When you go to the range, how much is recreation, how much is training?

ISC · December 25, 2007, 06:55 AM

I'm just curious. What is the breakdown for your range time for actual practical training vs casual recreation? What are some examples of each?

I made a post recently about some of the techniques I use to practice stressed shooting. I also practice tactical reloads,shooting from cover, weak hand shooting, shooting from the prone, kneeling, sitting, and standing positions,engaging multiple targets, double taps, and sometimes shooting and moving. That last one requires an empty range.

For purely recreational plinking one of the things I like to do is to shoot golfballs. I'll screw in a sheetrock screw and tie it to a piece of 550 cord which I tie to a tent stake or the bottom of a target stand. It gives you a reactive target without littering the range with debris.

What are some of the other methods you use to train?

Wrascal · December 25, 2007, 08:32 AM

Fun only.
And hopefully I'm learning something from it.

rampage841512 · December 25, 2007, 10:03 AM

It's both all at the same time.

kgpcr · December 25, 2007, 11:14 AM

A range is practice not training. Yes you get benefits from shooting at the range but its not real training!

PzGren · December 25, 2007, 11:58 AM

Range time is fun time, particularly if the results are good. To make sure that I am satisfied with myself, I have a range diary and some little parcours laid out.

Even if it can be considered training, it's recreation since I enjoy it way too much!

skeeter1 · December 25, 2007, 12:19 PM

For the most part, I shoot at an indoor range, in which case it's more for training than recreation. It's just poking holes in paper.

Now then, when I get to my buddy's farm, that's another story. We set up tin cans, old fruit, etc. and shoot just for fun.

The Tourist · December 25, 2007, 12:22 PM

Sadly, my shooting now is almost all recreation. And more and more, I'm relying on .22LR ammo for this plinking.

I'm reloading less, and I've almost given up casting. Free time is so sparse now that when I have a free day I just go out and play.

If a buddy wants to shoot, it's usually at the last minute, and I grab some .22's or a Country Crock tub of whatever reloads fall to hand.

Then we chase beer cans for the afternoon.

vox rationis · December 25, 2007, 03:45 PM

I find going to the regular range very constraining for anything other than bullseye shooting cause I'm always being told to "slow down"

..it is frustrating not being able to shoot as fast as I can despite the fact that it is absolutely clear that all of my shots are in the center mass/head area..frustrating I tell you!

allenomics · December 25, 2007, 09:59 PM

I'd say 75% practice, 25% recreation/fun.

tegemu · December 26, 2007, 08:26 AM

!00% of both.

rem870hunter · December 26, 2007, 09:30 AM

checking the sights and scopes 25%
plinking 20%
testing ammo 25%
clay targets 20%
quickshots ( walking towards target straight on or from left or from right) bring shotgun up fast to simulate move and shoot. i may kneel or stand. 10%

open range for the last. i thought i was all alone once then another guy showed up right when i was yelled HALT HALT DROP IT and fast fired 2 rounds. behind me i heard someone yell HEY WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON. YOU ALLRIGHT. i told him i was half left.

rbounds217 · December 26, 2007, 03:03 PM

Most of my range time is spent trying to match out a friend. Pick a spot on the paper and try to get good groups. Two-shot and three-shot practice is also a good skill to have from what I have been told. If we are out at the farm, it's all about just getting a "hit," whether it's a beer can or one of our kid's stuffed animals. (The old ratty ones, I know what everyone is thinking!). The important part is that even if it is "training," it should still be fun.

ATW525 · December 26, 2007, 04:06 PM

I practice at the range and it's mostly fun. Training is something I do under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

ISC · December 26, 2007, 11:00 PM

wow ATW, Don't you have any skills that you practice on your own to maintain proficiency?

To deny that practicing previously acquired skills has training value is obtuse.

bestbod85 · December 27, 2007, 04:37 AM

Agreed, follow the 5 P's, Practice Prevents Piss-Poor Performance

captkirk9195 · December 28, 2007, 12:36 AM

For me, it is practice and training, and fun. As I shoot more, I do practice more "isssues" such as tactical reloads, or short magazines, etc.

