24 replies to this topic

[JMIS]

Just finished up the Colt 3man/3gun series. I really hurt my team on the long rang stages. From a bench or prone at my local club I have no problems but when in the heat of the match, all hell breaks loose for me.

At the last match, we shot targets at about 120, 150, 180 and 250yds. For some reason the 180yd target kicked my butt. All my shots were around it. I missed it right, left, high and low

Any thoughts?

Scope is a Leupold VX-6 1x6 with 68gr ammo

[SteveT-NV]

Just finished up the Colt 3man/3gun series. I really hurt my team on the long rang stages. From a bench or prone at my local club I have no problems but when in the heat of the match, all hell breaks loose for me.

At the last match, we shot targets at about 120, 150, 180 and 250yds. For some reason the 180yd target kicked my butt. All my shots were around it. I missed it right, left, high and low

Any thoughts?

Scope is a Leupold VX-6 1x6 with 68gr ammo

I don't think there are any tricks other than a buttload of practice. During your practice sessions try getting your heart rate up before each shot. Run, do jumping jacks, use a timer, do whatever you can before taking a shot to simulate a match. Don't always practice prone, shoot from one knee, two knees, standing while leaning on a rest etc. Learn to shoot from uncomfortable positions. You can do all of the above with dry or live fire. Practice your trigger control so you are breaking your shot as your cross hairs/dot are coming onto the target.



Steve

[Nuke8401]

Hey Jer,

Wished I could have made it to the matches this year. Had a great time shooting with you and your dad last year at Topton.

What MOA and what position was the 180? Was it within your ability for the position you used?

Something I have been working on is knowing my safe MOA ability from each position. For instance; Prone I am good for 2 MOA, reverse kneeling/barricade 4 MOA, Off-hand 8 MOA (I made up these numbers so I don't look bad!!!). So when stage planning not only look at the distance but plan to use the most stable position needed/possible. Like picking a shotgun choke, if in doubt go safer. For me, bench rest shooting is tempting because it’s easy compared to prone, kneeling, sitting, reverse kneeling, roof-top, standing barricade, or off-hand, however it is rarely used in competition so I save my rounds for kneeling, off-hand, barricade practice. From Jerry M's DVD on rifle; get good at barricade/reverse kneeling and use prone only when needed and/or it’s the last position.

Hope to see you at a match some time.

David E.

[benny hill]

More group tightner AKA wiskey.

[StephensOutdoors]

That 3rd target was tough & got quite a few people. Don't forget to breathe while you're shooting. The more you deprive your body of oxygen, the harder it will be to hold steady as you work targets on a long range stage.

[Graham Smith]

Are you shooting prone? Have you tried using a hasty sling?

This may not work at all, but if you are at 6x, try backing down a bit on the power. Too high a power can magnify the muzzle movement which can cause the shooter to tense up trying to hold the gun steady - which can actually make things worse. Also, you tend to slap the trigger when the crosshairs get in the right position which has the same effect as a flinch.

Like Benny said - relax.

[JMIS]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will try them all.

Dave, you missed a great series. Try to get in next year.

Mike, I just ordered 6 MGM targets with our gift certificates, Might able to put a match on at your dads cabin

[StephensOutdoors]

Between you guys & us, we probably have enough steel to do that

[waktasz]

For those asking...the targets were the 4" skinny sammies. The 3rd one was almost 200 yards our I think. I battled it for a while too and eventually timed out.

The only gear advice I can give you is to get one of those mag couplers and use that on prone stages for a much steadier base.

[JMIS]

For those asking...the targets were the 4" skinny sammies. The 3rd one was almost 200 yards our I think. I battled it for a while too and eventually timed out.

The only gear advice I can give you is to get one of those mag couplers and use that on prone stages for a much steadier base.

Mag coupler is in shopping cart

[Langenator]

For those asking...the targets were the 4" skinny sammies. The 3rd one was almost 200 yards our I think. I battled it for a while too and eventually timed out.

The only gear advice I can give you is to get one of those mag couplers and use that on prone stages for a much steadier base.

Might want to check the rules before you do that - I'm reasonably certain that at least some rule sets frown on that practice.

[pjb45]

I got a tip from some guy named Mark Hanish. He said take three deep breaths, hold, fire.

He might know something about shooting 3 Gun.

Second tip came from Cheryl Current, she knows a tad bit about precision and 3Gun shooting--everyone has a wobble. So learn how to manage it so the wobble is more vertical than horizontal.

