Does Shooting Pistol Help Your Rifle Shooting?

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Beretta686

New member
When I first got into shooting, I remember someone telling me that if you can shoot a handgun well, you can shoot a rifle well.

Here I am, 20 something years later and I'd consider myself an excellent shot with a pistol, both from a practical ("I'm going to shoot that there") and a marksman's (shooting tight groups) perspective.

However, I consider myself merely an above-average shot with a rifle. In the Army I can usually qualify Expert with the M4, but that's not exactly setting the word on fire, nor have I ever hit 40 out of 40.

I'm curious if anyone has noticed a bleed-over in skills from your pistol shooting to your rifle shooting or vice-versa? I haven't found much improvement in mine, but then I haven't really put the focus on shooting rifles that well.
 
Handguns and long guns require very different techniques.
I haven't found that being good with one helps all that much with the other.
About like comparing a crossbow to a recurve.
IMHO, anyone who wants to be their best with both would have to train and practice with both.
 
I think there may be some benefits that transfer from one to another but not nearly as much as you would gain by practicing with the rifle or pistol. Breath control would translate and maybe trigger control from a crisp single action pistol to a rifle might translate a bit and vice versa. But sighting, holding steady, and other skills do not translate too well, IMO.
 
g.willikers hit the nail right on the head. I shot competition pistol for many years and won a lot of state and regional titles. I even placed at a national shoot. I was certain that if I could shoot a pistol that well I could master the rifle with no problem. Back in the 90s I started shooting Sportsman's Team Challenge and had to use a rifle and shotgun in competition as well as the handgun. To my complete surprise, the rifle was harder to shoot well with than the handgun. I had to put a tremendous amount of time and effort into mastering the rifle off hand shooting. The amount of muscle development and training was much harder with the rifle over the handgun. I had a lot of respect for rifle shooters after that. FWIW, I observed shooters like Lones Wigger, David Tubb, and Karl Bernosky (I apologize for the spelling Karl) shooting handguns with the best of the competitors but not the other way around.
 
Shooting a handgun well can help you be a better rifle shooter but not the other way around. Technique.

tipoc
 
No, It is a big help with my shotgunning. LOL If you saw my pistol targets, you would think I was using a shotgun.

I thought Expert was the top ranking. :confused:

What are the current marksmanship ratings in the military? Forty some-odd years I would qualify for the top ratings with the M-14 and the M1911A1. When I went to Nam I transferred over to the M-16. I don't recall ever qualifying with it or firing on a range with it. Although the range was a lot more fun.

Now days, I would need a scope the see the targets.

Thanks for serving our Country.
 
g.willikers said:
Handguns and long guns require very different techniques.
I haven't found that being good with one helps all that much with the other.
About like comparing a crossbow to a recurve.
IMHO, anyone who wants to be their best with both would have to train and practice with both.
Click to expand...


I'm of the opposite opinion. Sorta.

So long as the fundamentals are strong (and wind isn't part of the equation), the transition to good rifle shooting ought to be pretty quick, IME. To a large degree, shootin's shootin' (so long as wind isn't part of the equation). Not sayin' you'd be able to just pick up a rifle with no previous rifle experience and be a crack shot, but once you figure out the details, improvement ought to come quickly (did I mention so long as wind isn't part of the equation? ;)).
 
Shoot pistols right handed but rifles left handed due to left eye dominance. Always have done it that way. So not really.
 
In my experience, pistols are less forgiving than rifles. They have a shorter sight radius, so it's more critical to align the sights carefully. The triggers tend to be heavy and long, so it's more important to develop good trigger technique. Pistols are lighter and are shot with fewer points of contact than rifles (no slings or shoulder stocks) so learning to hold the gun steady is harder.

If you can develop the skills and techniques to allow you to shoot a pistol well, your offhand rifle shooting will likely improve in the process.
 
in my experience, shooting rifle helps be a better pistol shooter. when you experience the strength of rifle recoil, any pistol recoil (especially 40 cal, 9mm, 45 acp) would feel like a bb gun - which greatly helps me reduce anticipation flinch.
 
Pistol shooting should help rifle shooting. A pistol is a lot harder to shoot well. If nothing else it'll help with trigger control and sight picture. I always thought rifles were for people who couldn't shoot handguns.
 
Handguns and long guns require very different techniques.
I haven't found that being good with one helps all that much with the other.
About like comparing a crossbow to a recurve.
IMHO, anyone who wants to be their best with both would have to train and practice with both.
Click to expand...

I concur.

