Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced?
- Thread starter pax
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tahunua001
New member
intermediate. I'm no gary michilek and I'm no longer the goober that was proud of grouping half a mag inside a 6x8 sheet of plywood at 20 yards.
tactical operator here. a level above expert. thanks for asking, I wasn't sure how to just come out and say it w/o sounding pompous.
If sheer volume of shooting makes your grade, then I am definitely an expert. realistically, borderline intermediate. getting good with rifles, still struggle with switching targets quickly with pistols and have NEVER been able to put a mag in a 3" or under group past 7 yards. but I can shoot real fast and stay in the COM, I am pretty happy with that ATM
If sheer volume of shooting makes your grade, then I am definitely an expert. realistically, borderline intermediate. getting good with rifles, still struggle with switching targets quickly with pistols and have NEVER been able to put a mag in a 3" or under group past 7 yards. but I can shoot real fast and stay in the COM, I am pretty happy with that ATM
Advanced, and if the question will somehow eventually go deeper with far more details to get a better and more valid answer, I look forward to seeing if my early answer was correct.
If we were talking rifles, I'd choose "intermediate".
If we were talking shotguns, I would say "formerly intermediate but now almost completely worthless."
If we were talking rifles, I'd choose "intermediate".
If we were talking shotguns, I would say "formerly intermediate but now almost completely worthless."
lee n. field
New member
Just wondering what your ulterior motive is in asking.
Lee -- nothing nefarious, just something that came up today in a conversation with a friend. Can't say more for fear of skewing the results.
pax
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” but, “That's funny...” —Isaac Asimov
pax
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” but, “That's funny...” —Isaac Asimov
I wish the answer choices were a bit more granular. As they're given, I have to interpret "advanced" very restrictively and construe "intermediate" as a very broad category. Any category that would include both me and the names that come to mind when you think of truly great shooters is descriptively pretty useless.
I consider myself intermediate when it comes to handguns. I agree with AustinTX the choices are not ideal. I believe I am a better shot than most, judging by what I see at the range.
However, there are many shooters who would smoke me especially if you tweak the criteria. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced at speed? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced in terms of slow fire accuracy? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced in competition? Etc......
Need more context to give a truly meaningful response.
Still off the cuff I consider myself intermediate on my best days.
However, there are many shooters who would smoke me especially if you tweak the criteria. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced at speed? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced in terms of slow fire accuracy? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced in competition? Etc......
Need more context to give a truly meaningful response.
Still off the cuff I consider myself intermediate on my best days.
TheFineLine
New member
Its in the handgun section so I picked advanced. I love my hobby and spend a lot of time shooting and running drills with various types of pistols and revolvers. I'm a collector and a loader. There are many people out there far more knowledgeable and capable than I am, but I do consider myself advanced. Now if this were in the long guns section, I'd go intermediate.
YES! Let's say instead of the three choices, we were able to rate ourselves on a 1 to 10 scale. 10 would be Miculek, Rob Leatham and those guys... 9 would be all the folks that can actually have really good particular days shooting against those guys but will never be known the way a professional and sponsored shooter will be known, and maybe an 8 are the folks who can beat anyone at any local shoot (where the locals get upset and accuse them of being sandbaggers ) and then the 1's thru 5's are the folks that most of the TFL posting type of people often see around them on the shooting range -- where the target is a man sized piece of paper and they run it out a full five yards and all the shots pretty much land somewhere on that sheet of paper.
I think many of us would be a little more comfortable rating ourselves if we had a better idea of which group we come near or might be lumped in with.
) and then the 1's thru 5's are the folks that most of the TFL posting type of people often see around them on the shooting range -- where the target is a man sized piece of paper and they run it out a full five yards and all the shots pretty much land somewhere on that sheet of paper.I think many of us would be a little more comfortable rating ourselves if we had a better idea of which group we come near or might be lumped in with.
Pond James Pond
New member
What ever I might like to think, realistically I am a beginner.
I've been shooting a whole 3.5 years: hardly a geological age of experience. I took to shooting later in life (later 30's, thank you very much) so my likely rate of skills acquisition is probably lower than if I had started in my 20's.
Whilst I have improved and I have extended my experience beyond a single handgun (in part because I have learnt that not all guns suit), I still realise how much I have to learn.
If I practised as much as I think I should (time and money being no object) then I could be pushing intermediate, but not yet....
