Range Time Fatigue & Accuracy...

[xRUSTYx]

Hey Guys ...

I try and make it to the range whenever I can. Picked up a .22 yesterday, to try and save some $$$ ... The problem being, I still want to shoot my .45 and 380 while there! haha, so much for saving $$$.

Anyways ... How many rounds can you go through before you really start to notice a large difference in accuracy?

For me, just going yesterday. Put all 3 of my firearms through the ringer (roughly 100 round per) and after 300 rounds felt great ... Every 50 rounds after that 300 mark started to get more and more inaccurate. Got to about 500 and figured it wasn't even worth it any more.

Granted, stamina and arm strength have quite a bit to do with it, as does practice. Just wanted to see what some of you others are able to accurately shoot in a range session before accuracy starts to drop off?

[wipfel]

i injured my wrist back in may and it's been a little weak since. by the time i hit 200, i'm starting to notice a lot of fatigue/pain. the last time i went to the range, i swapped hands at 150, i think, and shot another 50 or so left handed before calling it quits.

i read somewhere on here about using a hand-strengthener, so i grabbed one of those little foam balls from work and use it throughout the day. seems to have helped significantly.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I'm not a doctor, but suspect that if one has a repetitive stress injury like carpal tunnel coming on, or sometimes "worn out parts" like osteo arthritis, hand-strengtheners could make things worse. Maybe there are right ways and wrong ways to use them. Playing a musical instrument isn't the same as shooting, but have had several friends hurt themselves pretty bad by practicing music too much. So it could probably happen shooting too much also, especially with heavy recoil guns.

Last spring messed up my shoulder by falling down on it out in the woods walking for my health. Hurt like blazes for several months but seems incrementally better. Still went shooting once a week, about 300 to 400 rounds. At least half .22.

I would take tylenol + ibuprofen before shooting just to be able to stand to do it. I don't think that exercise made the shoulder any worse than it already was. Whatever is wrong with it. May have helped loosen it up some. Up to 300 or 400 rounds, I think accuracy gradually improves. Dunno what point accuracy would go bad. I'm ten years older than when started routine shooting, and it isn't as tiring now as it was back then. But I quit shooting heavy-recoil guns. They hurt enough to do real damage.

From previous back injuries and such, I get the impression that anything that doesn't cause damage, actually helps overall. It is a fine line to avoid that damage threshold.

[xRUSTYx]

o forgot ...

what I failed to mention is that I had a TFCC tear about 2 years ago, and it took about 6-8 months to heal (this was in my right/shooting hand) I couldn't even so much as turn a door knob

[StPatrick]

o forgot ...

what I failed to mention is that I had a TFCC tear about 2 years ago, and it took about 6-8 months to heal (this was in my right/shooting hand) I couldn't even so much as turn a door knob

I've torn both of mine, so you have my utmost sympathies...what a crappy injury. The left healed with lots of cortisone and 3 weeks in a cast, while the right required surgery. 5 years after, they both feel great and don't interfere with shooting one bit.

Regarding fatigue while shooting, I experience the same thing; I've found that I get more vertical wobble as the session progresses. Personally, my shoulders get fatigued (anterior deltoids). Were I dedicated enough to fix that, 3 sets of 15 front shoulder-raises 3 days a week with ~5 lb. dumbbells would fix the issue. Note that pretty much all the pro shooters have popeye forearms and big shoulders; just find a way to look like JJ Racaza and you're all set.

The Army Marksmanship Unit drill manual is floating around on here too...there's some good endurance drills you might be interested in.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

[mav]

It depends on what type of shooting I am doing. If I am using my .22 and trying to be as accurate as possible at 15 yds, then I get pretty tired after 150 rounds or so. Slow firing with intense concentration will wear you out quickly. If I am doing sd type shooting involving holster drawing and rapid reload exercise, I can last a lot longer. I usually never go over a 300 round count per range session anyway.

[Warbird]

I have arthritis in my hands from breaking each of my fingers several times racing motorcycles growing up. Personally for me strengthening my hands helps immensely. I have just ordered a new hand strengthener to get even stronger. I also do deadlifts. While my hands do ache or cramp after a lot of shooting, for me the biggest problem is shake after they get tired. I could never be a surgeon, or even a bullseye shooter again, that's for certain.

I have struggled with shooting fatgiue this summer more in sporting clays than anywhere else. In May I got a partially torn rotator cuff in a car accident. I am left handed and hurt my right shoulder, which only made it worse. With the shoulder and the heat I was really fatigued by the end of one round of shooting, 100 shots. It was really crappy when I was shooting 200-300 rounds some days. Usually I can make 250+ shots before starting to get tired. Scores go south quick when you get fatigued.

[Guest CK1]

Think fatigue creeping in has maybe more to do with one's dry-fire routine and maybe grip-strength than the number of rounds fired in a session since it mostly has to do with holding a 2-3lb weight out in front of your body with your arms extended for an extended period of time, and then managing the recoil.

These days, after being in a fairly regular dry-fire routine and pretty much carrying around and using a Captains of Crush gripper everyday, think I could shoot a case over the course of a day without fatigue affecting things too much, but mentally a bunch of that ammo would just be wasted as the mental-fatigue would start to make me lose focus on what I was doing.

