Marksmanship skills

[oremike]

To be a Marksman means to hit the mark. To do that requires practice. IMHO the best practice is live rounds down range. Sure you can do dry fire and other exercises but the true measure of being a Marksman is hearing the steel ring, seeing the hole punched in the paper or the critter drop.
Shooting is a lot like driving in that everyone thinks they are a good shot, just like everyone thinks they are good drivers. Truth be told, not everyone goes to Camp Perry or the Indy 500.
So where I'm going with this is I don't get to the range as much as I'd like and when I do it's in a big hurry to shoot as much as I can, in all the guns I can, in the shortest time as possible.
Monday I took my 38 Super and just the 38 Super to the range and shot it for an hour or so. At first I was all tensed up, doing everything "just right". You know, grip, stance, sight picture, trigger control, everything just right. After a few magazines I started to relax and just pull the trigger every time the sights were lined up. Pretty soon I was having fun shooting at targets of opportunity. Nothing crazy but stuff like flipping the plates back and forth in random patterns on the dueling tree and someone left a shoot and see target up that had no holes in the head area so I had to fix that. Shooting was fun again and I needed that.
Moving forward I'm going to try to shoot one gun once a week for an hour or so to keep my skills sharp. I'm already looking forward to next week and planing to shooting my GP-100. After that I might take my .223 bolt gun out and practice with it. On another week I will take the BPS out for a round of Trap.
So what is your skills improvement program? I figure I'm a shooting enthusiast and retired so if I can't do what I really like to do, something is wrong with that.

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[Stomper]

So…. Murder practice

- Says every anti-2A activists on earth

 

[SrMachoSolo]

Truth be told, not everyone goes to Camp Perry or the Indy 500.

What if I drive like I'm in the Indy 500...?

As far as practicing, I don't get as much range time as I'd like... but I did overpay for ammo just so I wouldn't dip into the stash for range trips, and so I could introduce the wife and daughter to shooting.

Maybe @ScatPackLife can help me get motivated to get to out there again soon.

-Robert

 

[Andy54Hawken]

My skills improvement program...?
Practice what works for you.

I shoot mostly rifles....and I shoot off hand.
This style of shooting works for me...and the rifles that I shoot.

Will I be able to compete at Camp Perry or over at the range in Friendship Indiana this way...Nope

With that said...
I have won many a rifle shooting match shooting this way , off hand and "instinctively"...as in focusing on where I want to hit ....then shooting...almost without thought.
I shoot well enough to have a local and not so local reputation with some out of state rendezvous, this way...and as I said it works for me.

Find a way to shoot that is safe and gets you the results that you want...
Keep doing that...and don't worry 'bout how the other guy is shooting.
Andy

 

[P7M13]

What if I drive like I'm in the Indy 500...?

Must be monotonous to drive in big circles so much, I'd go 180mph+ too, just to relieve the boredom.
I have always shot for fun. I have taken to going to the BP range at TCGC and shooting cast lead or 22 at the steel, offhand. Very satisfying.

 

[deadeye]

To be a Marksman means to hit the mark. To do that requires practice. I someone left a shoot and see target up that had no holes in the head area so I had to fix that. Shooting was fun again and I needed that.

Get some more silhouettes and practice point and shoot (not using sights) without hitting the head area. If by chance and hopefully not you have to defend yourself this will prove useful. This is something that can be done with all handguns so that it doesn't matter which you may have at hand you can get good results. I'm kinda spoiled and can just go outside to shoot whenever the mood strikes so I get a little more practice than some.

 

[Aero Denezol]

Like Andy I also shoot rifles offhand.

Score your targets, and keep track of your scores. It gives you a goal to improve on. Practicing with snap caps in the garage helps. You can work on your posture and adjust your gear (slings, stock length, etc.) so you're not wasting ammo figuring stuff out at the range.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Just a point of view and unwilling to argue. There is a difference in staying familiar with your tools and getting good experience useing them. Training to increase your skill and ability takes more than going out to empty a box of ammo.

It's my opinion the average shooter will train himself but not test his skill in competition. If you want to get better then compete, empty that box of ammo learning to shoot and move from like minded shooters in a safe club environment.

Competition isn't all about winning because most don't win but you increase your skill level a great deal.

Have fun.

 

[Soli]

OP hits it: time spent doing anything can't be replicated in any other way.

Spending more regular range time than in the past couple of decades. Concentrating on only a couple of guns, and take along a .22 for foolin' around if time allows. Pretty much all from the holster, four step was recently taught; 1) grip, 2) present tight to body, add second hand, 3) extend and sight 4) fire. Still pretty slow but getting faster pretty naturally.

Oh yeah, recently started doing something I've not done regularly; moving and shooting around things. Set up barrels, kneeling, shooting around the right, then around the left. Standing, two shots, duck behind, move left, shoot, etc etc etc. Yes I know, tacbros live this lol but my old body isn't used to it at all. Safety first as well. Getting the feel for muzzle discipline while in different positions is a thing.

 

[oremike]

Just a point of view and unwilling to argue. There is a difference in staying familiar with your tools and getting good experience useing them. Training to increase your skill and ability takes more than going out to empty a box of ammo.

It's my opinion the average shooter will train himself but not test his skill in competition. If you want to get better then compete, empty that box of ammo learning to shoot and move from like minded shooters in a safe club environment.

Competition isn't all about winning because most don't win but you increase your skill level a great deal.

Have fun.