Of course I don't know squat about shooting 3Gun but try really hard to pay attention to what people tell me.

[JMIS]

I got a tip from some guy named Mark Hanish. He said take three deep breaths, hold, fire.

He might know something about shooting 3 Gun.

Second tip came from Cheryl Current, she knows a tad bit about precision and 3Gun shooting--everyone has a wobble. So learn how to manage it so the wobble is more vertical than horizontal.

Of course I don't know squat about shooting 3Gun but try really hard to pay attention to what people tell me.

Thank you, great info

[steviesterno]

Hey have you tried a bit heavier of a rifle? I know you went super light on that forend, but I had good luck eliminating wiggle by keeping a fat barrel and my less than light weight forend. You're welcome to try it

[DocMedic]

I know for me at least, I tend to rush my shots anything in and closer of 200 yards. What I mean is that i'm not pulling the trigger faster but I do not allow myself to get into a steady position before pulling the trigger. A 4inch wide mini popper at 180yards is a tough target, you really need to get behind your rifle comfortably, be able to breath smoothly, and have a good head to optic sight alignment index point for your face. I've seen many people fall victim that since they have a scope on their rifle they can get away with placing there head anywhere on the buttstock thinking as long as they can put the target within the cross hairs they can hit. On larger targets such as a 12" pie plate at 200 yards thats might be true since you'll have 6MOA to work with but at a 4inch wide plate at 180 yards, you are only working with a little over 2moa.

[pagoda240]

I really think it comes down to muscle memory and conditioning both of what I need also.

[steviesterno]

I think I will have my new Colt Steel and Skinny Sammy at the range at lunch today if you want to come practice with me...

[3gunpinoy]

we have skinnys at 150 to 200 in our local matches. move alot of air prior to taking the position and if all possible, during your walkthrough, find a solid position to put your rifle in specially when you are hitting skinnys. shooting those poppers, you have a little bit more headroom on the vertical as left and right. and depending where they are placed (like ours is in the ground and not painted at all) those things gets blended in the foilage. arrghh. so if you have stable positions (as for most long range shots anyways) you have a better chance in sighting them up and line in them up on your crosshairs.
i look a skinnys as harder to shoot as compared to swingers. YMMV

[Sleepswithdogs]

You didn't say what trigger/weight you are using. If you haven't measured the weight, you might, to better understand the setup. The more distance the more a good, light, smooth, crisp trigger comes into play.

Also, I'd suggest putting the rifle on the bench and make sure it's you that's causing the random hits. Most people who miss targets will initially blame themselves, and the shooter is not always the weak link. There are valid reasons a rifle might be putting out random inaccuracy.

If the rifle checks out on the bench, there is only one cure for this condition, practice. You are fortunate in a way, to have long work be your weak spot. Most ranges are set up for longer work. Few are set up for hosing targets.

If you don't have big bucks nearly any decent rifle of almost any caliber will do. .22's make very good practice guns, and if you can group well with one of those, (even at 50') it is not hard to transition to another rifle as long as you make sure you bring the lessons learned with you.

Pay attention to your breathing and to your trigger pull. If you find you are jerking the trigger concentrate on a smooth, light pull. Your sights will always wonder a bit on target, the goal is to make them wander the least, and let the shot happen by itself, don't force a shot. You can force a shot with a shotgun or hosing close targets, but it doesn't work well shooting distance.

Go for the most supported position you can, even a little support helps a lot.

You might be suffering from race jitters. If that were the case the prescription would be; shoot lots of practice, shoot lots of races and things WILL get better.

Be aware of your pre-race time. If you drink coffee or a high caffeine energy drink in the morning before a shoot, it's very likely going to come back to haunt you. (I know it did me!!) Also an exercise program will help to slow your resting heart rate and will also recover from change of location quicker than an out of condition heart will.

Thoughts are the enemy of good shooting. If your thinking, "Don't miss, don't miss," your going to miss. If your thinking anything, it's likely going to cost you something. Hope this doesn't sound to zen, but an empty mind is a hit waiting to happen.

Last, this will sound quite simple but, don't forget to have fun. One can do almost anything better if you are having fun doing it.

Hope this helps,

Tar

Edited by Sleepswithdogs, 12 September 2012 - 08:09 PM.

