I wrote:
For a carry gun, the likelihood of me needing to take a shot past 20 yards is significantly less than needing to get a much quicker shot off at 7-15 yards (and more likely it'll be one-handed at 1-3 yards).
To which Todd replied:
Quote Originally Posted by ToddG View Post
Except you have no idea what kind of target presentation you're going to see whether it's at 5yd or 50yd. Especially indoors, there are rarely wide open full body shots to be made. Someone using cover well 7yd away is just as hard as hitting a torso at 50yd.

I see good shooters (even IPSC GMs and certainly myself) miss a static 3x5 at 7yd all the time when going fast. I consider that a pretty realistic and practical target zone and distance.
I agree with your first, third, and fourth sentences. And I never said "wide open fully body shots" at nearer distances. (I like practicing with 2in dots, 3 in dots, and 3x5 cards set in different places on targets from 3 to 15 yards.)

I also note that a 2-in circle at 7 yards IS easier (for me) than a 6 inch circle at 20 yards---because it is easier to keep the focus on the front sight and still have a good grasp of where exactly the target area is. Yes, dot practice up close will help you get better at precision shooting at distance. It isn't the same, though, in terms of difficulty, in my opinion. And practice at shooting precision shots close-in is also important.

I'm not against far shots---everybody should practice them, I think. Preferably on steel, to get that immediate feedback. Great practice, and fun to do also.

For me personally, though, even on the wide-open plains of Nebraska the threat possibility of precision shots past 20 yards requiring an immediate handgun response is significantly less than other threat possibilities. Do I practice stress responses to distance targets? Sure. Do I spend much time on it? Not as much as other things.

I should note that in every practice session, I try to at least get a little distance-precision practice in. ---and this leads to a comment on a misunderstanding on my part. I had thought that the person I originally responded to meant that his practice was done with the goal of being able to hit 2.5" targets at 25 yards on demand (meaning when it is necessary RIGHT NOW)---as opposed to using a target at that distance for precision practice.

If prioritizing practice for stress responses, distance precision is far down on my list. If practicing precision and good fundamentals, distance shooting is high on my list.