A Different Skill

Several years ago, when I first started shooting handguns, I was fortunate enough to work a few minutes from an indoor shooting range.  About every other week I would spend about 1/2 hour of my lunch break shooting my 357.  On several occasions a LEO would be a lane or 2 away.  The LEO was usually shooting slow fire at a target set about 10 yards away.  I was shooting slow fire at 25 yards.  I never once saw a LEO there that could shoot worth a damn, slow fire.  I came to the conclusion that LOEs are generally poor gun handlers.

Years later, in their defense, I realize they don't need to be precision shooters.  They need to put rounds on target, at moderate to close range.  On the other hand I personally met more than one who actually despised firearms, and refused to practice more than enough to qualify and never kept one in the home.

Slow fire is an entirely different skill than combat fire.  I spent years and years loading 357 ammunition for accuracy, and practicing at ranges some consider only for rifles.  My goal was to see how small a target I could hit how far away with a single shot.  Even today I shoot at targets in an area that the shooting range specifies to be for rifles only.  My targets are set at 50 to 200 yards.  200 is a stretch, but not 150 yards.

Unfortunately I suck at close combat fire.  As I said, that's a different skill.  Been practicing that a bit, but now my long range handgun skills are suffering.

The above came to mind because of this post. that I found here.