Archive for the ‘Marksmanship’ Category
Hit What You Shoot At!
The Key to Accuracy!
Of all the Shooting Fundamentals, Sight Alignment/Sight Picture has the biggest impact on shooting accuracy. With non-scoped weapons, it’s important to align the front and rear sights perfectly and consistently each time. The four things in this equation are: the shooting eye, rear sight, front sight, and your target (in that order). However, some say it is better to first point the front sight at the target while assuming the proper eye, sights, and target pictorial.
The relationship between your shooting eye and the rifle scope or a rear metalic sight is important. Once you determine that position (where vision is best), be conscious of where your nose and cheek are in-relation to the weapon stock (spot-weld). Ideally, this same spot-weld should be assumed each time you aim and fire the weapon.
When you squeeze the trigger, you must apply steady and increasing pressure until the gun fires. Remember, the shot sound should be a surprise each and every time; if it isn’t, you are pulling/finching and will never shoot well until corrected
Don’t Pull/Jerk but S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E!
S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E!
Again, while in the service, the good Sergeant would walk by my target and say, “you’re pulling to the right; don’t pull/jerk but S – Q – U – E – E – Z – E the trigger”.
Take a look at your index finger. The trigger should be placed between the end and first joint of the finger. The key is to S – Q – U – E – E – Z – E the trigger until the weapon discharges. If the shooter knows when the weapon fires, they are pulling/jerking the trigger and will have subsequent lateral barrel movement. This will equate into missing the target point by inches or more at several hundred yards: S – Q – U – E – E – Z – E it! Same principle applies for muzzleloading rifles.
Magic is in the Fundamentals!
Breathing Cycle!
I remember when I was going through Army Basic Training. The sergeant would look at my marksmanship target and say, “You ain’t breathing right”. Of course, it took a long time for me to understand how he could tell that by looking at my target; but, he did further say, “see the vertical movement in your shot placement – try this, it should help”:
- Take a breath;
- Let it out;
- While exhaling, notice that there is a point where you do not feel compelled to continue exhaling nor compelled to take a breath (normally when about ¾ of the air has be exhaled).
- Try again, this time when you get to that pointing – hold your breath for 1-2 seconds.
That is the time in your breathing cycle when you want to take your shot. Of course there are other things that need to come together at the same time, such as proper sight alignment/sight picture and of course the proverbial “Trigger Squeeze” – don’t jerk or pull but squeeze it. The magic is in the fundamentals and Practice, Practice, Practice!
Be Calm, Cool & Collected!
Sitting Firing Position!
Good body position is such an extremely important Shooting Fundamental. The slightest movement of the weapon barrel will move the strike of the bullet exponentially as distance to the target increases. It is super critical that the chosen firing position be as solid/reinforced as conditions permit and yet be comfortable.
One of the biggest mistakes that some shooters make is to start off with the biggest/bad(est); most powerful-hard kicking rifle available and all done without hearing protection (got to maintain that image). However, after zeroing and firing an additional box for practice, the average person would be so flinching prone – it would be impossible for them to fire any weapon without involuntary movement of the barrel.
Supportive Hunting gear is important; but, if your goal is to be an outstanding shooter, you must establish the conditions that will allow you to:
- Relax!
- Breathe normally (in/out steady breaths);
- Clear your mind (only think of task at hand);
- Control yourself (anxiety);
- ENJOY IT!
Be All You Want To Be!
Practice Makes Perfect!
You can be as good a shot as you want to be. Whether you’re average, good, or outstanding will depend on your ability to learn and apply the basic fundamentals of shooting:
- Good, Solid, Comfortable Body Position;
- Breathing Control;
- Proper Sight Picture;
- Trigger Control (Squeeze).
Hunting gear – including weapons, optics, and ammunition are important considerations; however, the true ability of a shooter, to consistently make those difficult shots, will depend solely on their mastery of the fundamentals and practice: SHOOTING, SHOOTING, SHOOTING!
Don’t Make It Complicated!
Must Be Secure!
Zeroing your deer rifle doesn’t need to be a complicated process. I would suggest you use a good bench rest supported by a couple sandbags. The key is that the weapon must be secure and can’t arbitrarily move around.
Sighting the weapon for zero at either 25 or 100 yards will give you the same aiming/hit-point trajectory. Shoot three rounds into a paper/card-board target, and then triangulate the shot-group. Measure the straight-line distance, in inches, to adjust the center of the shot-group to the on-line point with the target/point-of-aim (windage______in.). Then measure the straight-line distance, in inches, from that vertical on-line point to the target’s point-of-aim (elevation______in.).
Instructions for the sight unit will explain how many clicks of adjustment are needed to move the shot-group the desired distance for both the lateral (windage) and elevation adjustments. This 3 round, shot-group process of adjustment should be continued until the center point of the shot-group has been adjusted to the target (point-of-aim). However, hunters who routinely take shots out to 200-300 yards might want to make the center strike of the shot-group a little high (couple inches) in-relation-to the target (point-of- aim), when zeroing your rifle at 100 yards..
Are You Hitting The Target?
Non-firing Sight Adjustment/Confirmation!
Most avid hunters have been groomed from childhood. However, there are some who were influenced by a stint in the Service, through a marriage, or some other influence; but, regardless of the motivation, do you hit what your aiming at? Being able to hit a target is the ultimate goal and responsibility of the hunter, it’s by far from being a given.
The factors affecting this firing process are not only the individual’s marksmanship proficiency but the weapon’s zero, ammunition being used, and weather impact on the ammo/firing process. The initial sighting-in of a weapon is normally a two step process.
The first is bore sighting the weapon, which is a preliminary adjustment to bring the sight in-alignment with the bore of the weapon. The second step is to zero the weapon. This is the tedious job of adjusting the strike of the bullet to hit what-ever you’re aiming at. As described above, this step will take into consideration those other factors impacting on the firing process.