How to shoot really well!

[twyo]

Ok guys, so I have a question for you. What pointers do you have for making a really good shot? Is it good breathing techniques? Is it squeezing the triger well? And how do you combat flinching? You get the idea. I know that practice is the ultimate key, but if you practice the wrong thing one hundred times it is still wrong. So, spread the knowledge and give some tips on what makes some guys such great shots.

[TexasT]

For me a lot of the time it's the trigger. Partly my fault for having flinchitis and partly my gun's fault for having a heavy trigger pull. I only have a handgun but it might span both handguns and long guns. I really had to practice a slow steady trigger pull. When you get more comfortable it will be more automatic. I think head position might also have something to do with it.

[Brother Bob]

Practice, practice, practice. Take a deep breath and slowly squeeze the trigger. It should surprise when the gun goes off. If you have a creepy trigger, get it reworked or replaced.

[Troy]

get yourself zoned and get control over the distractions that will impare you.

trigger pull, keep doing in focusing on pulling straight back. you'll be surprised how much not pulling directly back can change where that bullet is supposed to go and where it
winds up.

breath, yes i know you must. watch through your scope how much the cross hairs move as your breathing when your focused on something and trying to stay steady. now everbody moves a bit, the trick here is to find that sweet spot that your movement is minimized and do a nice easy straight pull back on that trigger at that point.

that is the biggest things for me to get over. control the things you can control, learn the stuff you cant control. you cant stop the wind so learn the drift and drop of the bullets your gonna be shooting. shooting is all math, that bullet goes where it was pointed.

[Palladin8]

Well it sounds like you know some of the things that need to pay attention to. One exercise I learned in the Army for proper trigger squeezing was the dime or washer drill. You place a small dowel in the barrel and then balance a washer or dime on the dowel. You then slowly squeeze the trigger and try not to allow the waser or dime to fall off the dowel. I would recommend using a snap cap as not to damage the firing pin. Do this exercise until you can squeeze the trigger 10X in a row without the washer falling off. It will help with your trigger squeezing as well as breathing because you have to concentrate on both so not to knock the washer off.
Hope this will help a little.

[Ron AKA]

You've gotten some good suggestions. A similar question was asked by another poster not too long ago. You can see responses here:

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/gen...ps-anyone.html (shooting tips anyone?)

Ron

[andrew cochran]

Practice practice practice and line up the sights well.

[SwedeSteve]

Breathing is the hardest thing to conquer

[.280Rem]

Originally Posted by twyo

Ok guys, so I have a question for you. What pointers do you have for making a really good shot? Is it good breathing techniques? Is it squeezing the triger well? And how do you combat flinching? You get the idea. I know that practice is the ultimate key, but if you practice the wrong thing one hundred times it is still wrong. So, spread the knowledge and give some tips on what makes some guys such great shots.

Practice. One great way is dry firing. And think about each step. 1 Sight picture, 2 breath control, 3 trigger squeeze.

Once you get it down, then translate it to field condition and different shooting positions you anticipate you might have in the field.

And, if you got a bad trigger, get it worked on by a competent smith!

[toolman]

One of the best things you cad do for yourself is to buy a copy of either the U.S. Army or USMC sniper training manuals. They go into detail on breathing techniques, natural point-of-aim, etc...

[tippmann7]

it all depends on what your shooting...rifles-aim,take a deep breath,slowly squeez the trigger

shotgun-point and shoot

[Gio]

Lining up sights and paralax in scopes is also big. If you can learn to shoot with both eyes open that also helps alot.

[Wingwiper]

Sight Picture, Sight alignment, Breathing (shallow breaths) and Trigger control

I take it, you are shooting an AR if not, if you have a rear appeture?

Hold your weapon pointing to the ground. NOW look at the rear appeture from a foot or so away and see if you can see a pin point of focus in the middle of a blurry halo? Look carefully. You will see the round black metal of the rear sight and inside that round black metal will be a round area of blurriness and inside that blurriness will be a PIN POINT size area of clear. That CLEAR spot is known as the SWEET SPOT.

