Picking up missed steel...

[spook]

We've al read that in order to shoot steel succesfully, you should engage it as if it were a paper target. Sight focus, do not look for the steel to fall. We all know you should call your shots and if you call correcly and called a hit, you have hit the target. But everyone has a glitch every now and then. If not, all the GMs would never miss.

So, for my question. When do you guys pick up missed steel if you called a hit?

[steel1212]

If I'm doing what I should be doing I'm reading the sights and going down the line. If I call a miss or a hit and don't hear the ding I still try to go down the line and clean up what I missed at the end. By doing that I stay in rhythm and I'm not jumping around.

[Pro2AInPA]

I generally fire one shot at each plate/popper/whatever and come back to clean up any misses. I don't stand there and listen for the ding or wait to see the plate fall.

[outerlimits]

depends on the location of the steel. for example, if it was a plate rack or fairly close together poppers, to cut down on transition times, generally try to avoid going more than 1 piece of steel past the one you miss.

[Flexmoney]

When do you guys pick up missed steel if you called a hit?

How do we get those two things happening at the same time, I wonder? Aren't they in conflict (unless the gun can't group)?

What we are looking at in this situation is likely a case of thinking we called the hit.

So, anyway...what do we do with a surprise miss? The surprise means we have transitioned away from that target. When do we transition back?

I have no set rule in my shooting for that. I hope to transition back whenever the transition makes the most sense. What I often see shooters doing...that cost them...is leaving a (later) target they have already located and transitioned to (but not shot), to swing back to the earlier missed steel. This means they have to locate and swing back to this target once again. So, they have added another transition to their time.

[benos]

We've al read that in order to shoot steel succesfully, you should engage it as if it were a paper target. Sight focus, do not look for the steel to fall. We all know you should call your shots and if you call correcly and called a hit, you have hit the target. But everyone has a glitch every now and then. If not, all the GMs would never miss.

So, for my question. When do you guys pick up missed steel if you called a hit?

It might vary depending on whether I knew the miss from was from not hearing the hit, or from a shady call.

Also, from my experience, the distance covered during a transition doesn't matter much regarding the transition's time.

Practice that sometime, you might be surprised.

be

[Bubber]

When I miss a steel in an array and there is no place to reengage the steel, I make up the shot ofter finishing the array. If I have to move after the array, and I have to reload, and it can be engaged further down the line without requiring another reload I will make it up there. Depending on the stage. Clear as mud? later rdd

[jaymitch]

If I'm doing what I should be doing I'm reading the sights and going down the line. If I call a miss or a hit and don't hear the ding I still try to go down the line and clean up what I missed at the end. By doing that I stay in rhythm and I'm not jumping around.

Agreed, If I stop and try to pick up a miss it screw with my rhythm. If there are 3 or 10 steel in a run I will shoot all and then go back for the missed targets.

[Dancin Dan]

I will almost always finish the array then come back and pick up the miss.

[bkeeler]

All depends on the stage.......no set rule...... not something you really want to be thinking about

[jaymitch]

All depends on the stage.......no set rule...... not something you really want to be thinking about

That is true, putting too much thought into what your gonna when you miss isn't that best idea. It is best to shoot every stage with the mindset that your not going to miss and then if it happens correct it depending on the course of fire.

[gb32]

I generally stay on it rather than come back. Not saying that's what always happens.................

[Pat Miles]

I generally stay on it rather than come back. Not saying that's what always happens.................

Staying on the steel is a huge waste of time. You are waiting for an audible response from the steel and then a visual response that the steel is going down plus waiting to see that it is down. Learn to call your shots. Know that the sights/dot are on the steel when you press the trigger and then snap your eyes to the next steel and repeat. You should be shooting to a cadence dictated by your speed ability. If you do not follow that cadence and stop to go back to pick up missed steel your cadence and plan will go to hell. Follow through and if necessary go back and pick up the missed steel.

Timing on this post is perfect. I just finished loading up my plate rack for some practice on it.

CYa,

Pat

[CocoBolo]

Interesting article on shooting steel in the Jul/Aug Front Site. The EKG theory. If we stick with that you are already on the way to the next target when the gun settles so keeping this in mind, you look back at the array before moving on and do any make up at that time.

In a mixed array I may shoot the steel first then the paper and that gives more opportunity to see a steel that did not fall.

[bbbean]

Interesting article on shooting steel in the Jul/Aug Front Site. The EKG theory. If we stick with that you are already on the way to the next target when the gun settles so keeping this in mind, you look back at the array before moving on and do any make up at that time.

Unfortunately, I find that my most common mike or delta is the last shot before a transition to a different array. My EKG is getting ahead of the gun, and I need to slow it down enough that I'm shooting my last shot at the A zone instead of somewhere between one A zone and the next.

[gb32]

Pat, I understand what you are saying. I'm going off my call on the shot, not an audible or visual stimuli. I don't shoot a plate on a rack any different than a popper that would be activating a mover.

[2alpha]

I think I saw an interview with Jerry M who said he comes back and cleans up any misses. I think it depends a lot on the difficulty of the shot and how far it is to the next target. It's best just not to miss.

[johnny7]

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