Posted by: wristtwister
Measuring shooting proficiency... - 09/08/07 10:54 PM
I took my son to the shooting range today, and calculated our "shooting percentages", and started wondering if the rest of you guys keep up with your shooting accuracy with numerical averages?
Numerically, you can tell a lot about your shooting skills. Take the number of bullets you shoot, take the bulls-eye score and multiply it by that number and that gives you the "total score possible".
Score your target as shot, such as 5 for bullseye, 4 for "1st ring", etc. and figure out your "actual shooting score" on each target. Then divide the shooting score by the "possible" score and it gives you a "shooting percentage".
Mine used to be between 95 and 97 percent when I was a LEO, but I only scored 82% today (total) and had a couple of targets that were in the 60 to 75 percent range. That's not really all that bad for an old geezer that doesn't shoot as much as I used to, but it still is cause for concern from a tactical standpoint.
I don't have the resources to shoot like I used to, so it's "when I can" situations to go to a neighboring county's public range, so unless I can start scheduling more time for shooting, I'm afraid my "target skills" will continue to decrease. That being said, you still don't want me hunting you with a pistol...
Another "number" you can use to help calculate proficiency is your "total hits" versus "total possible hits", and your "bullseye" vs "misses" ratio. While none of them actually give you a total view of how accurate you are, it's a good gage to measure how well you might do in a firefight.
I shoot at a lot of different distances, so it's important to take something to mark your "ranges" as well on the targets. That way you can tell what distance you need the most practice on, and get creative on things like blanking off half the target and using target shooting as "intruder practice", where you only score on the side where you have a target option available.
Makarov.com has some target downloads that you can use to help you solve your aiming problems, and some good shooting option target downloads. Luckily, I have a wide format printer available, so I can run large copies of the man-shaped target which are almost life size.
I know the tactical side of shooting doesn't look at numbers, but "options", but it's good to know how well you're shooting "in real numbers", because it might well dictate how much fire you have to lay down to insure your success in a firefight.
Numerically, you can tell a lot about your shooting skills. Take the number of bullets you shoot, take the bulls-eye score and multiply it by that number and that gives you the "total score possible".
Score your target as shot, such as 5 for bullseye, 4 for "1st ring", etc. and figure out your "actual shooting score" on each target. Then divide the shooting score by the "possible" score and it gives you a "shooting percentage".
Mine used to be between 95 and 97 percent when I was a LEO, but I only scored 82% today (total) and had a couple of targets that were in the 60 to 75 percent range. That's not really all that bad for an old geezer that doesn't shoot as much as I used to, but it still is cause for concern from a tactical standpoint.
I don't have the resources to shoot like I used to, so it's "when I can" situations to go to a neighboring county's public range, so unless I can start scheduling more time for shooting, I'm afraid my "target skills" will continue to decrease. That being said, you still don't want me hunting you with a pistol...
Another "number" you can use to help calculate proficiency is your "total hits" versus "total possible hits", and your "bullseye" vs "misses" ratio. While none of them actually give you a total view of how accurate you are, it's a good gage to measure how well you might do in a firefight.
I shoot at a lot of different distances, so it's important to take something to mark your "ranges" as well on the targets. That way you can tell what distance you need the most practice on, and get creative on things like blanking off half the target and using target shooting as "intruder practice", where you only score on the side where you have a target option available.
Makarov.com has some target downloads that you can use to help you solve your aiming problems, and some good shooting option target downloads. Luckily, I have a wide format printer available, so I can run large copies of the man-shaped target which are almost life size.
I know the tactical side of shooting doesn't look at numbers, but "options", but it's good to know how well you're shooting "in real numbers", because it might well dictate how much fire you have to lay down to insure your success in a firefight.