Target Spot

[boz1911]

Great post Flex. Been shooting an Open gun for a couple of weeks and shooting partial blocked A-zone hits has been relatively easy. Most of all I have lost the fear of shooting a tight shot, hopefully that will transfer back into my Limited shooting. Now with this post I am going to make sure it does. Shoot the spot!

[edgerat]

I use this method in shooting smallbore silhouette. You look at one spot on the target and when your sights line up on that spot you break the shot. In a much faster way the same can be said for this sport. I am going to try this next time out, only with a little black or orange spot on the target. Might as well start with a small SPOT.

[ChrisMcCracken]

One of the real world sniper training manuals I've read went over this, suggesting that you pick as small a spot as you can. Usually a button on a shirt is a good choice. On my dryfire range I've outlined my A zones with a black marker along the perfs. Since my tendency is to shoot low and left, especially on the 2nd shot, I usually aim at the right upper guadrant of the A zone.

[Jake Di Vita]

Erucolindon,

You are effectively treating the symptom instead of the cause by aiming at the upper right quadrant of the A zone. A better idea would be to figure out why your 2nd shot is going low and left and fix that.

[ChrisMcCracken]

Erucolindon,

You are effectively treating the symptom instead of the cause by aiming at the upper right quadrant of the A zone. A better idea would be to figure out why your 2nd shot is going low and left and fix that.

Thanks Jake. I'm steadily trying to diagnose that, working on my fundamentals of grip, sight picture, trying to learn to call the shot. Mainly I think it was just when I was going too fast, shooting 2 shots for one sight picture. There is also the possibility that my sights are every so slightly off to the left.

[benos]

Erucolindon,

You are effectively treating the symptom instead of the cause by aiming at the upper right quadrant of the A zone. A better idea would be to figure out why your 2nd shot is going low and left and fix that.

Thanks Jake. I'm steadily trying to diagnose that, working on my fundamentals of grip, sight picture, trying to learn to call the shot. Mainly I think it was just when I was going too fast, shooting 2 shots for one sight picture.

I'd suggest you erase the possibility of that from ever happening from your brain.

be

[pjb45]

One of my biggest improvements in accuracy came from just shooting head shots during practice. I would spend 50-100 rounds on a series of targets and just focus on head shots during transition drills.

I have not practice for over 4 months due to some health and work reasons. I was at the range today. I did about 40 rounds on two targets just doing head shot transitions, just to re-enforce the concept of aiming small and hitting small.

[benos]

One of my biggest improvements in accuracy came from just shooting head shots during practice. I would spend 50-100 rounds on a series of targets and just focus on head shots during transition drills.

I have not practice for over 4 months due to some health and work reasons. I was at the range today. I did about 40 rounds on two targets just doing head shot transitions, just to re-enforce the concept of aiming small and hitting small.

Good stuff.

Robbie, Jay Christie (inventor of the drill and not sure on last name's spelling) and I used to do a drill named Harball's (Jays nickname) Headache. It was 3 IPSC targets, about 4 or four or five feet apart, at 12 hards. Draw and shoot 2 on each head, reload and repeat. I can't remmber for sure, but I think we scored time plus .2 second for each B / non-A. That is a great drill. You needed all A's to be the record holder. And you had to shoot right on the edge of your ability to hit all of them.

be

[Jake Di Vita]

Well lets hear what the record is.

[benos]

Well lets hear what the record is.

I wish I could remember it! It was a perfect LOHF run though, with all A's. I can still remember it visually.

[soaringf22]

One of the real world sniper training manuals I've read went over this, suggesting that you pick as small a spot as you can. Usually a button on a shirt is a good choice. On my dryfire range I've outlined my A zones with a black marker along the perfs. Since my tendency is to shoot low and left, especially on the 2nd shot, I usually aim at the right upper guadrant of the A zone.

I'm pretty sure Doug K. says one thing he does at Bianchi plate event is to hit dead center every time on the closest run. Every time he moves back now he has the bullet mark to aim for. He effectively aims at a target smaller than the target "aim small miss small". I try and do this on all targets. Especially when Zeroing optics just aim at the bullet hole.

[Loki999]

Last weekend i shot a match in belgium, and i'm tying to shoot in control and let my subconsious worry about speed.

I'm working a lot on subconsious skills

But i noticed when i came at a port with 2 mini-poppers at 20 meters, i realy felt slow.

I hit the 2 poppers with 2 shots, i knew for shure i was going to hit them but it took ages.

I was aiming in the perfect middle of the popper, aim smal miss smal cost me a lot of time here.

What would be a good targetspot for targets like that (open gun with C-more)?

[Flexmoney]

Was it an awkward shooting position...or, did you let yourself get into an awkward shooting stance (I see that a LOT with shooters).

Forget about the target for a second...be it big or small, near or far...just pretend for a second there is no target. You get into your shooting position and you index the gun to your Natural Point of Aim (NPA). Depending on your skill at that and how much you have worked on it...you will have a certain degree of variability in where the gun is pointed and also in how much it wobbles around on you.

At any give time in your development, that wobble and variability are going to kinda be constant (for that day, for you).

If we translate that into group shooting, at 20m one might manage a head-sized group (in slow fire). Whereas a shooter that is further along in development might manage a fist sized group at that same distance (in slow fire). Or, a shooter that isn't as far along might manage a torso sized group. Somebody like our host (Brian Enos) might shoot a group the size of a coin at that distance.

Now, add in the clock. Expect that group to open up 50% or more. Add in being out of position (in your natural and perfect stance) and you likely open up that group size even more.

So, if you are at Brian Enos' level of skill with hitting a target...you can get away with having an aiming point (target spot) a little off center. Since your wobble...and/or group size...will still be small enough to keep your hits on target.

That doesn't mean that you should stand there and force yourself to shoot a coin sized shot.

The idea behind the "target spot" is that you use a smaller and more defined area to drive the gun to on the target. Then, that can allow you to get away with shooting a head sized group or be a little sloppy on the sights.

See this thread with some graphics: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9655&st=0&p=111598&fromsearch=1entry111598

[Flexmoney]

By the way..

It is aim small...HIT small.

[Loki999]

Was it an awkward shooting position...or, did you let yourself get into an awkward shooting stance (I see that a LOT with shooters).

the last i'm afraid. This is a challenge for me, and something to keep in mind when training set-ups

The idea behind the "target spot" is that you use a smaller and more defined area to drive the gun to on the target.

Thanks this is very helpfull for me.

It is aim small...HIT small.

Your right!! always be positive

thank you

Edited November 16, 2010 by Flexmoney
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