How best to use your sighters -F-Class

[scissorhands]

What's your procedure for sighters? Will someone explain wind bracketing? Good strategy's? Mainly talking about 1000 yards.

 

[Acyr]

Wind rarely remains constant across a 1000-yard range. This we know.
What we don't know is the value in MOA of the wind. With a consistent condition this is easy to figure out with a few sighters. In a varying condition it gets more difficult. Whether it is building/letting off or quartering at varying angles or fishtailing between 11 and 1 o'clock this is where things get tough to figure out.
Bracketing is basically trying to find the difference between the high and low values occurring during the dominant condition. Being patient during your sighters and watching/picking the dominant condition you want to shoot in is very important. The dominant condition being the one that tends to repeat itself. Usually, but not always a slow build up followed by a quick let off.
One of the most common mistakes to make is to be impatient during the sighter period and shoot some sighters without understanding what the dominate condition is and then go for record only to find out that the condition isn't what you thought it was and now you are shooting 9's or worse 8's trying to get ahead of it.
If you are able to get a handle of the cyclical nature of the condition during your sighter period, you would then shoot a shot in the low wind part of it (shot 1). Wait till it builds to maximum and shoot a shot during the peak of it (shot 2) all the time holding center. Now you know what the value of the change in condition is.
Example: Shot 1 is an X, shot 2 is almost an 8. The difference between the 2 is about 1 MOA. If this repeats now you know what to expect in those conditions and you can make your adjustments accordingly. Either holding off or clicking the value on your windage turret as the conditions change.
This is a simplified example that works a majority of the time. 1000-yard ranges like to make big changes mid relay just to make your life miserable LOL. Those are called SWITCHES! Complete reversals.
We will leave that discussion for another day.

 

[rardoin]

One of the most common mistakes to make is to be impatient during the sighter period and shoot some sighters without understanding what the dominate condition is and then go for record only to find out that the condition isn't what you thought it was and now you are shooting 9's or worse 8's trying to get ahead of it.
If you are able to get a handle of the cyclical nature of the condition during your sighter period, you would then shoot a shot in the low wind part of it (shot 1). Wait till it builds to maximum and shoot a shot during the peak of it (shot 2) all the time holding center. Now you know what the value of the change in condition is.

This^^^^ The best way to go about effectively using your sighters starts 5-10 minutes before the match begins. If you are scoring, watch the mirage, flags, shot falls of your shooter's target and the adjacent ones. Get a feel for how long a certain condition lasts. Look at the mirage/flags when the best shooters are hammering inner 10's and X's and try to figure how long that condition lasts...memorize the mirage and flags for that condition and look the see what changes come that makes the top shooters stop. Then, wait for those conditions during the start of the match and fire sighters to figure your holds.

 

[Acyr]

Excellent advice @rardoin. The top shooters will be always watching down range when they have the opportunity.
Also, your mentioning pay attention to when people STOP shooting! Take a look at all the targets as they come up. They will usually be out the right or left because most shooters missed the change.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

Being patient during your sighters and watching/picking the dominant condition you want to shoot in is very important. The dominant condition being the one that tends to repeat itself. Usually, but not always a slow build up followed by a quick let off.

^^^^

 

[XTR]

As noted above, you need to have been watching the wind before the match starts. Look for what is dominant or the condition that you want to shoot. Try to pick the conditions you want to shoot. With 2 sighters try to run one down at the ends of your range of conditions. (Easier said than done some days, I thought I had my bracket once at Raton then shot “6-one on”). Learn to stop when you have left your bracket, esp if you are out of the 10 ri g and behind the wind. (This can be really hard)

If I have a switching wind I will usually try to take at least one one on the side I don’t plan to shoot just in case it decides to become the dominant condition

I found this to be a good read when I was getting started

Amazon.com

 

[Jennb]

This^^^^ The best way to go about effectively using your sighters starts 5-10 minutes before the match begins. If you are scoring, watch the mirage, flags, shot falls of your shooter's target and the adjacent ones. Get a feel for how long a certain condition lasts. Look at the mirage/flags when the best shooters are hammering inner 10's and X's and try to figure how long that condition lasts...memorize the mirage and flags for that condition and look the see what changes come that makes the top shooters stop. Then, wait for those conditions during the start of the match and fire sighters to figure your holds.

Be very careful with watching things other than your shooter when scoring. It is very easy to get lost in that type of stuff and miss your shooter taking a shot that missed their target or cross fired and are people that will just sneak in another shot if the scorekeeper missed it. You need to know if your shooter took a shot and if the target does not go down you should be on top of that and get it marked for your shooter.

Many shooters are also very fast and it is easy to miss the target going down and coming back up because the pullers are on point and the scores are pretty much X or 10. Very easy to get lost and then you have messed up your shooter.

As a scorekeeper it is your responsibility to be on point for your shooter, period!

 

[rardoin]

and are people that will just sneak in another shot if the scorekeeper missed it.

