There are a few things that will help grow your abilities as a shooter. They may seem basic, but once you build a range structure into your schedule it’ll become much easier to practice. Setting a baseline for your range sessions will help create a structured schedule where you can go train with your primary carry gun. The minimum range time I have worked into my schedule is once every other week. It may not be easy to go that often for everyone, so you should set an amount of time that’s realistic for your schedule. People will often ask what a good amount of range time start with. I always say go with what’s comfortable for your schedule but go at least once a month to practice skills.
Another issue some shooters have is affording ammunition. Developing weapon proficiency doesn’t always mean shooting thousands of rounds every month. If you’re working on a budget, there are endless amounts of low-round, high-repetition drills online that would maximize your ammo count if you can only afford two or three boxes a month. If you aren’t on a strict budget, I usually say a good number of rounds per month for range time is 200-300 rounds. You may be laughing at these recommendations and thinking about how much more you shoot than that. I think if you can shoot more often and better yourself than more power to you. It’s never a bad thing getting out and training as often as you can.
At the end of the day, there isn’t a miracle product that’ll make you a good shooter. The easiest way to become proficient with a firearm is to practice and practicing good techniques. If you’re a new shooter, I would recommend a few firearm courses to get some background and a head start on learning basic skills for shooting. If you’re an experienced shooter, the best thing to do is just get out and shoot more. The most important thing when taking on the responsibility to conceal carry in the general public. At the end of the day you’ll be responsible for every round you shoot in a self-defense situation, so it’s important to be confident in your abilities.
Of course, there are other ways to help your overall proficiency like dry firing and sim training, but live-fire training will help you become more proficient with your firearm than anything else. Let me know what you guys do to train with your carry weapon.
Stay safe out there.
