Training question?

[mav]

Got a question for those of you who shoot a lot. Do you think it is better to break up practice sessions into a few times a week or one long marathon session? And why? Thanks.

[Guest The Driller]

same differnece

[Spook]

Good question. How would you define "marathon"? For that matter I would be interested in knowing the length of your shorter practice sessions, too. As a newbie, I love to shoot and an hour goes by very fast to me. I always seem to burn all the ammo I bring to the range.

Cheers...

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Mav shoots better and more often than me, so can't offer constructive advice. I usually burn 200 or 300 rounds, with the majority in .22. In warm weather maybe 3 or 4 range trips a month if lucky.

That thing about burning all yer ammo at the range--

It probably varies depending on range rules and situation. Also perhaps whether you have a carry license, if being squeaky-legal pedantic.

But I always have my carry gun ready to go at the range. Just in case something unfortunate happens.

I usually alternate between two or more guns when practicing. All the guns except the carry gun, when I'm not shooting them, they are open-action and unloaded. Typical range safety procedures.

When I practice-shoot with the carry gun, I have another mag loaded for it sitting on the bench before I shoot the carry gun. Then after shooting the carry gun I pop in the full mag and reholster the carry gun before I turn to load or shoot another gun.

That might be against the rules some places. It just seems a reasonable precaution at a non-supervised range. Would be a shame for something bad to happen, and have a bench of unloaded guns sitting there, and no way to defend yerself--

[Guest mosinon]

Not a big shooter, though I'd like to be.

My experience has been if you're getting better when you practice, practice more. If you keep practicing and keep getting the same result, study more.

The idea being that if you aren't making any noticeable improvements you're doing something wrong an you're making the same mistake over and over. If you're getting better you're doing something right so keep doing it.

But, I'm pretty slow, I mostly go plink. And I'm a terrible shot. So don't listen to me.

[Guest Jamie]

I have found that constant daily practice - even if it's only a few rounds - does me more good than one long session every now and then.

Even 1 or 2 shots fired every day keeps things on an upward swing better than 1000 rounds once a month.

Another example of that would be "Wild Bill" Hickok... who emptied and reloaded his revolvers every evening. 12 rounds, every day.

No, I'm not saying I'm anywhere near his grade/class/level whatever, but history shows he was a rather dependable hand with a gun... and it doesn't mention any regular protracted shooting practice on his part.

[Mike]

I'm with Jamie. Daily practice is best. Even if it's only dry practice doing draw strokes and sight picture. You can get some dummy rounds and practice doing malfunction drills without burning ammo too.

Mike

[Cruel Hand Luke]

A little bit here and there is better than a lot once every other blue moon.

Pistol shooting is a perishable skill...just like golf or shooting a basketball. The more often you do it the better off you will be (assuming you are doing it right when you do it...but that is another subject altogether).

I tell students to dry fire at least 2 times a week. That way if something happens the last time you handled your gun was at worst 3 days ago. As far as actual shooting? Honestly, unless you are trying to be competitive at IPSC or IDPA, and working to cut your split times down, then once or twice a month with 100 to 200 rounds each time augmented with focused dry fire every few days will give you what you are probably looking for.

Practicing for a match and practicing for a fight do not look anything alike.

[Guest President Fernatt]

I would love to do what Jamie says and unload a magazine everyday...but for some of us who live in city limits...it's not quite as easy. We have to pack up and head to the range instead of out in the backyard. That sucks!

[Guest Jamie]

Okay... you live in the city. I used to as well. Until you can move, try this:

Buy a BB gun, airsoft gun, or something else that approximates what you want to shoot, and practice indoors.

It might sound silly or even stupid, but it will certainly help with things like trigger control and point shooting. Be creative in your targets and your practice. And at close ranges, try to be precise down to the faction of an inch.

You might surprise yourself the next time you go to the range with a "real" gun, after a week or so of shooting at flyspecks from across the room.

The important thing here is to develop hand/eye coordination and muscle memory... And there are alternate means of doing that. Find one that works for you.

[chemprof]

You all have inspired me--a New Year's resolution! For months I've said that I would get an airsoft or something and set up "targets" in the house and practice my responses to potential threats/scenarios. It won't matter, right?, that I can make 3 in center of mass groupings at some distance when in reality I'll be fumbling for the night stand piece, climbing out of bed, in the dark. Now to a new "tab" to find some airsofts that match what I'll really be using! Good luck to the rest of ya's!

[TNFF319]

Several small sessions.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Back when I needed to keep my skills up for work I would shoot a few hours 3-5 days a week. Normally AR with transitions to my carry pistol. I would also do a lot of shoot and move type practice.

Now I shoot at least 5 days a week but no where near as long. I try to shoot a mag a day whether it be from an AR or my carry pistol. I no longer do the run and gun type stuff I did before because of injuries.

I also practice drawing my carry gun almost daily. I will get dressed then practice drawing with what I am wearing. In the summer it is easy but in the winter it can be a bit trickier with the extra layers. As far as length that depends, my wife sometimes gets annoyed with the dry firing so it may be a short session or a longer session.

I think a little each and every day will do more than a marathon session where you are not going to be as alert after the first hour. And even if it is nothing more than dryfiring it is still going to help you.

Dolomite

[leroy]

....Got a question for those of you who shoot a lot. Do you think it is better to break up practice sessions into a few times a week or one long marathon session? And why? Thanks. ...

Break them up. We used to shoot lots of revolvers and semiauto pistols. After a hundred or so rounds; your eyes get tired. My hands tend to get tired as well.

Hope this helps.