Since it is an indoor range, I can't practice approaching the target, or other real "movement" based exercises. But at the same time, the only time I suspect I will be pulling a weapon will be because some jerk has decided to break into my house. Don't need to practice a whole lot of movement to pop someone coming up the stairs in my house, who is dumb enough to not stop with a gun in his face.

I typically set my .22 revolver (SA), P220 SAO, and Makarov .380 on the table. I then load them and pick one at random. Then I switch to one of the other ones, etc. I think the changing of gun/caliber helps me pay attention to what I am doing. I typically fire at targets at the 7 line since that's where I suspect most incidents will occur (big room). Anything further away, I'd hope to be able to find cover/escape. I do shoot a couple of rounds at the 3 line most sessions too, but it isn't my main concentration.

Can definately tell the difference between the .22, .380, and .45 between the 3 line and 7 line. At the 3 line, they all aim right on bullseye to hit it. At the 7 line, the .22 is dead on. The .380 and .45 have enough drop to have to aim higher to hit bullseye.

I also occasionally bring the Rem 870 Express Magnum 12 ga to the range as well. Though I had it a hair too much on the bone last time, and the 3" magnum loads kicked my rear (still have the bruises days later). The 2 3/4 rounds didn't bother me a bit for reference.

HTH
Jason

TexasSeaRay · December 28, 2007, 12:47 AM

I figure I shot and killed all the bad guys that I'm ever going to in this lifetime back when I was younger. So these days, I just go to the range to shoot and plink for relaxation and recreation.

Jeff

ATW525 · December 28, 2007, 12:51 AM

Quote:

wow ATW, Don't you have any skills that you practice on your own to maintain proficiency?

Uh... didn't you read the first five words I wrote?

Practicing is what I do inbetween training.

TexasSeaRay · December 28, 2007, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Practicing is what I do inbetween training.

But do you first do a hundred pushups, then turn five evasive, dodgeball avoidance somersaults while simultaneously executing a tactical-fast-draw-half-reload-with-a-full-twist (degree of difficulty, 3.1) after hanging like a vampire bat from the target pulley cables for a full thirty-minutes before practicing those things an instructor or trainer taught you?

Don't cheat yourself, man . . .

Jeff

ATW525 · December 28, 2007, 01:56 AM

Quote:

But do you first do a hundred pushups, then turn five evasive, dodgeball avoidance somersaults while simultaneously executing a tactical-fast-draw-half-reload-with-a-full-twist (degree of difficulty, 3.1) after hanging like a vampire bat from the target pulley cables for a full thirty-minutes before practicing those things an instructor or trainer taught you?

Don't cheat yourself, man . . .

Jeff

LOL... okay, sorry I didn't get that one at first

DWARREN123 · December 28, 2007, 03:58 AM

It is all training even if fun.

Jkwas · December 28, 2007, 10:59 AM

Lately it's been mostly target accuracy and trigger control, but I always try to do a little of everything, point shooting etc. It seems everytime I do go down to the range, it's to show someone else how to shoot! I don't mind, but I spend more time helping them than practicing.

ssilicon · December 28, 2007, 03:21 PM

60:40 Rec:Training

fisherman66 · December 28, 2007, 03:34 PM

It's all recreation until someone shows up next to me with a muzzlebrake. Only then do I bother with training.

Samurai · December 28, 2007, 04:06 PM

If you train with the right mindset, then it should be 100% training and 100% recreation.

You should WANT to train. It's supposed to be fun.

December 25, 2007, 06:55 AM	#1
ISC Junior member Join Date: August 5, 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,982	When you go to the range, how much is recreation, how much is training? I'm just curious. What is the breakdown for your range time for actual practical training vs casual recreation? What are some examples of each? I made a post recently about some of the techniques I use to practice stressed shooting. I also practice tactical reloads,shooting from cover, weak hand shooting, shooting from the prone, kneeling, sitting, and standing positions,engaging multiple targets, double taps, and sometimes shooting and moving. That last one requires an empty range. For purely recreational plinking one of the things I like to do is to shoot golfballs. I'll screw in a sheetrock screw and tie it to a piece of 550 cord which I tie to a tent stake or the bottom of a target stand. It gives you a reactive target without littering the range with debris. What are some of the other methods you use to train?

