Calling the Shot

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  • #16
    The same idea on the 7mm you got to get practice at range, which will help you "know" your round at yardages and what characteristics your bullet will demonstrate in weather, wind, etc. Nothing will beat range time for you to call your shot at any range. Lots of practice....lots of fun, but required for good shooting

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    • LR1955
      Super Moderator
      • Mar 2011
      • 3355

      #17
      Originally posted by BlueOvalBruin View Post
      I think one of the harder things to teach is sight tracking (especially at speed), because it requires so much conditioning and is a skill that takes months if not years to develop. It took me a year to be able to improve my sight tracking ability from .25s splits and transitions to .20s (w/ a pistol).
      BoB:

      Out of curiosity, where is your attention focused when you track at speed?

      LR55

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      • BlueOvalBruin

        #18
        My eyes are watching the front sight, watching it lift and settle. My eyes are optically focused on the front sight while shooting (or the next target during transitions) but I wouldn’t say my mind is focused on it. I try not to think too much while shooting because it just interferes. My conscious thoughts are mostly about positioning and gunhandling and my subconscious takes over and drives the gun. At that speed (.20s splits) you’re not aiming per se but verifying hits through shot calling, accuracy comes through proper indexing and grip and of course trigger control. Sight tracking improves the index and lets me know if I need to make up a shot.

        Sometimes I see targets that look easy (such as 3 wide open targets 2 yards away) and my conscious thought is “Wow, that’s way too easy, go faster!”. So the reaction is tense up and not see, the result is poor splits, transitions, and accuracy (since sight tracking went out the window).

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        • LR1955
          Super Moderator
          • Mar 2011
          • 3355

          #19
          Originally posted by BlueOvalBruin View Post
          My eyes are watching the front sight, watching it lift and settle. My eyes are optically focused on the front sight while shooting (or the next target during transitions) but I wouldn’t say my mind is focused on it. I try not to think too much while shooting because it just interferes. My conscious thoughts are mostly about positioning and gunhandling and my subconscious takes over and drives the gun. At that speed (.20s splits) you’re not aiming per se but verifying hits through shot calling, accuracy comes through proper indexing and grip and of course trigger control. Sight tracking improves the index and lets me know if I need to make up a shot.

          Sometimes I see targets that look easy (such as 3 wide open targets 2 yards away) and my conscious thought is “Wow, that’s way too easy, go faster!”. So the reaction is tense up and not see, the result is poor splits, transitions, and accuracy (since sight tracking went out the window).
          BoB:

          When you say "sight tracking improves the index and lets me know if I need to make up a shot", what do you mean by 'sight tracking' and 'index'?

          LR1955

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          • BlueOvalBruin

            #20
            The index is basically your hand-eye coordination, your ability to accurately point the gun (not aiming). The index is especially important with engaging targets (draws, after reloads, picking up targets coming into a position) and transitions. Point your gun at a target and look at a different target, then close your eyes and swing the gun over to the target you were looking at. If your index is good the gun should be pointing right at the A zone.

            Sight tracking is watching the sights lift and settle with each shot. It’s different than aiming in that aiming is waiting till you have an acceptable sight picture and breaking the shot. Sight tracking is more like observation, you’re watching the sights and calling the shots while shooting but not necessarily waiting for a particular sight picture.

            The shot calling aspect of sight tracking lets me know if I need to make up a shot. I can normally tell if I get a bad hit or a miss and sometimes I’ll shoot another one to make it up (if the rules allow it). Sight tracking is very helpful with shooting steel quickly. If you break a shot on a popper and wait to hear the ding and watch it start to fall before you move on you’re going to waste a lot of time. Instead, break the shot, then based on what your sight picture was, either shoot again or move on.

            Sight tracking improves my index because pure point shooting isn’t precise enough for me. I can probably point shoot A’s out to about 4-5 yards but past that without visual feedback my hits will be all over the place. I can rip quick splits and transitions out to about 10 yards if I track the sights because I can adjust my index. If I draw down on a target and I see 2 shots go left I can adjust for a makeup shot and for future targets. I guess you can say it’s a form of aiming but not in the traditional sense. I try not to point shoot though because I’m not exactly a Grand Master and feel I will develop bad habits if don’t watch the sights at all times.

            Comment

            • LR1955
              Super Moderator
              • Mar 2011
              • 3355

              #21
              Originally posted by BlueOvalBruin View Post
              The index is basically your hand-eye coordination, your ability to accurately point the gun (not aiming). The index is especially important with engaging targets (draws, after reloads, picking up targets coming into a position) and transitions. Point your gun at a target and look at a different target, then close your eyes and swing the gun over to the target you were looking at. If your index is good the gun should be pointing right at the A zone.

              Sight tracking is watching the sights lift and settle with each shot. It’s different than aiming in that aiming is waiting till you have an acceptable sight picture and breaking the shot. Sight tracking is more like observation, you’re watching the sights and calling the shots while shooting but not necessarily waiting for a particular sight picture.

              The shot calling aspect of sight tracking lets me know if I need to make up a shot. I can normally tell if I get a bad hit or a miss and sometimes I’ll shoot another one to make it up (if the rules allow it). Sight tracking is very helpful with shooting steel quickly. If you break a shot on a popper and wait to hear the ding and watch it start to fall before you move on you’re going to waste a lot of time. Instead, break the shot, then based on what your sight picture was, either shoot again or move on.

              Sight tracking improves my index because pure point shooting isn’t precise enough for me. I can probably point shoot A’s out to about 4-5 yards but past that without visual feedback my hits will be all over the place. I can rip quick splits and transitions out to about 10 yards if I track the sights because I can adjust my index. If I draw down on a target and I see 2 shots go left I can adjust for a makeup shot and for future targets. I guess you can say it’s a form of aiming but not in the traditional sense. I try not to point shoot though because I’m not exactly a Grand Master and feel I will develop bad habits if don’t watch the sights at all times.
              BoB:

              Thanks for elaborating. I asked because the terms are not very common unless you shoot IPSC or do a lot of SRM.

              LR55

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              • Appalachian

                #22
                We incorporate "calling the shot" into the instruction we give at Appleseed clinics. Just as you've mentioned- the purpose is to help you diagnose issues by comparing your called shot to whats on paper. We call that the "Rifleman's dance". Shoot a group, call the shots, examine the group, analyze the pattern, diagnose the problem, repeat. With only 2-day clinics it can be hard for it to sink in with every shooter, but the talented shooters usually have a good grasp by the end of the first day.

                Besides constant reminders and encouragement, i'm not aware of specific techniques to help teach the concept, but there probably are some in use in the program.

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