Some of it will of course depend on what styles of each you are talking about. For example, 200 yard silhouette with a pistol requires some of the same skills as shooting a rifle at medium ranges. If you are talking action sports, the pistol will get you about 70% of the way there when you go to the rifle...meaning the targets that are 20 to 75 yards, which is about 70% of what we shoot in 3Gun.

Shooting and working some of the sniper matches, it always amazes me that there are guys who can go 1 for 1 on five or six 6" targets from 400 to 800 yards, but they can't hit a 10" steel plate at 15 yards with a pistol. I notice in my own shooting that when I focus on a specific platform for more than a few weeks, other skills get a tad stiff. I've taken to shooting at least 30 rounds each, on a skill builder, of pistol, shotgun, carbine and precision on every range trip to keep that from happening.
 
Beretta, I find myself in a similar position, but perhaps not as accomplished as you. In the clubs I've been in, I have been the second or third best pistol shooter, but I think most people who give it some effort are better rifle shooters than I am.

When I first got into shooting, I remember someone telling me that if you can shoot a handgun well, you can shoot a rifle well.
Click to expand...

I heard the opposite, that I didn't need a pistol to learn marksmanship, that I needed to practice on a rifle and it would all transfer over. I believe that was a deception to keep me away from pistols as a child.

The general focus and patience may transfer, but the differences are enormous. For pistol, there is a lot of fine muscle control of the hand and arm that took me a long time to develop. With a rifle, the obstacle seems to be a more general control of the body (breath, posture and building a position).
 
I was shooting shotguns and rifles long before I was shooting pistols and I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a pistol when I first started. That being said, once I started getting pretty good with my handguns, I noticed some minor improvements in my rifle shooting too.

I attribute that to the trigger control one must have on a pistol in order to get the bullet to go anywhere close to where you want it. I suppose if you already had great trigger control on your rifle though that you may not see an improvement like this. As it stands now, I'm probably a better pistol shot than rifle shot, but I practice with my handguns quite a bit more than I do my rifles.
 
Shooting and working some of the sniper matches, it always amazes me that there are guys who can go 1 for 1 on five or six 6" targets from 400 to 800 yards, but they can't hit a 10" steel plate at 15 yards with a pistol. I notice in my own shooting that when I focus on a specific platform for more than a few weeks, other skills get a tad stiff. I've taken to shooting at least 30 rounds each, on a skill builder, of pistol, shotgun, carbine and precision on every range trip to keep that from happening.
Click to expand...

I second that. I shoot long range rifle rather frequently. It's my go-to, what I'm best at and most comfortable with. With that being said, I'm LEO and am pride myself on maintaining better than adequate pistol marksmanship. I notice that my pistol marksmanship really suffers when I focus on long range rifle too much.

I was shooting shotguns and rifles long before I was shooting pistols and I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a pistol when I first started. That being said, once I started getting pretty good with my handguns, I noticed some minor improvements in my rifle shooting too.
Click to expand...

This reflects my experience. I'm comfortable saying that I was a pretty decent shot with a rifle before I ever touched a pistol... couldn't hit anything the first couple of practice sessions. I did "get it" rather quickly though. It also made me a better rifleman.
 
Im not sure it helps either way for me. I shoot a lot with both and I like to put my target far away because I like the chalenge. I have started trying to shoot a 10 inch metal target at 100 yards with my handgun, tge first time was for the hell of it but was surprised that I actually hit it 3 times out of 16 rds so now im trying to hit it more, just because. I also have a metal target that is 18x30 and that one, of course I can hit a lots more but still not enough for me. My rifle is a 22-250, I can get very good group at 100 yards, then I "played" at 600 with the same 10 inch target and was doing ok (no wind) then I pushed it to 1000 yards and the first time hit it once (out of approx 30 rds...lol ) I never thought I would hit it. Now I want to do better but I want a different rifle (caliber) for that. I dont think one helped the other, but its mainly because I like to push it as much as I can and try to do better all the time that help me. Again I do shoot a lot with both.
 
Actually, it as hindered mine a bit,,,

When I first got back into shooting,,,
I purchased as simple a rifle as I could find.

It was an H&R Sportster,,,
Break-action single-shot 22 LR.

I spent one idyllic summer plinking away at the range,,,
"Suuummer tiiiiiime, and the ammo waas plen-ty."

~slap~

Sorry, I'm back now.

Anyways I was actually getting the hang of it,,,
Then I bought some handguns for fun,,,
My rifle skills have gone to seed.

Oh well,,,

Aarond

.
 
Fundamentals are fundamentals.

Muscle memories developed squeezing one trigger while focusing on a sight will translate to other triggers and other sights whether they be on a pistol or rifle.
 
No, but I think rifle shooting helps one's pistol shooting. Trigger control is trigger control, no matter what your shooting.

Jim
 
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