Like I said in the 1st post, I've never really been a dedicated pistol shooter, but now I'm trying to do so. I'm no compeitition shooter, but it's one of the most important pursuits in my personal life. I'm 56 and have been a squirrel hunter since I can remember. Almost everywhere I went when I was a kid I had a pellet gun, various types, pump up to CO2 compeitition 22 caliber with quality sights. Even today nothing gives me the satisfaction that looking down (Drawdown) open sights and taking a squirrel with one well placed shot! I don't get into trying to kill #'s but just truly enjoy hunting and making each shot count, that's what I enjoy the most about it! Practicing for the hunting is what gives me the drive to do plenty of serious target shooting with my 22 rifles.
Now I'm getting interested in trying it with a handgun, so for me practice is now important, and consistency, to a certain degree mandatory. What degree of consistency is possible for me is why I turned to you'll, and am glad I did, cause you'll are obviously very interested in helping! Rifle's I know about but pistols, well?? Thanks very much, this is already turned out to be a helpful thread, hopefully helpful to others!
When I go shooting I've got the best shooting range in the world. I load onto my Honda ATV at my back door and ride aprox 7 miles into these mountains of SE Ky. to a place that's safe, so secluded I think I'm the only person in the world, and usually spring thru fall in the early morning hours anyways, a dead to very little wind. Concentration, scenery, and enjoyment comes easy!
The things I've learned from rifle shooting to be most important? Naturally the wind, but usually for my case not a factor, so when I do shoot in a wind I see the effects of it very well.
Target type is as important as any other variable, especially shooting open sights. A definite POA to give a consistent POI is a must, especially again with open sights past 40 yds, and I shoot out to 150 meters and am going to move that out to 200 this year.
Consistent hold and rest is much easier with a rifle, but the little things still matter all the same, especially past 50 meters!
And coffee most definitely! I'm always out right after daylight, having eaten and taken in plenty of coffee, I love it! I'm hyper and excited then anyways, so I naturally have to settle into my shooting. But this duplicates exactly my condition and circumstances of an early morning squirrel hunt, so I have to overcome them, not do away with, but wouldn't change a thing I enjoy it so much!
Last but not least and probably the single most important is light. It took me a lotta years to get this one in my thick skull, but light, the amount, angle, shadows of dark and light, all make so much difference! How we see the target is determined by how the light brings it to us, and again the type of target comes into play on this one!
You'll have already pointed out all these factors, but now I've got to apply them to pistol shooting, and at close range they're still important, even tougher shoting a handgun. I may only kill a few squirrels with my pistol before my days are up, but the learning trip to achieve it is what makes it so rewarding, and something I love even more now than I did when I's 10 years old drawing down them sights of my pellet rifles! You'll stay with me!