing, what distance do you do most of your shooting?

Are you one of those people that gets back to 25 yards? How about 7 feet?

Personally, I practice at 20 - 25 feet. I've read many articles and accounts that state most gunfights occur within 5 to 20 feet. While I'm aware that the possiblility of longer range gunfights do happen, I just don't think my time is well spent lobbing bullets that far with a small handgun like a CW9.

Where do you stand (oh man, that's a phrase that works well here) when it comes to shooting distance?

[Bawanna]

With my carry guns I spend most of my time at 7 yards and under. Occasionally I might move it out to 10 or 12 yards but not often.
I chuckle nearly every trip when someone will bring in a new inexperienced shooter and send the target down to 15 or 20 yards and start shooting.
New shooters like to see results and that isn't the way to go about it in my small feeble minded opinion.

Cops and military have gun fights, us civilians have defensive shooting sessions, shoot, get away, let them deal with it. It's easy to get the two roles mixed up. At 20 yards and beyond you might be better advised to run rather than shoot.

[mser]

Usually anywhere between 3 and 15 yards, but sometimes out to 25 yards.

[TheTman]

Mostly at 7 yards, a few at 10, a few more at 15, very rarely at 25 unless I'm shooting the 44 mag. I do most of the 44 mag shooting at 25 yards or further, or used to when I could see better. I don't shoot it very often anymore. Back in the 90's I shot it at about 75 yards once and had a tighter group than with my MAK 90 (AK 47 with the thumbhole stock). The MAK 90 was closer to the bullseye. The 44 mag group was a few inches lower.

[O'Dell]

Mostly about 35 feet. I figure that's close to the maximum defense distance.

[slowpoke]

I practice at 7 yds for SD. At long range it “will” be argued that your adversary may not have been a threat which may lead to be trouble.
That being said, I enjoy 25 – 100 yd shooting with my 44s. But they are not SD weapons.
Something else should be noted.
I can't shoot little guns worth a flip at longer ranges.

[Quickdraw]

I practice at 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 meters and with full size pistols will spend a little time at 25 and 50 meters with different drills. I'll run hostage rescue shots at 5 and 7 also. Most everything is out of the holsterwith some running out of concealment. I can't stand and don't see a reason to just stand and shoot.

[OldLincoln]

I practice fake draw to low position at 10', high in stages back to 20'. The fake draw is raising from holster level and taking first shot at hip level possibly followed by another on the way to low position at chest level. After moving the target back I shoot high position starting from chest raising to eye level then shooting.

[newkahrowner]

i like to shoot around 50-60 feet. i use the cw9 and cw45 in the pic i posted you can see the buckets the empty green propane tanks were on. its a bit of a distance!

[newkahrowner]

the beer cans were sitting on a stump about 30 feet away so it may be further than 60 feet i was shooting.

[newkahrowner]

the stump i shot at in the pic was around 25 feet away.

[Dietrich]

I practice mostly between 20 and 25 feet.Standing still some times and moving others.The place where I do my target shooting now is not a range but only a berm of dirt piled up in the woods.Lots of stuff to trip you up when you are moving and uneven ground underfoot.Certainly not an ideal location but I suppose it`s better to practice under a little adverse conditions.

[CJB]

slow fire....20 yards or so.

When I practice getting on target fast, and squeezing off a good shot, its at 25 feet on a lifesize target.

[georgepittenger]

I practice at 7 yds for SD. At long range it “will” be argued that your adversary may not have been a threat which may lead to be trouble.
That being said, I enjoy 25 – 100 yd shooting with my 44s. But they are not SD weapons.
Something else should be noted.
I can't shoot little guns worth a flip at longer ranges.

I am re-evaluating whether my Seecamp is more than a backup piece . I can hit decently at only 10-15 feet . And you're only punching w .32 caliper .If the BG is closing on you , u have precious little time to accurately put 2-3 rounds at him I guess . That does not lead to a comfort level that is satisfactory .

I reckon I will have to get that CM9 that I've been considering . :D

[Bill K]

Mostly ~1' to 10' with my Airsoft Glock 26. Mostly 5-15 yards with my SD handguns. My small backyard shooting range does not allow for anything close to realistic SD/combat shooting practice thus far and away most of my shooting practice is with my Airsoft Glock 26.

[LaP]

My local indoor range does NOT allow you to draw and fire. All we can do is go from low ready position. That will give us some range of motion, but it's just not the same a a full draw stroke.

I will also rock side to side while shooting. It gives me enough feeling of making evasive movements. I try to get as imaginative as possible on the one-way range.
Just standing and shooting can get boring after a while. (I'm kidding.....I never get bored shooting.:D)

[knkali]

90% is around 10 yrds or closer.

I do the 25 yrd stuff to work on my trigger pull smoothness but I do not do a lot of rnds at that distance.

[jeep45238]

Generally 15-25 yards. I do stretch out to 100 yards as well with my pistol.

[les strat]

With smaller pistols, I usually shoot 15-21 feet but longer distances is I am using my Ruger P89. For rifles, it's usually 50-100 yards.

[slowpoke]

I am re-evaluating whether my Seecamp is more than a backup piece . I can hit decently at only 10-15 feet . And you're only punching w .32 caliper .If the BG is closing on you , u have precious little time to accurately put 2-3 rounds at him I guess . That does not lead to a comfort level that is satisfactory .

I reckon I will have to get that CM9 that I've been considering . :D
That little CM9 is one hell of a little gun. Maybe it's just my loose brain, but it seems to me to be more comfortable to shoot than most of the .380s I've shot.

[MW surveyor]

15 yards for laughs as in can I even see the bulls eye and front sight at this range without glasses?:D

7 to 10 for more serious work with the CW9, SP101, CZ Phantom and the Para 1911.

