Help me prioritize please

[Mulligan]

I am just finishing my second season of shooting F-open. I made 5 local matches in '16 and about 10 total shoots in '17. I am nipping at the heels of Master at LR but keep falling a bit short.

I have been keeping notes of the general things that have caused me to lose points. The list below is what I have so far (based on what I perceive to be the things that have caused me the most points) prioritized in order of what I need to work on most. Just looking for how you would prioritize these and to identify those things I am missing (I haven't been at this very long).

1.) wind reading skills
2.) mirage reading skills
3.) positive mental attitude
4.) mental fitness
5.) physical fitness
6.) my cone of accuracy
7.) cone of accuracy of rifle/ammo combination
8.) equipment maintenance

What am I missing? Priorities?
Thanks for the help
CW

 

[dickn52]

Ammunition? I like 1 and 2..heck I like them all.

 

[ShootDots]

Here is something that may help:
1.) Pick a VERY accurate cartridge for the intended range you are shooting at. Example: Let's say you are shooting at 600 yards. The .260A.I. sits at the top of the list IMHO, 6.5 x 47 / 6.5 Creedmoor and Dasher next in line. There are a host of other cartridges that can and will do very well. However, to get a 200 and 15+ "X"s is not an easy feat to do so on a regular basis. The above cartridges have that capability. REMEMBER THIS: No matter how good of a wind reader you are, if your rifle or load is not accurate enough to accomplish the aforementioned task, you can NOT score better. So in my opinion, accuracy TRUMPS ALL ELSE. Then come the wind reading skills etc.. Here is an analogy: If you are a NASCAR driver and the BEST IN THE BUSINESS, if your car can't go over 100m.p.h., it does not matter how well you drive, you 'taint going to win! If your rifle can't keep a great waterline and basically stay inside the X ring, no matter how well your wind reading is, you 'taint going to win!

 

[Mulligan]

Here is something that may help:
1.) Pick a VERY accurate cartridge for the intended range you are shooting at. Example: Let's say you are shooting at 600 yards. The .260A.I. sits at the top of the list IMHO, 6.5 x 47 / 6.5 Creedmoor and Dasher next in line. There are a host of other cartridges that can and will do very well. However, to get a 200 and 15+ "X"s is not an easy feat to do so on a regular basis. The above cartridges have that capability. REMEMBER THIS: No matter how good of a wind reader you are, if your rifle or load is not accurate enough to accomplish the aforementioned task, you can NOT score better. So in my opinion, accuracy TRUMPS ALL ELSE. Then come the wind reading skills etc.. Here is an analogy: If you are a NASCAR driver and the BEST IN THE BUSINESS, if your car can't go over 100m.p.h., it does not matter how well you drive, you 'taint going to win! If your rifle can't keep a great waterline and basically stay inside the X ring, no matter how well your wind reading is, you 'taint going to win!

Good point Ben,
I should have said I shoot a 6 Dasher and a straight .284. Both on Panda F-class actions. The Dasher built by Kelblys and barreled by Dan Dowling, the .284 built and barreled by Alex Wheeler.
On a calm day at mid range I can clean the target. I swear the distance between 600 and a 1000 is a lot more than 400 yards measured between the two.
CW

 

[ShootDots]

Good point Ben,
I should have said I shoot a 6 Dasher and a straight .284. Both on Panda F-class actions. The Dasher built by Kelblys and barreled by Dan Dowling, the .284 built and barreled by Alex Wheeler.
On a calm day at mid range I can clean the target. I swear the distance between 600 and a 1000 is a lot more than 400 yards measured between the two.
CW

Well your rifles are without doubt very capable! You have the best cartridges and evidently the loads are accurate! SO what's next? You said, in a round-about-way, that you are having trouble at 1000 yards. Well I have the same "problem". I can shoot with the best Mid-Range shooters anywhere and do very well. Go to 1000 and I fall on my face! I have been shooting L/R since December of 2011. I have cleaned the target exactly ONE TIME in a registered match and ONE TIME in one of our "practice" matches here is AZ.. I do only well enough to stay "in the middle of the pack" at a BIG match>>>NEVER BETTER! I can NOT figure out why.. Obviously my wind reading skills are less than stellar, however, that can not be all of it>>>>what it may be, I can not tell..

 

[Mulligan]

Ammunition? I like 1 and 2..heck I like them all.

I lumped the ammo in with the rifle, thinking one is fitted to the other?
CW

 

[dickn52]

Well your rifles are without doubt very capable! You have the best cartridges and evidently the loads are accurate! SO what's next? You said, in a round-about-way, that you are having trouble at 1000 yards. Well I have the same "problem". I can shoot with the best Mid-Range shooters anywhere and do very well. Go to 1000 and I fall on my face! I have been shooting L/R since December of 2011. I have cleaned the target exactly ONE TIME in a registered match and ONE TIME in one of our "practice" matches here is AZ.. I do only well enough to stay "in the middle of the pack" at a BIG match>>>NEVER BETTER! I can NOT figure out why.. Obviously my wind reading skills are less than stellar, however, that can not be all of it>>>>what it may be, I can not tell..

Guys, everyone should have a degree of difficulty at 1000 yds. I spent time at Ft Benning learning to shoot out there...and we all had difficulty at 1000 and more. There is a degree of luck involved at those distances as well, for any consistency that is.

 

[ShootDots]

Guys, everyone should have a degree of difficulty at 1000 yds. I spent time at Ft Benning learning to shoot out there...and we all had difficulty at 1000 and more. There is a degree of luck involved at those distances as well, for any consistency that is.

