I am sort of a spray and pray kinda guy. I figure if I could hit a torso sized target at 100yds its good enough. This bugs my brother a lot when we go shooting. You see he is your sniper/hunter type. He has to be able to put 3rds up a gnats ass at 300yds or he's not happy.

So which one are you?

Definitley "Marksman"-
Raised in a shooting family. If they ever saw me do that spray shit as a kid, i'd lose my guns.
Paid off in the end.
1 well placed bullet is a hell of a lot better than 30 thundermakers that do nothing more than make smoke and scare the natives.

AIM YOURE DAMN RIFLE SOLDIER! IT ISN'T A FLAMETHROWER!

30 thundermakers that do nothing more than make smoke and scare the natives.

LMAO. I like that, reminds me of the old movies where they fire 1 shot & the flash w/ smoke scares the natives back into the jungle.

Spray and Pray is pretty "accurate" statement of my shooting. I'm out to have fun, worrying too much about being accurate seems to take that away. I was awarded the "Expert Badge" with an M-16 in the Military.[beer]

It depends on what type of scenerio I'm faced with.  There are times when a pray and spray mindset can get you dead - in a hurry.

However - when within ranges that most people face when they must use deadly force...

Front sight - center of mass and press (don't pull) the trigger until there is no more percieved threat.  Go to low ready and asses the threat and make sure that it is no longer a threat and there are no "buddies" lurking about.

Secure your weapon - don't unload it - just secure it (place it on safe if it has a manual safety, put it down, reholster, etc.)

Call 911...

If the threat is farther away than that - you might consider an escape (doesn't make you a coward)

Now if your talking about the threat of gnats at 300 yards.......

[sniper]
The Sniper

I qualify under the inalienable rights in the 2nd Amendment.

Sniper hunter type but i dont frek out about putting 5 shots in the same hole also like to plink.depends if im out in the desert or range also.

Usually just cut down trees and pound out the rounds. But sometimes shoot seriously.

damn - i heard 30 shots and ran back into the bush!  last time i come by your camp site with morally loose super models!

steve

Shoot at pie plates you hit pie plates. Shoot at poker chips you hit poker chips.

I'm pretty much a marksman with my rifles, although it's sometimes fun to see how fast I can empty my lever-action 22.  I'm definately no Chuck Conners, though.  [:)]

With pistols, I'm either trying for bullseye shots, practicing with a tactical mindset, or just ripping clips for fun.  I try to do some of all 3 whenever I go to the range.  Above all, make sure you enjoy yourself and get in some good practice at the same time.  Nothing says you can't do both!  [sniper] [uzi]

Bad motor scooter[:)]
I shoot uspsa thats a nice balance of Power, speed and accuracy.
For long guns, I aint the spray and pray sort.
I`m fond of rapid fire but it will be aimed. No hip shooting for the kid.
I like long distance shootin` also.

i'm kinda like your brother, LordTrader, but I like to plink as well so it doesn't bother me as much. I can kinda brag about my rifle shooting but don't even ask about my handgun shooting, its almost on the other end of the scale.... I'm working on it, i've just spend so much more time shooting rifles and enjoy them so much more.

i just like to go out and enjoy plinking away if i happen to shoot some excellent groups well then whhoop de do

Sniper/hunter.

My Dad had no time for seeing how fast you could rip off shots.

I figure that if I can't hit where I am aiming in a controlled, steady and precise manner on a consistent basis with better than acceptable accuracy then I have no inclination to hope for an adequate shot in a spray and pray scenario.

Kinda like If you can't back down the drive how the heck do you expect to drive across town?

Beleave in making them count, but it also depends on the situation. I like to know I can put a round on a small target at a long distance if the chance presents itself. I figure if I can do that hitting them closer won't be as hard.

[b]Well said.[/b]

When I'm sitting in a bar or cafe and here some feller bragging about shooting 'sharpshooter' in the Army I laugh.

That is only [b]second[/b] best.
1)EXPERT
2)SHARPSHOOTER
3)MARKSMAN

I shoot for [b]GROUPS.[/b] I can practice htting 'nothing' in my living room and I don't even need ammo.

I would get annoyed watching some 'dumb-ass' empty several magazines, not hitting shit, while I'm waiting to reset targets.

I'm a plinker with delusions of eventual marksmanship grandeur. I'm also the only male in something like three generations of my family to not have a naval marksmanship medal (I didn't enter the family profession.) So I dream upwards :P

I guess I fall somewhere in the middle.

