Learned something new today

chris in va · March 13, 2005, 02:10 AM

I took a class today that had a little point shooting. Basically you fire fast at a 8.5x11 paper at 10 yards and try to get them all in. No real aiming, just hit in the general direction.

Very interesting. It seems to be a much more realistic way of firing than standing there trying to get a sight hold on some circle. Up until today I had just been bullseye shooting...

OH_FFL · March 13, 2005, 08:18 PM

I also took a NRA class where we shot at 9" paper plates. It was fun

and I think when the weather breaks I will practice this some. We shot at a indoor gun club range with .22lr at 7 & 15 yds, then moved outdoors and shot some 9mm & .45 acp

armedandsafe · March 13, 2005, 11:04 PM

I've been using and teaching point shooting methods for years. If you train properly, it works very well at in-house distances. I just picked up Jim Greggs' new book on his method. I'm about 2/3 through and I've picked up a few pointers already. Since he lives about 20 miles from me, I may take one of his classes this summer.

http://www.jimgregg.net

Pops

zzirg · June 5, 2005, 11:08 AM

thats called shooting for center of mass and is for self defense, try shooting for center of mass with one hand standing sideways then your making a smaller target for the bad guy.

HSMITH · June 6, 2005, 10:44 PM

Chris, there should be a USPSA club within a reasonable drive for you. Go shoot with them. Tell them you are new, and are there to be safe and have fun, they will help you out and make sure it is a good experience. It is NOT real life training or anything like it, it IS a game, but you will learn to manage your shooting and find weak points in your gun handling. If you can go once and not want to do it again at the next opportunity I would be surprised.

What you will learn after a few times is where you need a good sight picture and where you can fudge a little, and even where you can just point and hose bullets with quality hits. The gun handling and shooting practice you get is very very worthwhile. It really is surprising how well you can learn your gun and your shooting ability while having fun and playing a game. As your shooting ability improves you can move your goals and still have a measure of progress.

I was a pretty good shooter and could shoot anything I picked up, but starting the USPSA shooting has elevated my shooting far faster than any practice I could have been doing.

longspurr · June 7, 2005, 06:03 AM

Basically you fire fast at a 8.5x11 paper at 10 yards and try to get them all in. No real aiming, just hit in the general direction.

When starting new handgun shooters I like to reverse the target and have them shoot at the paper. It seems to help get the idea across about watch the sights and not the target. Shooting at a bullseye the student is slower and complains more about " I can't hold the gun still". Plain paper targets are great for beginners and realistic shooting practice.

March 13, 2005, 02:10 AM	#1
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Learned something new today I took a class today that had a little point shooting. Basically you fire fast at a 8.5x11 paper at 10 yards and try to get them all in. No real aiming, just hit in the general direction. Very interesting. It seems to be a much more realistic way of firing than standing there trying to get a sight hold on some circle. Up until today I had just been bullseye shooting...

March 13, 2005, 08:18 PM	#2
OH_FFL Member Join Date: January 18, 2005 Posts: 26	I also took a NRA class where we shot at 9" paper plates. It was fun and I think when the weather breaks I will practice this some. We shot at a indoor gun club range with .22lr at 7 & 15 yds, then moved outdoors and shot some 9mm & .45 acp

March 13, 2005, 11:04 PM	#3
armedandsafe Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2005 Location: Moses Lake WA Posts: 1,001	I've been using and teaching point shooting methods for years. If you train properly, it works very well at in-house distances. I just picked up Jim Greggs' new book on his method. I'm about 2/3 through and I've picked up a few pointers already. Since he lives about 20 miles from me, I may take one of his classes this summer. http://www.jimgregg.net Pops

June 5, 2005, 11:08 AM	#4
zzirg Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2005 Location: minnesota Posts: 184	thats called shooting for center of mass and is for self defense, try shooting for center of mass with one hand standing sideways then your making a smaller target for the bad guy.

June 6, 2005, 10:44 PM	#5
HSMITH Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2002 Posts: 2,019	Chris, there should be a USPSA club within a reasonable drive for you. Go shoot with them. Tell them you are new, and are there to be safe and have fun, they will help you out and make sure it is a good experience. It is NOT real life training or anything like it, it IS a game, but you will learn to manage your shooting and find weak points in your gun handling. If you can go once and not want to do it again at the next opportunity I would be surprised. What you will learn after a few times is where you need a good sight picture and where you can fudge a little, and even where you can just point and hose bullets with quality hits. The gun handling and shooting practice you get is very very worthwhile. It really is surprising how well you can learn your gun and your shooting ability while having fun and playing a game. As your shooting ability improves you can move your goals and still have a measure of progress. I was a pretty good shooter and could shoot anything I picked up, but starting the USPSA shooting has elevated my shooting far faster than any practice I could have been doing.

June 7, 2005, 06:03 AM	#6
longspurr Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2002 Location: On the western shore Posts: 182	Basically you fire fast at a 8.5x11 paper at 10 yards and try to get them all in. No real aiming, just hit in the general direction. When starting new handgun shooters I like to reverse the target and have them shoot at the paper. It seems to help get the idea across about watch the sights and not the target. Shooting at a bullseye the student is slower and complains more about " I can't hold the gun still". Plain paper targets are great for beginners and realistic shooting practice.