What does it mean to be a "good shot"?

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walkin' man

New member
I'd be interested to hear the varying definitions of what it means to be a good shot. Are you a good shot? Do you have to be able to empty the magazine into the 10 ring at 25 yards in 3.2 seconds to be a good shot? If "Frank" can shoot the #$$ out a gnat at 50 feet is he a good shot? If your at the range and can look at the targets around you and sniker does that mean you must be a good shot?

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land of the free and the home of the brave......WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT
 
A

ArizonaMorgan

New member
My definition of a good shot is someone that can consistently shoot well. Notice I said well not just consistently. If Frank can shoot the hairs off a gnats @$$ once than no, I don't think he's a good shot. If he can do it several times in a row, then I do think he's a good shot. If you can shoot 1"@100yds from prone, big deal. If you can shoot 3"@100yds from any position tired or not, adrenaline pumping or not, then you are a good shot. A really good shot is someone who can consistently shoot better than his gun.
 
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jimc

New member
being able to pick up any firearm be it rifle, pistol or shotgun and hit your target. not once but consistently. my neighbor (who hardly shoots) can hit the x-ring at 25yds consistently with either my glocks, or sig's as well as he can using (are you ready for this) his tokarov in 9mm!! now that's a good shot.
 
D

David Schmidbauer

Retired Screen Name
Ok I'll add my $.02 worth. I have to agree with everyone else. A good shot is someone who can hit consistantly. I'll add something.

A great shot is someone, who not only can hit consistantly, but knows the art enough that they more often then not make shots that seem impossible. You know the type... they make you think "Damn.. that SOB can shot!" Yeah... some of these shots probably do involve some luck, but when you got everything else down pat your skill kind of make your own luck. Like ArizonaMorgan said... they can shot better then their gun.



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Schmit, GySgt, USMC(Ret)
NRA Life, Lodge 1201-UOSSS
"Si vis Pacem Para Bellum"
 
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GLV

Moderator
One who can shoot when the pressure is on, be it in competition with everyone watching, or in combat, while being shot at by your opponent. Anyone can shoot when nothing is on the line. That is the reason competition is so important. No it is not anymore like combat than is practicing CPR on a dummy like doing CPR on a dead person. But both create pressure on the individual. GLV
 
B

bookkie

New member
I used to think I was a good shoot... Not bad I guess... a little better than average. Then I met some people who shoot competively in the olypics. Consistantly 3" at a 1,000 yards from any position. Also some of the 22 50ft shooters. Have one fellow in our gun club who was he national champ. Got six perfect scores in a row.

Guess when it comes right down to it the person who is a good shoot is the one who shoots better than yourself... :)

Richard
 
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HS

New member
Would hitting the Chinese Embassy from 40mls away be considered a good shot? ;)


Well they did hit what they were aimin' at !

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"The Gun from Down Under !"
 
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Mike Spight

New member
Everyone here has been on target, and I think GLV was somewhat closer. Being able to shoot well when something is at stake (meat on the table, winning a trophy, SAVING YOUR LIFE) is the best test. Hemingway called it "...grace under pressure...". To my mind, a John Wesley Hardin or Jim Cirillo calmly taking aim (taking their time...in a hurry) while bullets are striking around them and taking down their opponent/s is the ultimate test of how good a shot someone is. A close second is shooting dangerous game at close range or in thick cover...something that can eat you or stomp a mud hole in you.
 
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AJ

New member
My definition of a good shot is someone who can hit the exact spot at which they are aiming. Anything else seems to fall more into the realm of 'lucky shot.'
 
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thaddeus

New member
The movie "The Unforgiven" had a good lesson about being calm under pressure (love the ending).

To me, general shooting of precise targets does not impress me, but is fun once in a while and tests your skill such as trigger control and breathing.
What impresses me, and what I work on the most, is trying to fire while moving myself from different positions in different ways and/or at a moving target. Let's be real, it is very seldom that you and/or your live target are going to be still in combative shooting. Combine a moving target/moving shooter with stress and you have a completely different animal from "target shooting".
Placing shots in the x-ring at 25 yards with a combat handgun is nice and so is popping cans in the desert at "long" range (fun!), but it does not impress me in the least, it is just fun and easy practice.
Running through a time trial where you and or the targets are moving and/or appearing and you have to take combative shots on the fly...and score well....well, that is a good shot, IMHO.
When I shoot in the desert (which is where I can be the most creative), I quickly get bored of shooting still targets, and progress to shooting while running, shuffling, and all kinds of stuff. Being able to double tap a moving can at 15 yards while shuffling sideways (both you and the target are moving, and you are shooting "rapid fire" for lack of a better term), for example, is more impressive to me.

Guess it depends on what you want out of your shooting....precision target handgun, combat handgun, precision rifle etc etc.
And, as said above, all things are relative, so it depends on how good those around you are (what you compare to) and what you are bad at. Personally, I think I am anywhere from poor to average to "pretty good" at most types of shooting (depending on the type). But, I surround myself with guys that have been shooting weekly for 20 years, so I am comparing myself not to super-pro competition monsters, but at least to very experienced shooters.

Try this thread, it might help (I was asking the same question, but refined to 25 yard "headshots" with a combat handgun).

http://ericcom.com/glocktalk/Forum3/HTML/002157.html
 
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