I've been shooting a whole 3.5 years: hardly a geological age of experience. I took to shooting later in life (later 30's, thank you very much) so my likely rate of skills acquisition is probably lower than if I had started in my 20's.
Whilst I have improved and I have extended my experience beyond a single handgun (in part because I have learnt that not all guns suit), I still realise how much I have to learn.
If I practised as much as I think I should (time and money being no object) then I could be pushing intermediate, but not yet....
Sparks1957
New member
Not that great, but not too bad either. I would consider myself in the lower intermediate range, simply because I've been shooting for half a century (handguns for 40 years) and practice pays off.
Advanced.
Shooting my taurus 8 shot 6" rev. 357 w/red dot at a 20" square steel plate @200 yrds. Double action (staging trigger) Ding it 8 out of 8.
Indoor range. @30 feet, I can punch out one 3/4" hole 8 shots.
I shoot double action and take my time, but not too long. No rapid fire.
Always looking for a competitor
Shooting my taurus 8 shot 6" rev. 357 w/red dot at a 20" square steel plate @200 yrds. Double action (staging trigger) Ding it 8 out of 8.
Indoor range. @30 feet, I can punch out one 3/4" hole 8 shots.
I shoot double action and take my time, but not too long. No rapid fire.
Always looking for a competitor
Kreyzhorse
New member
Intermediate. I carry and shoot regularly and I hunt and also shoot a lot of shotgun sports.
I'm not a beginner but there are better shooters and more knowledgeable people than I am so intermediate is a fair description.
I'm not a beginner but there are better shooters and more knowledgeable people than I am so intermediate is a fair description.
When I was competing, I finished in the top 60 in my first limited nationals. Over two nationals, I had 5 stages where I was in the top 25. My second nationals I had a lot of gun issues and still squeaked a 13 on one stage and a 19. Was shooting 500rds a week which is about all I could afford at the time. Much older now, slower and my eyes aren't as good. Was always capable of good long distance accuracy, unsupported. Never competed with a long gun, 4th award expert is probably the only shooting I have done with a long gun that I could use as a basis. Im much better with a long gun now than I was in boot camp.
Obviously this is very subjective and depends on what scale you use for measurement. For instance an expert rated Police Officer might differ from an expert rated Navy Seal. I’ve seen guys talk about their tight groups and what experts they are, but then I see them shoot with the target ten feet in front of them. Also, are we referring to self defense shooters, combat shooting, competition or hunting?
Yes
Our reply depends on how big the scope of our vision is, or who we're comparing ourselves to.
Does beginner mean first shots at the range?
OR
In comparison to how good *you will be* in a few years, do you feel like you're still early in your journey?
Can a greater understanding make you a "better" shooter even if your eyes aren't what they used to be? How about even if group size is the same after all these years can someone be "better" or "worse"?
Can you be an advanced handgunner if you've never tried: competing, defensive shooting/training, single action/cowboy, bullseye, effectively teaching others?
Is this a classic case of: the more you know, the more you don't?
Practically: while our personal statements may place ourselves "lower" as we'd all like to improve, at some point - say signing up for classes we'd have to choose between categories based on class content. For example: if you can safely handle firearms, have had prior instruction, apply fundamentals consistently, consistent group sizes with slow and timed fire but have not had a chance to say - shoot on the move - I would say consider an intermediate class at some point as a group setting beginner class may start from the *very* beginning and depending on content may stop short of pushing limits.
Our reply depends on how big the scope of our vision is, or who we're comparing ourselves to.
Does beginner mean first shots at the range?
OR
In comparison to how good *you will be* in a few years, do you feel like you're still early in your journey?
Can a greater understanding make you a "better" shooter even if your eyes aren't what they used to be? How about even if group size is the same after all these years can someone be "better" or "worse"?
Can you be an advanced handgunner if you've never tried: competing, defensive shooting/training, single action/cowboy, bullseye, effectively teaching others?
Is this a classic case of: the more you know, the more you don't?
Practically: while our personal statements may place ourselves "lower" as we'd all like to improve, at some point - say signing up for classes we'd have to choose between categories based on class content. For example: if you can safely handle firearms, have had prior instruction, apply fundamentals consistently, consistent group sizes with slow and timed fire but have not had a chance to say - shoot on the move - I would say consider an intermediate class at some point as a group setting beginner class may start from the *very* beginning and depending on content may stop short of pushing limits.