Posted: 4/24/2016 2:21:18 PM EDT
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I am a relatively new shooter in the precision game. Ive been at it a little over a year or so. I thought I would share some things I have learned as a new shooter to help out anyone interested in trying the game. - Know your dope. This is critical. It doesnt matter if you have a $500 rifle or a $4000 rifle if you dont know where your bullet is going at distance. You dont want to be guessing at elevation during a match. I have had this happen and it is a killer. You must take the time to get a good velocity on your load and learn how to use whatever ballistic software you choose to use. Confirm what the program tells you by shooting at distance. - Have all of your gear organized. Know exactly where everything is and always put it back in its place after a stage. This is important because during a match it will allow you to focus on the stages, planning how you are going to shoot and worrying about whats important instead of looking for your rear bag or hunting for that extra mag in a backpack full of crap. Don't bring a bunch of extra stuff. It will take a while to figure out what you really need and what you dont. Keep things as simple as possible. - Keep the magnification on your scope down. 15x is about all you really need unless you are shooting a paper stage. Its more important to be able to find targets than to be zoomed in for a shot. One of the biggest problems new shooters have, myself included, is finding targets in the scope under time. You see it over and over. I have found that on stages requiring wide moves between targets its sometimes good to come out of the scope, look over top and realign the rifle towards the new area then go back in and find the new target. When I do this I will try to find a landmark before the stage starts that I can line up with that will put the target in the scope. Pick a rock or bush or whatever that you can see easily with your naked eye that lines up with the target. Move the rifle in line with that then go into the scope. This works mainly on big sweeping moves between targets. - Fundamentals are key. Breathing, trigger control and recoil management. Practice through dry fire and shooting small targets. Its important to be able to see your impacts and adjust for wind off of them. - Master the prone postion. For me any stage in the prone I want to be scoring a lot of points. Mainly because good shooters are going to do it so I need to keep up. So its important to be able to hit MOA sized targets quickly and move between targets smoothly in the prone. Practice this with dot drills or small steel. - Alternate positions are what wins matches. All of the best shooters do well in goofy positions. I suck at them and I don't particularly enjoy shooting them so I really have to work at improving. You just have to get out and shoot in unsteady positions. Off of barricades, sitting, kneeling or whatever. I have found what works for me is set up the shot from say a barricade then slowly work through different ways of shooting it until I find what works best for me. I always watch to see how the good shooters are doing it to try and learn. - What works for a pro may not work for you. Outside of basic fundamentals not everything is written in stone. This is especially true in unorthodox positions. I am 6'6 and about 380. What works for a guy 5'9 and 160 may not work for me. Don't be afraid to try things on your own. Always be watching the top guys to learn from them but don't just assume because a certain technique works for one shooter its going to work for you. Try things, modify them to suit you. Take what works and leave what doesn't. Let the score and time guide you. If something looks stupid and works it isn't stupid. - Find a good shooting partner. This has helped me more than anything. It helps to have someone to bounce things off of and learn from. If you can find a good shooter to learn from its great but just having a buddy as new as you are to go out and shoot with is more fun and will help you get better. - Simple and reliable is better than fancy and broken. Whatever it is its better to have something that works with no fuss every time than something awesome that only works part of the time. Apply this to what you will. Should go without saying but I see it at every match. Notice that I havent mentioned anything about rifles or optics. As long as what you have is of decent quality, can honestly and reliably shoot minute of angle and your optic is reliable and holds zero you can play the game. Look around at what experienced people are shooting and pay attention. Not to specific brands so much as types of gear. These are things I have learned through experience and I've done about all of them wrong in order to learn the lessons. The precision game is a lot of fun and full of great people who are more than willing to help out new shooters. If you are interested in it just get out to a match and dive in. I would be interested to read others lessons learned or general good ideas for shooting matches. |
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Great post, very informative and echoes many of the same things I have learned over the past couple years, just put in a much easier to read format than I could have written. Nice work JCIN. You touched on most of these things...but...
I would add training. If you're serious about being competitive, pay the money and get some quality instruction. You may be a good shooter but I guarantee you will learn things from an instructor that knows what they are talking about, is passionate about precision shooting and helping others sculpt their skills. Be humble, ask questions and take advice without a chip on your shoulder, even if you don't ask for it. Everyone has room to improve. But be respectful, don't be the guy chatting and heehawing while someone else is concentrating. I also have a notepad that I jot a quick run down of each stage, my performance and observations of what and how I did. Kind of like dope but less formal, little things I noticed about how my shot acted, how I expected it to act and how terrain and wind influence actually affected it and mistakes I believe I made and can improve on. A wrist coach is invaluable too for me. I can make a quick game plan and map of each stage complete with ranges and elevation adjustments needed. Practice. I know you said it but it's as important as everything else combined when you start. I mean at home, stand behind your rifle, train your muscle memory to get into a solid shooting position as quickly and efficiently as possible. Go slow at first, speed will come. Dry fire. Sitting on the couch watching tv? Grab your rifle and work the bolt. Make it second nature to handle and operate your rifle, know your trigger. Safely of course. I'd bet I have at least ten times as many dry pulls as live ones. Not that I'm a great shooter or anything, but I noticed a difference. Practice live fire in less than ideal conditions. Go shooting when it's cold or windy, you'll learn alot if you're practicing with purpose. Have fun, even if you're shooting like poop. There are still things to be learned and you'll miss them if you're barking at yourself in your head. Get out there and compete. |
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Quoted: Great post, very informative and echoes many of the same things I have learned over the past couple years, just put in a much easier to read format than I could have written. Nice work JCIN. You touched on most of these things...but... I would add training. If you're serious about being competitive, pay the money and get some quality instruction. You may be a good shooter but I guarantee you will learn things from an instructor that knows what they are talking about, is passionate about precision shooting and helping others sculpt their skills. Be humble, ask questions and take advice without a chip on your shoulder, even if you don't ask for it. Everyone has room to improve. But be respectful, don't be the guy chatting and heehawing while someone else is concentrating. I also have a notepad that I jot a quick run down of each stage, my performance and observations of what and how I did. Kind of like dope but less formal, little things I noticed about how my shot acted, how I expected it to act and how terrain and wind influence actually affected it and mistakes I believe I made and can improve on. A wrist coach is invaluable too for me. I can make a quick game plan and map of each stage complete with ranges and elevation adjustments needed. Practice. I know you said it but it's as important as everything else combined when you start. I mean at home, stand behind your rifle, train your muscle memory to get into a solid shooting position as quickly and efficiently as possible. Go slow at first, speed will come. Dry fire. Sitting on the couch watching tv? Grab your rifle and work the bolt. Make it second nature to handle and operate your rifle, know your trigger. Safely of course. I'd bet I have at least ten times as many dry pulls as live ones. Not that I'm a great shooter or anything, but I noticed a difference. Practice live fire in less than ideal conditions. Go shooting when it's cold or windy, you'll learn alot if you're practicing with purpose. Have fun, even if you're shooting like poop. There are still things to be learned and you'll miss them if you're barking at yourself in your head. Get out there and compete. One that really hit me was: "Have fun, even if you're shooting like poop. There are still things to be learned and you'll miss them if you're barking at yourself in your head." This is so true. I come from a background of USPSA shooting where I was used to doing pretty well in local matches. My first couple of precision matches I was making some mistakes and beating myself up. In doing that I gave up the opportunity to learn things that would help me. Very wise words you posted. |
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Great advice, OP. I'd like to add on, become a certified sling technician (yes, I made that up). Know how to employ your sling in various positions: offhand, off barricades, unsupported prone (no bipods or bags), kneeling, sitting, and strapping into a tripod.
