"Standard" Pistol Training/Testing Distances: Origins?

Pistol training and testing distances: 3-yards, 5-yards, 7-yards, 15-yards, & 25-yards.

I've had a few recent conversations with friends and other associates regarding the origins of pistol training/testing distances. No one really knows how or why these distances became so prevalent over others.

In my observations, the use of the 3, 5, 7, 15, & 25-yard distances are very common on ranges belonging to or frequented by law enforcement organizations. Usually the distances are not temporarily marked (example: road cones), but rather identified by permanent/semi-permanent means (examples: paint, concrete walkways/paths, barricades, etc.) This indicates the distances are considered "standard" within the law enforcement community. Regardless of who influenced who and at what point (military, law enforcement, civilian, competition shooting) the fact remains these distances are common place.

It also appears most (not all) pistol drills, tests, and qualifications favor the aforementioned distances.

Does anyone know the origin story of these distances commonly used for pistol training/testing?

Primarily, I'm curious as to why the 7, 15, and 25 versus the 10, 20, and 30 yard lines, but I'd like to know all the story if someone can provide it.

I am not interested in arguing the merits of one distance over another for training, tactical applications, or competition. I am only interested in the who, what, when, where, why and how these distances became what appears to be an unwritten standard in pistol training/testing. In other words, I'm just interested in the history.

*Admins: If this is more appropriate in General Discussion please move. I believe the Marksmanship & Gun Handling thread may elicit more productive responses, but I can see it in either thread. Thank you.

I seem to recall Tom Givens saying that you see 7 yards so much because it was the distance across the typical home's room.

The influence was largely from the competition side of things (PPC) .... LE just adopted much of it as a "standard" in their training.

https://www.tactical-life.com/exclus...urse-turns-50/

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Originally Posted by 41magfan

The influence was largely from the competition side of things (PPC) .... LE just adopted much of it as a "standard" in their training.

https://www.tactical-life.com/exclus...urse-turns-50/

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Thanks for the link. Interesting article.

I did not see where the FBI and/or NRA came up with the use of 7-yards in the article. I'm sure there is a reason as 7-yards seems awfully specific to simply be a random choice or one of convenience. If it was for ease or convenience I would expect to see 5, 10, 15, 25-yard standards... especially 10-yards over 7-yards for several reasons (even number, sports analogies, etc.).

I think the article explains why these distances may be "standard" for law enforcement now. Any idea where the FBI and NRA got the idea for using those specific distances?

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Originally Posted by Clark Jackson

Thanks for the link. Interesting article.

I did not see where the FBI and/or NRA came up with the use of 7-yards in the article. I'm sure there is a reason as 7-yards seems awfully specific to simply be a random choice or one of convenience. If it was for ease or convenience I would expect to see 5, 10, 15, 25-yard standards... especially 10-yards over 7-yards for several reasons (even number, sports analogies, etc.).

I think the article explains why these distances may be "standard" for law enforcement now. Any idea where the FBI and NRA got the idea for using those specific distances?

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I suspect like most shooting disciplines (past and present) the established distances were largely arbitrary ..... with a pinch of practicality and relevance thrown in for good measure.

I’m sure the Tueller Drill largely influenced the seven yard thing.

I know when I first came on my department 25 years ago, our firearms personnel, and some of our upper echelon were much more of a shooting culture. We would shoot/qualify on a PPC/NRA style course out to 50 yards in the academy. We were rarely required to shoot it after academy training, but our yearly quals were still at the common distances you reference, out to 25 yards.

From what I understand our distances were primarily the result of a lot of the distances used in competitive shooting as far back as the fifties.

I will say that as time has gone on, and the shooting culture that was once prevalent has passed, replaced by less capable leaders, the required distances have been reduced and the scoring made easier, but that is fodder for another thread....

From a law enforcement perspective (LEO relative taught me, back in their academy days), 21 feet, or 7 yards, is the distance a person can be shot and still reach you with a knife.

I imagine the first targets were placed wherever it felt about right. Of course, once 2 guys started comparing notes they wanted to ensure a level playing field and measured out those ranges, probably then rounding to the nearest yard.

Aside from the 21-feet rule, 7 yards is also about the distance between a cruiser door and a perp's door during a traffic stop (cars are ~5 yards long + ~2 yards cushion so you still have room to drive around the car to get back on the highway without reversing).

This may not be exact, but it's pretty close I think:

* As early as 1934, noted firearms trainer Henry Fitzgerald (of Fitz Special gun mod fame) was using "gunfight data" in his training schemes that indicated most shootings happened at distances between 10' and 25 yards.

* The first FBI Range was built in 1940 on the grounds at Quantico and the military (Marine Corp) influence on all FBI firearms training was unquestionable. At that time, the military used a "short" range for combined training with handguns and SMGs. Those ranges had firing positions at the 7, 15, 25 and 50 yard line so the FBI range mirrored that.

* The NRA standardized most of the this with the PPC Course of Fire in the late 50's (pre-dating any notion of a Tueller Drill or 21 ft Rule). It was clearly a shooting discipline that tested marksmanship - not tactics.

As I noted in a previous post, the reasons for the yardage designations back then were likely a mixture of relevance and practicality sprinkled with an element of arbitrariness ..... but that's certainly just my opinion.