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I like to bench rest my pistols at 25 yards to see what they are capable of and establish a benchmark of sorts, so when I do the defensive shooting at closer distances, or off-hand shooting at longer distances, I know that it's me and not the pistol.

I do the same when deciding upon a carry ammo.

Now, the likelihood of me every having to use my pistol in self-defense is pretty low. The chance of having to use it at longer distances is even lower. Still, I like to know what the gun I'm carrying to protect my life with is capable of.

I try to make sure any pistol I carry for self-defense is capable of 2" or better 25 yard groups.

Anyone else do this?
 
When out and about , doing what you normally do...what are the ranges that you might encounter...?
I'd suggest to practice out to those ranges.

For me ...
Its fairly close and in what we called in the army , a close quarter battlefield.
So ranges that I keep in mind are depending on , where I am during my work day.
They are...
Bad breath range to an extreme of about 150 yards.
Now I am not saying that I could hit someone at that extreme range with a handgun...
Just saying that at times in my workday , I could if it all went to Hell , have to deal with an issue at that range.

Of course "deal with" can and does mean a whole lotta different things....
lots of different ways to deal with an issue...
The trick is , to pick the best option , at that time , with what you know at that time and make it work in that moment.

Getting back to the OP's question....
I try to practice my handgun skills out to 50 yards.
Mostly just for fun here...but nice to know that it can be done.
Andy
 
Long range and self defense don't seem to go hand in hand.

Having said that, I look at real world scenarios.
Like where I sit in church....if some came in a point A, point B, point C, etc how long is my shot.

But I don't usually practice my carry piece At more than 30 ft.
I know I can hit a man sized target from much further, but I would rather evade and escape than engage.
 
When out and about , doing what you normally do...what are the ranges that you might encounter...?
I'd suggest to practice out to those ranges.

For me ...
Its fairly close and in what we called in the army , a close quarter battlefield.
So ranges that I keep in mind are depending on , where I am during my work day.
They are...
Bad breath range to an extreme of about 150 yards.
Now I am not saying that I could hit someone at that extreme range with a handgun...
Just saying that at times in my workday , I could if it all went to Hell , have to deal with an issue at that range.

Of course "deal with" can and does mean a whole lotta different things....
lots of different ways to deal with an issue...
The trick is , to pick the best option , at that time , with what you know at that time and make it work in that moment.

Getting back to the OP's question....
I try to practice my handgun skills out to 50 yards.
Mostly just for fun here...but nice to know that it can be done.
Andy
Consider too that just taking the bad guy under fire disrupts his/her plan, forcing them to take cover rather than continue their death march. In addition, more than a few, when forced to take cover, have blown their own brains out, ending the crisis.
My point is while hits are the ideal, disrupting the shooter's plan can be effective as well. If you can verify there are no innocents close to the shooter, I say take the shot(s). Get his attention off the victims and give them their chance to escape.
 
I've shot my Sig P238 out to 100 yards. I was able to connect with a 12in gong 2-3 times each 6 round mag. That gun is more accurate than I am. I've also hit that plate with my Glock 23 with more regularity.
 
Last Edited:
I have a 30 yard range on my property (50 if I really stretch it, but I don't).

If you want to know what any firearm can do, handgun or rifle, you need to eliminate as many variables as possible. Most of us don't have a Ransom rest or similar mechanisms, so we find some other way to rest the firearm.

It is good to know what the firearm/ammo combo itself can do - as much as is possible that your situation allows.

Personally, I have found a laser allows me to get smaller groups (not necessarily faster) than when using conventional iron sights on a pistol - when shooting at ranges where I can see the laser on the target (with my eyes, that is less than 100 yards). My range is within my forest, so it is usually shaded, which helps with the laser.

Indeed, the longer the distance, the greater the difference is between a laser and the handgun iron sights. I found that interesting - I think I don't notice my sighting errors with iron sights - both up/down and side to side - but with a laser it is very apparent on the target when the gun is not pointing where I want it to point. I still have errors due to trigger pull and hold, but the laser reduces the sighting error, thereby reducing the variables.

I am not saying that shooting with a laser is faster or better for fast shooting, I am saying that for me, it is better than iron sights when taking my time.

YMMV

Knowing what your firearm can do, then you learn what you yourself can do, standing, kneeling, laying down, supported by a tree, etc.
 
I practice mostly at close distances when it comes to my ccw gun but I also will stretch it out to 65-75 yards (what my current middle-of-the-woods range will allow) sometimes to make sure I'm able to hit that far.

You should be able to hit a 8" steel gong at 80%+ @ 50 yards (at least) with your ccw. Or any of your pistols you plan to ever use for that matter.

That being said, using your ccw at this distance in a self defense situation is not only highly unlikely but is walking a fine line. Not saying that you shouldn't defend yourself at that distance, but from a legal standpoint is hard to defend. Imagine trying to explain to a jury of 12 "randomly selected" Portland blue haired libs why you dropped dude at 60 yards with your concealed carry.

If I found myself in a mass shooting situation in a large crowded area such as a mall / movie theater / outdoor gathering I am not looking to run towards the fight. Im not even looking to take out the shooter unless the stars align and I'm given that opportunity. The only thing I'm doing is moving me and my family/friends as far AWAY from the fight as possible, using my CCW to get there if it comes down to it.

Im not looking to be a hero. Im just looking to be able to defend myself if necessary while getting the hell out of dodge.
 
To clarify, I don't practice at long ranges to be proficient at long range. I practice at long range to be proficient at defensive range. No way I am engaging a threat at 100-150 yards unless it is absolutely vital that I do so in that situation. The longer range practice just makes the shorter (defense type) ranges that much easier. The long range practice quickly shows you errors in your fundamentals. My point with the long range practice is, it makes the shorter range stuff seem easier.
 
Heck, when you said "longer distances" I thought you meant 100 yards, or sumpthin.
I've made repetitive hits on a target at 100 yards with my 45. Recently we put a 16" gong at 100 and I was taking shots with my Shield, 10yr old grandson spotting naked eye. I did whack it once out of 7. I'm going to put the spotting scope up and try again. :cool:
 
I used to practice with my GP100 3" at 200y using .38Special handloads. 6' of elevation would hit steel.

Does that count?
 
I do most of my pistol shooting at 10 paces, and with the little guns that's good enough for me. These tend to be CC IWB type guns. With bigger calibers and longer barrels I still shoot for group at 10 paces but at the end of the day I'll flip the 6" dueling tree plates back and forth at 25 yds. Long barrel hunting pistols I'll shoot out to 100 yards. I find an empty, decommissioned 5 gal propane tank to be a good gong.
 
When out and about , doing what you normally do...what are the ranges that you might encounter...?
I'd suggest to practice out to those ranges.

Andy

You never know. I've had to clear leather three times in 50 years. Once at ten yards, once at 5', and once at 100 yards.

There was a shooting in my hometown in a fast food place me and family frequents. The guy came in and fired seven times, IIRC, at the manager, while she was trying to crawl out the drive-thru window. Killed her. The distance from where the shooter was at the counter to the table in back where we normally sit is 60'.
 

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