Leroy

[Guest Jamie]

You all have inspired me--a New Year's resolution! For months I've said that I would get an airsoft or something and set up "targets" in the house and practice my responses to potential threats/scenarios. It won't matter, right?, that I can make 3 in center of mass groupings at some distance when in reality I'll be fumbling for the night stand piece, climbing out of bed, in the dark. Now to a new "tab" to find some airsofts that match what I'll really be using! Good luck to the rest of ya's!

Maybe if you practice enough - and practice the right things - you won't be fumbling around in the dark. Maybe your training will kick in and you'll still manage a reasonable facsimile of that 3-shot group, if you need to?

There's a reason to practice. And to screw up ain't it.

[mav]

Normally I do a few short sessions during the week. I hardly ever go above 200 - 300 rounds. It is typically about 200 rounds.

Doing much more than that starts to get a little expensive.

[Guest President Fernatt]

@ Jamie, That's actually a pretty good thought! Get a hand BB gun then I could actually practice outside since they don't make much noise. I have a creek down in a little wooded area where the wind couldn't bother the little bb's path. Shooting at coins from a good distance would def sharpen the eyes:stunned:

[Guest Jamie]

Shooting at coins from a good distance would def sharpen the eyes:stunned:

It'll do more than that... it'll work wonders for your trigger control as well.

Speaking of creeks and BB guns, one of the things I used to do as a kid was sit out by a little creek behind my grandparent's house and shoot wasps and "dirt daubers" when they would come to harvest mud from the bank. Not liking wasps, and wasp stings even less, I learned to sit 12 or 15 feet away, on the opposite bank, for those times I missed and only ticked off my target.

Didn't take long that I didn't miss too much, with that old Daisy Winchester 94 look-alike.

Hmm... I wonder if that gun's still made? It's only been 40 years now since I had mine...

Later on I moved to various BB and pellet pistols, and again got pretty much the same results. I guess due to that, I'm pretty much convinced you can learn to shoot with most anything, if you'll just put in enough trigger time. The muscle memory and hand-eye coordination seems to translate pretty well to "real" guns, without much re-learning.

Edit: HOLY CRAP!!!

Daisy still makes it alright, but damn, look at the price!!! Eeeeeek!!!!

Daisy "Winchester 1894" Air Rifle

Of course, thinking about it, I guess that's about what the $30 mine cost is equal to, in today's dollars...

Edited December 31, 2010 by Jamie

[Guest President Fernatt]

That sounds pretty fun and I'm sure you did get good so you didn't tick them all off lol sometimes a little BB gun is the most fun...ok, not the most fun...but they can be enjoyable! and yeah that DAISY seems to be about right as far as prices go nowadays. Of course I was born in 1990

[Guest CK1]

IMHO, break it up or else you're liable to "burn-in" some of the bad habits you're supposed to be working on fixing.

I guess I shoot more than most guys but I try to limit myself to shooting no more than 200rds per practice session so I keep myself honest and actually end up training/practicing/working rather than just burning through ammo.

That said, I whole-heartedlly advocate dry-fire practice as often as one can manage, and think every shooter can benefit from dropping $20 on a Captains of Crush gripper and giving it some use, IMO the gripper (and greater/better grip-strength that comes with use) may be more impactful than any of the other stuff...

[Guest mikedwood]

It'll do more than that... it'll work wonders for your trigger control as well.

Speaking of creeks and BB guns, one of the things I used to do as a kid was sit out by a little creek behind my grandparent's house and shoot wasps and "dirt daubers" when they would come to harvest mud from the bank. Not liking wasps, and wasp stings even less, I learned to sit 12 or 15 feet away, on the opposite bank, for those times I missed and only ticked off my target.

Didn't take long that I didn't miss too much, with that old Daisy Winchester 94 look-alike.

Hmm... I wonder if that gun's still made? It's only been 40 years now since I had mine...

Later on I moved to various BB and pellet pistols, and again got pretty much the same results. I guess due to that, I'm pretty much convinced you can learn to shoot with most anything, if you'll just put in enough trigger time. The muscle memory and hand-eye coordination seems to translate pretty well to "real" guns, without much re-learning.

Edit: HOLY CRAP!!!

Daisy still makes it alright, but damn, look at the price!!! Eeeeeek!!!!

Daisy "Winchester 1894" Air Rifle

Of course, thinking about it, I guess that's about what the $30 mine cost is equal to, in today's dollars...

It's a flat out bargain today

"$30.00 in 1970 had the same buying power as $171.84 in 2010.

Annual inflation over this period was 4.46%."

DollarTimes.com | Inflation Calculator

And I agree with Jamie on the daily shooting a few being best, even though I don't get to myself.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I dug the old BeamHit laser target out of the attic over the holidays and used it a little bit daily. It really does seem to improve trigger control, at least so far as shooting a light beam and getting a beep.

It seems good to un-learn flinching. When I was using the BeamHit regularly in years past, often at the range the first couple of mags would just chew up the bullseye. But then adaptation to the recoil with real ammo would loosen up the groups later in the session.

[DaveTN]

Normally I do a few short sessions during the week. I hardly ever go above 200 - 300 rounds. It is typically about 200 rounds.

Doing much more than that starts to get a little expensive.

Good grief… You have to be one of the top shooters on this forum. 200 – 300 rounds at a time several times a week??

Good for you… You have far more experience than most of us, what’s your take on the question?

“Get a little expensive†You have to be spending $300 a week not counting range fees if you have any.

[Mike]

“Get a little expensive” You have to be spending $300 a week not counting range fees if you have any.

It's not that bad if you reload and can shoot in your own backyard.

Mike

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Good grief… You have to be one of the top shooters on this forum. 200 – 300 rounds at a time several times a week??

Good for you… You have far more experience than most of us, what’s your take on the question?

“Get a little expensive” You have to be spending $300 a week not counting range fees if you have any.

Some of the pics of targets Mav has posted, look pretty dern tight. But I could probably shoot every day and never get any better.