Insurance Shots

[LPatterson]

Kyle, did you get a procedural for the foot fault in your video?

[Zerwas]

A buddy and I were talking the other night and it came up that he saw some very good shooters at area 6 shooting 3 rounds at each partial or head shot only target past 10yds or so. Is this the way to go to help ensure no mikes? It seems it adds a second or more to your time as each head shot or partial takes more time to shoot. Your chance of having a mike does go way down but is it worth the time. I am pretty sure this technique would not be used on targets with no shoots covering an area. These were M and GMs witnessed doing this. Anybody else tend to do this?

AL

I did this with a Drazy drop out at this years limited nationals (stage 11) I didn't need it. I had an A and B headshot. I wasn't 100% sure on the second, so took a third and jerked the trigger which earned me a no shoot. I would have been one of the top shooters on that stage overall if I hadn't done that...

[38superman]

I don't usually take insurance shots unless I call a mike.

Doesn't matter if its a partial or a full target.

If I can't call the shot I shoot again.

Even on tight targets where only the head is visible, I just slow down a bit and aim a little more carefully.

I will on occasion drop an extra shot on a swinger, but there again, only if I don't feel good about first two hits.

What I find interesting is that when I do take an insurance shot, I find 3 holes in the target a lot more often than I find two.

Also worth mentioning, I have been shooting SS for several months now and insurance shots are just out of the question.

The only time you take an extra shot with the skinny gun is when the steel doesn't fall.

Edited December 21, 2008 by 38superman

[tpcdvc]

Like most insurance...........it's usually unnecessary and too expensive

[Flexmoney]

Kyle, did you get a procedural for the foot fault in your video?

No fault.

[Chris Keen]

Kyle, did you get a procedural for the foot fault in your video?

Oh no ...... he didn't just go there did he ?

[Singlestack]

The only time you take an extra shot with the skinny gun is when the steel doesn't fall.

True words, those.

[Nik Habicht]

I used to plan insurance shots on difficult targets --- swingers especially --- throwing four rounds downrange, hoping at least two would hit the target somewhere. Then I learned how to shoot swingers as if they were static, and noticed that I'd typically get at least three, often four hits.....

That lead to learning to call shots on swingers --- which is something I'm still working on. Unlike with static paper, where I know whether a shot is a miss or a likely Delta or Charlie based on the amount of misalignment of the sights when the shot broke, on swingers I'm only able to call hits/misses. Something to do with not shooting them often enough, moving sights, moving target, all I can really tell for certain is that there was brown behind the sights when the shot broke. With more work, I'm confident that will improve.....

That gives me a practice idea --- staple up some statics at the angle that a swinger presents them at the end of the arc, before reversing direction, then shoot them at various distances. Just thinking about what I see on swingers --- I'm pretty sure the lack of shot calling ability also has something to do with the unfamiliar orientation of the target: Sideways, head pointing down at an angle....

[hf219]

I forget what movie it was in, the caption was something like stop flying the plane with one hand on the stick and one on the ejection handle. Sometime your just going to have to trust yourself, let go, soak up the visual feedback and let your ability, self image and sub conscious hash things out. All three have to meet at the trigger finger and perform. If they cant get along, reach an agreement and co-exist as equals they will never advance their cause to a new level. Let go of the ejection handle put both hands on the stick and just be. H! Oh and if they cant get along, tell them your gonna pull the car over and read Lanny's book to them agian! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone, Squinty!

Edited December 22, 2008 by hf219

[uscbigdawg]

No insurance shots unless I can't call 2 shots. It's not worth it and it usually means you probably missed it more than once.

Rich

[benos]

A called pair beats three hopers every day.

Good one!

On definitions -

Insurance shot: A planned extra shot, regardless of what you saw when you shot the first two shots.

Extra or "make up" shot: An extra shot made based on what you saw when you shot the first two shots.

I remember a stage at a World Match quite some time ago. I think the whole stage was draw and shoot 2 head shots, at 25 yards. That realy puckered everyone up. I remember quite a few on the Super Squad made insurance shots. Which was a bit surprising to me. I can't remember for sure how or what I did... so it musta not been good. But I think I ended up shooting 3 shots cause I couldn't make a good call on one of the first two. And ended up with two "nippers" that didn't break the line!

be

[pjb45]

I watched the super squad at Limited Nationals this year. There was one stage which ended with two swingers. Each moved from top to bottom. Many on the super squad would pause, take the activator, move to the next array, then come back to the swingers. Many on the squad would put three hits per swinger.

At A2 this year, there was one stage, that some very fast swingers (a higher number stage) where many GMs and M were putting three shots on the swinger. BTW: I do not think anyone on the squad shot the stage clean. Everyone, I believe had at least one Mike.

I suspect at both matches when the first shooters on the stage experienced a Mike, the rest of the squad decided for the insurance shot because they could not call both shots. In both instances the shots were very diffucult, one because of distance and speed and the other because of the outright speed of the swinger and very little shooting area for such a quick exposure.

[JThompson]

Kyle, did you get a procedural for the foot fault in your video?

I'd give him three.... Pay-back's a bitch.

[STI2011]

I used to take three shots because I didn't see any of what I needed to.

I now take three shots because I see more, but still not all of what I need to.

I expect that someday I'll take only two shots because I'll have seen what I needed to.

+1

That is exactly where I am as well. I expect that I will miss on longer shots or partials and I take an extra shot for insurance. Someday soon, I'll be able to call my shots.

Edited February 10, 2009 by glockman2000