Shooting skills, complete lack of!

Are shooter skills deteriorating where you are & if so by how much.

  • Shooter skills are getting better.

    Votes: 7 15.6%

  • Shooter skills are constant.

    Votes: 22 48.9%

  • Shooter skills are lowering slowly.

    Votes: 10 22.2%

  • There is a rapid & drastic drop in shooting skills.

    Votes: 6 13.3%
  • Total voters
    45
W

wogpotter

New member
I'm afraid I may be bringing up a taboo subject, but recent experiences have prompted me to see if I'm alone, if this is a geographical thing, or a general trend.

I've had several conversations from other shooters who are stating they have never, ever hit the target. Not the bullseye, not the paper target itself, but the bullets "just whooshed away somewhere & I never saw them hit anything!" Has anyone else noticed this trend?

None of the shooters in question, & there have been several from different disciplines, rifle, pistol & so on, & at several locations round here, seem to think this is a problem!

I was brought up being taught you were responsible for every bullet you fired till it stopped moving, but this doesn't even seem to be a part of the thought process for some who have shot "buckets full of bullets" without ever seeing a bullet strike.
 
Whenever I run into someone like that, I offer to teach them about guns. Usually they are receptive. Those who aren't I avoid like the plague.
 
When I first started shooting, I was all over the place and couldn't predict where the final hole would end up on the paper (rarely have I missed the paper).

Now I can group fairly well, even though I would never claim to be competition material. I feel confident that I could put a magazine in center mass, all things being equal.
 
I agree that helping shooters is a good thing, but the point was that locally the increase in shooters who can't hit anything, even at close range seems to be both increasing in volume & decreasing in perceiving missing the 5' tall target stand at 15yds as a problem.

I'm not thinking of beginners having a pattern on the paper instead of a group, that's just a training & experience thing. I'm talking about never ever having seen a bullet strike anywhere on the target, backer or berm & continuing to fire boxes & boxes of ammunition without realizing those bullets end up somewhere.

Literally hundreds of rounds are being randomly sent into the ozone layer with no thought that this is not a good idea.:eek:
 
you need to look at the numbers

You need to remember that we are in a flux moment.

at the current time there is a high number of new shooters...Due to the zombie fad...! Obama's elections win... Economic instability..and the fear of riots in the streets...

so you are going to see alot of people that have never shot a gun go to the range and...not it anything...we all started like that...You just forgot you started like everyone else.

the best thing to do is. Help them out, give them some pointers and help them join the high numbers of responsable gun owners.
;)
 
My boss bought an RRA AR after firing mine. He took it to a range and couldn't hit the target at all from 50 yards! No holes on any part of the paper.
 
Stingray hit the nail on the head, there are a ton of new shooters fueled by politics or reality tv or something, which is a good thing. The bad thing is they do not have anyone showing them the ropes, instead they buy an AR, setup a target 10 feet a way and blast away at it as fast as they can. There needs to be an adult boy scouts where grownups can learn the ins and outs without feeling embarased.
 
Hiker you should suggest he open his eyes that would help.

Perhaps it's just the range I frequent. Most of the regulars are on the paper and some are darn good shots. Most are friendly and helpful to beginners

The problem for me is when they don't know the muzzle needs to be pointed down range. Or don't know what the red line is for. Any one who can't hit paper is lacking in the basic skills and needs instruction.
 
so you are going to see a lot of people that have never shot a gun go to the range and...not hit anything...we all started like that...You just forgot you started like everyone else.
Click to expand...
I haven't forgotten I started out as a newbie. But I was lucky in that I had experienced instruction right from day 1. Maybe that's what's lacking currently? a combination of those who "automatically know how to do it" & a lack of trainers to correct the problems of beginners.

For the record I always try to help those having problems. Most welcome the help as they shoot better & feel better because they're shooting better. Then there's them as can't be helped. Them I avoid.:D
 
Depends on who is shooting and what they are shooting - folks out with deer rifles and long range target guns for the 850 yard shots - skills are constant or increasing; young folks fresh from a video game marathon shooting an AR or handgun with a large cap magazine - those folks can't hit the barn from the inside, skills are dropping or non-existent. But they are out there having fun blasting through more ammo in an hour than I shoot in a month, even if they don't hit anything
 
It's a completely different mindset nowadays,,,

I'm 60 years old,,,
I was born in 1951 and grew up with guns in my hand.

Now granted they were cap-guns of the Roy Rogers type,,,
Or war weapons of the "Combat-Sgt Saunders" type.

But regardless I had guns in hand and I aimed them at anything that moved.

Then I got a CO2 powered cowboy style BB shooting revolver,,,
And a Crossman single-shot pistol that shot BB's, Pellets, and Darts.

I shot at everything with those guns whether it moved or not.

I went to Basic Training in 1970,,,
The day before Dry-Fire our TI asked,,,
"Are there any of you in here that have never fired a rifle?"

I think there were maybe 2 or 3 in our entire flight of 58 men.

According to a colleague of mine who just retired from the Army,,,
His last three years of active duty was as a drill instructor,,,
He told me it was rare to find one who had shot a rifle.

I remember trying to find some toy guns for my two younger brothers in the mid to late 70's,,,
They were impossible to find because society had deemed them inappropriate,,,
A few bright colored cowboy pistols were all I could find.

