For context
I have heard my fair share of tall tales of how someone went up for their military service and they got noticed as a good shooter and got sent or at least invited to join the marksman course.
My question
But what I would like to know is if someone, let’s say in their late twenties to mid thirties was to be forced by some event of their life to pick up shooting as a means of survival, like hunting, would it be possible for that person to become a better than average shooter, admiting they had the time and resources to practice.
I am aware some individuals may have knack for some activity or skill or something alike it but shooting, in my understanding, is more about early introduction and constant practice than just inate skill.
I don’t like to quote Adventure Time, but Jake did say it best: “sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something”
Meaning just dive on in and get started.
US marine sharp shooters prefer to select candidates with little to no firearm experience. They want you learn their way of shooting without having to make you unlearn what you had learned.
Appleseed
Where do you think the people with current above average shooting skills started? You think they were just born that way? :D
Born in the USA
Absolutely. There are certain things that will make it easier–like having very good proprioception/kinesthesia, or perfect vision–but with enough focused time and practice, almost anyone can become a highly proficient shooter. Some people will definitely have an easier time than others, and some abilities in other areas will help more than others. And yes, you absolutely need to practice or else you’ll start losing your ability.
But.
As far as needing to be introduced to shooting early, absolutely not. There are a number of people that have moved to the US in their middle age from other countries (Korea, in particular) with no experience with firearms, taken up shooting, and have become USPSA masters and grand masters, because they understand how to practice.
Depending on what you want to learn, my first suggestion would be to look up NRA classes. Yes, yes, I know, but trust me, the NRA classes are very good for foundational work. You want to start with safety and get very, very familiar with that before moving on, because carelessness with a firearm can kill. From there, you can do something like Project Appleseed to get proficient with rifle marksmanship, or you can take classes with Ben Stoeger and Joel Park for pistol.
Hunting specifically is going to require far, far more than shooting ability; you’re going to need naturalist skills, like being able to see trail sign, land navigation, getting a feel for movement without spooking animals, and so on. For hunting, most of your time will be spent in observation and waiting, with only a single shot at the end of it all. Spending a lot of time outdoors, in the woods or fields, paying attention to animal behavior is your ‘practice’ for hunting.
Aside from all of this, something to consider is that the average shooter is… Pretty bad. Most people that own firearms don’t put in any significant amount of time training. The police are no exception; most cops are not terribly proficient with their weapon, because they only have to qualify annually, and qualification is slow fire at a target 10y away, not a practical shooting course.
It’s actually much easier to teach someone with zero experience to shoot than it is someone who learned wrong.
I’ve been through an NRA (I know) rifle course and it actually is a well thought out presentation of the materials that can get a zero experience shooter hitting 10 shots in a 3" circle from 50ft standing with a .22 rifle in a weekend. I’ve seen it!
That said, finding such a class, interacting with people, paying with money, etc. isn’t for everyone, so I present the open source, some assemy required version:
Also, find your dominant eye and don’t fight using that hand to shoot, even if it’s not the one you normally use.
https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-care/eye-tests/dominant-eye-test/
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the NRA rifle courses; the instructional courses are where the NRA really shines. The NRA as a 501©(4) is great. It’s the NRA-ILA that’s a steaming pile of shit.
The Socialist IRA is… Very dependent on the chapter. Some are fantastic, amazing groups. Some are very cliquish, and you’re going to need to know your theory cold and never, ever voice any contrary opinions in order to get membership. (E.g., if I say that I think that come degree of professional policing is necessary, both because not all criminals are a product of material circumstances, and because ‘community policing’ can be the autobahn to vigilantism and night riders, that would get me thrown out of some chapters.)
There’s also the Liberal Gun Club, which has some pretty decent people in it, but they’re as scattered as the SocialistIRA is.
Operation Blazing Sword lists instructors that are willing to work with LGBTQ+ people; I’m on there for one of the states.
Appleseed events are a great way of learning the basics of rifle shooting over 2 days. Some of the history they teach as fact is highly suspect–it’s more the American myth than American history—but they nominally keep contemporary politics out of it.
I took a bunch of teenagers shooting last month, and most of them had never picked up a gun before. There were three boys that outshone the others as being much better shots straight away. And funny enough, they were not the boys I would have predicted. So, yes, people can have a knack for it.
That being said, better than average depends on what population of people you’re talking about. If you’re including all non-experienced shooters, then absolutely, with a little careful practice, most people can become decent shots in a pretty short amount of time.
If you’re including all non-experienced shooters
Even if you include only gun owners that think they’re experienced, it’s still easy-ish to be better than average with focused practice. There are a lot of people that think going to the range once every six months and shooting 100 rounds of slow fire makes them good. Meanwhile, the people that are actually good do dryfire drills daily, and shoot thousands of rounds each month.
I’m solidly low-middle when it comes to shooting competitions like local PCSL, local USPSA, Brutality, Gun Run, etc. That probably puts me in the top 5% of gun owners though. (And I absolutely suck at long range shooting; I’ve done a little, but I don’t know my holds, because I’ve had very limited ability to shoot past 100y. I really struggle past 300y without a spotter, and past 500y it’s basically pure luck for me to hit a full-sized steel IPSC target.)
Every expert shooter started as a novice with no experience
The answer is an unequivocal yes. Idk what the logic is that would lead you to differentiate shooting a gun from any of the other millions of dexterity challenges, but some people are better at it without any previous exposure just instincts, it’s not chess. Bullets go straight.
Dry fire with air soft weapons. That’ll probably do.
I do this to dial in my form for my .308 using my .25 cal air rifle. Helps you develop good habits/break and ones.
Shooting is like any sport, it takes lots and lots of practice. Similarly, early introduction helps too
Anyone can start from no experience.
However, there is a learning curve. You realy shouldn’t expect to become some crack shot virtuoso the first time.
Some people have a knack for it, some people don’t. There’s an entire universe in between. For example, I loooove a good rifle, but handguns can suck a fuck. It’s also a perishable skill. If you don’t practice, it’s hard to keep up.
Go rent a gun at a range and give it a try 3 or 4 times and see how you like it.
The “average” where I live is minimal exposure to guns at all so a single afternoon with some coaching would put a person well above average.
Type of shooting will also make a difference. Hand gun for self-defense purposes, shooting at a target 15 feet away is different than shooting clay pigeons with a shotgun which is different than distance shots with a rifle which is different than biathlon which is different than hunting of any type. Hunting will require skills and knowledge above simply shooting well.
Is someone going to pick up shooting in their thirties and get onto an Olympic shooting team of any type? Highly unlikely but I wouldn’t be shocked over an outlier or two.
Those going into military service are going to be overwhelmingly 18-22 years old. Having an attention span longer than 7 seconds and some physical fitness puts a person over average.
yes, that is how skills work
To become a good shooter? Absolutely. Takes time, money and lots of practice. You also don’t define what shooting skills you believe make you good. Pistol, shotgun, rifle? The shooting sports are pretty varied, you can get really good at certain sports and be abysmal at other ones.
