During a current class one of the instructors demonstrated the concept of perfect trigger control (reset/prep) and effective
range of the pistol.
Although this is a pistol class - this concept apples to both handgun and rifle.
Shooter - OpSpec training, Jerry Jones - instructor.
Class - Handgun Fundamentals
Distance - 200 yds
Glock 17, standard barrel, trigger.
Winchester “white box” 115 gr fmj
Here is a hi-res file.
There are several lessons one can learn from this.
Main one - to me - with proper training conventional “wisdom” quite often turns out to be wrong.
wow that makes ya think…
that hickok45 guy can ding steels at around 200 yards with his glocks as well.
glocks really are a lot more accurate than people give them credit for.
I know it can be done. I can’t do it but I’ve seen at least two members of this forum (most of you could probably guess at least one) consistantly hit steal at 175 yards with a G17 shooting strong hand only!
That’s probably where I realized that it’s not the gun, it’s the shooter.
Excellent work there sir.
(assuming the 3 circled holes are the hits at that distance) I only have one question, and I may be missing the obvious here but… how on earth do you know that those were the 3 shots that hit at that distance?
I mean if you were driving home the point of trigger control & using that distance, why wouldn’t you use a clean target? Or, are all 36 hits from that range?
I’m not going to say anything about the method, but I will say this:
I know Gene, he is an honorable and honest man, and if he was willing to sign his name as a witness, then I fully believe that he believes it to be true.
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@stangman I assumed those were shot first. The three shots. Then the target was probably moved closer for the remainder of shooting?
It is now clear that I flat out suck. Fml.
This thread makes me feel like a chump. But I also now find myself being overcome with an extreme desire and motivation to go practice my dry firing… See y’all later! 
A friend down in Oklahoma runs the firearms program for the state academy. He routinely shoots targets out to he 200 with his Glock 33 to make his point that “pistol shooting is simple, you just line up the sights and control the trigger”.
He sent me a video awhile back where he pulled this stunt, standing off-hand, and got a first round hit on steel, even in a heavy cross wind.
Of course, simple does not always mean easy.
To get new guys over the idea that 25 yards is “far” we do a walk back drill using steel targets. Almost everybody can get hits out to the 125 or 150 with a G17.
Impressive, particularly with Winchester White box!
Nice.
So your saying the 7 yard mag dump of getting most of the bullets on the four foot target isn’t really the mechanical accuracy of the gun?! Darn.
The circled holes are the mentioned 9mm rounds. Shot from supported position - prone on dirt.
All others - but one - are .308 shot rapid fire from 200 yds. from a SCAR heavy.
Regarding the obvious - you are correct in missing it:
There’s round count.
Then:
Most of those experienced shooting 308 and 9mm are able to distinguish them from each other from marks left on cardboard.
Hence the higher res image.
However, I will gladly submit a 16-bit 120Mb tiff image file (native res) for peer review verifying the witnessed claim. (see bottom right)
FWIW - we had other targets w only 9 mm rounds - from distances
7-200 yds, but picked this one because of obvious (to us…) visual difference between calibers.
Can you pick the 5.56 round?
Now I am VERY tempted to try a 5" match grade barrel on 3-400 yards. Stay tuned.
Not 200, but I have shot steel at 100yds. with an HK USP Tac .45 with WWB during a TigerSwan class. There were students with G17’s making hits as well.
That reminds me, at ITTS Pistol II I hit steel at 115 yards first shot with my Sig P220ST. It’s possible.
I also believe those hits can be made from a static position, on a falt range, with nothing more stressing than a crow calling in the distance. I’ve seen it, and I’ve hit steel 1/3 IPSC targets at 150yds myself.
There are also videos of some dude shooting big dot sights under his legs and backwards and making pistol hits to 150yds or whatever.
The being said, it seems the prevailing wisdom is that if a shooter is engaging you with effective fire from 200yds, and all you have is a pistol, it would be wise to disengage, if possible, and move farther back.
Commonly, many instructors have said you are generally going to be hitting two things at 100yds++ with a pistol, under combat stress, 1) Jack. and 2) Shit. I’ll take them at their word.
And here I felt good about getting hits on a 5" square target at 75 yards with my buddies G19. Time to go the range again. 
Hit the nail on the head. Engaging dynamic threats at 200rds with a MP5 is hard enough let alone with a pistol. Amazing feats of shooting can be performed on static ranges, which are highly improbably when you turn it into a combat situation.
It is good training to shoot at longer ranges though for getting better trigger control and maintaining constant sight picture.
Years ago I would have found it hard to believe someone could make pistol hits at 200 yards like that. Then about 6 months ago, I shot at a buddy’s range and, just for fun, we decided to try and hit a 20" steel circle at 180 yards. I thought there was no way in hell we would hit it, but I ended up hitting it 5 out of 12 shots with my P229 .40 from a standing position. I was pretty shocked :laugh: