Question about "tracking the dot"

[B_RAD]

Is it something to pay attention to?  Or should you just be worried about the spot on the target and when the dot is back on that spot? Seems like if you watch what the dot is doing your switching focus back and forth. Who cares if it tracks up and down, or wiggles left and right?

 

I've been shooting open for a few weeks.  I'm shooting a CK thunder.  I've been shooting 7.0 WAC with a 124 gr PD JHP. I tired some 115 gr JHP with 10.0gr AA7 and 8.5gr HS-6. They seemed a little flatter but the dot seems to have more left and right movement. 

 

I honestly don't think one was better than the other or that one is gonna be more advantageous on the clock. 

 

I'm thinking left/right, up/down doesn't matter and long as it's consistent and you practice.  

 

 

[Explosiveo]

You should be looking at the target, not the dot. Superimpose the dot over the taget and pull the trigger.
Only time you want to look at the dot is targets that are 20 yards plus possibly. Like a plate rack or something hard to hit.

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[B_RAD]

I guess I kind of have two topics/questions. 

 

 

I know you're supposed to look at the spot on the target. I just heard folks talk about tracking the dot or dot noise. So, I guess my questions are

1. Should you track it?  I'm thinking no. I don't mean focus on it. I guess you'd track it in your peripheral. 

 

2. does it matter if it's up and down or left and right? I'm thinking when people say it shoots flatter, that's gonna mean more left and right?

 

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by B_RAD

[Rnlinebacker]

I guess I kind of have two topics/questions. 

 

 

I know you're supposed to look at the spot on the target. I just heard folks talk about tracking the dot or dot noise. So, I guess my questions are

1. Should you track it?  I'm thinking no. I don't mean focus on it. I guess you'd track it in your peripheral. 

 

2. does it matter if it's up and down or left and right? I'm thinking when people say it shoots flatter, that's gonna mean more left and right?

 

 

look at the A zone through the glass and see the dot moving only VERTICALLY in the glass.

 

Left/right ABSOLUTELY does matter because that's a no shoot/hard cover Mike or Mike on an easy target at 25 plus yards. This is a sign of poor grip.

 

With a good grip dot is mostly tracking up and down.

 

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[jcc7x7]

Consistent movement is great, mostly dependent on your grip/form.

When the dot is super imposed on the A zone "TRIGGER"

[Explosiveo]

You will see the dot in your vision and will be waiting for it to come back on target before firing your second shot if it's far enough to matter. But if your close enough you can just double tap anyway. It all depends on target distance.

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[3gunDQ]

I do it organically.... it just happens. No thinking. 

[Flatland Shooter]

Right or wrong, this is how I address dot movement in an Open gun.

 

When shooting Open, my goal was first, get the dot to always return to the same spot each time, second, get the dot movement to move up/down as much as possible (try to avoid left/right as much as possible). and third. keep the dot visible in the glass after the shot (minimize muzzle flip so I did not lose the dot).

 

The easy (but time consuming) part was getting the gun and ammo set up.  Once its 100% reliable, play with things like bullet weight, powder charges and recoil springs to get it manageable.  And then try to optimize it further to get it "flat".  I went a long time (too long) shooting a load that others felt was perfect for the sport.  It may have been great for them with their gun, but it was not the best for me.  Put in the time to find what's best for you.

 

Then to the hard part,  In my case, (and possibly more relevant to your question) I found that the dot would move a bit to the left if I held the gun too tightly with my strong (right) hand.  I also found that the dot would move more (sometime out of view) if I did not clamp down on the gun with my weak hand,  For me, getting this consistent was the hard part.  

 

The solution was more live fire time and less dry fire time. (Actually kept up with the dry fire, just increased the amount of live fire).  Too much dry fire time would allow my grip to get sloppy.

 

[zzt]

I experimented with a lot of different loads and PFs when I first got into Open.  Some were better than others.  Some made the gun shoot flatter.  Some made the dot wiggle left/right.  Some just went up and down.

 

I used one of the loads that tracked up and down, and worked on my grip.  After bunch practice I arrived at a particular grip that allowed the dot to track up and return to the same spot.  Too weak a grip and the dot wanders.  Too tight a grip and the dot dips on return.  When I hold it just right, it's magic.

 

You look at the target, not the dot.  If you are tracking the dot, you are shooting slower than you would otherwise.  

[lacivilian]

Tracking the dot for me has zero to do with focusing on the dot. You're right that if you actually look at the dot that you're defeating the purpose of it. Stay target focused and try to only "feel" the dot. Try not to actually see a dot when you superimpose it, just know it is there on top of what you see. When you can truly feel the dot and what it is doing in recall you'll be "tracking" the dot and shooting the blur as you should be. Shooting Carry Optics previously this sense of feeling the dot was much more crucial in being able to shoot fast than when I switched to open. If I let the dot settle back down after the slide slammed forward I was way off the pace splits wise. 

[d_striker]

OP-Are you shooting with both eyes open?  

[B_RAD]

8 minutes ago, d_striker said:

OP-Are you shooting with both eyes open?  

Yes

[Shadyscott999]

Mainspring and FPS have a tremendous amount of effect on how a dot tracks.  

 

[teros135]

29 minutes ago, Shadyscott999 said:

Mainspring and FPS have a tremendous amount of effect on how a dot tracks.  

 

 

Also how the firing pin stop (FPS) is shaped...

...and.whether you use a shock buffer, and the powder you use...

...lots of variables

 

[theWacoKid]

On 11/3/2018 at 8:17 PM, B_RAD said:

I guess I kind of have two topics/questions. 

 

 

I know you're supposed to look at the spot on the target. I just heard folks talk about tracking the dot or dot noise. So, I guess my questions are

1. Should you track it?  I'm thinking no. I don't mean focus on it. I guess you'd track it in your peripheral. 

 

2. does it matter if it's up and down or left and right? I'm thinking when people say it shoots flatter, that's gonna mean more left and right?

 

 

 

Should you track it?  As in watching it go up and down?  I say no. Think of dot tracking as dot path. The track is just the path it takes. 

 

Does it matter if it's up, down, left, right?  It depends. If every time you fire the gun the dot is where it's supposed to be it will not matter. However, think of the dot motion as feedback you can't get from iron guns. It's telling you how the gun is moving in your hands. In that respect, because we make mistakes, using that feedback to adjust your technique and minimize the gun venturing astray of the intended target the greater your margin of error becomes. This will add up in the long run. 

 

As far as a flat gun, that doesn't mean anything moves left/right, just that it moves up less. 

[B_RAD]

7 hours ago, theWacoKid said:

 

Should you track it?  As in watching it go up and down?  I say no. Think of dot tracking as dot path. The track is just the path it takes. 

 

Does it matter if it's up, down, left, right?  It depends. If every time you fire the gun the dot is where it's supposed to be it will not matter. However, think of the dot motion as feedback you can't get from iron guns. It's telling you how the gun is moving in your hands. In that respect, because we make mistakes, using that feedback to adjust your technique and minimize the gun venturing astray of the intended target the greater your margin of error becomes. This will add up in the long run. 

 

As far as a flat gun, that doesn't mean anything moves left/right, just that it moves up less. 

Thanks for the input. 

[Truckin_Thumper]

Here is what I have found: 

If you get your arms, wrists, grip squared away, the dot will appear in the same spot every time you come up to ready. 
This takes a LOT of practice. A LOT of dryfire/draw practice in the living room.

A couple of years ago when I got in to USPSA, I wanted a dot. Got one, and then realized I sucked and the dot did nothing to help my basic skills. 
I went back to irons. All of 2018 I shot Production and some limited. This got my basic set of skills down as good as they can be. 
I just picked up a Czechmate and guess what, that dot appears right where I can find it with minimal effort. My body position is instinctually  "there". 
The first two local matches, I came in 2nd and 3rd (pistols, overall) . Usually, I am in the middle of the pack. Actually, I was 1st in Open Div for both, shooting factory 9 minor. 

As others have said, focus on the target and when the little red thing meets the A zone......trigger. 


   

[Hi-Power Jack]

See Flatlanders posting, above.   

 

Perfect.