The magnification advice, IMHO, was spot on. During matches, I rarely go over 12x. I think the most important piece of advice is to practice. Get out and shoot. Become proficient or knowledgeable at wind reading and other external factors that impact bullet trajectories. I always tell people that the elevation data is usually fairly easy to ascertain, it is the wind that separates the shooters from the hobbyists. Go to youtube and watch some PRS videos, check out the props/barricades used. Something as simple as a ladder can be an awesome tool to practice on. I have spiked a 2x4 in the ground and shot off of it. |
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I just did my first PRS match today. I learned a ton today even though I didn't shoot as well as I hoped I would. Make sure you set your turrets to zero after each stage or you might find yourself shooting 5 mil high on the next.  Some of the things I need to work on: 1: All kinds of positional shooting. I need to learn to make more stable positions with the different kinds of barricades/objects used. 2: Shooting under pressure. That added time pressure sure does seem to kill fine motor skills. 2: Learn to do everything faster. Many of my lost points were from running out of time. I need to learn my equipment better and practice with a purpose. 4: Find my cold bore dope. 5: learn to read the wind better. Most of my missed shots on prone stages were from bad wind calls. I was well equipped for this match but I did notice a few items that would help me a lot. - Wrist notepad - Hog saddle on tripod. (One of the stages was standing supported and you could use whatever you brought) The tripod could help with other stages as well. - 10 round magazine. I was handicapped in some stages with 6rd mags. (Come on and hurry up with the 10 rounders already Desert Tech!) - Pillows/ pads. Things I did well: - Ranging using my reticle. I hit the center of the target at 700 ish because I ranged it perfectly. - Adjusting position to engage different targets. I don't know if this post is helpful to anyone, I figured it would help me to get my thoughts down from this match. |
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Stay hydrated, stay fed, stay away from refined sugars and stimulant drinks the day of the match, get a good nights sleep the night before the match.
Go in to do your best, not to win... manage your expectations. Above all, get out and do it. Not trying is the biggest mistake. |
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really glad to see these posts. this has been the most intelligent thread on arfcom in years.
" During matches, I rarely go over 12x." interesting. i rarely go UNDER 12x. I'd say 80% of my shots are in the 15-22x range 4: Find my cold bore dope. next time you're around good PRS shooters, ask them about this. my guess is they will tell you they don't adjust for cold bore. - Hog saddle on tripod. (One of the stages was standing supported and you could use whatever you brought) The tripod could help with other stages as well. the tripod is essential gear, depending on what part of the country you shoot in, and dang good idea to have anywhere. but, if you are missing a piece of gear like this, especially if you are a relatively new shooter, don't hesitate to ask someone to borrow theirs. i am flying to WA for a match this weekend and just plan to borrow one because I don't want to bring mine on the airplane. there are a handful of matches that will require you to use only things YOU carry so you can't share gear. believe it or not, the only way to learn more than shooting a PRS match is to RO one. |
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You will never miss the wrong target.
Practice even if it's only 20 rounds. I shoot a prone varmint silhouette game and I don't have some of the specialty gear like ballistics calculator but I try to shoot 20 rounds a weekend at all the yardages required so I know my dope. The wind is your friend but you can really tell the ones that use the gadgets to shoot once it comes up. Their scores plumet like a rock. Learn to read the mirage. At the end of the day and you have a three or four hour trip to get home you will have plenty of time to think about all your mistakes. For indoor dry firing look up Indoor Optimal Training Aid. I.O.T.A it's a diopter that slips over the end of your scope and you can place your target 14 feet away and practice your positional shooting. |
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Quoted:
I'd like to get into matches like these - what are they typically advertised as? Look for Tactical/precision matches. I shoot Varmint Silhouette match. The one I shoot is a prone match from 200 out to 860 yards and three minutes to shoot five targets. Three minutes is a lot of time until you have to find your target and make elevation changes read the wind/mirage squeeze the trigger. |
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Quoted: I'd like to get into matches like these - what are they typically advertised as? Precision rifle matches, Sniper Matches, etc. I don't know of much in IL at all. Depending on where you are you'll have to drive one way or another. We aren't exactly a hot bed in OH, but are lucky enough to have a few matches, two of which each year are may even be more challenging than some of the PRS stuff. |
| Most of the matches were announced on snipershide.com competition forum until they migrated. Now it doesn't seem like there's one place to go anymore. Sadly most of the conversation among good shooters is happening on Facebook groups. But check the PRS website and follow links to the clubs. Then check the club sites for match announcements |
| Try looking for matches here: https://practiscore.com/upcomingmatches |