Any advice on how to avoid that first 9!

[Tod Hendricks]

When you practice, don’t chase the spotter. Always know exactly how much wind correction you are using, and wait 45-60 seconds between shots, making a new wind call for each shot. Sometimes chasing the spotter is the best strategy, and sometimes it’s the worst. As your confidence in making discrete wind calls for every shot grows, you’ll have another tool in your match shooting toolbox.

Very good advice right there! It’s not just for practice though, during a match you can shoot to win or shoot to learn. Take advantage of the opportunity. Not only does it help with deciphering conditions, your strategies will evolve and probably reduce the 9 one on problem.

Anyone can chase a spotter, if it was that easy it wouldn’t be any fun or challenging.

 

[Mikemontminy]

After the shot breaks the first thing I check is all the flags to see if anything may have changed. After that I check the tablet to verify the shot went where it should have gone.

 

[Fairchaser]

The tighter your gun shoots, the more you can count on your poi to give you an accurate wind reading. If you can shoot X’s every shot, then the first 10 tells you that you are behind the wind. How important is your last shot in making your current wind call? Is it the first thing you think about or it’s just one of many factors for your next shot?

 

[willbas]

What I hate is the 17th shoot is a 9 out of 20 all others are 10's and X's.

 

[bridgeport]

I have to know exactly what my rifle/ load is capable of under practice conditions, then on match day use my sighters to bracket the best and worst of what the rifle is doing if I hold x on that day. A wind flag on your home range may mean something different than a wind flag on an away range but by taking sighters on x the wind will tell you how far it is pushing you if you are NOT doping it. Knowing this I have the brackets of worst case left right, and in no case will I ever hold out of that, and if the flags indicate a strong gust, stronger than was happening during sighters..... do not take a shot . So if the wind is from the left to right, I'll never aim further than my parameter line EVEN if I THINK I should. I've learned the hard way, by holding out and watching the bullet go right where I was aiming to know that in very few instances should I hold outside my bracket. Then of course there is experience and luck, but that's another story. It's a painful drive home when your high score evaporates with a dropped shot or two. Seen plenty of guys lose a 200 in the last few to an errant call.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have to know exactly what my rifle/ load is capable of under practice conditions, then on match day use my sighters to bracket the best and worst of what the rifle is doing if I hold x on that day. A wind flag on your home range may mean something different than a wind flag on an away range but by taking sighters on x the wind will tell you how far it is pushing you if you are NOT doping it. Knowing this I have the brackets of worst case left right, and in no case will I ever hold out of that, and if the flags indicate a strong gust, stronger than was happening during sighters..... do not take a shot . So if the wind is from the left to right, I'll never aim further than my parameter line EVEN if I THINK I should. I've learned the hard way, by holding out and watching the bullet go right where I was aiming to know that in very few instances should I hold outside my bracket. Then of course there is experience and luck, but that's another story.

Your a smart guy, good for you. Unfortunately I have always been a no guts no glory guy, not smart often times. You do bring up a good method to mitigate a bad error. Can be a game changer if you have a lead and just need to avoid an catastrophic error.

 

[bridgeport]

Your a smart guy, good for you. Unfortunately I have always been a no guts no glory guy, not smart often times. You do bring up a good method to mitigate a bad error. Can be a game changer if you have a lead and just need to avoid an catastrophic error.

Assuming we want to improve our skills, we all struggle with the internal game as well as the external game. I'm sure there are guys here in the forum that could write books, or at least chapters of a book on the different elements that go into shooting well and what works for them. After the time spent on equipment, loading, time on range for practice, and attending matches, rather than saying one should not be unintelligent about things, though that is true, I would say there becomes less room for shots loosed without the intent to place them, like a good billiards man, right where you call them. Yet it never ceases to amaze me how otherwise rational men who take this business seriously will on occasion touch off a round when they damn well knew they shouldn't, and it wasn't even no guts, no glory, more like "What was I thinking". Have heard many a man ask themselves post match why'd they do that, or how'd that happen. Being good has to be earned every time you sling up, and with each touch of the trigger.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Assuming we want to improve our skills, we all struggle with the internal game as well as the external game. I'm sure there are guys here in the forum that could write books, or at least chapters of a book on the different elements that go into shooting well and what works for them. After the time spent on equipment, loading, time on range for practice, and attending matches, rather than saying one should not be unintelligent about things, though that is true, I would say there becomes less room for shots loosed without the intent to place them, like a good billiards man, right where you call them. Yet it never ceases to amaze me how otherwise rational men who take this business seriously will on occasion touch off a round when they damn well knew they shouldn't, and it wasn't even no guts, no glory, more like "What was I thinking". Have heard many a man ask themselves post match why'd they do that, or how'd that happen. Being good has to be earned every time you sling up, so to speak.

In fewer words you can shoot smart using your knowledge or be impatient and shoot a stupid shoot. The latter will ruin your day. Much better to maybe make a wrong decision than wing one and hope. To me its like the mind set of screw those flags just give me a bigger boom and more recoil school of shooting.