My point is that in this day and age we are seeing a resurgence in firearm ownership and overall awareness,,,
We can't expect the current generation to have even the skills one gets from handling toy guns,,,
Much less have any awareness (other than Hollywood) of how guns work.

So yes I can believe that the young men and women of today can't initially shoot worth a hill of beans,,,
They have several generations of liberal upbringing that never gave then the chance to shoot the bad guys hiding behind the couch. ;)

So what's the solution?

Take a young person shooting!

I do it a lot with the undergraduate kids I work with,,,
Most of them have trouble hitting the ground,,,
But with a carton or two of bulk .22 ammo,,,
They learn to do just fine rather quickly.

Don't bemoan the situation,,,
Jump on in and help alleviate it.

It's an absolute blast to see someone learn to hit accurately,,,
Then when you take them shopping for their own gun,,,
You get a sense of real pride of accomplishment.

Aarond

.
 
A buddy of mine recently (through a Navy special program) bought his first gun... a 1911 Sig .45. We went to an indoor range and he emptied an entire mag at 10 yards and couldn't hit paper.

I thought the sites might be bad, so I fired a few rounds all in the chest. He then finished off the mag, not hitting anything.

So I did the standard trick of loading a mag in his presence, then slipping an empty mag into the gun and handing it to him, telling him it was loaded, and that he should try again.

The guy had the most severe flinch I'd ever seen... but he was so quick with it, that it was a blink before the shot, and masked itself as recoil.

We talked about it and tried a few things to control his flinch. We even rented a .22lr and had him shoot 50rds through it to give him a "warmup". then we rented a Glock 17 w/laser so he could "visualize" better what he was doing.

After switching back to him Sig and blowing through $75 in ammo, he was finally putting every other round inside the silhouette, and getting about 9/10 on the paper.

It was a big wakeup for me in a lot of ways.
 
I have noticed a lot of new shooters at some of the ranges around Atlanta. I suppose some of this has to do with the increase in freedom to carry. Also, there have been several new ranges opening and many are marketing to non-traditional clientele. The internet accounts for some of this growth with some ranges offer deals on places like Groupon and social networking sites.

Anyway, many of these folks have never shot before and just don’t come from a background where they were taught to shoot as children. Also, since Georgia does not have any formal training requirements to obtain a Firearms License many pick up a gun with little if any training.

Another factor is the ever increasing cost of ammunition which reduces the amount of time people practice. I was at the range the other day and a guy came in rented a lane then proceeded to shoot one magazine of ammunition and left.
 
Even before I got to Aarond's post, I was thinking that I had been introduced to shooting by my father and my uncle, and I have taken my kids and my son in law to the range. My bet is that a lot of new shooters have no one to whom they can turn to learn informally, and are either not aware that trainers are available or are unable or unwilling to pay for training. Learning from family members and friends is a sociable event and a lot more comfortable for a lot of people. I haven't been quite the ambassador that Aarond has, but I have introduced several of my daughter's friends to pistol shooting, and if you take the right attitude towards it you can have a lot of fun teaching young folk.
 
TailGator made a point for me,,,

One that I had neglected to mention.

Almost all of the kids I take shooting,,,
Their parents don't shoot or own any guns,,,
In many cases even their grandparents don't shoot,,,
These kids who have an inherent interest have no clue where to go.

Even if they are savvy enough to Google a rental range,,,
The cost of renting a handgun and buying ammo is prohibitive.

It's not so much prohibitive as it is daunting,,,
They are entering an area with a social taboo factor,,,
As well as an aura of danger that inhibits a newbie from investigating.

I have spare muffs and shooting glasses for two people,,,
I have enough disposable income to front a bulk pack of .22 LR,,,
And I belong to a range that thankfully doesn't enforce the guest limits too closely.

I feel fortunate that I have the means,,,
I'm even more fortunate to have the opportunity,,,
At work I am always surrounded by young men and women.

In most cases all it takes is a:
"Hey, I'm going target shooting this weekend,,,"
"Would you like to go with me and do some recreational tin can blasting?"

They don't all want to go,,,
But a good portion say they would like to try it.

It's a win-win situation,,,
I get some company at the range,,,
I get the opportunity to generate a gun person.

Aarond

.
 
I'd say they are consistent, but what I'd call poor.

I always do well with things requiring dexterity or hand/eye coordination; I shoot fairly well although I don't practice enough

I routinely shoot better than guys who spend an awful lot on ammo and go through it all; the last time I was shooting my M1 carbine I was more accurate at 100 yards than two guys with hunting scoped rifles at the same distance. My one handed shooting with a pistol, which I consider fair at best, gets commented on at my club. I'm no Kit Carson. As an aside, does anybody know who Kit Carson was any more? I doubt it
 
I voted for constant. I recently moved back to Las Vegas, and see the same, what's a polite term for it..."special" behavior out in the desert as I did before. In fact today, I saw some folks drive to the top of a hill and shoot from up there, rather than parking at the base of the hill and using it as a backstop... Fortunately at least they were shooting the opposite direction that I was in.

Around here, there seems to be the combination of inexperienced/uneducated shooters, and people who think just cause they're in the desert they can do whatever they want.
 
I hardly run into anyone who doesn't hit the target at least randomly and close to the target on other shots. Yes, I see the occasional flyer or shot into the ceiling at a range but rarely the case of complete failure to get near a target.

If someone is blantantly doing dangerous things at a range someone usually speaks with them about it. It is rare even at the unpatrolled "State" range.
 
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