If you look for the SWEET SPOT in every position and place it on top of your front sight, your front sight will become extra sharp and clear and you will find that your sight alignment is PERFECT. VERY VERY few people know about the SWEET SPOT, no one has pointed it out to them. This spot is real and when you get use to seeing it, it will come naturally for you and that is one less thing that will tick away the seconds as you are trying to get that Rapid String off. I guarantee you, you find that SWEET SPOT and your life just got so much easier in shooting. Let me know if you see it, now place the weapon to your shoulder and put that sweet spot on the front sight and tell me how easy it was for the front sight to snap into focus. neat huh? That is a secret you only share with people you are NOT competing against. it will make a BIG difference in your scores. Try it.


The TWO BIGGEST tips here are Skeletal Position and Natural Point of Aim.
Always allow your bones to do the supporting and not the muscles that will very quickly start to tire and spasm.
I would use small controllable motions with muzzle and when I was at 3 Oclock I would start to take my shallow breath, once I hit six o clock the trigger would go back and fire and STAY. ( I used a 6 oclock hold on the Black, reason being, you were shooting a known size target and a known distance and the 6 o'clock with a very thin line of white in between would give the same ELEVATION each time, center hold, you would never know if you held a few inches higher or lower with each shot). I would hold the trigger all the way back until I was certain the bullet had gone thru the paper. Then I would release the trigger and my breath, until I heard the first click and stay right there. If you read my post in the Rifle Positions about the Natural Point of aim, I would be right back at 6 o clock after the recoil and with the trigger already on the threshold for my next round, I was not needing to target search and I was ready to take my next breath, line up my sights and squeeze the next round off.
I will also tell you NOT to use a TIGHT sling. (ARs Only andnot firearms that have the both swivels on the stock) For two reasons.

1. It will cause the rifle to cant, meaning your front sight will turn from a 12 to 6 position to a 1 to 7 or even a 2 to 8 position which will throw you shot off.

2. When the barrel gets HOT from shooting 20 quick rounds or so, if you are shooting an AR type of firearm, the barrel will bend slightly and that little bit will make a BIG difference on the target.

NEVER hold your breath for more than 10 seconds,because your eyes will begin to starve for oxygen and become blurrey. You will NOT become the first man to know which front sight is the right one.

ALWAYS keep the FRONT SITE in Sharp focus and let the target be blurry, as long as you aim at the same blurry spot each time, you will be amazed at the improvement in your scores versus focusing on the target.

Keep your cheek and your eye on the same place of your firearm for each and every position, we called this CHEEK WELD and with the AR15 /M16 our noses were pushed against the Operating Rod Handle, we would leave with zits on our nose tips by the end of a day or two.

BLACKEN your sights to eliminate glare. many Gun shops sell SIGHT BLACK in a spray can, this works well or if you prefer get a Carbide Burner and smoke them.

OFF HAND can be the BEST position and give you the BEST scores.

YOU need a SKELETAL position and NOT a MUSCLE position.

Try this
walk up to your lane and to the Firing Line and turn so your shoulders are line up and facing the target. You should be looking at the back of the shooter to your right if you are a right hand shooter.
NOW CLOSE your eyes.
Put the rifle on top and slightly to the front of your shoulder.
Start dropping the weapon and bringing it to your chest, at this time reach up with the left arm and grab it at its balance point and drop your fore ward arm to your side. You should be LOCKED.
The magazine of your firearm can rest on top of the flap of your breast pocket or if you are a female, on top of your bra. This will give added support. The forearm will be tucked into your side and the slight twist that you did as you lowered the firearm and turned to grab with the other arm should have locked your back. DO NOT lock your knees.
NOW with your eyes still CLOSED, move the firearm left to right and up and down and then let it fall NATURALLY into position. Now OPEN your eyes and see where you are. If you are NOT on YOUR target, adjust your feet slightly and close your eyes and start the wiggle process again. Do this as many times as it takes for the firearm to fall NATURALLY at 6 O'clock on the black of YOUR target.
The left or fore ward arm should have the bones supporting the firearm and not the muscles and if you are on the balance of your firearm this position is good for at least 30 minutes.


