Posted: 7/18/2015 11:53:21 AM EDT
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So one of the things that always 'echoes in my mind', particularly after a bad shot is something one of my two coaches told me when I got started:
"The key to winning in this sport is to be able to build a stable, repeatable position. You simply CANNOT B.S. your natural point of aim." There is a reason that many modern matches run today still use the paper NRA target (aside form the sheer expense of using an electronic target system): You are literally FORCED to change, and rebuild your position for each of the four record bullseyes. To change position: 1. Line up on your target. 2. Close your eyes, and relax. 3. Open your eyes. 4. Now look at where your rifle is aiming - this is your NPOA. to correct it: Prone (with a sling): 1. If your rifle is slightly left, move your hips SLIGHTLY to the left, if it is to the right, move them SLIGHTLY right. The key to this is to make very MINOR adjustments. Your prone position is built around your support/sling elbow. Once you have made a 'coarse' adjustment with your hips, you can fine tune it by drawing your firing elbow either forward, or backwards. 2. Using your trailing leg, you can either draw it up towards your trigger hand, or push it away from your trigger hand to make fine adjustments. 3. Use your 'breath' to make elevation adjustments. Do not hold your breath for too long - your eyesight is the first thing to suffer when oxygen deprivation sets in. It also encourages 'target admiration'. Admiring your target will cause your target to 'burn in' to your sight picture. If you cannot get the shot off in 4-6 seconds, close your eyes and re-start. 4. The correct prone position will have you laying at an angle to the target, with your spine & shoulders forming a 'T'. Your support leg should have your foot turned 'in', and your trailing foot turned 'out'. Your torso will be slightly turned on it's side. 5. The sling needs to be tight against your support hand when you're first learning - you can adjust it when you have this figured out. A shooting glove will decrease the amount of pain you feel in your support hand. Kneeling: Set your front/support foot at a 45 degree angle to your target. Making MINOR adjustments to this angle will adjust the 'windage' of your shots, drawing your support hand closer in on the stock will adjust your elevation. Your kneeling scores will only be a few points lower than your Prone scores, when you have it perfected (which I do not). Your elbow should rest on your knee. Your support arm should be nearly 'straight up and down'. Standing: Your 'offhand' windage is controlled by pivoting your rear foot, around your front foot. Your front foot should stay planted. You then slide your rear left and right to make the corrections. Avoid taking your face away from your cheekpiece too often. Look down at the ground, and find an object - a rock, a stain on the concrete, a piece of tape. Remember it's relation to your support hand, and fire a sighter shot. Once you have a 10 fired on your sighter, look for that object on the ground, and memorize it's location again - this is now your reference point, and wherever it 'sits' in relation to your support hand is where it should be for every shot. Your shoulders may drop back, and your hips forward somewhat - transferring your weight to your 'windage foot'. The goal in a standing position, is to keep your head in as vertical a position as possible. Any canting of the head will cause you to wobble. This is why you practice bringing 'the rifle to your head', and not the other way around. Many people will find that this is where sight risers and adjustable cheek pieces are worth their weights in gold. Wind: The wind closest to the muzzle of the rifle has the greatest effect on moving a bullet. Period. Wind will influence a bullets travel from 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock in a barrel with a RH twist). If you're shooting an 'any sight' match (scoped), adjust your bullet impact to just break the lefthand side of the 'X' ring. In this manner, when you hold/shoot, you're generally guaranteed a 10, unless your hold, or mirage reading skills were bad. After sighting, hold the X ring at 9 o' clock, and watch the mirage. Wind flags are great if you have them, but they are generally 'the last thing to react' to the wind. Mirage is the truest indicator of what the wind is doing RIGHT NOW. These are just some simple 'starters'. If you're really interested in getting better, you should seek out a book produced by MEC, titled 'Ways of the Rifle'. It's around $60 and still available via their website. Good luck, and just keep practicing. None of these things, other than the 'NPOA' tip is a hard fast rule, and each person has a slightly different approach to things depending on what they've been taught, and their individual body 'build'. |