All kidding aside, distance with a handgun is like running a scooter at a track day. fun every once in a while but not very productive and it's not going to improve your lap times. The time and money spent getting good could be better used honing skills you are statisically going to need in a gunfight. Practice for what's probable....
Might you have to take a 100 yard shot with your defensive handgun? Possibly a very very slim chance and your training time and ammo budget should reflect that.
The Thinking Gunfighter: Self Defense Findings - good info on what's "probable" as compared to what's "possible"
I agree with this for the most part. Pistol rounds suck...the only reason to carry a pistol is that you can have it on you places where you can't take a rifle.
And yes, most legally defensible shootings are going to be close range. To me that's just a given. Most of our training should be focused on this...less on marksmanship, more on moving, shooting on the move, seeing what you need to see (more target focused that front sight focused). Hand to hand material should also be strong...the guys who say "I don't need to know how to fight, I'll just pull my 357 and shoot him!" really have no clue what they're talking about.
So, agreed.
But...but...
A 100 yard pistol shot at body sized targets is NOT difficult. It's nothing more than marksmanship fundamentals. Most guys don't focus on FIGHTING...they focus on marksmanship. And yet the consider 100 yard body shots beyond the realm of reasonable. Unlikely scenario? Yes...but then for anyone with any common sense, any gunfight is an unlikely scenario.
The simplest, easiest, and cheapest form of practice is dry trigger work. That can be done at home, any time. I humbly submit it's easier to attain that skill than other fighting skills. Take 2 minutes a day and do dry work at home...how hard is that? In my not so humble opinion, guys that can't do that are just lazy.
A fighter should be well rounded. That means able to handle stuff from bad breath distance out to the limit of your gun/caliber. Yes, we have to prioritize our training time, of course. But there is time in the day to fit in a few minutes practice...it just requires time and discipline.