Shooting Accurately Yet Hitting No-Shoots

[JimM]

Another newer shooter here who appreciates the input in this thread.

Jim

[kevin c]

A couple other ways of looking at the problem:

First, if you are used to having the whole down zero circle/A zone available, say, on a full target, you likely shoot with the expectation that any shot in there will score, and that a shot just outside will still count, though with fewer points or penalty seconds added. A noshoot/nonthreat tacked onto the target reduces the scoring area available, though, replacing it with a penalty zone. If the scoring area is reduced, say, by half (I'm including the -1 and C zones where we will accept the occasional hit), you have to reduce your aiming area by the same, or else half your hits will get penalized. My point is not just "aim small, miss small" always, it's that how much of the target you aim at varies with how much is available, and what consequences occur if you miss.

A second related issue is that much of the time penalty targets are set over the lower part of the shoot target. Mounting an iron sighted gun on the down zero or A zone, the sights very often will COVER the penalty target as you aim. You can easily forget that it's there, and end up accepting a shot that you think should go a little low into the zero/A zone or immediately around it, but to your everlasting regret. The take home lesson here is to know the targets in the course of fire, visualizing that the area aimed at changes on those particular targets. This depends on the visualization in advance, since you can't rely of the visual clues available in the actual COF, because of the blocking effect of the sights on the low part of the target.

These lessons were, and are still, being learned by me the hard way...

Edited September 12, 2012 by kevin c

[PJones1911]

For me, shooting faster means more bad hits. I do try to focus on the center of the exposed target when there is a non-threat in front so the edge of of A&C become my new center. Sometimes its an A but most times a C. The chance you take for speed until we become Jerry Miculek or Todd Jarrett.