December 25, 2007, 10:03 AM	#3
rampage841512 Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 2007 Location: Gardendale, Alabama Posts: 665	It's both all at the same time. __________________ "What is play to the fool and the idiot is deadly serious to the man with the gun." Walt Rauch,Combat Handguns, May '08

December 25, 2007, 11:14 AM	#4
kgpcr Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2005 Posts: 955	A range is practice not training. Yes you get benefits from shooting at the range but its not real training! __________________ Colt King Cobra .357 Colt Anaconda .44mag Springfield Armory .45 Double stack Loaded XD40 service XD45 Taurus 617 .357mag Smith M&P 40

December 25, 2007, 09:59 PM	#9
allenomics Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2007 Posts: 1,536	I'd say 75% practice, 25% recreation/fun. __________________ NRA Benefactor Life Member Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power!

December 26, 2007, 08:26 AM	#10
tegemu Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2005 Location: Orange Park, Fla Posts: 1,019	!00% of both. __________________ People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence in their behalf. - George Orwell

December 25, 2007, 08:32 AM	#2
Wrascal Senior Member Join Date: March 17, 2007 Location: Lower Alabama Posts: 197	Fun only. And hopefully I'm learning something from it.

December 25, 2007, 11:58 AM	#5
PzGren Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2001 Posts: 1,258	Range time is fun time, particularly if the results are good. To make sure that I am satisfied with myself, I have a range diary and some little parcours laid out. Even if it can be considered training, it's recreation since I enjoy it way too much!

December 25, 2007, 12:19 PM	#6
skeeter1 Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2006 Location: Northeast Ohio Posts: 3,403	For the most part, I shoot at an indoor range, in which case it's more for training than recreation. It's just poking holes in paper. Now then, when I get to my buddy's farm, that's another story. We set up tin cans, old fruit, etc. and shoot just for fun.

December 25, 2007, 12:22 PM	#7
The Tourist Junior member Join Date: June 20, 2005 Posts: 2,348	Sadly, my shooting now is almost all recreation. And more and more, I'm relying on .22LR ammo for this plinking. I'm reloading less, and I've almost given up casting. Free time is so sparse now that when I have a free day I just go out and play. If a buddy wants to shoot, it's usually at the last minute, and I grab some .22's or a Country Crock tub of whatever reloads fall to hand. Then we chase beer cans for the afternoon.

December 25, 2007, 03:45 PM	#8
vox rationis Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2007 Posts: 1,855	I find going to the regular range very constraining for anything other than bullseye shooting cause I'm always being told to "slow down" ..it is frustrating not being able to shoot as fast as I can despite the fact that it is absolutely clear that all of my shots are in the center mass/head area..frustrating I tell you!

December 26, 2007, 09:30 AM	#11
rem870hunter Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2007 Location: N.J. and trying to decide what state to move to. Posts: 973	checking the sights and scopes 25% plinking 20% testing ammo 25% clay targets 20% quickshots ( walking towards target straight on or from left or from right) bring shotgun up fast to simulate move and shoot. i may kneel or stand. 10% open range for the last. i thought i was all alone once then another guy showed up right when i was yelled HALT HALT DROP IT and fast fired 2 rounds. behind me i heard someone yell HEY WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON. YOU ALLRIGHT. i told him i was half left.