[MrPete]

I work 7-10 yards every range trip. However, I will try to include a 25 yard session if time permits, as I find the extra distance magnifies any mistakes. I don't know all the technical terms, but at close range I can put 50+ rounds in the 10 ring, while at 25 yards the hits are more scattered on the target. Thus I can see which fundamentals are needing extra work.

[rjt123]

As I'm still fairly new to concealed carry, I'm pretty much sticking with the conventional wisdom that most PD gunfights occur at 7 yards and under. So I do almost all of my range time at 7 yards. Every once in a while I'll crank it back to 15 yards just so I don't feel too full of myself. If I ever develop any wisdom of my own, then I might change things up. ;)

I have some slight hand tremors that tend to mess with my shooting, and they greatly magnify my errors the further the target is from me. Oh, and I'm in my mid-40s, and can't see squat any more. It's hard to hit what you can't really see so good. :(

[GreenMarauder]

Most of my shooting is done at my backyard range, guess I'm lucky that way. For defensive practice I start out with my suport hand on the shoulder/head area of the target while shooting into the belly/chest area (INEXPERIENCED SHOOTERS DONT START THIS WAY). From there I move around some different angles and a tree for cover out to about 30+/- feet. From ther I go to my bench at 50 yards to play with some .22s and scoped handgun, and yes I do throw a few dingers out of my CW9 at that range just for fun. :w00t:

[LaP]

Just a little plug for Crimson Trace laser grips...
I'm 57 and have worn eyeglasses for the past 40 years. Without them, I'd have trouble seeing my gunsights. A laser really solves this problem. While not very useful at long distance, they are great for the distances mentioned in this thread.

They also help with my "wobble zone". I get to see how bad I'm jerking/pulling/slapping the trigger while shooting. Then I get an idea on how much to correct.

Dry fire ibecomes very useful also. The laser gives me feedback on how well my mechanics are.

Overall, they're well worth it in my opinion. Heck, they're on two of my carry guns and on my wife's gun also.

[earle8888]

+1 on the TL training hot and dry both

[wdg]

5 and 7 yds mostly. With one or two mags at 10yds. ? What is longest shot U would need in home defense comes to mind. Many different homes / and distances within the home to consider. Outside the home ?
What would be the likelyhood of an encounter of more than 10 yds?

[jocko]

get damn good at POA at 5-7 yards and then fokk around at 10 yards. Kahrs are a close up personal gun, IMO.

[jlottmc]

I shoot at any range I might want to shoot at. I don't care for the statistics, and though it has been a very long time since I took a shot at more than 25 yards with a pistol, I used to shoot out to about 100. These days the range I frequent (we have a distinct lack of decent ranges around here) only goes to 25 yards, and when I feel the need I step out that far. Of course, if I feel the need I shoot at 6 inches too, all depends on where I think I need to practice.

[LaP]

I shoot at any range I might want to shoot at. I don't care for the statistics, and though it has been a very long time since I took a shot at more than 25 yards with a pistol, I used to shoot out to about 100. These days the range I frequent (we have a distinct lack of decent ranges around here) only goes to 25 yards, and when I feel the need I step out that far. Of course, if I feel the need I shoot at 6 inches too, all depends on where I think I need to practice.

+1 on the lack of shooting ranges.... indoor or out.
Like you said, if you want to shoot at 6", have at it. Last time I checked, there was no law that specified shooting distances. Grappling with a bad guy, while trying to retain your weapon just might make that 6" shot the ONLY opption you have. A little practice couldn't be a bad thing.

[DriveMyKahr]

Just a little plug for Crimson Trace laser grips...
I'm 57 and have worn eyeglasses for the past 40 years. Without them, I'd have trouble seeing my gunsights. A laser really solves this problem. While not very useful at long distance, they are great for the distances mentioned in this thread.

They also help with my "wobble zone". I get to see how bad I'm jerking/pulling/slapping the trigger while shooting. Then I get an idea on how much to correct.

Dry fire ibecomes very useful also. The laser gives me feedback on how well my mechanics are.

Overall, they're well worth it in my opinion. Heck, they're on two of my carry guns and on my wife's gun also.

.
I totally agree with everything you stated in your post.
The recent addition of a CT Laser to my PM9 has proved invaluable. You can dry fire all day long without firing a round. It has improved my accuracy at the range and most of all provides excellent point and shoot feedback.
.

[Ljutic]

For basic paper punching to learn the sights and trigger control of a particular gun, I stay in the 10 yard range.

For me, real shooting practice means movement, cover, and situational awareness. The guys that set up the IDPA stages will put targets as close as 5 feet and as far back as 15 yards. They do a great job creating some very challenging, and in my case quite humbling, practice scenarios. I really enjoy stages that involve greatly different distances between the targets.

[Bawanna]

That was the beauty of the range I found on vacation. Beautiful setup, nice slab, covered shooting area so you got some shade on hot days and dry on rainy days. Usually no people or very few. No rangemaster of any kind.
I was shooting handguns from 10' to 225 yards. I said shooting, not hitting.
I did do a very respectable job with my 10" barreled Contender in 30-30. Put about 8 shots in the 3" black at 100 yards after I got it dialed in.
Course it has a 2x scope and isn't in the same league as most carry guns.
Still alot of fun and quite challenging.

I need to post a picture of my target with my son's FN 308 at 200 yards. If my arms were any longer I'd be patting myself on the back for sure. Course I could throw my shoulder out trying to do that and that wouldnt be a good thing.

I stick to 10 yards and under with my carry stuff with an occasional poke out further when I get too confident.

[Jigger]

At 7 and 10 yds 95% of the time. And every once in awhile at 15 yds. Any further than that and I',m gonna run and hide. :D