Note the supporting arm is BELOW the weapon and tucked into side for bone support. The elbow is resting on a magazine pouch or whatever you may have, legal in NRA Matches.


dropping into off hand and locking the back. and holding at the Balance point of the M16 which is the Collar. Shooter has already obtained the Natural Point of Aim. With each shot fired the weapon will fall back onto the shooter's target and not the adjacent target for a cross fire. Less time will be spent in searching for the target as well. More time can be taken for dressing it up.The targets have begun to appear and the command to commence firing has been given.



Locked in position and pistol grip is resting on the suspender flap, good for extended amounts of time and the shooter could totally remove the trigger hand and weapon stays in position, no muscles involved, other than the trigger hand is pulling the grip into your shoulder with the lower fingers.

DO NOT move your feet. Once you have built a position and a good Natural Point of Aim, DO NOT move your feet until the string is complete and you are ready to move off of the firing line. No sense building a position if you are going to move around after, stay in it.



http://groups.msn.com/THEGUNROOM/shootinginfo1.msnw Go here for more detail info and do some reading.


HOW TO FIRE THE SHOT

" 1. Line up the front and rear sights. Simply center the front sight in the rear sight (a scope does it automatically for you). (“Sight Alignment”)
2. Keeping the sights lined up, bring them onto the target. (“Sight Picture”)
3. Take a deep breath in. The front sight will dip. Let your breath out, watching the front sight rise until it barely touches the bottom of the bull’s eye - now hold your breath (“Respiratory Pause”). You have just used a natural act - breathing - to establish your correct elevation. (Don’t forget to get your NPOA!)
4A. Focus your eye on the front sight. It may be a little hard to do at first - you naturally want to look at the target - but focus on the front sight.-
4B - Focus your mind on “keeping that front sight on the target”. This is the big one!
5. Now the tricky part. While you are doing step 4, take up the slack and squeeze the trigger straight back - but keep your concentration on the front sight! Don’t let the front sight off the target. You are trying to do two tasks at once, and the more important is to Keep the front sight on the target! This is the part where practice really pays off.
6. When the hammer falls: 1) keep your eyes open, 2) take an ‘instant’ mental photo of where the front sight was on the target when the hammer fell (“Call the Shot”), and 3) hold the trigger back (“Follow through”). In field shooting you want to quickly observe the impact of the bullet on the target and the target reaction. If the shot is a miss, try to spot any bullet splash so you can correct the next shot.
Position tips: In all positions: Use the sling tightened just enough to hold the weight of the rifle. It will add to your accuracy by a factor of 20% - or more! Grasp the wrist of the stock firmly with the trigger hand, and pull the rifle back real snug in your shoulder - and keep it there. Your cheek should be pressed firmly against the stock. In Prone the elbow under the rifle should be directly under the rifle or as close as you can get it directly under the rifle.
And relax and enjoy the shooting. Keep at it and the positions will actually become comfortable! Trust me.
Practice until you can consistently group 1” or less at 25 meters (81 ft).
Periodically do “ball & dummy” to detect and correct flinching."

[Silent Shooter]

Always practice shooting a smaller target than you plan on shooting in real life.

If you are planning on shooting a golf ball, practice shooting a golf tee. If you plan on shooting bull's eyes, practice at hitting the "0" inside the bull's eyes. If you are going to shoot center of mass, practice at hitting a button.

If you do that then your real target should be no problem...

[mwatson]

Breathe, concentrate, slowing squeeze the triggger, aim small and miss small.
Mike

[Wingwiper]

Originally Posted by Silent Shooter

Always practice shooting a smaller target than you plan on shooting in real life.

If you are planning on shooting a golf ball, practice shooting a golf tee. If you plan on shooting bull's eyes, practice at hitting the "0" inside the bull's eyes. If you are going to shoot center of mass, practice at hitting a button.

If you do that then your real target should be no problem...

Great Advice Silent

I use to put a PASTY in the center of the V Ring and aim for that. I would accomplish 2 missions with that.

1. A Aboslute ZERO whereas a lot of people would stop sighting in, when they were able to hit the V ring, that wasn't good enough, I wanted CENTER Vs so when I got back to 600 meters, I was still hitting center. The peope who were 2 inches from cneter and still hitting Vs would be 12 inches off at 600 meters.

2. It built my CONCENTRATION up better and made me think of my task was more than just hitting the paper but to hit that dang V and do it in the center. It made me conscious and my scores greatly improved.

