How significant is practicing shooting tight groups for your range practice?

[alterspaces]

I go with at least 10 mags stuffed. 20% range sessions spent on groups. The rest is rapid fire fun. Then gtfo

I actually did this once. Just to have fun blasting. After the 2nd time, I realized I should go with the magazines already full, saves time at the range when you only get 1 hr, don't want to waste it reloading. good advice.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

You need an Uplula.

 

[oldag]

Accuracy comes with practice.

Keep shooting from the draw. Focus on a good front sight picture. Proper trigger technique. Accuracy will come.

 

[seeker_two]

Speed is fine....but accuracy is final.

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

Also: Shoot 2 handed / 1 handed / left handed if you're a righty

And look up Tex Grebner (U-tube) and his fast draw practice resulting in him shooting himself in the leg...and how to avoid such a catastrophe.

 

[oldag]

Speed is fine....but accuracy is final.

Old West gunfighter quoted as saying "It is not the first shot that wins the gunfight. It is the first hit."

 

[General Zod]

Also: Shoot 2 handed / 1 handed / left handed if you're a righty

Good point - I always shoot at least a couple of mags left handed. Good practice.

 

[oldag]

Good point - I always shoot at least a couple of mags left handed. Good practice.

When I shoot with the weak side, everyone ducks for cover.

 

[alterspaces]

I turn targets over, and shoot the back.
I'll place several 1" dots to aim at.

I’m also a huge fan of dot torture as a practical exercise.

Dot Torture Shooting Drill | Trigger Pressers

Miss one shot and you fail. No exceptions. The Dot Torture Drill is an excellent marksmanship drill that forces you to focus on trigger control.

www.triggerpressers.com

Man! Thanks for the dot torture suggestion. It never even occurred to me to look up drills lol, but now that I know, I found Lucky Gunner Ammo has a 17-drill playlist on youtube. Can't wait to go tmr to practice a few of these on these targets I just drew on the back of a used target. You can see a few dot torture targets on here haha.


Gonna try to shoot some 2-in dots at 3 yds.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

This is what I use, then send it to 10 yds.

Splatterburst Targets - 10 Pack 1 inch Stick & Splatter Self Adhesive Red Bullseyes - Gun - Rifle - Pistol - Airsoft - BB Gun - Pellet Gun - Air Rifle - Made in USA https://a.co/d/4IWEbuz

 

[Stretz Tactical]

Handguns are the most difficult platform to learn to shoot accurately. Accuracy under stress is the first thing to fall apart - lethal encounter, force on force training, competition or training under a shot timer most shooters will experience a drop in their accuracy. Shooting is a perishable skill. So accuracy has to become a premium in your training in my opinion. I am teaching 2 handgun marksmanship classes in Texas - one June 29 at Big Tex Ordnance Range in the Houston area and another on September 14th in the DFW area. Here is a link to the class info:
Marksmanship class info

 

[benenglish]

When I did my practicing it was during my IHMSA days so accuracy was important. That was about 40 years ago, now when I shoot (different guns today) I shoot pretty good groups.

IHMSA shooters routinely shoot MOA groups at 200 meters. With handguns. Without any benchrest or other static support besides their own body.

When most people talk about handgun accuracy, that sort of standard never enters their mind. It's another world. Hell, even Jeff Cooper used to make fun of unlimited class silhouette because he simply couldn't envision a need for better-than-rifle accuracy from handguns.

Most people consider handgun accuracy in a self defense frame of reference. I'm willing to bet that even the course being promoted above isn't really a pure marksmanship course. I doubt it allows students to take the 24 seconds per shot of silhouette and certainly not the 2 minutes per shot traditionally allowed in free pistol.

To most people, pure marksmanship is useless. To most people, a high level of marksmanship with a pistol is hitting a 6 inch circle at 25 yards in a "reasonable" amount of time, for some arbitrary definition of reasonable.

The days have long passed when regular shooters dreamed of doing this:

 

[Stretz Tactical]

IHMSA shooters routinely shoot MOA groups at 200 meters. With handguns. Without any benchrest or other static support besides their own body.

When most people talk about handgun accuracy, that sort of standard never enters their mind. It's another world. Hell, even Jeff Cooper used to make fun of unlimited class silhouette because he simply couldn't envision a need for better-than-rifle accuracy from handguns.

Most people consider handgun accuracy in a self defense frame of reference. I'm willing to bet that even the course being promoted above isn't really a pure marksmanship course. I doubt it allows students to take the 24 seconds per shot of silhouette and certainly not the 2 minutes per shot traditionally allowed in free pistol.

To most people, pure marksmanship is useless. To most people, a high level of marksmanship with a pistol is hitting a 6 inch circle at 25 yards in a "reasonable" amount of time, for some arbitrary definition of reasonable.

The days have long passed when regular shooters dreamed of doing this:


View attachment 451708

If you are referring to my class above, it is purely an accuracy class. It includes slow fire and timed fire and more importantly demos of what you can do with a stock gun (usually I shoot a glock) and how you can take what I teach home and keep working towards achieving your accuracy goals. Everyone has a different idea of what accuracy means to them and some people don’t realize how accurate you can be with a pistol. Some people (& some swat teams) think if you go out & buy an expensive 19/2011 you will magically put them all in the same whole out to infinity by switching from a popular striker fired gun. While there are definitely many guns capable of outshooting most shooters, it comes down to “the singer and not the song” or “the Indian and not the arrow”. Proper training on how to become an accurate shooter, what accurate means and how the inaccurate shooter can get there is the way.

 

[striker55]

Shooting IHMSA I learned trigger control. When I switched to semi action handguns I shot pretty good, even while standing.

 

[benenglish]

If you are referring to my class above, it is purely an accuracy class. It includes slow fire and timed fire and more importantly demos of what you can do with a stock gun (usually I shoot a glock) and how you can take what I teach home and keep working towards achieving your accuracy goals.

Thanks for the additional info.

I've taken Brian Zin's class twice. I'll never forget what he told me in the middle of the first class. He asked me what I wanted out of the class and I told him I wanted to be better when I went to matches. Paraphrasing here, he jumped in with "Oh, no, no, no, no. Going to competition for you is a waste of time and money. You're nowhere near good enough to enter matches."



So I deeply appreciate the value of classes that reinforce the fundamentals. I'm always happy to see instructors doing that so thanks for putting together a class like this.

 

[Coyote9]

I divide my range time into two sessions, first I shoot a variety of pistols striving for X ring, when my wrists get tired and the sights begin to wander (more than usual) I take a 15 minute break clean the target guns then begin presentation and defense shooting with my two carry weapons. Typical session about 240 rounds total, 20-40 of which are .22 target