Rounds per hour at the range?

Snap caps and dry fire, dry fire, dry fire.

Then go to the range and shoot slowfire at 50 yards till you start seeing some good groups mostly in the black. Only then do you want to start your time and rapid fire sequences at 25 yards and closer. First you learn to shoot then you practice your SD skills.

Besides snap caps and good dry fire practice your best friend is a 22LR. I don't care if it's a pistol or revolver, a target model or back country pack gun. Buy by the case and shoot up by the box. bullseye, reactive targets like balloons, cookies, tin cans chunks of 2X4 pieces cut to 2" lengths, pill bottles filled with water. Different ranges and different angles from your shooting point if you can do so safely. Plink slow and deliberate fire, it's fun, it's cheap and it will help you to judge range.

When you get back to centerfire at 7 yard targets you will impress everybody including yourself.
 
It is not the number of rounds you fire. It is the quality of the shots.

I have seen many shooters who fire thousands of rounds each year. Despite the expense and the wear and tear on their equipment they do not improve.

My most effective training, included 10 dry fires to 1 round fired, meditation on my shooting, Archery practice. and weight lifting.

Once i did not fire a shot handgun for 6 months. I thought about it, I visualized shooting, and I practiced with my hand (no pistol). When I returned to the range, I improved my bulleyes score by an average of 10 points.
 
Then go to the range and shoot slowfire at 50 yards till you start seeing some good groups mostly in the black. Only then do you want to start your time and rapid fire sequences at 25 yards and closer. First you learn to shoot then you practice your SD skills.

Unfortunately the local indoor range only goes to 25 yards and doesn't allow rapid fire.

What kind of groups are considered "good" at 50 yards or even at 25? Is it generally accepted wisdom that you should practice at longer ranges in order to improve short-range accuracy?

Went to the range again last night and slowed things down a bit. Definitely felt like I made more progress than last time.
 
I realize that I'm an aberration of sorts in this regard. Just in the "per hour" part... I almost never spend a full hour at the range and if I do I'm probably shooting rifles.

Handgunnery, I shoot a few mags slow fire, then a few rapid fire, then (maybe) a few from concealment. More likely only one from concealment and sometimes none. Probably not 30 minutes before I get bored.

Yeah, I know. How is that possible. Bored?
 
Go to a smaller target. When I was coaching the Ouachita County Mounted Patrol, I asked a member who failed to qualify what he was trying to hit. His reply was the target. I showed him the X in the 10 ring and asked him to try for that every time. Mentally he tightened his focus and actually tightned his groups.

Work on your mechanics. Consistent grip, sight picture, breathing, muscle tension, body mechanics and call your shots.

Once you have mastered the mechnics, The difference between between 25yds and 50 yds is a mental problem not a mechanical. I have seen action shooters who could hold amazingly small groups at 25 yds and under fall apart on the 50 yd targets. They had a mental problem.
 
Went to the range again last night and slowed things down a bit. Definitely felt like I made more progress than last time.
My bad, I should have realized you were shooting at an indoor range but the answer is the same. Use a reduced target like this one and really bear down on each single shot by looking at that front sight until the gun goes off. If you have one box of 50 rounds and you don't finish them in an hour but your groups are good you done good.

At 50' use this: http://www.pistoleer.com/targets/pics/B2.gif

At 25 yards use this: http://www.pistoleer.com/targets/pics/B35.gif

or this: http://www.pistoleer.com/targets/pics/B16.gif

At 50 yards use this: http://www.pistoleer.com/targets/pics/B6.gif

I prefer the 3" bull over the 5" bull at 25 yards for slow fire. But I have been doing this for more than 50 years. If you can stay inside 8" at 50 yards you will eat out the center at 25. It isn't a fast process, takes time, lots of trigger time, remember you are shooting for fun so relax and enjoy the process. One day it will click and you will wonder what happened.
 
My question is: How many rounds per hour do you fire at the range and why?


Enough to accomplish the task of refining whatever skillset(s) I'm working on, that particular day. This also largely determines the speed of fire and volume expended.

Sometimes, I shoot just to have fun. 'all work & no play'...
 
For me there is almost never a rush on my range time. I pay for a yearly membership. If the sun is setting then I know there is not much time left though I am not in a hurry. (Well exeapt maybe to get out of there, so I can go home to a good meal, and a cold beverage.:p) I do not have to worry about this is the only time I get for the month. I know the next few days I will make my way back to the range.

I typicaly spend at least 2 hours at the range. Most times it is even longer than that. I am a casual shooter. I am at the range to have fun. With that mindset my day at the range is always a good day.

As far as how much ammo I shoot depends on what I am shooting at that time. Since I cast lead, and relaod I can burn a lot of ammo on a janitor's pay. Sometimes I shoot fast, a lot of moving, and point shooting. Sometimes it is slow deliberate, and concentrating a small groups. I also have my rifle at the range too. I shoot the handgun for a bit then go shoot the rifle. I take a break for the barrell to cool off, and go shoot the handgun. I have a soda pop and shoot the breeze for a while to kill some time as well.
 
Thank you for the advice on targets Old Grump. The ones I used in my last session have a small red bullseye and I found it was tough to pick it up beyond 7 yards.

I'm looking forward to the Spring when I can do a little outdoor shooting. The lighting in the range I visit is a bit dim.
 
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