Shooting to win

          Now the stuff you have been waiting so patiently, how to shoot Hi Master scores.

          The next paragraph is the MOST important to precision shooting.

                  1. Identify your target
                  2. Watch the front sight (Red Dot)
                  3. Move the trigger smoothly straight to the rear
                  4. Do #2 and #3 at the same time
                  5. Follow your front sight or red dot in the arc of movement after the shot is fired. (fired arc of movement or F.A.M.)
                        • Sounds simple doesn’t it.

                  Memorize the above paragraph. This is the secret to precision shooting.

                  #1 Identify your target.  Is that your target? or your neighbors?  Shoot on your own target.  If someone shoots on your target, be a good sport, there are 2 kinds of people, those who have shot on other peoples targets, and those that will.  Also good sports people and bad sports people.

                  #2 states "See the front sight (dot)" I mean don't just look at the front sight (dot), See the front sight (dot). Is there a scratch on the front sight? Does your red dot look sharp, or is there a "tail" off it? Some shooters will purposely put a scratch on the front sight to give themselves a focus point to see, If they see the scratch, they are Seeing the front sight.

                  #3 states Move the trigger straight to the rear. This seems simple enough, but the hard part is really #3 Both must be done at the same time. There is another way to describe this, Keep the trigger moving 

                  #4 watch the front sight or red dot as it raises and falls in its arc of recoil, this is very important in slow fire as well as timed and rapid.

                  you gun is going to recoil the same way every time.  Memorize the arc it makes.  This will give you the edge during timed and rapid fire, as you will know how much pressure to apply to the trigger verses time (2 to 4 seconds per shot) (use 2 seconds per shot if it is windy during timed fire)  Get in the "groove" of the recoil.

                   

                  The above is a must do.

                  O.K. you memorized that part and you will never forget it and do it every time, Right? Well, here are more tips that will move you to a better performance.

                  The "dot" shows where the barrel is pointed.

                  The Dot must be centered in the scope as well as centered on the target. The Dot in the scope may look different at different times of the day, it's your eye that's changing during the day.

                  It doesn't matter if you like the dot bright or light, Whatever works best for you. The Dot may look square or triangle, or round, your eye sees it that way. Another person can look threw the same scope and see a different "dot" than you do.

                  Magnification causes "parallax" so don't use any magnification. Parallax is the difference in apparent direction of an object from the viewer when looked at from two different positions. In other words if the scope is on an angle and you see the "dot" dead centered, and you break the shot at that instance, the shot will not hit where the dot was centered.

                  To help your concentration and not be distracted by the shooter next to you, by their movements or their brass whacking you, Blinders on the side of your shooting glasses and an opaque milk color patch on your non- shooting eye helps. Wearing the patch on your shooting eye is not a good idea, and wearing patches on both eyes doesn't help at all except if you want some sleep.

                  You are the only person on the range!!!! Don't concern yourself with the problems of the other shooters, you are the only person on the range. If you lend your screwdriver to a shooter, what will you be thinking of, Shooting or the screwdriver? You will be thinking about the screwdriver!

                  You go to a match to win it. Accept your wobble area and shoot within it.

                  Think positively.

                  Shooting, You learn more about yourself than any other sport.

                          GRIPPING THE GUN

                  How do you hang onto the gun? Pick up the gun in your non shooting hand and stuff the gun into your non-shooting hand. Then extend your fingers around he grip. The grip should be natural and comfortable to you. Grip equally with your four fingers. (Your four fingers do not include your trigger finger.)

          Shooting To Win

One theory is to "see" yourself shooting in "real time". Picture yourself walking up to the line, setting up your gun box, preparing your equipment and mind to shoot. "See" the front sight (red dot). " See" your wobble area. Feel the gun relaxed in your hand (like a hand shake). "See" your wobble area. Stop breathing. Move the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights. Accept your wobble area and keep the trigger moving. Don’t fight your wobble area. Watch the wobble. If the wobble has sharp corners or choppy movements, you are fighting your wobble area. Your wobble area should be rounded. (This is easier to notice with a red dot sight.) Good scores aren’t hard. Good scores flow free.

Working out, eating right, and dry firing, a half hour a day, and of course if you can live fire, will get your scores up. When you shoot your 45, say to yourself during timed and rapid, "keep the trigger moving".

 

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