I started out shooting .41 magnum in my youth at my dad's farm in the country.
I got pretty good hitting a 6" spinner and at 25 yards it was pretty boring.
I set up a 1'wide by 2' tall gong in front of a dirt pile, and shot from 50 yards.
Shooting standing offhand, the shots were pretty easy.
Every time I hit the target, I took a few steps back.
When I hit 75 yards, I still hadn't missed, and kept going back every time I hit that gong.
When I hit about 90 yards, I was hitting half of the time, and stayed there for a bit.
Just for the lulz, I tried shooting with other calibers, .45 and 10mm seemed to be pretty good too. You'd be surprised how good you can get in an afternoon of practice at some distance. The only things required are a bit of ammo, a way to slowly get farther from the target, and some time. Adjustable sights or a red dot sight really help, too. .22 long rifle makes it there, too but it's not quite as fun, and the little 40 grain bullet seems to lose it's oomph rapidly out past 50 yards out of a pistol. This does affect accuracy somewhat, like you'd expect. I've found that shooting a few kinds of ammo, you'll find a brand that each gun likes, and with a good gun/ammo combination, the little .22 is good a lot farther out than you'd think.
Full power .41 magnum really rings that steel at distance, as does 10mm, and even heavier bullets in a .357 magnum.
.38 special out of my Henry big boy is so easy and fun at 50-100 yards shooting off from a picnic table, and it's really not that much harder with a pistol. Standing offhand, I do better with a pistol. Off a rest, the rifle is much easier. I have had a bit more practice with pistols, but with a bit of practice I'm sure a rifle gets easier to shoot unsupported, as well.
Ever since then, it has gotten quite a bit easier and if I have a good range day I start at 15 yards, and wind up at 50 yards, and still have pretty good success going further.
9mm isn't the best at distance for me (I seem to do better with revolvers), but with some practice, if you don't hit the target at 50 yards- it's not the gun's fault. What surprised me is how easy my Glock 20 hits targets at long ranges, even with it's stock plastic sights. I would have never expected that.
Most of my pistols shoot a 6 o'clock hold at 25 yards (As in, to hit the center of the target, you aim at the bottom), at 50, they still print a bit high. At longer ranges, they hit dead on, and it's a simple arrangement to shoot both eyes open to superimpose the front sight over the target.
I think the main obstacle to overcome is that the range I go to has a 7 yard, 15, 25, 50, 100, and 200.
If you shoot in the country by yourself, or with a friend, you can step back a step at a time, and learn quickly, rather than getting frustrated trying to go straight from 25 to 50 and then 100.
Don't knock it 'till you try it.