Shooting Sliders

[chp5]

At the recent TENN state match, there was a slider activated by a popper that ultimately disappeared behind a stack of logs. The slider was set on a hill and came down at an approx 30 degree angle.

The slider actually paused at the bottom and, thanks to a bungie cord, bounced back up the hill before settling down behind the logs.

I shot the slider on the way down with my Glock 35 and got an Alpha – Mike. I held the first shot on the leading D zone and held the gun static for the second shot (which I did not call and which I’m sure was the Mike).

Question:

· For second shots on a slider, should I have followed through and tracked the target (kind of like shooting clay birds with a shotgun) instead of holding the gun static for the second shot?

· Also, I’d appreciate any general advice on shooting sliders. It’s something that’s difficult to practice since I don’t have access to a slider.

Thanks

[B.J. Norris]

Keep the gun moving. If you are leading on the D zone, you have to keep leading on the D zone. Lead, of course depends on the distance and target speed, but its a fairly general rule to lead on the C/D line. It's almost like shoot clays with a pistol, when you stop the shotgun, the miss the bird, when you stop the pistol, you miss the slider. They are not all the hard of a target to shoot (barring the evil hardcover/noshoot).

If you believe, anything and everything is possible.

[Matthew_Mink]

Sliders are usually so slow you don't need to lead at all. Just point and click, the hits should be there.

[Singlestack]

I shot the slider in question when it was stopped right before it dissapeared on the right side of the logs. From my shooting position it was an uphill shot! Thats something I have never done before at a match. I shot 2 C's low right under the A. Uphill was weird!

I usually look for a place on a swinger or a slider where there is a pause. Then find something to do while I wait for it to get there. In the case in question, I shot the 3 targets by the campfire while moving towards the slider then the low, lone target on the right and when I looked up for the swinger, it was sitting there waiting for me. I would have run the stage in about 14 seconds if I had not missed the activator popper and did not have to back up to shoot it again

Somehow, Max ran it in 11 something...

[cpty1]

IMO, the absolute fastest way to shoot that stage was to shoot the mover immediately. I'm pretty sure that's what Max did. By doing so you didn't have to take a chance on waiting for it and guessing how many of the closer static targets you could shoot before the mover hit the "sweet spot". I ran a 13 something and lost some time waiting on the mover. I had shot a pretty clean match to that point and wasn't going to chance anything as I was the second shooter in our squad to shoot. I took the more conservative approach. BTW, there is a formula for shooting movers.

D X MS x 12 divided by MV = lead in inches

D = distance in feet to moving target

MS = mover speed (i.e., 10 feet per second)

12 = is a constant

MV = muzzle velocity of bullet in fps

We had a fast mover at a distance of about 30 yards in a Virginia state match around 1989 or 90. A good friend gave me this formula prior to shooting the stage. It came in handy.

[TravisT]

On that particular slider and with your .40, aiming at the leading a/c border would have been more than sufficient. The 38 Super was point of aim.

[chp5]

So Travis - do recommend tracking the slider for the second shot or just shoot it static?

Thanks.

[TravisT]

Hi Cy- Track it yes. Unless we're in a controlled environment like Bianchi, I think it's best to keep it simple. So instead of thinking about lead and track, just increase your level of acceptability to include alpha's only. Then your gun will track on its own.

I shot this in 11 by doubling the activator, stepping out and taking the close static on the right, the slider, and then shooting the rest from right to left on the move.

HTH

[chp5]

Thanks Travis.