Shooting drills at an indoor range

[bbrian]

I’m new to shooting, and I’d like to know some thoughts around the best ways to practice. I do my shooting at an indoor range, with a maximum distance of 75 yards. I’ve seen some posts here which describe shooting drills, but if I get too carried away with shooting from a prone position or rapid fire, they will kick me out of the range.

Anyway, I’ve found that about 100 - 200 rounds is all I like to shoot at one session. Any more rounds than that, and I lose my concentration and the groups aren’t very tight. I typically shoot in the 20, 25, 30 range, but there is no purpose to the distance I’m selecting, just what I feel like.

Should I start close, like 20 feet, and then move to 25 and further? Or is it better to start from further away and work back in? Honestly, I have no idea what I can do to become better shot other than shoot more often. But I’d hate to aimlessly fire off rounds when there is a more efficient way to train.

Any help or routine is appreciated.

 

[kcshooter]

For some good drills, check out the sticky post at the begining of the T+T catagory.
As far as distances are concerned, 75 yards is too far for personal self defense. And don't start far then move closer, and don't start close and then move far. Change the distances up thru your whole session. I shoot about 500-600rds per week, and the best way to get proficient at any range is to not keep a pattern. Start somewhere in the middle then move closer then farther then closer again, but randomly and differently each session.
And to get better, you are gonna have to find someone to help and train and critique your shooting. I've been shooting about 10 years, since I was 21, and shooting a lot for the last 5 years, about 25,000 rds per year. About 3 years ago, I noticed that I just wasn't getting any better. I had become a good shot, but not a great one. I got a guy who worked at a local range and a guy who teaches SD and CCW to teach me, attended a training school, and studied a lot. But I couldn't have done it on my own.
I'd recommend getting training quickly, as waiting like I did helped me ingrain some very bad habits that are hard to break. Also , get to the range a lot, at least twice a month. Besides a teacher, practice will help more than anything

 

[PaulBk]

Plinking, Practicing, and Training

In addition to the great drills offered in the sticky above, I would like to add the following commentary. For me, there are three distinct types of range time arbitrarily defined as follows:

Plinking: Informal trigger time, mostly for fun or familiarization. Usually for me just blowing off ammo, having fun with friends, etc. It is fairly easy to acquire bad habits this way, but the fun factor sometimes overrides this concern.

Practicing: Working on some specific aspect(s) of shooting. Front sight awareness, trigger pull, follow through, grip, stance, etc. I am concentrating on individual skills.

Training: This is where it all comes together for me. Training means a strict regimen, like those detailed in the sticky. In addition, for training time I use Mas' theory that every shot must count, so I fine myself for misses. I also use a shot timer only during training time and record every shot for posterity.

-Paul