Taking The Long Shot With A Handgun

In his article, "Long-Distance Handgun Shooting: How and Why to Take a Long Shot" at Handguns Magazine, Richard Nance discusses long distance (for a handgun) shooting. An excerpt:

    While the odds of having to make a long-distance shot with your handgun may be low, the stakes are unquestionably high, which is reason enough to add this important skill to your training regimen. But tactical relevance aside, developing the ability to fire your handgun accurately at distance is bound to make you a better shooter at more probable shooting distances.

    As a case in point, I reflect on my days as a karate student. Despite training in a traditional style of karate that emphasized kicking no higher than waist level, I spent countless hours working on high kicks. I could easily kick over my head with accuracy and power.

    In a real fight, the chances of delivering a kick to an attacker’s head in a fight are minimal, while at the same time leaving you vulnerable to having your kicking leg caught or having your support leg swept out from under you. However, high kicks helped me develop the flexibility, balance and technique that made me a much better all-around kicker.

    This logic can be applied to long- distance shooting. Being able to hit a target at distance will invariably make hitting a closer target that much easier. But there are some nuances specific to shooting a handgun at longer distances.

    When it comes to shooting, the more stable you are, the more accurate you will be. As such, when a long-distance handgun shot is required, taking a low kneeling or even a prone position is advantageous. Of course, any sort of available rest works as well.  

More:

• "How to Shoot a Handgun Long-Range"--Shooter's Log. 
• "15 Tips for Long Distance Pistol Shooting"--Shooters Global. 
• "Long-Range Pistol Shooting With Red Dots"--Gun Digest. "So why do it? Why shoot a close-range handgun at 150 yards? Because understanding what a setup can do at that distance makes a much closer shot—say 50 yards—seem more like point-blank range."