Shooting through ports

[fastmtnbiker33w]

I did a search for "shooting through ports", "practicing shooting through ports", "ports sizes", "shooting through barrels" (you can imagine what that brought up ), and a few other variations and couldn't find specifically what I'm looking for. I'm sure someone here will kick me a link that tells me everything I need.

I've shot several matches where I've had to shoot through ports and barrels. Barrels really did me in and I had some M and NS's on that one. Regular ports aren't too bad, but when the distances stretch out past about 5 meters I don't do too well.

So my first question, is there a standard port size?

I have 3 target stands for practice....and it's really all I have time to set up when I do an after work practice session. I was thinking about using one of my stands as a barrier with a large piece of plastic board (I love my local politicians who don't remove their signs in a timely manner) with a port cut in it. Not sure what size I should make the port. Any suggestions? It would be easy to flip it to set it high or low. I can think of a thousand different drills to do.

As for shooting through the barrels...you know, the big blue ones that every club has...I don't have my own yet, so that's kind of tough to practice. On the stage where we had to do that, one guy was telling me I had to aim a certain way. I can't remember if he said I needed to aim high or low. Something about the shadowing causing your vision to make it look like you were on target but you weren't. Any suggestions on that?

Shooting around barriers...and many times over them because I'm 6'5" and I'm learning to game certain things..isn't a problem.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Jeff686]

Aim differently through a barrel? Sounds like a bunch of milarky to me.

The key to practice for shooting through ports and barrels is to work on lots of odd body positions. Learn to get comfortable squatting or stretching or leaning. Practice from one knee, then the other, then both. Try leanding way back on your knees (calf stretch position). Think of all the different positions you might have to use to get to a port, and practice them. Pay attention to your glasses and hat, learn how they can get in the way or cause double images or block your view. Knowning these things can help you plan ahead.

It is natural to reach through a port or into a barrel. Sometimes it is necessary to get to all the targets, but frequently you can hang back a little, and keep the gun in a more comfortable position.

To get used to shooting through a barrel. Stick your head in a bucket with a string of fire crackers

Edited February 17, 2011 by Jeff686

[lumpygravy]

Are you shooting a dot or iron sights?

Ports and small openings require a minor adjustment for dots because of the height of the dot above the bore. This I recall from when I last shot an open gun. Iron sights less so to not at all. I shoot limited exclusive now.

Shooting through a barrel is similar to ports except that you're really shooting through a tunnel. The challenge is to be able to position yourself so that you can see and engage all of the required targets without having to get so close that your gun is inside the barrel. Doing so would then require you to retract the gun as you move to the next array of targets.

As for practicing?

These stage props are used to increase the difficulty of an engagement by forcing a less than perfect standing position. So as the prior reply suggested, practice putting youself into odd, less than balanced positions. You might try without the ports and barrels first and then introduce them when you feel comfortable shooting from off and balanced stance.

Also, dry fire under tables through chair slats, etc.... Almost anything at home can be used as a "prop" and simulate something you might reasonably expect at a match.

[grapemeister]

I've only been doing USPSA matches for about a year, but over the course of about 30 matches I've had to shoot through ports quite a few times, and several times through barrels. I haven't had a problem with barrels, or ports. Of course, the dumb rookie mistake I made one time was to stick my gun half way though a small port. Every time I fired a shot the front sight banged against the top of the port. Thankfully Springfield Armory puts really sturdy sights on the XD.

If at all possible, you should avoid sticking your gun through a port, or into a barrel. Most stage designs don't force you to do that, and it makes it easier and faster to move to your next shooting position if you don't stick the gun through the port or barrel. And, if it's a really small port, you can get a much better sight picture if the gun is positioned outside of the port.

Your sight picture should remain the same as if you are shooting a target in the open. Is it a phycological thing to overcome, or is it the sometimes weird body positions that some low ports require? Considering your 6'5' height, it's imperative to practice shooting from crouching, kneeling, and lower than normal body positions. Personally, I like to crouch most of the time when I'm shooting through low ports, but I'm 5'8'' and pretty limber. Some shooters find it necessary to go to one knee when I can just crouch at the same port.

If you want to practice shooting through ports, just cut the lower A zone out of a target, and use that as a port. You can move the whole target up or down, and practice shooting through low ports or medium height ports.

Again, the sight picture remains the same no matter what. I'm sure some more experienced shooters will chime in, but that's my two cents worth, and I hope it helps.

Chris

[fastmtnbiker33w]

Are you shooting a dot or iron sights?

I'm shooting irons.

I always tell myself not to stick my gun through the port, but on one stage we had to stay inside the box and when I went to my natural firing position, through the port my gun went. No biggie, just probably lost a millisecond or so on the transition to the next position.

I'm pretty limber as well and don't mind dropping to a knee. Yoga at 40 really pays off. I can get into all kinds of funky positions and get back up pretty quickly.

[Duckbutt]

It sounds like your getting good at it, not sticking your gun into a port is always a wise decision unless its your last position and you dont have to move from it. Not only does it take time to get the gun into and out of the port but if you happen to hit the port while leaving all sorts of disasters could occur. Im fairly tall and thus for most ports I have to squat. I have learned that if you swat down pay more attention to your sights as its an unnatural position and you tend to shoot low...just something to be aware of......

[fastmtnbiker33w]

It sounds like your getting good at it, not sticking your gun into a port is always a wise decision unless its your last position and you dont have to move from it. Not only does it take time to get the gun into and out of the port but if you happen to hit the port while leaving all sorts of disasters could occur. Im fairly tall and thus for most ports I have to squat. I have learned that if you swat down pay more attention to your sights as its an unnatural position and you tend to shoot low...just something to be aware of......

I have a feeling that's why that guy suggested I change my point of aim. He is tall as well and we both had to squat or kneel on the stage with the barrels. Now that I remember he said to aim high. I don't like taking someone's word without practicing it first to see what really happens. That stage ended up being a disaster. I know that just getting in some good practice will help a lot. There are picnic tables at the range on the line, so maybe I'll use one of those to shoot under to see what happens. I really need to get a couple of those plastic barrels.

[biga9999]

I am 6'7" and find shooting through ports to be one of my biggest challenges.

He'll, I usually have a better sight picture looking over the wall than I do through the port.

I have been getting as close to the port as I can and trying to fire. Thinking about getting as far back as I possibly can next time. May not have to squat down as far. But doing so may require me moving laterally a bit to get all the targets.

As a newb still figuring out what works for me.

Edited February 23, 2011 by biga9999

[Victor_R]

Mike hughes just posted this video that I think will help.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

That dude's home gym is sweet.

I like the way he keeps a wide base of support behind the barrier and just squats and stretches around from port to port.

One of the ports we shoot through has a shooter's box behind it. That tends to limit movement a lot. It's smaller than the standard box. I don't like it at all but I can manage.

[pjb45]

When I started this sport a few years ago, the adage was do not stick you gun into the port.

Later on, listening to Taran in one of his more lucid moments said, "stick the gun in far enough so you are not dancing around looking for all the targets you need to shoot."

His point was it was better to put the gun into the port and not be moving your feet than to have the gun way outside, and making several small steps to adjust the body to shoot all the targets within the port's view.

I practice shooting through ports about every other training session. I just take a couple of old targets and cut holes in them. Some bigger, some lower, etc.

Then I practice draws, coming into the port, reload leaving the port and going to the next port/target stand.

A couple years ago at LV Nats, they had a stage where all the targets were low, beneath a cover so to speak, so you had to squat to shoot most of them. I ended up practicing shooting from a squat also.