[Alaskapopo]

I don't think there are any tricks other than a buttload of practice. During your practice sessions try getting your heart rate up before each shot. Run, do jumping jacks, use a timer, do whatever you can before taking a shot to simulate a match. Don't always practice prone, shoot from one knee, two knees, standing while leaning on a rest etc. Learn to shoot from uncomfortable positions. You can do all of the above with dry or live fire. Practice your trigger control so you are breaking your shot as your cross hairs/dot are coming onto the target.



Steve

Your right but there are some tricks. A buddy of mine who does not shoot the game but who is a good long range rifle guy showed me some good kneeling positions when using a barricade that helped my game a bit. He also built me a barricade with slits and various shapes all over it that I traded him out in reloaded ammo. (his gun shoots better with my reloads than with factory match he was shooting for a lot more money). Anway I usually take the barricade out when I practice so I can get better used to shooting from akward postions and I practice getting into and out of position more quickly. I have also seen shooters have trouble hitting targets because they were resting their barrel on the barricade instead of their forend. Something to be aware of.
Pat

Edited by Alaskapopo, 12 September 2012 - 09:02 PM.

[Alaskapopo]

For those asking...the targets were the 4" skinny sammies. The 3rd one was almost 200 yards our I think. I battled it for a while too and eventually timed out.

The only gear advice I can give you is to get one of those mag couplers and use that on prone stages for a much steadier base.

Mag coupler is in shopping cart

They are a must have in your magazine kit.
pat

[Sleepswithdogs]

Your right but there are some tricks. A buddy of mine who does not shoot the game but who is a good long range rifle guy showed me some good kneeling positions when using a barricade that helped my game a bit. He also built me a barricade with slits and various shapes all over it that I traded him out in reloaded ammo. (his gun shoots better with my reloads than with factory match he was shooting for a lot more money). Anway I usually take the barricade out when I practice so I can get better used to shooting from akward postions and I practice getting into and out of position more quickly. I have also seen shooters have trouble hitting targets because they were resting their barrel on the barricade instead of their forend. Something to be aware of.
Pat

Nice to have the ability to do that. Most ranges would never allow something like this. We to your south and east seldom have enough "free range" to make this happen either. Too bad I never liked cold, or Alaska would be a nice place to be. Kind'a like fires, I would have loved to be a fireman except for those pesky fires.

Tar

[kellyn]

My advice is this:

Make sure you have a good zero and understand where the bullet impacts vis a vis your point of aim out to at least 400.

You generally cannot hose down long range rifle targets (and if you do it is both expensive and time consuming). You must wait until you have an acceptable sight picture and then break the shot without moving the gun. I believe that most shooters feel the rush of time and don't wait for an acceptable sight picture before sending bullets down range. Fight the urge that you must be shooting. You will go faster waiting for acceptable sight pictures and trigger presses. Shooting a plate at 300 is not like shooting an A zone at 5, 10, 15 yards etc. You simply cannot have much slop in your sight picture/trigger press or you will miss.

Don't forget to breathe. Eyes and body need O2. Fire your shots during your respitory pause.

I see a lot of shooters assume less stable positions on technical rifle shots in the hope of "going faster." It does not help if you can't hit the targets. Prone is often your best friend.

[Alaskapopo]

Your right but there are some tricks. A buddy of mine who does not shoot the game but who is a good long range rifle guy showed me some good kneeling positions when using a barricade that helped my game a bit. He also built me a barricade with slits and various shapes all over it that I traded him out in reloaded ammo. (his gun shoots better with my reloads than with factory match he was shooting for a lot more money). Anway I usually take the barricade out when I practice so I can get better used to shooting from akward postions and I practice getting into and out of position more quickly. I have also seen shooters have trouble hitting targets because they were resting their barrel on the barricade instead of their forend. Something to be aware of.
Pat

Nice to have the ability to do that. Most ranges would never allow something like this. We to your south and east seldom have enough "free range" to make this happen either. Too bad I never liked cold, or Alaska would be a nice place to be. Kind'a like fires, I would have loved to be a fireman except for those pesky fires.

Tar

I am a member of a private range and I can always have a bay to myself. We are lucky that way. Its not the nicest range in the world but for my needs its fine. I also have a friend who can get me onto the range at the prison that goes out to 420 yards.



Pat

Edited by Alaskapopo, 13 September 2012 - 08:36 PM.

[Sleepswithdogs]

VERY nice!!! Sure do love all those beautiful trees, and the range looks like it gives you all you need.

Tar