I can attest to the concept of needing "luck".. Several years ago at Bayou Rifles, in either January or February, we had some fierce winds coming in out of the north. The winds were so stiff that the moment anyone stood up, their chair blew down the firing berm. Spotting scopes, from time to time were blowing over! At Bayou, winds coming in from either the North or the South are either coming straight at you (North) or from your back toward the target (South) and "Fishtail" very quickly! These are some of the roughest conditions to shoot 1000 yards in. I was still "very green" at F-Class back then, yet somehow I shot one of my best scores in the wind at 1000 yards! Back then I can guarantee you it was NOT from skill in wind reading, it was LUCK, pure and simple! LOL!!!

 

[Shynloco]

Mulligan,
For me, #5 (Physical Fitness) trumps the rest. Considering you are close to a High Master bracket, it strikes me that being Physically Fit is a precursor to staying sharp in all the other categories that you are obviously knowledgeable in. Plus as we age, our bodies aren't what they once were and just trying to maintain the "status quo" with our mind and bodies is an everyday uphill battle. Somethings like eyesight, inevitably get worse with age and there is little we can do to improve it except get a bigger scope. Being "fit" means sitting down at the shooting table as your mind starts up and concentration sets in to read wind, consider the overall condition and look over the range you'll be shooting at to acclimate you mind to shoot with the best possible confidence with each and every shot. Compare that to casualty unpacking, sitting down and sending shots hoping you hit your target. Sometimes, that's happens because we haven't prepared our minds and bodies for the shoot. Like anything else, practice, practice and more practice has shown that we will most like do what our minds have been taught to do. If your mind is foggy because your body aches or you are mentally elsewhere, chances are you are about to frustrate yourself as you are actually, not all there. SO no matter what you do in terms of keeping in shape, FIND THE TIME as you may surprise yourself what a difference you may find when you are ONE (and feel good) with your rifle and the ammunition you created.

Alex

 

[Mulligan]

Mulligan,
For me, #5 (Physical Fitness) trumps the rest. Considering you are close to a High Master bracket, it strikes me that being Physically Fit is a precursor to staying sharp in all the other categories that you are obviously knowledgeable in. Plus as we age, our bodies aren't what they once were and just trying to maintain the "status quo" with our mind and bodies is an everyday uphill battle. Somethings like eyesight, inevitably get worse with age and there is little we can do to improve it except get a bigger scope. Being "fit" means sitting down at the shooting table as your mind starts up and concentration sets in to read wind, consider the overall condition and look over the range you'll be shooting at to acclimate you mind to shoot with the best possible confidence with each and every shot. Compare that to casualty unpacking, sitting down and sending shots hoping you hit your target. Sometimes, that's happens because we haven't prepared our minds and bodies for the shoot. Like anything else, practice, practice and more practice has shown that we will most like do what our minds have been taught to do. If your mind is foggy because your body aches or you are mentally elsewhere, chances are you are about to frustrate yourself as you are actually, not all there. SO no matter what you do in terms of keeping in shape, FIND THE TIME as you may surprise yourself what a difference you may find when you are ONE (and feel good) with your rifle and the ammunition you created.

Alex

I think your perspective is solid! You make a convincing argument of how that one thing is clearly woven through all of the others.
Thank you very much
CW

 

[C.E.Smith043]

On wind reading skills, I once went to 2 matches and skipped out on shooting and just sat back and watched the flags the whole entire match (short range benchrest).

I was amazed at how differently the wind moved across the line compared to my previous estimations. Having always just only watched the wind in my flags and my neighbors, I realized at how often i was misreading a supposed wind change.

At the end of the day, I made a prediction on who I thought agged the best based on what I witnessed the wind doing, and I made a correct prediction on 3 out of the top 5.

I was extremely surprised at how well this helped me in my shooting. I feel like I learned so much by just taking a step back for a couple matches and just watching the wind. Being amazed as much as I was at 100/200 yard Benchrest, I can only imagine how much the flags change during the 1000 yard trip.

For several years I littered my backyard with home made wind flags and would sit out on the back porch and just watch them. Oftentimes they would have a pattern to them. Of course I know this is going to change every time you go to a new venue, but the end experience and practice is very helpful.

 

[dkhunt14]

On wind reading skills, I once went to 2 matches and skipped out on shooting and just sat back and watched the flags the whole entire match (short range benchrest).

I was amazed at how differently the wind moved across the line compared to my previous estimations. Having always just only watched the wind in my flags and my neighbors, I realized at how often i was misreading a supposed wind change.

At the end of the day, I made a prediction on who I thought agged the best based on what I witnessed the wind doing, and I made a correct prediction on 3 out of the top 5.

I was extremely surprised at how well this helped me in my shooting. I feel like I learned so much by just taking a step back for a couple matches and just watching the wind. Being amazed as much as I was at 100/200 yard Benchrest, I can only imagine how much the flags change during the 1000 yard trip.

For several years I littered my backyard with home made wind flags and would set out on the back porch and just watch them. Oftentimes they would have a pattern to them. Of course I know this is going to change every time you go to a new venue, but the end experience and practice is very helpful.

I have done something pretty close to this. I will sit and watch all relays being shot. I will watch a shooter and count his shots during record while watching the flags. When the targets come back I go look at his target and see if I guessed correctly where the bullets went. We have plotted targets so I can tell where each shot went on the paper. I have learned a good bit by doing this. Matt