I am a competitive shooter, even though I haven't shot a match of any sort in a couple of years. I tend or at least used to be kind of a ringer, showing up randomly at different matches and scoring in the top 10% and sometimes winning out right. That's the level of skills I want to maintain and that takes practice. Point shooting is practiced at 10 paces at a paper plate with either my air-weight or 40 Shield. I require myself to keep the group with either gun to be all in the plate and ideally in a 4" or less group.
You are right, on the rifle shooting, lately I've just beeen shooting off the bench doing load development a scope zeroing. Most real world rifle shooting a bench isn't handy so once I get a rifle dialed in like I want, I'll go back to self supported shooting like sitting and using the hasty sling method.

 

[Longwalkhome]

I am a competitive shooter, even though I haven't shot a match of any sort in a couple of years. I tend or at least used to be kind of a ringer, showing up randomly at different matches and scoring in the top 10% and sometimes winning out right. That's the level of skills I want to maintain and that takes practice. Point shooting is practiced at 10 paces at a paper plate with either my air-weight or 40 Shield. I require myself to keep the group with either gun to be all in the plate and ideally in a 4" or less group.
You are right, on the rifle shooting, lately I've just beeen shooting off the bench doing load development a scope zeroing. Most real world rifle shooting a bench isn't handy so once I get a rifle dialed in like I want, I'll go back to self supported shooting like sitting and using the hasty sling method.

I love competing and slowed down after many years of fun. Now days with all the covid bs I compete against myself.

I only use paper to sight in, once I know the gun is accurate I move on to reactive targets. Close range I use a dueling tree with six inch paddles. It allows me to move on quickly to the next target because you see the hit and can react.

Reactive targets build a better shooter and confidence you are hitting what you want as you shoot. Paper is history, it's shots made and you are not correcting as you go but seeing how you did. Paper is good but doesn't build speed like reactive targets do.

Once we get freedom again take a friend out and compete useing the dueling tree...the adrenalin effect on your shooting skills becomes apparent

Just opinion guys and opinion made from having fun for many years.

 

[CLT65]

I'm fortunate in that my work schedule allows me to get to the range rather frequently. I usually take my teenage son, and he's getting to be a pretty fair shot himself.

It's all about fun for us, purely recreational, enjoyable time at the range. We'll take the steel gong, some paper targets, and a box of clays to set out on the berm. We do practice the essentials of marksmanship, but otherwise we're not training or competing. I've never been very competitive, mostly because I was never athletic.

All that said, I've become a pretty fair shot just by learning the essentials and lots of practice. I kind of went nuts with .22 ammo after the last shortage, and have enough cast reloads in other calibers to last a long time. At the beginning of the pandemic last year I spent some time "working from home" and decided to tackle that 5-gallon bucket of .38 Special brass in the garage. A bucket of lead ingots, a case of primers, and many, many hours later, I ended up with 5k rounds of .38 Special ammo. That should last us for a few years.

 

[ScatPackLife]

What if I drive like I'm in the Indy 500...?

As far as practicing, I don't get as much range time as I'd like... but I did overpay for ammo just so I wouldn't dip into the stash for range trips, and so I could introduce the wife and daughter to shooting.

Maybe @ScatPackLife can help me get motivated to get to out there again soon.

-Robert

Name the date and time. But maybe we should go earlier this time to get one of the good spots. We need to do some rifle shooting. My AK is way fun to shoot.

I have gone shooting a few times since we went last but I've been going out to Jones Creek since it's closer to me. It's up past Camas. Permit required. (Not very expensive for the year).

 

[Knute]

Nice thread! I try to shoot a rifle or two off-handed once a week and also my pistol every other week. We always shot rifles off-hand or prone in the service but I'm not getting on the ground anymore for nobody

I am old and fat enough to struggle physically a bit at the range, and wrist arthritis gives me the "yips" sometimes. But, for me the familiarity in regular off-hand practice improves my confidence, and helps me keep shot placement on paper.

Like you, my first bit of shooting each time always seems hurried and a little stressful until I shoot some, and settle in. As long as the other shooters are behaving, I really have fun with it

 

[Longwalkhome]

I would like to say that anything we have fun doing we will do it more often and get better at it, so fun is important. However there will be someone to argue against my point ...because they have fun arguing

 

[oremike]

I'm old and bear the scars of my mis-spent youth. One of those being a tremor in my left side. I adjust for that by shooting bigger targets at closer ranges. I find Bowling pins to be just right. they are big enough, close enough and give me the positve feed back I like of a reactive target.

 

[No_Regerts]

Being effective in a self defense situation requires good marksmanship, being able to operate the gun, and tactics. Not all in that order and you can't always train all three at the same time.

I shoot groups with every gun I own. It's a way for me to determine if there are issues with technique, form, or follow-through. Besides my mechanics, it can also determine if adjustments need to be made with the gun.

I use timed scenario-based shooting to develop my ability to operate my gun aka keep my gun running.

I like to use case studies, walkthroughs, and debriefs to develop tactics. You can't what-if everything, but it could shorten your learning curve to where you can survive.

 

[oremike]

Gee, it kind of sounds like you've managed to take all the fun out of shooting sports. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place to be deadly serious. But you've got to admit at the end of the day a game of Happy Can is just plain fun.

 

[No_Regerts]

Gee, it kind of sounds like you've managed to take all the fun out of shooting sports. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place to be deadly serious. But you've got to admit at the end of the day a game of Happy Can is just plain fun.

Unfortunately, most of my shooting practice is work related and we don't play around much. However, I like shooting games and bets! Dueling trees, clay pigeons with a pistol at 100+ yards, tin-can shoots, etc. You get great at reloads in a good dueling tree match.