How do you guys/girls practice?

Adam Helmer · #1 10-10-2007, 06:45 PM

I posted in the past about a friend who acquired a handgun and only wanted SIX (6) ROUNDS to fit out his home defense handgun. Obviously, he never intended to practice with his house gun. Let us hope he is in the minority of handgun owners.

We folks on this site are handgunners and I was wondering how people shoot, how often and at what types of targets. I suspect many, if not most, folks here are handloaders.

I handload, cast handgun projectiles and have several ranges on my farm here in rural PA. I use a bench in the backyard on the 25-yard range to set sights and test loads. I use B-27 silhouetts starting at 50 yards and incrementally down to 25, 15, 7 and 3 yards for practice. I shoot most everyday unless it is raining or below 10 degrees.

I shoot some bullseye B-8 targets at 25 yards and have metal gongs at 30 and 75 yards for fun shooting. My local gun club is about a mile away and I have been a member since 1988. It is just handier to shoot in the backyard most days. The local bowling alley will be replacing some pins soon and will give me all the pins I want for the range table I will build out back.

Who practices, how and how often with their handguns?

Adam

jmarriott · #2 10-10-2007, 07:16 PM

I might get to shoot once a month. Daily bow time lately for bow season on deer but those reloads are real cheap!

My CCW 357 gets shot once in a while but not often. I know where it hits and go by the old addage if it is not broke do not mess with it. 20 to 50 rounds a year.

The contender handgun's gets several hundered to thousand rounds thru it a year. with several frames and several barrels i just switch out and let cool. The 22 mark II target several hundred. Lots of the collectors never get shot like the diamondback, python and anaconda. The kimber gets shot alot cause it hits everything i point it at. that kimber always makes me look good.

The deer shotgun get about 5 rounds before season at different ranges just to check out the scope zero. The coyote shotgun gets a couple of pattern shots at 30 and 50 yards just to make sure the red dot is on target. the 20 guage 870 has killed so many rabbits I don't shoot it unless a rabbit is on the bead.

The marlin 357 gets lots of rec shooting at cans grasshoppers and targets as does the .222 and several 22's in the rifle class but once a gun gets classified for a certian load or a certian hunt style it gets one shot before the hunt to make sure it still hits and normally that is it unless i change loads or scopes. Once I find the load i like I will buy like 250 rounds and shoot them for years untill that supply is exausted.

Tater · #3 10-10-2007, 07:23 PM

I pretty much mirror jmarriott. Most of my shooting is recreational. I'll take my house guns out a couple times a year just to keep a feel for them and my .270 and 30-06 come out a few times before the season so I can make sure they still hit where they're supposed to.

gd357 · #4 10-11-2007, 12:09 AM

I don't get to shoot as much as I'd like, but I still get through a few hundred rounds (in aggregate) probably every 6 months with the handguns.

gd

gumpokc · #5 10-11-2007, 12:43 AM

I manage on average to shoot at least once a month with my handguns (40S&W, 32acp, 7.62x25, 10mm, 22) say 50-100 rounds a month each.

rifles maybe every other month 20-100 rounds.

indoor pistol ranges is only a mile down the street, but the rifle ranges i use are are 40 miles away.

Mr. 16 gauge · #6 10-11-2007, 05:14 PM

I practice as often as I can; I posted how I practice for CCW carry in the CCW forum.

For my hunting practice, I like to use life size targets (or close to life size) painted with tempra paints on large sheets of brown paper or cardboard (refridgerator boxes don't stay on the curb long in my neighborhood

)

I've never seen a deer with a bullseye on his chest, and I feel that practicing on these types of targets give me a better 'feel' for where I should be aiming on a live animal. I do the same thing with my .22 and small game targets. They can easily be made with the photos from hunting magazines and a copy machine (although I prefer to draw my own!).

I'll take this one step further, even though this isn't a shotgunning forum....I paint some of my clay pigeons flat black or brown....never saw an orange pheasant or duck! Throw those targets low, so they are traveling along the background with trees and such, and you'd be surprised how quickly your eye can loose 'em!

mrmiskin · #7 10-21-2007, 09:41 AM

All the guns get fired at least once an week, rifles get 2 days, shouguns get 2 days and the hand guns take up the other 3. have back stops set up at 50 yards and another down in the woods at 100. Shoot targets, both paper and metal, for the 10/22. Now that it is bow season the bow goes out every morning, btw i am only home every other month so i have to make up for it.

wrenchman · #8 10-21-2007, 09:56 AM

I youse to pratice every 2 weeks till some scum bag killed the owner of the range i shot at.
Now i practice aout every 2 months i found the old addage shoot shoot shoot is good when it comes to hand guns.
The indoor gun ranges have realy gone up in price by me.

moneychanger · #9 10-22-2007, 11:19 AM

i like to shoot my revolvers about once a week,maybe more as time allows.in the winter i'm lucky to get once month.

this year i've shot my rifles maybe 3 times, and i know i should
get them out shortly. however,more than likely i'll use either my
41 mag blackhawk or 44 mag super redhawk.