What piece of range gear helped improve your shooting more than any other?

[SIG_Fiend]

Regarding point #2 there. Thats what I was caught up on. I had good groups but as soon as id increase speed and the groups would open up id get frustrated and not go for speed or more importantly a good balance between speed and accuracy.

Life tends to remind me often of how imperfect I am.

The easy summation of that point is that we are often afraid of failure and let it prevent us from pushing ourselves to failure and beyond that point. For example, speed. EVERYONE is going to "fall of the tracks" at some point as speed increases. Sometimes it's good to try pushing one's self as fast as you can possibly go, see just how crazy things get and how much it affects accuracy, then do that for a few reps and start getting a feel for doing things at such a high rate of speed, then slow it back down to a more comfortable and controllable level, do reps at that "maintenance" level in which you have solid fundamentals, then turn up the "heat" again. A person can't really become truly competent at driving 200mph if they only ever drive at 100mph. Doesn't matter if we're talking about lifting weights, playing sports, playing instruments, etc. the same principles apply. At least ever so often, shred on that guitar, put some RAGE into heavier weights for more reps, and do everything faster and harder at your sport otherwise you will not get to that next level of performance. Sorry to kind of get OT up in this piece.

 

[Vaquero]

OP.
Honestly, somebody watching. Just adds that "don't embarrass yourself" pressure.
I spend most of my range time alone. Company brings out the best.

 

[NOLA Jack]

When I really got into shooting pistols heavily, the first couple of years, I decided it was something I really wanted to excel at. I began that journey in one of the more expensive, difficult, and time consuming ways. Several years ago I went back through bank statements of those first couple years, and estimated round counts as well as ammo cost. I was pretty consistently going to the range 2-4 times per week, with 200-500rds per visit. In the first roughly 2 years I had yet to take a single professional training class, taught myself entirely on my own (I have solid research skills and am very good at figuring out the questions to ask and finding the answers), and went through approximately 35,000 rounds of ammo, 80-90% of which was .45acp. I had a much better paying job and wasted a LOT of money on ammo. As I'm very methodical, repetitive, and self-reflective, I still managed to achieve a half way decent level of performance for being entirely self taught to that point...... In hindsight, I could have probably achieved that same level of performance within just a few short months, with just a couple thousand rounds of ammo, AND with taking a professional training class from an instructor that has good insight, good diagnostic skills, and can translate it for the student. So when I say I've done things the hard way, I don't think I'm exaggerating too much. Fast forward a few years after that, and a couple of training classes later, some things and previously unanswered questions that plagued me for years were "answered" very quickly, and my performance began getting exponentially better in a much shorter period of time.

The way I've always found that the two work together is that good instruction shows you a good way to do things and gives you an opportunity to see how your technique can be improved. Once you get out of the class it tells you what you should be practicing and it gives you an opportunity to make that improvement a lasting one via repetition.

 

[OnyxATX]

Ammo and company.

Not only in the "trigger time" aspect, but I've got ammo to try other firearms when I'm out and shoot with friends. I've got a few friends that are instructors, and a good buddy who is a disgustingly good shot (in Iraq for 8 years reaching out far)

Probably the single most beneficial handgun expense was paying for ammo when a buddy was teaching me how to do double taps and Mozambique drills as fast as I could pull the 1911 trigger. I was trying to aim every shot before, after that day (and it was a long day) I learned to push out and aim on the first shot, then "feel" the follow ups. What I took away from that is the first shot needs to be dead on, with the second being "close" (center mass and controlled, but not exactly same hole.)

Single most beneficial long gun was a former sniper making me shoot 1" targets at distance, outside in the wind, using only irons with a dozen different rifles. It was infuriating and made me feel so frustrated... until his father came out a few hours later and said "You're friend's a damn good shot ain't he!?"

As far as gear after that? GOOD OPTICS.

 

[KiloKilo]

Now ya got me thinkin' 'bout them 5.11 boots......

 

[breakingcontact]

Now ya got me thinkin' 'bout them 5.11 boots......

Thats all I wear at the range.

 

[Nortex]

More ammo.

this. So I guess my Dillon 650 is my most helpful piece of "range gear" for my pistol shooting.

 

[Younggun]

Thats all I wear at the range.

Useless without the matching socks.