I just like to hit what I'am aiming at.

I hate to admit it in a public forum like this but"I go both ways"[:I]

I usually start out the day seriously under control. Taking careful aim, relaxed breathing, good trigger control, steady shooting position and try for extreme accuracy.
After a while I get bored and start sending massive amounts of bullets downrange.
To take lordtrader analogy one step further I send 100 rounds downrange and if I can get even one up a gnats ass I'm happy[:D]

Lots of lead in the air is fun sometimes, but I lean more toward marksmanship.  

Before I sold it, I used to practice 200 yard shots on paper plates with my 4 1/2 inch barreled Browning Buckmark.  Or trying to consistantly hit paper plates with the AR carbine at 500 or 600 yards (open sights).  Now THATS my idea of fun; trying to figure out the holdover at very long ranges.

As soon as the new Mauser gets done, will be trying the 500 yd and beyond shots with it.[:D]

Ok, I'll be the first to go against popular public opinion. I shoot hi-power and long range. (Used to shoot IPSC and IDPA, but that didn't give me enough time to concontrate on my rifle skills). I have a hard time squeezing off a round unless it's pointed at the X-ring. In the ol' days I did my share of spray and pray plinking, but discovered my shooting skills were not improving. Hi-power opened up a whole new world for me. Different positions, different yardages, dealing with the wind, light conditions, reloading, etc. Recently, long range matches have given me something new to work on. It's a great feeling to break the shot and see the target 1000 yds away come up with a big ol' X marked on it. I just can't bring myself to send bullets downrange anymore unless I have done my very best to make each one count.
At the very least, hi-power will allow you to track your scores, and you can see your improvement over time. I progressed from marksman to sharpshooter, to expert, to master.
Each classification level gave me a sense of accomplishment I had never felt while out "plinking". The most important thing is to be safe and have fun while shooting in any way. If you like spray and pray, good for you! If you like benchrest, good for you! If you like 3 gun or IPSC, good for you! No complaints from me :) Hi-power is one of the few sports where you can compete ( and learn from) some of the best in the world. It just so happens that at the range I normally shoot, we have 3 Palma team members, one of which won the 1000 yd national championship at Camp Perry a couple of years ago. We also have some of the nations best junior shooters there, and many distinuished shooters. The best part of it, is that all these "hot rod" shooters are always willing to give advice, coach, or whatever, to help new guys get started. Imagine asking some "world class" NASCAR driver to tell you his little tricks to help you, if you are a newbie stock car racer. I don't think it would happen! Shooting a lot means you have to handload. I just can't send a bullet downrange after all the work that was put into it trying to load it the best I could, without making the best shot I can.

Hey LT- Spray and pray?
Here`s an abbreviated list of LT`s Burro cyn competition:
Pistol and rifle course with 1 mag change each weapon. Timed. Range up to 60-70 yds.
1st-Roel a non AR15.comer
3rd-rick314
4th-SSGTD
5th-Cidgrad87
7th-Redhorse
8th-Treetop
10th-Lord Trader
11-MadMatt
There were 14 players that day.
Time for practice LT[;)][:)]
other AR15.comer played but I only have the first names and forget their screen names, sorry.

Like another caller, I usually start out slow and steady on the 300 & 100 yard range, but I finish up at the the pistol range with speed shooting.
Rilfe shooting is to practice for hunting season and pistol shooting is just fun.

I'm definately a plinking kind of guy - besides, with my eyes, I don't think I could even SEE a target at 300 yards.

The only optic I have of any kind is a trijicon reflex sight for subgun competitions.

-bob

To me there's nothing more fun than emptying  a 30 round clip as fast as possible, especially when unloading it into an object that blows apart, such as old radios or pumpkins.
That being said, I also enjoy trying to hone my skills. It's can be just as gratifying to know you can hit what you're aiming at, especially when it's far away.

Myself, I try to go for the groups. I figure, if I can get three or four shots in a quarter to dime size group at 100 yds, the rest will taqke care of itself.[flag]

                                                 3rounds up the gnat`s ass!....now, if i could only see the gnat!!!!....have to admit though, sometimes it feels pretty "comforting" to empty out a mag or two AFAP!!!!!![heavy]

I do not know what kind of shooter I am, but one thing makes me stand out at the range.

My targets are always human silhouettes. Whether I am using a pistol at the 15 or 25 yrd mark or a rifle at the 100 or 200 yrd range, I always use the standard IDPA silhouette target.

