Seth Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I ain't fast, but I can tell you with remarkable clarity of memory what many shots I've taken looked like. I remember the sight picture clear as a bell. I can see the serrations and KNOW where the bullet went. I wish I was faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brannon Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 I still think the biggest obstacle to shot calling is blinking during the shot. Watch Travis' eyes in the video. He is right, but I don't think this is emphasized enough. If you don't have enough lead down the barrel so that your subconscious ignores the noise and recoil, you blink. If you blink, you can't call the shot. Shoot at a target, but try to "watch" your pistol. When you have that down, then practice calling the shots (like the drill at the end of the video). + 100 to all that! The awesome one has spoken...so shall it be! I good for the first shoot...the second I seem to wanna hurry on and it hits the target but not in the same area as the 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I still think the biggest obstacle to shot calling is blinking during the shot. Watch Travis' eyes in the video. He is right, but I don't think this is emphasized enough. If you don't have enough lead down the barrel so that your subconscious ignores the noise and recoil, you blink. If you blink, you can't call the shot. Shoot at a target, but try to "watch" your pistol. When you have that down, then practice calling the shots (like the drill at the end of the video). + 100 to all that! The awesome one has spoken...so shall it be! I good for the first shoot...the second I seem to wanna hurry on and it hits the target but not in the same area as the 1st. We must stop putting things into categories. There are no "second shots." There is in realiity each shot. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 We must stop putting things into categories. There are no "second shots." There is in realiity each shot. be Damn- another great point. That really sends the message home. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I felt like I made some real progress today in my live fire session at getting better at this skill. I called some mikes and deltas at the 15-20 yard range right on the money. I am striving to do better at this and I feel the progress coming. You have to be looking at the sights to have a chance to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Wallace Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 The slow motion POV video behind the M&P may be the most informative post I have ever seen about shot calling. This is an area in which I currently struggle. I know very well what shot calling is, but after SEEING it like that I cannot wait to get behind a gun for practice this weekend. Hopefully my eyes and mind will sync up with the sights now that they know what to watch for! Awesome stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAF313 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Great thread and very helpful! I've been wondering the real meaning of what "calling the shots" is, and this has been the most informative I've read. Thanks again! Edited June 11, 2012 by FAF313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I had the hardest time getting my eyes to see the front sight lift. Matt Burkett had me burn 10 rounds into the berm almost as fast as I could pull the trigger. Oops, after the first string, around the third shot, I saw the front sight lift, then again, and again,.. It was a way to learn what I needed to be seeing, I was seeing it previously, I just was not recognizing what I was seeing. Robbie's drill on the Action Target website is a great drill for this also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobS761 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 When I shot High Power Rifle, I could tell where almost every slow fire shot hit, from 200 to 600 yards. I would practice by dry firing standing offhand while aiming at, of all things, a screw in a light switch plate, and callling it. I think this was one of the first things I learned. I'm really struggling with fixed sights on my pistol, and it's probably a mental block. In my mind, my gun will not shoot straight until I can absolutely zero it with an adjustable sight. Reality is, it probably is zeroed, and my inch or two left is me. I think when I get past this, the shot calling will come. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pops1982 Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I've been calling my shots from the very fist one a couple of years ago. The problem is that I am frequently wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 So then, you call your shots, sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pops1982 Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 So then, you call your shots, sometimes. Right. Just being facetious. After two years of shooting I'm realizing that if I want to be more than a mid c shooter I will have to do more than just shoot. I've always had a sharp focus on the front sight but never committed to shot calling. Starting just recently I will am working on that along with starting some dry fire practice and more range time. Generally just putting in more practice and thought into what I must do to improve. You see, unfortunately I have no natural talent for shooting so I will have to do it the hard way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimM Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I was talking with BigJoni (my daugher), explaining "calling the shot," and thought of a new way of relating it to "sight picture." I was explaining sight picture - the relationship of the front sight to the rear sight, and the relationship of that to the target - when she asked, "Does 'calling the shot' happen before you fire the shot or after the shot fires"? That was a great question. Because the answer gets you looking in the right place. Sight picture is always taught as what you see before the gun fires. Her question made me see that that explanation is incomplete. What if sight picture were always taught as what you saw until the moment the front sight lifted in recoil. Now that's a whole new world to look in to. It's always fun to see for the first time what's been right in front of your face all along. This explanation helped me put it into better perspective. Thank you. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhhuber Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Final I understand! I have been struggling to grasp this concept for a while and since practicing these drills I believe I am finally onto the right path. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beacon22 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I still think the biggest obstacle to shot calling is blinking during the shot. Watch Travis' eyes in the video. He is right, but I don't think this is emphasized enough. If you don't have enough lead down the barrel so that your subconscious ignores the noise and recoil, you blink. If you blink, you can't call the shot. Shoot at a target, but try to "watch" your pistol. When you have that down, then practice calling the shots (like the drill at the end of the video). Yeah, I'm still catching myself blinking now and again and anticipating the shot pushing the muzzle down. I have a ton of lead down range.... Just not enough well executed lead down range. I think shooting without the basics down pat is more detrimental than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekratman Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Talking about this reminds me of some terrible dry-fire drills I used to do. I would set a par time and try to get through a stag in my living room by the second beep. I would find myself rushing through targets and definitly NOT calling my shots. It was more me seeing how fast I could wave my gun around and pull the trigger. Reading this thread, my priority should have been calling my shots and speed second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Talking about this reminds me of some terrible dry-fire drills I used to do. I would set a par time and try to get through a stag in my living room by the second beep. I would find myself rushing through targets and definitly NOT calling my shots. It was more me seeing how fast I could wave my gun around and pull the trigger. Reading this thread, my priority should have been calling my shots and speed second. If you just shoot, then speed is out of the equation. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Talking about this reminds me of some terrible dry-fire drills I used to do. I would set a par time and try to get through a stag in my living room by the second beep. I would find myself rushing through targets and definitly NOT calling my shots. It was more me seeing how fast I could wave my gun around and pull the trigger. Reading this thread, my priority should have been calling my shots and speed second. If you just shoot, then speed is out of the equation. be Eric- dry fire can be counter productive if you aren't honest with yourself. And further more... if you don't have a balance of dry fire and live fire (say mostly dry fire) you may find yourself WAY ahead of the gun during live fire! Ask me how I know... Seeing sights lift is as important in live fire is as making sure you see the sights all the way thru the trigger pull in dry fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t1nm4n Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I'm just glad to know what the term "Shot Calling" meant, I felt so stupid thinking you were actually callign your shots during a stage or something. <---- ultimate newbie when it comes to shooting techniques or terminaology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I'm just glad to know what the term "Shot Calling" meant, I felt so stupid thinking you were actually callign your shots during a stage or something. If you aren't, you're not doing it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t1nm4n Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I'm just glad to know what the term "Shot Calling" meant, I felt so stupid thinking you were actually callign your shots during a stage or something. If you aren't, you're not doing it right. I'm guessing we had a misunderstanding, I meant that people were telling the RO where their shots were landing, I have gathered ( I could be wrong still) that "Shot Calling" is more a mental thing you do to increase the speed at which you allow yourself to transistion to the next target. Would this me a semi-accurate assessment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Shot calling is knowing where your bullet is going to hit, before it gets to the target. It comes from observing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kita Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 It comes from not flinching or jerking the trigger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonovanM Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 It comes from not flinching or jerking the trigger! What if you blink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I have recently realized that you can learn to call your shots more accurately by "scoring" your runs on multi shot dry fire drills instead of ONLY pulling the trigger on Alphas. It's a good speed mode trick as well. This will likely be confusing and controversial. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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