JK55

Hey All, need your input to ease some uncertainty regarding handgun shooting distances for general target shooting and for self-defense shooting.

What distances would you recommend for these two applications?

Currently I shoot from 25', 50' and a 75' lines...

Thanks!

WvDave

Almost all of my recent target practice has been at 75' with .22 cal pistols handheld. For SD practice that is probably a bit far. I usually shoot between 21' and 45' for SD practice with larger cal handguns.

OldCrow

oooopppss!! My Ruger P95 will handle all those shots handily. The 9mm is cheap enough to get plenty of practice.

guardjim

From the Aimed Point Shooting (pointshooting.com) website.


From: "Why No Sights" on the L.W. Seecamp Co.

...."The mean score for NYPD police officers (1990-2000) for all shootings is fifteen hits per 100 shots fired, which is almost the identical hit ratio seen among Miami officers ~ who in the years 1990-2001 fired some 1300 rounds at suspects while recording fewer than 200 hits. Almost unbelievably, some NYPD figures show 62% of shots fired at a distance of less than six feet were complete misses."

".... An exhaustive NYPD report (NYPD SOP 9) revealed that in 70% of recorded police shootings (the majority under poor lighting conditions) officers did not use sights while 10% of the time officers didn't remember whether sights were used. In the remaining 20% of the cases, officers recollected using some form of visual aid to line up the target, which could be the sights themselves or just the barrel."

"....The NYPD statistics showed no correlation between an officer's range scores and his ability to hit a suspect at close range."

"....The ability to shoot targets at 25 yards using sights sadly seems to provide little or no advantage in close combat."

"....Nor are there recorded instances where an officer required a reload in close combat. When reloads do occur, there is no immediate threat to the officer's safety and the perpetrator has usually barricaded himself in a defensive posture. A study by Etten and Petee (l995) showed that neither large capacity magazines nor the ability to reload quickly was a factor in shootings."

"....Speed reloads at short ranges just don't happen, and practicing paper punching at long ranges using sights appears to prepare one for short range conflict to the same degree it prepares one for using flying insect spray. (Hitting an annoying yellow jacket buzzing a picnic table without spraying the guests or the food might be better practice for combat than long range paper punching. So might a plain old-fashioned water pistol fight.)"

"....In the FWIW department, of 250 NYPD police officers killed in the line of duty in the years 1854-1979 there was only one instance where it could be determined an officer was slain at a distance of over 25 feet ~ by a sniper 125 feet away. Of the 250 fatal encounters, 92% took place under fifteen feet and 96.4% under 25 feet. In the remaining eight instances the distance was unknown."

"....The 25 yard shooting proficiency test for carry qualification required by many issuing authorities is absurd. It's a request to perform a feat that would land you in jail if you ever tried to perform it "in self-defense."

"....It's like passing a driver's test that requires you to slalom between traffic cones at 120 miles an hour. Seventy-five feet shooting proficiency is not too much to ask from a police officer who may be firing at a barricaded target, as the ability to drive at high speeds is not too much to ask from a Trooper pursuing a fleeing vehicle, but it's ridiculous to ask it of civilians."

"....Shoot an "assailant" at 75 feet. Then try to find a lawyer good enough to keep you out of prison."

3482jl

15' to 30' for SD and 50' to 75' for target

powdermonkey

I've always practiced from 12 to 20 feet for SD. Also been using the point and shoot, with no sights used. Put all my rounds in a 5x7 sheet of paper at 15 feet, thats with my CZ75b or the sr1911. Ain't no bullseye on a BG, and usually no time to line up the sights. With the GP100 I'll move out to 50 feet, but its my woods gun.

mishtub

3ft, 3 yrds, 7 yrds, & 10 yrds for SD practice

as far as you wish for target shooting, depending on the handgun (like long range silhouette), myself generally not over 100 ft with a handgun

TMB

I practice from PB to 100 +yards depending what pistol /cartridge I'm shooting.

bearcatter

Keeping in mind that I'm all .22LR except my carry gun which I load with .38s:
I target shoot at 25 yards (the 10/22 at 50 yards). I practice my SD, with both my calibers, at 20-25 feet.

terry_p

If you can hit at 25 yards then you should be good closer in. I normally shoot at 25 yards and will move in to 7 yds for front sight drills.

JK55

Thanks guys for your feedback! Got some good intel on my question with shooting distances, which I'm going to adjust just a bit upon my next Range visit.

I'm thinking of holding my primary SD shooting distances in tight, say from 0 - 25', while integrating some draw & fire moves, point and shoots and firing from different body positions other then a stance such as from a kneeling position for instance.

Work on my secondary SD and primary target shooting out a little from 25' - 50' from a standing position.

Finally my secondary target shooting distance would be out at 75' from a standing position as well..

The Range I visit goes out to 50 yards for handguns. I do shoot at this distance but it's just plinking style shooting with my NM Single Six which has a 9 1/2" barrel and it raises heck at that distance with golf balls.

Thanks again for your help!

jlh820

My indoor range is marked off in yards at 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 & 25.

For my small carry guns, I'll start short and go long, up to about 10 or 15 yards. For my full sized pistols I'll work them at every station, though I don't always do 20. If I'm going that far, I figure I might as well go out to 25 yards and it saves me a spot on my target.

At 5 to 10 yards, I start off with regular, controlled shots, then progress to more rapid fire (though real rapid fire isn't allowed at the range) and I also do practice double-taps, which are allowed. Drawing from the holster is not allowed, which I really don't like. I feel if I'm going to practice, I should practice as close as real world as possible. In the police acamdemy or qualifying on the force, we always drew from our holsters at every station. It's part of the shot, though we didn't do double-taps back then (late 70's) and I was using either model 19 or 66 S&W 4". I loved that 4" S&W. But it belonged to the department, not me. It was a very pretty gun.

100shots1kill

For work I have to qualify from 2 yards to 50 yards. 2 yards is one handed: draw, "aim" empty the gun in under 6 seconds. 50 yards is five shots, two hands, twenty seconds. Obviously a mix of skills at the ranges inbetween, but give those a try. It's much different drawing and firing (especially from a concealed holster under a shirt) and getting quick shots off than it is taking your time and aiming with a nice stance.

At 2 yards my shots "walk" right as I shoot. At distance I'm often high and to the left. I see alot of people practicing on b-27s at 5 yards, slow fire - not that difficult to get good scores, even if you're hanging upside down.

I like 15 yards, two handed for 'showing off' at the range, but if you can't draw and empty your 6 or 8 rounds into center mass, one handed, from "push off distance", that may be a good place to practice.

Sbh87

Self defense range with my LC9 I usually stay 20 feet or closer. If I shoot my MKIII or Single Six its usually warm up at 25 feet and then I go to 50 for a bit of a challenge. My Beretta 96 is accurate to 75 feet but I usually still shoot it at 50 feet. My girlfriends S&W 686 performs the same as the Beretta.

James6591

We don't do any SD practice because we don't have CC in Australia.
At our handgun range however, we have a few disiplines where we shoot 25 metres, 10 metres and seven metres.