Good advice

[stalebiscuit]

lots, and lots of practice, everyone kinda does their own thing, but its good to take tips from the pros

get an airsoft gun or low powered bb gun and you can practice cheap and without going to the range, and kinda fun to walk around the house and shoot at stuff, but thats just me

[iareConfusE]

I got this from another forum, so I'm not taking credit for it.

SwissGuy !!Xks8+SXCW+U 04/18/08(Fri)02:42

Actually firing a rifle, and firing it with any degree of accuracy, requires the simultaneous application of many skills. These generally can be divided into the areas of:

Breathing
Trigger Control
Correct Scope/Sight picture
Solid Body Position



With each shot you take, time after time, you synchronize the whole range of components until they combine to form the single integrated act of shooting.


BREATHING

When you breath your chest expands and contracts. This cyclical movement is transmitted to your rifle, causing it to rise and fall a bit with each breath.

By learning to control your breathing, you'll impose a short calm, during which the rifle is rock-steady, when you can get off an accurate shot. All that's really meant by breathing control is holding your breath in perfect synchronization with the other integrated components of firing. But, that is easier said than done.

The Problem is that you can only hold your breath for a few seconds before oxygen deprivation starts to degrade vision and imposes a slight shake, worse than if you'd never held your breath in the first place. To experience this effect, look at a distant object and hold your breath; within about 8 seconds you'll find it difficult to see clearly.

There is a definite technique to proper breathing. First, surge oxygen content in your blood by taking one or two deep breaths. No matter which of the breathing patterns you use, it should begin this way.

Now, let's get more complicated. Note a normal breathing pattern has a cycle of about 4-5 seconds. Now, pay close attention to your own breathing for a moment. Feel the cycle of it, in and out, in and out. It's calm, not forced.

If you are especially conscious of it, you'll notice a very short pause just after you exhale, but before you inhale. This two-second pause - known as the natural respiratory pause - is the steadiest point in the entire breathing cycle, and a shot taken here should be the most stable. But, since this pause lasts only two seconds, it may be two short a time to aim and fire. Therefore a precision rifleman extends the pause by holding his breath just as he finishes exhaling. This is called the "Empty lung" Technique.

Putting it all together, then, first take a couple of deep breaths to build up oxygen content in the blood. Next, exhale normally, then hold your breath. Now, while totally calm and steady, squeeze off your shot. Competitive rifle shooters use this breathing technique for each shot because it makes possible the steadiest hold.

A novice shooter typically takes too much time for every other practice shot and must repeat the cycle. If you couldn't get it all together during one breathing cycle, blow it out and start again. Don't just go ahead and shoot anyway! It's the correct repetition during practice that will enable you to do it correctly under stress.




TRIGGER CONTROL : Note, terms may or may not apply to your particular weapon.

Proper Grip: Grasp the rifle at the pistol grip using a handshake grip - firm, but not so tight as to induce any tremor. Lay your thumb beside the stock rather than across it so it allows you to keep your shooting hand in line and trigger finger free to pull the trigger directly back. Thumbhole and through the stock grips - such as the SVD and Accuracy International, and many Choate stocks - are designed to keep the shooters hand in line, as if he's shooting a pistol, for undistorted, natural aiming.

When firing prone or off support, turn your non-shooting hand back, under the butt, to hold it into your shoulder while also squeezing a sand-filled sock that supports the heel. This squeeze or release slightly lowers or raises the butt to hold it steadily on target.

It is very important to keep the butt snug into your shoulder, or it can cause considerable recoil pain. As you prepare to fire, go out of your way to use the baby finger of your shooting hand to pull back on the pistol-grip and keep steady pressure as you squeeze off the shot. Practice this so you don't inadvertently tense your trigger finger during the final squeeze.

Trigger Control: As you should realize by now, trigger control is an important component of this integrated act of shooting. But trigger control is especially important because, more so than any other factor, an improper trigger pull will lead to inaccuracy, or complete misses.

Simply put, correct trigger control is the ability to release the firing pin without imparting any movement to the rifle. All trigger pull problems are caused by flinching or jerking the trigger, which usually results from anticipating the instant of firing - reacting to the shock of the recoil before recoil is even felt. The shooter has found that the dreaded blast and push of recoil so painful that he unconsciously jerks his finger when he thinks the rifle is about to fire.

