shred Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 So I'm poking around on the site the other day and find this pearl from BE: Many shooters effectively focus so intently on the target that they see the holes appearing as they shoot—at incredible distances. When shooting 4" plates at 35 yards in the Sportsman’s Team Challenge, I would see the bullet splatter on the plate before it fell down—and they fell really fast. I would see the dot lift peripherally from in front of the bullet strike, just before the bullet hit the target. The dot was not my primary focus; my focus was the exact center of the target. I would describe this as a feeling of waiting which is produced by really looking. When shooting at my best, it felt like the dot was actually a distraction from my focal point. So today I'm practicing steel and decided to really look at the plates. Really look at them so much that the dot got in the way of my looking at the plate. That was the goal. We had Roundabout set up with 10" plates instead of the usual 12s, but I went up and shot it with that new goal. I saw the bullet splatter on each plate three runs in a row. Even with sluggish draws, each run was around 2.5, which is pretty close to as good as I usually do on 12's, but the experience of seeing each and every hit in real-time was super cool. I definately have been shooting too much of a dot-focus lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 thats uber cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmd Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Interesting...I'll have to try and see what I see at my next practice session... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Keen Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Very nice post Shred. Food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin40 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 So I'm poking around on the site the other day and find this pearl from BE:Many shooters effectively focus so intently on the target that they see the holes appearing as they shoot—at incredible distances. When shooting 4" plates at 35 yards in the Sportsman’s Team Challenge, I would see the bullet splatter on the plate before it fell down—and they fell really fast. I would see the dot lift peripherally from in front of the bullet strike, just before the bullet hit the target. The dot was not my primary focus; my focus was the exact center of the target. I would describe this as a feeling of waiting which is produced by really looking. When shooting at my best, it felt like the dot was actually a distraction from my focal point. So today I'm practicing steel and decided to really look at the plates. Really look at them so much that the dot got in the way of my looking at the plate. That was the goal. We had Roundabout set up with 10" plates instead of the usual 12s, but I went up and shot it with that new goal. I saw the bullet splatter on each plate three runs in a row. Even with sluggish draws, each run was around 2.5, which is pretty close to as good as I usually do on 12's, but the experience of seeing each and every hit in real-time was super cool. I definately have been shooting too much of a dot-focus lately. Great stuff. The first yr I started I switched from the dot to the target focus and it helped out tremendously. I have to work on seeing the bullet splatter on the plates. It show great awareness. Flyin40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 cool almost as cool as 12" of fresh powder in Banff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waxman Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 In time will we all be like the guys in the matrix? Can you see the bullet in flight yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share Posted April 4, 2007 In time will we all be like the guys in the matrix? Can you see the bullet in flight yet? Sometimes. It's easier if you're really looking at the plate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 It's amazing what just putting your attention in the right place will accomplish, without any further effort on your part whatsoever. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 I usually shoot revolver, but for the heck of it, I took out my old SW 745 IPSC 10 year commemorative this past Sunday. I have really been trying to tune my acuity to see what's going on, while it happens, vs. having to react after the fact. So far, so good. BUT- Blew my time out the window on El Prez, couldn't get my eyes off actually seeing the slide working, brass flying out, and bullet going down and making the hole. Did it REALLLLL slow-like, but only down 1 point- after bobbling the reload (usually shoot a Glock if I don't use the revo). I hope that I can get into that zone again at whim- It happened a couple other times in the match, placed 2nd L10 with a gun I haven't shot in about 3 years (and it's a 20 year old gun). As we say up here, it was wicked pissah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetree Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 As we say up here, it was wicked pissah. Man I haven't heard that in a while. You must be from Massachusettes, Maine or Newhampshire. I'm guesing Mass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Griffin Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 In time will we all be like the guys in the matrix? Can you see the bullet in flight yet? That reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask; CAN you see the bullet in flight? In the right circumstances? Because I can. If I'm in shadow and the bullet is in sunlight, I can sometimes see it midflight. This is true when shooting a .22, or watching someone shoot a .45 or shotgun. I'm not sure if other people can do this easily or not. H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 You're right about there being a lot of variables, but I have seen them. More with .45s than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 When I used to shoot PPC, in the right light, I could watch the bullets fly all the way to the target, especially at 50 yards. And it was a weird feeling because, if I could "speak fast enough," I could say where the bullet was going to hit before it got there. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 As we say up here, it was wicked pissah. Man I haven't heard that in a while. You must be from Massachusettes, Maine or Newhampshire. I'm guesing Mass Two Alpha on that one. Good call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetree Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 If you spend any time in Mass at all that one's kind of hard to miss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Roy, During that, did you also happen to really pick a "spot" on the target to hit too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 Roy,During that, did you also happen to really pick a "spot" on the target to hit too? Not so much that time. I just wanted to really look at the plate and have the dot get in the way. That might make it easier to spot the hits since your attention can get pulled to where the dot is instead of where you want it to be. I noticed a while later when practicing for steel challenge that on really good runs I could actually 'see' the flight path of the bullet. I doubt it actually was, but it looked like there was a thin grey line coming the whole way from the gun up into the dot right at impact. It looked different enough from the bullets I've seen in flight that I'm suspecting it of being a visualization thing, but whatever.. it works (when it works ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ong45 Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 (edited) Cool observation Shred.... I was practicing on a 30 yd. array today ( with a dot) and the hits were abysmal to say the least. Thought about this topic and straightened the problem out right away. Funny how really paying attention gets away from you sometimes, having a good target focus is something i learned probably years ago but the mind gets lazy. Reminds me of reload practice where really looking at the mag button and mag well is a lot different from just seeing it without registering what's in front of you. Steel practice is especially dangerous for me because of the repetitive nature of the challenge. Very easy to slip into rote mode and not pay attention to anything. Edited April 13, 2007 by ong45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthpawG26 Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 In time will we all be like the guys in the matrix? Can you see the bullet in flight yet? That reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask; CAN you see the bullet in flight? In the right circumstances? Because I can. If I'm in shadow and the bullet is in sunlight, I can sometimes see it midflight. This is true when shooting a .22, or watching someone shoot a .45 or shotgun. I'm not sure if other people can do this easily or not. H. Not to drift the thread, but what is easier to see sometimes is the vapor condensation produced in the bullet's supersonic wavefront. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted April 13, 2007 Author Share Posted April 13, 2007 I posted some video of bullets in flight a while back. ( http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=44279 ) That was shiny copper 9mm bullets with the sun light almost directly behind them. The bigger and slower they go, and the more light on them the easier it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Glack Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 (edited) In time will we all be like the guys in the matrix? Can you see the bullet in flight yet? Funny you should say that. At our last match two of the RO's noticed that on one target the angle of the shot and the sun lighting up jacketed .45s you could actually see the bullet as a line going down range! The shooter would not notice this because of the focus and moving on to the next target apparently. Your point. This past weekend I was ROing for a new competitor clinic and caught this exact same effect. The sun had come out and the shot was lined up similar to the match discussed above. I was looking over the shooter's right shoulder at his trigger finger, but this put my eyes almost on a line to this particular target. Slightly peripheral. It was a lower half hard cover target and he put it in the black by about an inch. The flight path (glinting from the jacket) showed up great against the black hard cover background! I saw the round go down and make the hole! No s__t! I see Shred has some video that might be the same deal. Made my day at the range! Edited April 18, 2007 by Mr Glack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Glack Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 I posted some video of bullets in flight a while back. ( http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=44279 ) That was shiny copper 9mm bullets with the sun light almost directly behind them. The bigger and slower they go, and the more light on them the easier it is. Thanks for the link Shred. That put it together for me! I'm convinced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryder031100 Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Cool observation Shred....I was practicing on a 30 yd. array today ( with a dot) and the hits were abysmal to say the least. Thought about this topic and straightened the problem out right away. Funny how really paying attention gets away from you sometimes, having a good target focus is something i learned probably years ago but the mind gets lazy. Reminds me of reload practice where really looking at the mag button and mag well is a lot different from just seeing it without registering what's in front of you. Steel practice is especially dangerous for me because of the repetitive nature of the challenge. Very easy to slip into rote mode and not pay attention to anything. You said a lot there James. Habit, routine, complacency - the enemies of attention. To beat it is a never ending affair. I think it can help to realize that. Then paying attention like your life depended on it becomes something you know you will always have to do. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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