9mm Iron Sight Max Distance?

[cp1927]

Recently getting back into target practice as a hobby. Currently shooting a 4.25" barrel, 9mm with iron sights (S&W) and no plans on buying optics in the near future. My question being to the group at large, how far out from the target is too far to practice?

I'm currently estimating 10-12 yards right now on trips but curious if I should even attempt 20, 30 or even 40 yards. Landed on the current distance due to HD use but due to becoming a EDC person has led me to the question above.

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[Tlock]

Recently getting back into target practice as a hobby. Currently shooting a 4.25" barrel, 9mm with iron sights (S&W) and no plans on buying optics in the near future. My question being to the group at large, how far out from the target is too far to practice?

I'm currently estimating 10-12 yards right now on trips but curious if I should even attempt 20, 30 or even 40 yards. Landed on the current distance due to HD use but due to becoming a EDC person has led me to the question above.

I shoot alot of steel at 20 to 50 yards, just cause its fun and right off my porch

 

[RVTECH]

but curious if I should even attempt 20, 30 or even 40 yards.

Yes you should ! Depending on the gun these are very acceptable distances with a handgun.

I have always considered 25 yards a 'standard' sight in/practice distance with a hand gun but depending on the gun I often shoot at much longer distances.

 

[Outpost75]

A trained military or LE should have no issues engaging a threat at 100 metres with an M9 firing from a supported field position.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

I tried real hard and could come up with absolutely no reason you shouldn't shoot to whatever safe distance you can with any firearm. There are few things firearm related as satisfying as ringing steel with a handgun 'way out there'

 

[Nosferatu]

If it's a Sig P320, max distance is minute-of-pinky-toe

 

[thorborg]

Depends a lot on the quality of your vision, tenacity and instinct.
Elmer Keith regularly shot his iron sighted 45 Colt up to six or seven hundred yards!
Big game @ 100 yards. Rabbits on the run at 40 to 50 ++ yards
General target shooting at least, 50 to 60 yards.
And hit what he was aiming at, albeit the long ranged stuff came with quite a few test shots to get oriented.
I don't see why a 9mm couldn't do that though the big game aspect I'd leave alone.
Me, not even close to that.

 

[1911Fanatic]

My Berettas will do a three inch group at 50 yards easily. I have no doubt I could hit a man at 100 yards with it.

 

[lucusloc]

This will depend entirely on your eyesight and firearm. If your eyes are sharp enough to clearly resolve all relevant parts of the sight picture iron sights can be as effective as any other sighting system out there. Sight radius and sight geometry can make this more or less difficult for the user, but in theory as long as the sights are not rattling around any setup can be used to hit targets as far out as you can see them, so long as the gun is that accurate as well.

Which brings us to the gun. Not all guns are created equal, and this is especially true for pistols that use some variation of a tilting or twisting barrel locking arrangement. The vast majority of these systems use a barrel bushing up at the front of the slide as part of the barrel/sight alignment, and the repeatability of that lockup is only as good as the tolerances the manufacturer hit when they built your gun. I have pistols that can bullseye reliably at 50 yards (so long as I do my part) and I have pistols that can barely keep everything in an 8 inch circle at 7 yards from a bench rest. For pistols especially it can depend as much on the gun as the shooter.

What I can say is you won't know until you try. Getting good at short ranges is only one part of the equation, because as you go further out you have to start compensating for greater bullet drop, exaggerated sight misalignment, ammo inconsistency and a myriad of other factors. Practice is the only way you will find out what you and your gun are capable of. I know people who can push it out well past 100 with some reliability on full size targets, but they have good eyes and great guns. I consider 50 yards to be long range for a pistol, but that is with my eyes, my capability and my equipment.

 

[dangerranger60]

I practice most at contact to about 60 feet [ 20 yds]. I shoot out to about 50 yards often enough that I can say I can make hits on steel at that distance. My limiting factor is my own eyesight. Every once in awhile I'll take a couple shots out to 100 yds just to see how I do. its kind of fun! DR

 

[aasbra]

I was practicing last fall at the range where I shoot. There was a guy in the action bay across from me consistently ringing steel shooting offhand the full length. These bays are pretty deep, I'd say 70 or 75 yards. And he was shooting round plates, maybe 6" diameter. Glock 34 9mm with iron sight. I stopped to give him props, because consistently hitting at that distance, offhand, with irons, was impressive to me!

Said he practices a lot. That definitely helps.

With a couple of my better shooting CZs in 9mm, with irons, I can hit plates consistently at 35 yards or so. But I don't practice enough.

 

[cp1927]

Huge thank you to each of you for the information and encouragement! I will report back after my next range trip in a few weeks.

 

[Will_White]

From the draw, I practice at 10 yards, but I'll shoot for distance basically whatever the range allows.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I practice regularly at 100y. If the gun is sighted in and I know where to hold, 100y is completely attainable. 200y is tough with any handgun. It can be done, but it's not easy.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

I practice regularly at 100y. If the gun is sighted in and I know where to hold, 100y is completely attainable. 200y is tough with any handgun. It can be done, but it's not easy.

 

[portlander]

I personally like 15-50 yards for pistols and generally put my steel targets at 25 yards.
7-15 yards I generally don't use the sights it's more of just pointing and shooting.

 

[Derk]

buy a dot...

 

[Tlock]

buy a dot...

A dot doesn't make you a better shooter.

 

[P7M13]

I used to practice at 100 yards on a 55 gallon steel drum with my 9mm, 40 S&W and 1911 Officer's 45. You learn where to set your sights.
I was able to consistently get hits with the 40 S&W and 45 after I calibrated my aim, most of them in the front close to the top rim. I could not consistently get hits with the 9mm and it baffled me. I thought the ammo, but I believe my reloads and factory loads to be consistent.

 

[Derk]

A dot doesn't make you a better shooter.

post your groups and splits