The photo above and the description below (from B&T) brings up an interesting subject. Shooting at (reactive) targets at long distance.

In a recent PRS competition I got the opportunity to shoot a Glock 17 and a CZ Shadow at some steel targets from about 100 – 115 meters. We were just wasting time (and ammunition), but with the CZ I managed to get pretty solid hits, but I never succeeded with the Glock (I blame the trigger!).

Both pistols were stock and using iron sights, nothing else. Unfortunately, with iron sights and the ballistics of the 9×19 mm at 100+ meters it means that you have to aim just above the target. This means that your target is not visible, as it’s hidden under the sight and the signature of the pistol itself.

While this was a fun exercise, it’s not anything I would do “live” unless I really had to. However with the added support of an aid like the USW from B&T (or similar setup) the chances of hitting your target increase a lot.

Below you can read about the Live Fire Days that Aimpoint arranges every other year, and what happened:

Every two years, B&T partner Aimpoint organizes an event called Live Fire Days on a military training area near Ravlunda in Sweden, about one hour east from Malmö.

Many guests were invited from the police and military, both regular police officers/soldiers as well as special units from nineteen different countries. B&T was on site with a nice selection of weapons and suppressors. This made sure that the guests had something to shoot with the Aimpoints!

Two years ago the star of the event was the B&T Universal Service Weapon (USW). The participants shot the USW out to 120 m at pop up targets with consistent first round hits at all distances (20, 40, 60, 80 and 120 m).

This year Aimpoint provided the almost same setup, while B&T not only showed the USW but also the new USW-G17 Glock chassis and the APC9 K PRO among a fine selection of other B&T weapons.

“Unfortunately” there where some pop up targets from a neighboring stage at 120, 150 and 200 m. You can guess what happens. After having shot the targets at 25 and 50 m, the participants aimed for 120, 150 and 200 m.

While at 120 m almost everybody archived first round hits, at 150 and 200 m almost all participants needed more than one shot.

The ballistics of the 9 x 19 required to aim above the target. Due to the mounted Aimpoint ACRO red dot sight this was a doable task. So with a little help from a spotter, the participants managed to put the targets down at 200 m while standing unsupported.

Even so it is not practical to use a USW or a Glock with a USW-G17 Chassis on such a distance, this greatly demonstrated that the USW concept significantly enhances the chances of first rounds hits far beyond normal pistol distances.

So with the USW system first round hits at distances up to 75 m in real live combat not only greatly enhance the fighting power but also improve the chances of saving innocent lives during at terrorist attack.

Source: B&T Switzerland

What is your experience? Or how well do you know your limits? What is your maximum distance where you feel comfortable hitting a majority of your shots on a 10×10″ steel target when you’re at the range under normal circumstances?