It is impossible to miss!

[Ron Ankeny]

Shot calling is not rocket science...trust me....

Nope, not rocket science at all. I was calling shots when I was on the rifle team in junior high school. The difference between precision shooting and USPSA shooting is constantly reading the relationship of the sights to each other and to the target face while on the clock.

[JKSNIPER]

Guys LIVE and DIE by their data books which teach shot calling like its a religion.

Do you have a link to some info on those data books? How to's and such?

I've use a method that was likely stolen from the High-power guys, but I could always use more info.

Sorry for the late reply FLex...just read this today.

Apologies for the length of this post theres more but heres the highlights.

OK....data books...first off I'll use rifle terms and relate it to shooting rifle since that where I learned it.

Data books can be found in military PX's on the web, and you can make your own.

Data books are as varied as grains of sand on the beach and about as plentiful.

There are literally untold #'s of variations and you can even make up your own custom one using rite in the rain paper (great stuff for those crappy snotty weather days on the range) and a laser or inkjet printer.

some books come already printed on rite in the rain paper. You can buy the paper on the web I think its WWW.RITEINTHERAIN.COM or goggle it.

check out :

JARHEADTOP.COM

Sinclair International

Creedmoor sports

for books they carry to see if they fit your needs.

TSS (Tactical Survival Specialities) makes one with a template I use for my GA Precision sniper rifle..I have an F.B.I. one I used for my first department sniper rifle (Rem 700 in 30-06 with wood stock and redfield friction ring scope) and a new one from Snipercraft I use for my current department rifle.

They are generally oriented toward rilfe/highpower rifle shooters but they can be used for pistolero types also.

I have 4 or 5 different ones with different (not good or bad just different) aspects/feature to them but they all have common threads to them to include spaces to record:

1. Date

2. Place

3. Weather (lighting, rain,wind, temperature)conditions

4. Cold bore shot.

Cold bore shots CAN deviate from the rest of a string of fire for numerous reasons not the least of which is our 3 friends . Buck, jerk, and flinch. Dry fire AKA recoil innoculation prior to starting a shooting session or a match can considerably help out in this regard.

But even doing that cold bore shots can still be off from our following shots. Most evidnet over long distances but in rifle shooting it can be seen as close as 25-50 yards. Depending on a host of factors.

Which is why we record weather conditions. A 20 degree drop or increase in temperature CAN possibly move a .308 rifle strike 1" @ 100 yards. This is why you have to record this stuff because YOUR rifle may or may not do it while mine varies by more than the 1" rule.

5. Calls and plots .....Shots called where the hit should be according to your feel and the actual location of the hit.

When using a data book to experiment with loads or projectiles or technique EVERY shot gets called. You fire it and the last sight alignment and picture you recall before the weapon went "boom" gets put down. Then use your spotting scope or other vision enhancer to see where it actually hit. In Highpower rifle you shoot 20 rounds standing slow fire @ 200 yards, 10 rounds standing to sitting rapid fire, 10 rounds standing to prone rapid fire @ 300 and 20 rounds slow fire prone @ 600 yards.

Calling your shots is a skill you absolutely HAVE to develop to shoot highpower rifle.

Don't cheat!

Call the shot THEN look through the scope to confirm where it hit.

6. Ammunition used to include lot numbers. THere can be serious variations in ammunition performance just switching from one lot# of ammo to another. In the Eastern Division Matches in Camp Lejeune in the early 80's we saw serious dope changes due to a new lot of ammo being issued to us in the middle of match week.

7. The shooters name ...believe it or not I can shoot your rifle and my come ups from 1-200 yards might be 7 clicks on the scope and yours might be 9. Don't take a weapon from someone and trust it to be zeroed for YOU.

It might not be.

Usually shooters zeros will vary at least slightly. VEry rarely do you find 2 guys that can shoot the same rifle over the course without some change between them.

8. Position used when firing.

Your shots can vary due to the position you use. My zero is one setting for prone off a bag than it is for prone from a loop sling.

Check it out by shooting off a bench with your weapon bagged so its not moving then shoot standing supported then standing unsupported then a sitting or kneeling unsupported. all from 50 yards using different targets. Compare them. Most shooters will experience some vaiation between the positions . Most variation will be with the greatest variation in position which is usually standing vs prone.

Anyway you record this stuff for your own knowledge and to prepare yourself for the match. An example.

I shot in the police olympics sniper rifle competition 2 years ago.

The 3 years ago I had something funny happen at the same range.

I had good zeros and had practiced a few days before the competition so I felt good shooting.

I go down to my target and WTF I'm high by almost exactly an inch on each target.

Hmmm......check the book.

My home range is just about AT sea level and the last time I shot THERE it was about 70 degrees.

Conditions for the match? In the Albany NY area (Unsure the exact elev but definitely above sea level) and it was about 90 degrees out.

Now here I am at the match in question 2 years ago and the conditions feel very familiar.

I check the book and sure enough the info is there staring me in the face from 3 years ago.

I make the dope change on the rifle get down and shoot.

I win the gold for overall high score, a ilver in the cold bore shot event, and a bronze in the team event with my partner Billy King.

Everyone wanted to know how I did it.

My answer was "I used my data book"

Some guy felt I was holding out on him but I told the truth and finally started to get a little annoyed at the implications I had used some secret way to win so I said "I used the F.M. method."

"The F.M. method?"

"Yeah. The F**king Magic method."

Use the data book for you own purposes but it CAN make a difference in your performance.

JK

ALSO buy a round count book and keep it with your weapon and fill it out EVERY time you goto the range.First thing a gunsmith wants to know when your weapon starts acting up is "How many rounds you got through it?" Available from WWW.IRONBRIGADEARMORY.COm or through creedmoor sports.

[Flexmoney]

Thanks, JK. I'll probably split that info out into it's own thread. It deserves it.

[JKSNIPER]

Anytime I can help out Flex.

This info was by no means all inclusive and was down and dirty.

Theres a BUNCH of stuff not in there.

Pistol shooters will benefit froom going over to the "dark side" of highpower rifle for a while.

In addition to the fact that the dark side has cookies (lol) it trains you to know PRECISION accuracy.

A pistol shooter may look at a target and see his group over by 1 inch or even more at 25-50 yards and say "Oh well no big deal."

Highpower rifle guys and sniper rifle shooters are getting out the tanto and preparing to commit seppuku while saying how sorry they are for shaming their family name.

Ok so maybe its not QUITE that bad but you get the idea.

FInd a highpower club and go shoot it.

Its another hole into which you can throw sums of money and have fun doing it.

JK

[38supPat]

I've been shooting a bit of precision rifle and have been working on and off with developing a data book for pistol shooters