The handgun is a defensive tool—but mastering it means going beyond minimum standards. If you can consistently make hits at 50 or even 100 yards, you’ll find 7 to 15 yards far less demanding. Long-distance practice isn’t about showing off. It’s about building the skills, discipline, and confidence that make you a more capable and responsible armed citizen.
The trick to shooting handguns at long distance is an augmented sight picture.
The infatuation of shooting at long range seems to have infected everyone. It can be great fun to hit targets at extreme distances, and if you’re trying to do it with a rifle, there’s a whole world of guns and gear out there that you can buy to make it easier.
But what about long-range shooting with handguns?
I’m not talking about bolt-action pistols or other specialty handguns; I’m talking about everyday-carry-type handguns. Other than for fun, the practical reasons to shoot at long range with a carry gun are limited, and don’t expect to find accessories to help make it easier. If you’re going to hit at distance with a pistol, you gotta be able to shoot.
Before we get into some tips that can help you hit at distance with a carry gun and impress your friends while on the range, I have a story. I was doing some rifling training with Cody Carroll, who is a veteran with a resume that would make Captain America jealous. He was telling me about learning to shoot his Glock 19 out to 600 yards while preparing to conduct some training for a government agency down along a rough section of the Southern border. (The specifics of his contract would not allow him to carry a rifle.) I thought he was full of sheep dip until he explained how he was doing it. Carroll had a technique. I tried it, it worked, and I’ll explain it shortly.
By Richard A. Mann
