What if you got 9?

[6ShotsOr5?]

So @ARK, tell us WDAD (what did ARK do?), and what happened?

 

[sdean]

I'm just getting where shooting good enough to where a 9 makes a difference. Got a couple memorable one's last year. At Tenn. ST 1000 yard one relay 198. First and last were 9.
Then at Laurel at 600 198 18x. Last 2 were 9's. That was the definition of confirmation 9. Couldn't see any reason. They just don't go where supposed to sometime.

 

[ARK]

So @ARK, tell us WDAD (what did ARK do?), and what happened?

I waited, took center aim and got back into the game. Could have been cloud which did roll over our heads and changed lighting conditions or back draft? I am trying to rationalize and learn since there are shooters at my range who are very good and do not get caught in "9 game".

 

[praveen]

Had too many of those first shot 9s. So, I got inspired and just bought nine1on.com

 

[Monte F]

Hmm, something to be said for the shooter who can shoot only 9s, but I suppose that won't win you any matches.

-Mac

Been there!

 

[Monte F]

Besides shooting that dreaded 9 one on, when I shot clay sports and droped the first bird out of the house. Made getting the next 24 straight tough with it on your mind.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Half of my matches at 600 yards start off like Ark's. .223 80 grain bullet. I'm competitive with myself and can run in the upper half of the field or better. I'm not smart enough to take my .308 to 600.

 

[Shooter13]

WAIT!!!! You mean there is a higher number than 9???? Go figure

 

[jelenko]

I wonder if there is something more basic that you could consider?
I'm thinking things like - did you call the shot? If you have confidence that you are seeing your shots [it's easy to blink at the very last moment] and the conditions haven't changed, means that the rifle/ammo system threw the shot or your position changed or your trigger control was off.

The reason I mention these is that what you would do next would depend on what you expected the cause to be.

What 'discipline' were you shooting in? E.g., benchrest? F class?

 

[ARK]

I wonder if there is something more basic that you could consider?
I'm thinking things like - did you call the shot? If you have confidence that you are seeing your shots [it's easy to blink at the very last moment] and the conditions haven't changed, means that the rifle/ammo system threw the shot or your position changed or your trigger control was off.

The reason I mention these is that what you would do next would depend on what you expected the cause to be.

What 'discipline' were you shooting in? E.g., benchrest? F class?

Funny you mentioned that. I consider myself pistol shooter ( steel challenge and USPSA). One of the skills crucial to fast pistol shooting is calling shots, mean (as you know) noticing the position of the dot ( or sights) in relation to the target at the moment the shot brakes of. I can shoot "smoke and hope" in less then 2 seconds ( 5 targets including draw if you not familiar with steel challenge) and in this settings you can not wait for the bullet to hit the target before you drive the gun to another target. So for the rifle I do more of sight reading then follow-through as rifle teaches. Not sure if this is good because in pistol you don't care about the wind, just recoil management, trigger/sight control and driving the gun.

 

[rjtfroggy]

I don't shoot long range, short range only with plenty of 9's.
You can't bring the shot back so forget about it, refocus your mind and start all over.

 

[Damfino]

So, I went through this scenario few times. Started good, S1 is 10, S2 is X. First shot on the record 9... low and to the right, almost 8! Looking through the glass, cant see condition change, flags flying the same. What would you do?

In this situation it's easy to blame yourself, the conditions, your equipment, even your fellow competitors, but the real culprit is the target. You, the shooter, have fallen victim to an age old trick -- the target has lulled you into a false sense of security. It has lied to you because they can be cruel and deceitful things. Now I'm not saying all targets are like this, but I have seen more than a few lie for no apparent reason or to punish some perceived flaw of the shooter.

Believe me I know. At one Regional Mid-Range Championship in the first 2 relays I had shot 40 10s and Xs in a row. Then confidently put 2 sighter shots in the X ring for the 3rd relay and was already thinking about how to be modest and humble when I shot that elusive 600. First shot for record, pulled the trigger, waited, for the target to come up with the first of 20 10s and Xs. The guys in the pits had been very, very quick, but this time the pit service is agonizingly slow and when the target finally goes up it is very slow, as if to apologize for the 8. The target had recognized my hubris and punished me for it.

 

[Jdne5b]

Funny you mentioned that. I consider myself pistol shooter ( steel challenge and USPSA). One of the skills crucial to fast pistol shooting is calling shots, mean (as you know) noticing the position of the dot ( or sights) in relation to the target at the moment the shot brakes of. I can shoot "smoke and hope" in less then 2 seconds ( 5 targets including draw if you not familiar with steel challenge) and in this settings you can not wait for the bullet to hit the target before you drive the gun to another target. So for the rifle I do more of sight reading then follow-through as rifle teaches. Not sure if this is good because in pistol you don't care about the wind, just recoil management, trigger/sight control and driving the gun.

I find with rifle, I need/like to have a much finer level of shot calling. We're shooting at a 3 inch circle at 600 yards, not a 6x12 rectangle(or whatever it is, I forget) at 15 like USPSA. Were the crosshairs just inside the line, on the line, or outside the line? Did the crosshairs jump just before shot went off, were they steady when it broke, etc. It helps to know this info when you are trying to decide if that 9 is you or conditions. A slight flicker of the crosshair could definitely mean a pulled shot. Also relevant to PRS or NRL22 type shooting. Being able to call that miss just off the plate where the crosshairs were, is easier than trying to figure out if it was wind or your hold.

 

[Retired Grunt]

If I hit 20 of them don't I get a 180?

 

[jelenko]

The target had recognized my hubris and punished me for it.

Yeah!

 

[jelenko]

I find with rifle, I need/like to have a much finer level of shot calling. We're shooting at a 3 inch circle at 600 yards, not a 6x12 rectangle(or whatever it is, I forget) at 15 like USPSA. Were the crosshairs just inside the line, on the line, or outside the line? Did the crosshairs jump just before shot went off, were they steady when it broke, etc. It helps to know this info when you are trying to decide if that 9 is you or conditions. A slight flicker of the crosshair could definitely mean a pulled shot. Also relevant to PRS or NRL22 type shooting. Being able to call that miss just off the plate where the crosshairs were, is easier than trying to figure out if it was wind or your hold.

This!

 

[Dgd6mm]

I don't shoot long range, short range only with plenty of 9's.
You can't bring the shot back so forget about it, refocus your mind and start all over.

I hadn't shot much f class 2020 due to the China flu. Last month shot a 600 yard f class Match. .223, first relay I shot a 198 of course unlimited sighters. 2nd relay, 2 sighters both 8's. I made a correction and started shooting for record. 8, 8, 9....dropped 5 points. I then remembered that this barrel shoots high when starting a relay especially in December. Screwed some dope back in and shot two more 9's in first 10 shots then cleaned the second half. I got up and said to myself when it was over, wow I pulled a 193 out of that screw up. All I could say to myself is those immortal words of Forest Gump, It happens!

I do set those shots to the side. I don't get a Mulligan in f class.

 

[Longtrain]

Been there, done that. I look at it that I don’t have to sweat out that 20th shot for a clean, pressures off, lay down and send them.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

So, I went through this scenario few times. Started good, S1 is 10, S2 is X. First shot on the record 9... low and to the right, almost 8! Looking through the glass, cant see condition change, flags flying the same. What would you do?

My first suggestion would be to concentrate on clean trigger manipulation and send another. A low right shot that is off call may well be due to operator malfunction...."getting on the trigger".

 

[ARK]

Thank you all for your important insights. I do trust my equipment, my technique on the other hand can always be improved. I sometimes pull a shot and i know I flinched just to find out that the shot went into the X ring... Weird?