To overcome this, conventional infantrymen are taught to become oblivious to trigger release and be surprised by the instant of firing. This technique may work for ordinary riflemen firing assault rifles, having a trigger-pull of 6-10 pounds, but it would never do for a marksman.

Quite the contrary, a marksman sensitizes himself to the feel of the trigger and learns to know when it will fire so he can consciously plan that instant of shot release.

Beyond mastering the dry-fire, a marksman also learns to handle recoil so well that it is not a cause of discomfort and doesn't inspire jerking. The best way to absorb recoil painlessly is by properly seating the butt of the rifle, tight into the shoulder.

Most American bolt-action marksman grade rifles have single-stage triggers offering a constant, consistent resistance, suggesting that you fire it with a steady pull. Some European bolt guns, such as the Accuracy International AW, Sako TRG-22, and the K-31 have military style two-stage triggers, with a light initial pull, then more resistance as it nears breaking. I think it's easier "Jerk-Firing" a two stage trigger - that is, instead of one steady pull, just one quick jerk to fire - especially in an emergency. But, no matter single or two-stage, all that really matters is mastering that trigger for a clean breaking shot.

How you finish this final release will be dictated by the situation. If you have unlimited time, such as range firing, and the target is stationary, you can squeeze off the shot at your leisure. A snap-shot against a moving target, on the other hand, requires a release almost as quick as taking in the slack. Having developed an "Educated" trigger finger, however, allows you to vary release to fit your target and shooting situation.

And when it comes to the actual pressing of finger to trigger, only the fingertip should be in contact. The tip is far more sensitive than any other finger area, although the trigger seems almost intended for wrapping around it the crease of the first knuckle - the WORST point of contact.

The fingertip should be at least two-thirds of the way down the trigger to take advantage of leverage and to allow it the maximum arc when taking in slack. Once you've determined where to place your finger comfortably, do it this way consistently.

Other than this tip, the finger should not touch the rifle, so that your pull is straight and unhindered, and does not push the stock in any way.




SCOPE/SIGHT PICTURE

The third component of the integrated act of shooting is a correct scope/sight picture, which must be just as synchronized as any other element.

The most critical aspect of scope picture is perfect eye-relief - holding your eye at the same distance shot after shot. This will minimize any possible parallax, yield the most light, and allow you the widest field of view.

The spot weld, which is the place where you hold your cheek against the stock, should become a muscle memory habit so that your eye is automatically at the correct distance and you can fire as quickly as the rifle reaches your shoulder if necessary.

Whether you close the non-shooting eye is your own preference. Some competitive shooters will take me to task for this, insisting that the only way to fire is with both eyes open, noting that the closed eyes pupil will dilate and therefore disrupt the open eye, etc. etc. That's scientifically correct, but I've known too many superb riflemen that close one eye - especially self-learned natural marksmen - to declare that both eyes open is the "Only" way to fire. I think that untrained shooters should learn the two-eye method and experienced marksmen should try the two-eye method, but no one has a monopoly on this issue.

Leaving both eyes open while waiting for a concealed bad-guy, or deer, however, is absolutely essential to avoid eye fatigue. Your vision will degrade a bit if you stare too long through a scope. To keep your vision fresh, move your eyes around and even completely lift your head away from the scope if the situation allows it.

The way you use your crosshairs to aim is important too. Select a tiny point on your larger target. Don't just aim at the man/deer, aim exactly where you want the bullet to impact, given a properly adjusted scope. Related to this is consciously focusing on the crosshair at the moment of firing for the most exact aim possible. Also, this final focus will enable you to "Call" your shot. With practice, you can learn to synch your trigger-pull to the instant you mentally focus that final time on the crosshair.

If you can convince your mind "That's it" when the crosshair's in focus that final time, and it's precisely on the intended point of impact, truly incredible accuracy can result. This melding of mind, vision, and trigger will enable you to shoot when it "feels" right, a higher mental plane of muscular and cerebral exactitude.




BODY POSITION

Now we come to the last component of our integrated act of firing, the correct and consistent assumption of a solid body position.