A lot of folks gives me this look when I place a human silhouette target besides their paper bullseye at 200 yrds and even sometimes at 100 yrds.

Sorry to say this to all who like to shoot at "bullseye" targets but unless you are into bullseye shooting as a sport, it is best to hone your target acquisition skills with targets that simulate what you might have to  shoot.

This also applies to hunters. If they are into white-tail, why not practice shooting a white-tail silhouettes? or varmint silhouettes for varmint shooters??

just thinking out loud.....

I'm a real crappy shot, 17/30 in a 1.5x1.5" square and 27/30 in 3"x3" at 25 meters, with the magazine contacting the bench, no money for a bipod. [:(]

Kharn

I guess I did not do too bad. There are 4 guys that shoots worse than me. [;D]



My thoughts exactly. If you are shooting defensively, you would not have time check your breathing, get proper sight picture, squeeze trigger with the proper amount of pressure. Mainly in a defensive shooting scenario it point and shoot. So why not train the way you'll fight. Point and shoot and hit what your aiming at. That is the whole point in my argument.

If it came down to a defensive type shooting all I need to do is to point and shoot and let my instinct take over. If I practice proper target acquisition and breathing that's what I will do in a fight, not good, takes too much time. However, practicing good shooting habits sets off a good basis for the point and shoot type shooting.

Just like in martial arts, you have to practice stances, blocks, punches, and such at first. This sets off the basis of your fighting skills. However if you try and fight the way you do forms, there's a good chance your gonna get your ass kicked. That's why you practice sparring. Fast consecutive blows in conjunction with blocks in an everchanging arena.

I believe in practicing rapid well placed shots. Like I said if I could hit a torso sized target at 100yds, with 3-5 rapid shots. I've done my job.

Am I wrong?

Sniper/Hunter
For myself I love plinking at small baby food jars and clay birds at 250+ yards.  Although, I do like getting out and chucking a whole bunch of lead downrange.  I guess I like/practice all types, but it is long range when I get the chance to go out that far.  

I am what I am.

Delmarksman

I believe in well placed shots. No matter how you get there.

Am I wrong?[/quote]
Nope, your right on. I wasn`t trying make fun, just having fun.
Your idea seems correct and there a few disciplines that will hone these skills. It is defensive shooting pure and simple.
There are other forms of shooting, like target that can and do come up in tactical situations. Thus the sniper. That requires all the things you mentioned and then some.
The Coppers in No. Hollywood could have used some true marksmanship skills and rifles to do it with. After a target is far enough away or presents a small portion of his being. Breathing and proper sight alignment and marksmanship skills come into play. A torso at 100 yds that is firing back will not leave you time to get your chi right.
My outlook is to train all ways. You can only get better. The part about train like you fight is valid but If you are in a hurry, the brain will go mach2 and training helps to make decisions that the brain is struggling to keep up with. Not all fights are over quickly.
Look what the Marines teach and the Army, Marksmanship. Specialty teams get the whole enchilada.
We missed you today-LT  

I demand a rematch! [:D]

^Me too! [:)]

TT you had a jam and could not finish a stage and still came in 8th

MadMatt you had a new pistol that shal we say....ummmm......malfuntiooned [;)] and came close.

Naaahhh no rematch. I think I will retire while I'm ahead. [@:D]

My pistol never "malfuntioons", I just tried to fire it with the safety on!

But, to set the record straight, Rich posted the best of the two rounds ranking, but I beat you on the average two round ranking, or was it vice versa. Anyway, we are both equally bad shots!

Rematch at Angeles on June 2nd.[:)]

I am inclined to agree with "03shooter", i.e., shoot at pie plates you hit pie plates.  Shoot at poker chips, you hit poker chips.  

My reloading is too intense to just spray the country side.  I do like being able to hit  anything I aim at, though and this is what I practice to do.

IPCS,3-GUN,HIGH POWER

I usually shoot 60 rounds at a 2" fluorescent dot at 100 yards.  At the end of the day, the dot is gone and there are no other holes around it.  That is acceptable for me.  I don't worry about same bullet hole groups nor do "spray and pray".  Each shot counts as if it might be your only one.    

After an afternoon of trying to do 'pursishun' shootn' I tend to get a twitch in my trigger finger and blast a couple of mags. down range. [:D]

Especially if I'm using one of my 10/22's [:D] [:D]