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Other than things like IDPA, etc. are there any fun games or challenges you can set up with your friends at the shooting range?

Google "reactive targets."

If you have a stopwatch, you can also do speed competitions.

- Jim

Especially if your regular range doesn't allow rapid fire or from-holster presentation, you might consider challenging a friend(s) to completion of one or more of the disciplines of the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program:

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training ... /index.asp

Greetings--

You can obtain targets with pictures of playing cards. Shoot for poker hands. Have everyone toss in a fiver or so into the pot- winner of the hands takes the pot.

The targets I've seen have pretty small cards- a bit of a challange at a distance.

Many years ago we once set an empty 243 case on the target support and tried to snipe it off. Quite small target at 100 yards. Tough tough tough

Have each of your friends put up a normal target with a staple in each corner. First one to shoot out his 4 staples allowing the target to fall off the board wins. It's more fun it you limit it to 22 caliber. I can only play it at 10 yards with open sights since I can't see the staples past that without a scope.

I've wanted to go to a bowling pin shoot since I heard about them when I first started shooting. I've yet to find one organized. Apparently, they used to be pretty common, but it seems like no one does them anymore.

Here's a brief Wikipedia article about pin shooting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin_shooting

I hear it's a blast. If only I could find a place where they do this anymore.

It would be more challenging in New England, with candlepins.

Hello. I am not sure if it is a game or not but is part of a well-respected handgun instructor's "controlability measure." For me, it was a challenge.

Today I had some free time so I went back to the range with the Model 64 4" to work on the Higginbotham controlability drill. I used another hand-drawn "Gort" target with a circle in the high center chest which measured 5" in diameter. (This is a little different than his suggested target but I THINK serves the purpose.)

Anyway, I fired the drill (5 shots @ 5 yards in less than 2 secs from low ready) 18 times for an average time of 1.97 seconds. The load used was a handload consisting of a hardcast 158-gr. LSWC over 4.8 grains Unique. This averages about 866 ft/sec from this particular revolver.

For me, that's humping it but all shots were within the circle but I think I'll keep working and see if I can get it down to about 1.75 or 1.8 secs.

Also did three FTS drills at the same short distance. Average time for this (2 to 5" circle in chest and 1 to the eye/nose area of the "Gort target" was 1.75 secs. I would like to get this down about 1/4 sec if possible.

I ended the session with some pure bullseye shooting to make sure that I didn't absorb any bad habits. Pressing the trigger quickly can lead to jerking for me and I didn't want to hardwire in any more bad habits than I already have.

If you have a timer, I strongly suggest trying Mr. Higginbotham's suggested defensive evaluation drills. They are challenging but doable and can only help round out one's shooting skills.

Best and good shooting to all.

I was watching the Outdoor channel the other night and this fellow was timing himself testing his speed from 3 different retention style holsters.
He had a neat timer that clipped to his belt that would beep when time would start and stop at the sound of the shot,he was fast with all three holsters.