6 replies to this topic

[Onepocket]

First: When shooting rimfire do you look at the cone/flag and follow your sight to the target -or- do you look at the target and bring the gun up to the target?

Second: When going from target to target do you first look at the next target and then transition the gun to that target -or- do you keep the sight in front of you and transition to the next target?

I am new to ths sport and would like the opinion of some top shooters??????????????? Thanks for the help...

[jkrispies]

I'm neither a top shooter nor a pro. Having admitted that... always look at the target and bring your gun up to it. This is true whether you're at the starting flag or transitioning from target to target. This is how I explain the concept to new shooters that I'm training:

Think of when you're writing with a pencil. You don't focus on the pencil tip, pick it up without breaking focus on the tip, and move the pencil tip and your focus to the paper and the spot you're writing on. Instead, you look the spot on the paper where you want to write, blindly pick up the pencil, and bring the tip to the spot your want to write on.

Same concept with shooting. Focus on the target and bring the front sight into your sight plane, then change your visual focus from the target to your front sight.

Hope this helps, despite being a non-pro.

[T Bacus]

Always start looking at your target. The bulk of your practice, and dry fire is great for this, should be presenting the gun so that the sights always rise up and enter your field of view without looking for them. You should see the target, and with no movement, the dot or sight appears on the plate. If you're looking for the dot, you're slow.

You cannot move your gun as fast as you can move your eyes. The eyes move to the next plate and the gun follows.

[dover0020]

I always focus on my first target and bring the gun up to my eyes.
I have always been taught that after you make the shot shift your eyes to the next target and the gun will follow.
Taran Butler said the same thing last week in Top Shot when talking about transitions.

[photoracer]

That is correct. I'm no pro but when it comes to knowledge I am like a sponge. You also need to find out which directions you like to shoot for transitions. Different combinations of strong hand and dominant eye will often dictate which directions you prefer to shoot. Then again some go against the grain. There are recommended ways to shoot a particular stage but not everyone feels comfortable shooting a set way. I find as a converted lefty now shooting right handed, right eye dominant that after shooting for so many years as a lefty I liked pushing the gun to the right and now I pull it to the right, right handed because that direction is more comfortable to me. So I prefer shooting a stage so that I can end it shooting left to right. As a result I find I have to practice more going to the left because I am slower doing that and I need to get more comfortable doing it. So often on a stage like Smoke and Hope I shoot 12543 instead of my more natural 54123 trying to improve that part of my game.
On the last episode of Shooting USA Julie Golob was showing that you need to shoot a stage every way possible to see which way is fastest for you. In her case one particular plate order was 3/10ths faster than any other way. Until you know what your comfort zone is you won't know what you are good at right now and possibly what you need to work on. Some stages don't lend themselves to too many options due to plate positioning and on those you have to concentrate on doing it in the order that makes the most sense. Often your method, especially if you are not that familiar with a stage, is influenced by transition distances and differing plate sizes. You can work on strategies just by printing out the stages and seeing which ways make more sense.
Kent

[gng4life]

Same boat here, not a pro but I am pretty decent with my rimfire.

#1 - I like to stay focused on my dot, bringing my head and gun up together. I seem to have a better flow this way. When I watch the pro's, it seems that most do the opposite.

#2 - In IPSC where most targets are double tapped, it's more of a turning to look to the next target as your gun is finishing the last shot and then it's snapped to the target/eye. I have noticed that the faster you go, like in SC, there isn't much time for that and I end up moving my head and gun at about the same pace. Maybe slightly behind but not by much. Watch some of the pro's and that what it looks like they are doing too.

[jkrispies]

I have noticed that the faster you go, like in SC, there isn't much time for that and I end up moving my head and gun at about the same pace. Maybe slightly behind but not by much. Watch some of the pro's and that what it looks like they are doing too.

I think the important point here is that when moving fast there is an illusion of the gun and eye moving in the same plane--this illusion is exacerbated when the gun doesn't have to move far to get from one target to the next--but the eye is truly leading the way, if not by much. If you ever get a chance to watch a closeup of the pro's eyes in slow motion during their course of fire, their eyes are in fact moving first, with the gun a fraction of a second behind the eyes.