I try to limit myself to around 200 per range session as I find beyond that I'm just burning through my ammo and not really working on my skills enough. That's usually enough to where I'd still like to shoot more but have accomplished some good work without losing focus, usually can tell where my dry-fire has been paying off and where I need some work, try to remind myself that usually the dry-fire stuff will make the next visit more successful than more rounds will.

This is truly a YMMV type of thing.

[Warbird]

These days, after being in a fairly regular dry-fire routine and pretty much carrying around and using a Captains of Crush gripper everyday, think I could shoot a case over the course of a day without fatigue affecting things too much, but mentally a bunch of that ammo would just be wasted as the mental-fatigue would start to make me lose focus on what I was doing.

.

Curious which pound COC grip you are using? And did you start with that weight?

[Guest CK1]

Curious which pound COC grip you are using? And did you start with that weight?

The #1, just hit a mini-milestone this week when I finally became able to close it with my weak-hand. Been using it for a little over a month and couldn't be happier with the results, dollar for dollar the grip-strength training has had more of a positive effect on my shooting than probably anything else.

I just used a $6 wallymart one for a month or so before I got the CoC, even that one starting showing me results so I guessed and ordered the #1, even though I could do 100 reps with the cheapo one when the CoC showed up, when I tried it for the first time I actually laughed out loud and said to myself "you've got to be kidding me", they're no joke.

[tnhawk]

The classes I've been in used about 250 rounds average per day.

[K191145]

I couldn't steady my sites last Wednesday but I made the mistake of firing about 30-7.62x54 rounds from a Moisen Nagant before I shot my handguns. Plus I have had a disc removed in my neck and tendonitis in my right elbow, plus I wear a strong prescription in glasses and need my eyes checked.

1. Good excuse?

2. Lame excuse?

[mav]

The #1, just hit a mini-milestone this week when I finally became able to close it with my weak-hand. Been using it for a little over a month and couldn't be happier with the results, dollar for dollar the grip-strength training has had more of a positive effect on my shooting than probably anything else.

I just used a $6 wallymart one for a month or so before I got the CoC, even that one starting showing me results so I guessed and ordered the #1, even though I could do 100 reps with the cheapo one when the CoC showed up, when I tried it for the first time I actually laughed out loud and said to myself "you've got to be kidding me", they're no joke.

I bought a bunch of quality grippers when I was thinking about getting into rock climbing. I spent over a $100 and bought an entire set. I used them twice then threw them in a drawer. I don't think they have seen daylight for over 2 years. Upon reading your post, I decided to break them out and give it a go. The 100 is pretty easy. The 150 is tough but manageable. 200 is close, but nope. 250 and 300, please. I have read about some of you guys using them to help with their shooting. I might as well give them a try. Thanks for posting, I forgot I had them.

[LagerHead]

I'm not sure I know. I always go with friends and tend to run out of time before I run out of energy to shoot. For me shooting is a leisure activity, so it really takes a lot to get worn out. Unless of course I'm shooting the Sig 556, which weighs about 90 pounds give or take. But man that thing is sweet to shoot.

[Guest CK1]

I bought a bunch of quality grippers when I was thinking about getting into rock climbing. I spent over a $100 and bought an entire set. I used them twice then threw them in a drawer. I don't think they have seen daylight for over 2 years. Upon reading your post, I decided to break them out and give it a go. The 100 is pretty easy. The 150 is tough but manageable. 200 is close, but nope. 250 and 300, please. I have read about some of you guys using them to help with their shooting. I might as well give them a try. Thanks for posting, I forgot I had them.

Awesome. Try it for a week and then go shooting, think you'll be convinced.

The idea behind grip-training for shooting is pretty common-sense: Everyone knows you want your hands to be pretty relaxed while gripping your gun (especially your strong-hand which works the trigger), but it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that if you could just hold onto it better you'd have more control over it... so, when you increase your grip-strength you give yourself a new "relaxed setting" so then when you are gripping your gun and shooting while relaxed, without even thinking about it you are now holding onto it far more solidly and can enjoy the benefits of being able to control it better.

Another way to put it would be like this: On a scale from 1 to 10 let's say my old grip on my pistol while relaxed was a 4, now after about 3 months of using the grippers I'd say my relaxed grip would now be about a 7, I still use exactly the same feel/technique I was using before but now it's a whole new ballgame.

The benefits are most apparent when shooting multiple-shot strings or if you shoot IPSC/IDPA because you become able to manage recoil and track your sights a lot better, but I have also noticed that my ability to remain steady while shooting slow-fire groups has improved as well.

(Hint: work on your support/weak-hand more than your strong-hand as that's what will show you the most improvement, plus most guy's strong-hands are already, well, stronger.)

Good luck! Let us know how it goes...

[Kano]

If shooting a pistol gets you tired you need to get in better shape.

I go to the range and come home and workout for 2 hours and than clean my pistols.

37 years ago my friends all said wait till you get older you won't be in the gym any more.

Most of them are in bad shape and talk a big tune about the old days.

I feel good am still strong and shooting is not very hard to do.

Eat right and stay in shape and most things fall into place.

[xRUSTYx]

its not so much about getting "tired" I feel I can easily shoot 1000-2000 rounds in a range session. I just start to notice accuracy go out the window at about 300 or so rounds .... invisible fatigue haha