December 26, 2007, 03:03 PM	#12
rbounds217 Member Join Date: October 30, 2007 Posts: 43	Most of my range time is spent trying to match out a friend. Pick a spot on the paper and try to get good groups. Two-shot and three-shot practice is also a good skill to have from what I have been told. If we are out at the farm, it's all about just getting a "hit," whether it's a beer can or one of our kid's stuffed animals. (The old ratty ones, I know what everyone is thinking!). The important part is that even if it is "training," it should still be fun. __________________ Winchester 12-20 Browning Pro-40 Browning Buckmark Camper

December 26, 2007, 04:06 PM	#13
ATW525 Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2005 Location: Concord, NH Posts: 2,723	I practice at the range and it's mostly fun. Training is something I do under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

December 26, 2007, 11:00 PM	#14
ISC Junior member Join Date: August 5, 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,982	wow ATW, Don't you have any skills that you practice on your own to maintain proficiency? To deny that practicing previously acquired skills has training value is obtuse.

December 27, 2007, 04:37 AM	#15
bestbod85 Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Posts: 161	Agreed, follow the 5 P's, Practice Prevents Piss-Poor Performance

December 28, 2007, 12:36 AM	#16
captkirk9195 Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Posts: 50	For me, it is practice and training, and fun. As I shoot more, I do practice more "isssues" such as tactical reloads, or short magazines, etc. Since it is an indoor range, I can't practice approaching the target, or other real "movement" based exercises. But at the same time, the only time I suspect I will be pulling a weapon will be because some jerk has decided to break into my house. Don't need to practice a whole lot of movement to pop someone coming up the stairs in my house, who is dumb enough to not stop with a gun in his face. I typically set my .22 revolver (SA), P220 SAO, and Makarov .380 on the table. I then load them and pick one at random. Then I switch to one of the other ones, etc. I think the changing of gun/caliber helps me pay attention to what I am doing. I typically fire at targets at the 7 line since that's where I suspect most incidents will occur (big room). Anything further away, I'd hope to be able to find cover/escape. I do shoot a couple of rounds at the 3 line most sessions too, but it isn't my main concentration. Can definately tell the difference between the .22, .380, and .45 between the 3 line and 7 line. At the 3 line, they all aim right on bullseye to hit it. At the 7 line, the .22 is dead on. The .380 and .45 have enough drop to have to aim higher to hit bullseye. I also occasionally bring the Rem 870 Express Magnum 12 ga to the range as well. Though I had it a hair too much on the bone last time, and the 3" magnum loads kicked my rear (still have the bruises days later). The 2 3/4 rounds didn't bother me a bit for reference. HTH Jason

December 28, 2007, 12:47 AM	#17
TexasSeaRay Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 810	I figure I shot and killed all the bad guys that I'm ever going to in this lifetime back when I was younger. So these days, I just go to the range to shoot and plink for relaxation and recreation. Jeff __________________ If every single gun owner belonged to the NRA as well as their respective state rifle/gun association, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. So to those of you who are members of neither, thanks for nothing.

December 28, 2007, 03:58 AM	#21
DWARREN123 Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2006 Location: BETWEEN TN & KY Posts: 1,758	It is all training even if fun. __________________ Have a nice day!

December 28, 2007, 10:59 AM	#22
Jkwas Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2005 Location: Mouth of the Rat, Florida Posts: 1,778	Lately it's been mostly target accuracy and trigger control, but I always try to do a little of everything, point shooting etc. It seems everytime I do go down to the range, it's to show someone else how to shoot! I don't mind, but I spend more time helping them than practicing. __________________ I grew up in New Jersey, but later moved to Florida and made a complete recovery. Keltec: The BIC lighter of handguns http://jkwasblog.blogspot.com/

December 28, 2007, 03:21 PM	#23
ssilicon Senior Member Join Date: May 5, 2005 Posts: 459	60:40 Rec:Training

December 28, 2007, 03:34 PM	#24
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,679	It's all recreation until someone shows up next to me with a muzzlebrake. Only then do I bother with training. __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

December 28, 2007, 04:06 PM	#25
Samurai Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2001 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 901	If you train with the right mindset, then it should be 100% training and 100% recreation. You should WANT to train. It's supposed to be fun. __________________ - Honor is a wonderful and glorious thing... until it gets you killed! - Why is it that we fire 1,000 rounds and know that we need more practice, but yet we punch a bag 10 times and think we know how to fight? - When in doubt, train, train, train...