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The last couple of matches I've shot have really reinforced what I've known for a while - my accuracy is unacceptable past 20ish yards when any kind of speed is involved. I'm focusing a lot of my live fire practice at longer distances but I'm wondering if any of you have any tips for working on longer-range accuracy during dry fire.
Typically I dry-fire about 3x week and focus on wall drill, draw/press out at moderate to slow speed, and reloads at slow to fast speeds
This topic interests me as well... I can generally keep it within 4 inches with slow fire at 25 yards. However at any sort of speed, my low prob. and distance shots fall apart.
I am no expert.
But in my limited experience, inaccuracies past 20 yards have been due to one of two things:
- Poor fundamentals, or
- Lack of experience/understanding on my part with regard to the POA/POI for the gun & ammo combination
WRT the second point, I've learned that with my M&P22 (with Federal bulk pack) and M&P9c (with Speer Lawman 115g), I have to use a 6 o'clock hold once distances start increasing. I kept missing high center before I realized this.
Not to nitpick, but there are 2 different problems mentioned here: accuracy and precision.
accuracy is hitting your intended target (POA/POI stuff)
precision is getting a tight group
You and my wife must be related, or you are an engineer. She has said the same thing, correcting me, for at least 20 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by JV
I have worked with three high-level USPSA shooters in training and all three have said the same thing in one way or another, and that is that the target isn't further away, it's just smaller (they say the same thing about targets partially obscured by no-shoots, it's not a no-shoot you're trying to miss it's a smaller target you're trying to hit). I don't know why, but that mental shift makes a difference to me, as does approaching the shot with confidence rather than "I never hit these".
With true long-range shooting yes you need to account for the trajectory of the bullet, but in a competition or fighting environment you simply need to get acceptable hits in the time allotted and out to 25-30 yards the trajectory matters not.
OK - I have a precision problem more than an accuracy problem. - I had actually not heard that distinction before, I like it.
I get the whole farther = smaller thing in theory but in practice it's really different for me. I find a 2" circle at 3yds easier to hit than an A/-0 at 25 yds. I think that visually it's different somehow, but dryfiring at tiny targets probably wouldn't hurt
A big issue that I have is contolling pace at differening distances - so something that's common for me would be - targets at 7yds and then 20 yds - I routinely go AA, AM - even trying to slow down on the longer targets (I may be psyching myself out there)
Anyway, any practive routines or drills for live and dry fire are welcome.
2" at 3 yards is like 17" at 25 yards (yes, I rounded up), so yes it is easier. Try 1" circles are 3 yards to simulate the A zone (8") at 25 yards.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffJ
The best thing I've done for my overall accuracy was shooting 3x5 at 25m, and now I'm starting to push things out to 35m. I record every shot I take and track performance. Once I set a PR, I either try to get more hits on target, push the distance out, or decrease the size of the target. I've noticed that 25m 3x5's is almost perfect for working on accuracy (poa/poi), and is really pushing the envelope on precision with a pistol free-style (unless you are TLG or Dave Sevigny). Dot Torture has really helped my accuracy tremendously, and I'm not working on getting a 50/50 at 7m. Personally, I've really struggled to translate any dry fire drills into more accuracy, unless I'm working on building a more stable platform (primarily for SHO/WHO work). In my limited experience, I have found that dry fire is perfect for manipulations/movement/tactics, and live fire is for sights and trigger.
I taught myself to shoot offhand with an M1 Garand at 200 yards by dryfiring.
The target was a small black spot penciled in the center of an 8 and a half by five inch piece of notebook paper.
I dryfired ever few days all winter and in the spring my offhand scores at the NRA Highpower Rifle matches were up.
So, small targets at short range should work to simulate pistol targets a ways out there too.
That work was done a long time ago but I can still shoot offhand with an M1, M1A, or other service type rifle pretty well.
My son the Bullseye shooter was shooting my Garand offhand last year at 100 yards and missing a bit.
"Give your old man that rifle," sez I.
He didn't want to cause he figured I'd show him up. I did.
(His eyes are so much better than mine these days that the darn kid beats me a lot with handguns, however).