Which position you use for any particular situation will be dictated by your target, ground clearance, and available support. As a marksman, you'll ALWAYS exploit any available support within reach, whether you use a standing, kneeling, sitting, or prone position. Support may be enhanced too, by using your sling.

The steadiest position is prone, followed by sitting, then kneeling. The least stable position is standing. Obviously you'll prefer the prone, but you'll have to use whichever position best fits the circumstances.

All positions, though, have several principles in common. First, understand that your bones are your foundation for holding the rifle, NOT your muscles. The muscles ass cushioning and allow you to grasp the rifle firmly, but it's the mostly the bones that will keep your rifle in place.

Second, you must make yourself comfortable in your position. This means deviating the position to fit your body and adjusting slightly to fit the surroundings. If you're comfortable, you'll hold the rifle steadier and can remain alert but motionless longer.

Third, you'll fire best by re-shifting your body to fit your natural point of aim. To determine this natural point of aim, close your eyes and point the rifle in the general direction of your target. Now, open your eyes and see it you're properly aligned. Shift your body and try again until you find you point at the target naturally. You can find a natural point of aim for each position and each engagement.

Having said so much about proper body position, I cannot be honest and realistic unless I add a bit of heresy. Much too much has been written about assuming a body position that is just so and how the long distance shooter must check and re-check this and that for steadiness, and so forth. I am guilty of this too, but perhaps these few words will help redeem me.

Recall the warnings of the World War I sniping expert H.W. McBride, who observed that a sniper must be able to react fast or he may never get off a shot. To this sound advice I add that a marksman will often find circumstances where he must fire from lopsided, uncomfortable, and even "Unacceptable" positions into which he must contort his body to even see the target.

Anyone can fire consistent X-Rings on a fine day and from a prone position with the sandbag propped up just so. As a marksman or hunter, you'll take pride in being able to achieve excellent results while lying in mud, slightly above freezing, and with a cramp in your neck.

Granted, you'll strive to improve so difficult a locale, but the reality is that perfect results must be yielded in even an imperfect settings. The only variable in such conditions is in fact, you, the marksman.

I am not going to go into detail about what each position entails and how do properly assume them... there is plenty of resources on the internet detailing that. Take my advice as supplementary.




FOLLOW THROUGH

This is an essential part of each shot you take, not for what you do during it, but what you prevent by going through the act of follow through.

First, a definition: Follow through is a process by which the shooter maintains continuous concentration and non-reaction after firing a shot so he develops a physical and mental habit of allowing no disruption at the instant of shooting. It's as if he didn't even fire a shot.

The significance of follow through becomes apparent when you realize that .022 of a second passes between the trigger releasing the sear and the firing pin striking the cartridges primer. And a further .002 of a second will pass as your .308 bullet travels down the 24-inch barrel. If there is any slight movement of the rifle during this period, the crosshairs will no longer be exactly on target as the bullet exits the muzzle.

What helps me maintain myself right through follow through is thinking about the target and lying very still after firing, then regaining focus in the scope. I don't even ease the trigger forward until then. It's like I'm frozen in time.

Follow through wraps up all the steps and components of the integrated act of shooting, which by now you should respect as a whole complex set of things to remember and apply during practice fire. To apply these in the correct place, and in perfect synchronization, is the mark of the precision rifle shooter. They're used for every shot you fire, time after time.

During shooting practice, I emphasize one shooting component for special attention, such as breathing. I'll pay particular heed during each shot and ask my spotter to observe and coach my breathing. Any other detectable errors are diagnosed and corrected, too, but this heavy emphasis in one area helps me hone that skill.

This completes my workshop... there is a lot more to learn about shooting, but this is a great framework to expand upon.

[Rex in OTZ]

Every year we have to qualify with a 870 Remington useing 12 ga rifled sluggs, one very important thing to remember is to plant your buttstock on the sweet spot of the shoulder or otherwise even with all the Zen Yoga good thoughts you try to think, of if done wrong you will pay a penalty in the pain dept. and thats when you start to flinch and jerk your shots
especially during the chargeing bear portion of the course.
If you get perfict scores you still have to shoot a minimum of 6 times more to bring uor score up !

[Muddog]

Wow, there is a lot of information here. Thanks for the great responses, every different point of view and tip helps.