Come on Jenn....like THAT would ever happen. LOL

Certainly, above all, while scoring it is imperative to watch your shooter's target and not miss a shot/score correctly.

 

[Ned Ludd]

As a scorekeeper it is your responsibility to be on point for your shooter, period!

This is worth repeating!!! The scorer's job is to take care of their shooter, not be watching the wind flags and daydreaming about how they might be holding off if they were shooting. That sort of wind evaluation doesn't require tens of minutes and can easily be done in between matches or during a break when a shooter is not supposed to be scoring for another shooter. Good call, Jenn!

What the OP is really asking for here is the "Secret Sauce". Everyone has their favored approaches; some will share, some will not. Regardless, one has to find out which "Secret Sauce" recipe works best for them, which means practicing various approaches until you find the ones that best suit you.

I generally try to identify what I believe the be the prevailing or predominant wind condition; i.e. the condition that generally holds for the longest amount of time before changing during the wind cycle. During the sight-in period, I will try to get centered up in that condition. However, I would also like to see what the most extreme condition to either side of center looks like during sight-in, which can be referred to as bracketing, establishing bookends, etc. It's just to give the shooter a better idea of what the most extreme conditions to either side of the prevailing condition are going to do to shots on the target, a sort of Hi/Lo to either side of the established center at the start of the match. Wind patterns are generally cyclic, but they don't have to be. Establishing the bookends during sight-in may save points if the predominant condition that was selected initially simply decides not to come back. It happens.

There is a limit to how much one can get from a book, but as wind-reading resources go, the "Wind Book for Rifle Shooters" is probably the best one out there. It is apparently out of print, but copies are still available in hard cover. It is well worth $22.99.

Amazon.com

 

[Rope2horns]

As a scorekeeper it is your responsibility to be on point for your shooter, period!

100%

 

[Barossa_222]

I found that watching anything while others are shooting is a waste of time. The only condition that matters is what's happening when you are behind the rifle. What you are seeing standing or sitting behind someone shooting is often very different to what you can see behind the gun close to the ground. When you lay down pick no more than three or four things. This works for me, buy I won't profess to being a wind reader.

 

[memilanuk]

I'll watch the mid-point mirage through the spotting scope (assuming manual pits/scoring), maybe glance at the flags. That keeps me on the target I'm responsible for, as mentioned earlier. But depending on the shooter, I used to be able to watch the conditions, and predict the shot location based on what the mirage was doing as their shot broke - same, increase, decrease, flip, etc. Sometimes they'd see the same thing I did... sometimes not. If you ever saw me muttering to myself and pointing left, right, up or down with my pen looking thru the spotting scope while scoring... that's what was going on

While it's true that there's a world of difference between what you see through the rifle scope - or spotting scope - down in position, compared even to a couple feet up sitting in a chair spotting, it can still give you a better feel for the ebb and flow of things going on down range. Right up until you catch that squall or dust devil that blows through in the middle of your relay... DAMHIKT!

 

[savageshooter86]

All is well until you wait for condition to change to get feel for the switch and it never comes. So you start and go for record after waiting 7-10 minutes and then after dial in sighter two for X the switch comes and you get screwed and can’t keep up in the switch conditions snd almost run out of time

 

[memilanuk]

Yah... I can't even begin to count the times that I thought I was centered up in the dominant condition... only to have everything flip, and there I am, waiting, waiting, waiting for 'my' condition to come back. Meanwhile everyone else is just pounding the X-ring... oh, the agony!

 

[Warren Dean]

Yah... I can't even begin to count the times that I thought I was centered up in the dominant condition... only to have everything flip, and there I am, waiting, waiting, waiting for 'my' condition to come back. Meanwhile everyone else is just pounding the X-ring... oh, the agony!

9...One on

 

[memilanuk]

"Every shot is going to make someone happy... it just might not be *you*."

- Me

 

[dcali]

Yah... I can't even begin to count the times that I thought I was centered up in the dominant condition... only to have everything flip, and there I am, waiting, waiting, waiting for 'my' condition to come back. Meanwhile everyone else is just pounding the X-ring... oh, the agony!

This phenomenon is probably responsible for a good 50% of the points I drop. You'd think I'd learn.

 

[memilanuk]

9...One on

That's what's called "working the stupid out early"

What's worse (for me) is sitting there, holding, your score card half full of 10s and Xs, waiting for that condition to come back around, watching everyone else finish up and start packing their gear off the line, and realizing that there's just no <bleep>ing way you're going to get back into the dominant condition for the low low price of just *one* 9

 

[243Mendoza]

That's what's called "working the stupid out early"

What's worse (for me) is sitting there, holding, your score card half full of 10s and Xs, waiting for that condition to come back around, watching everyone else finish up and start packing their gear off the line, and realizing that there's just no <bleep>ing way you're going to get back into the dominant condition for the low low price of just *one* 9

add the 5 moa and throw the dice

 

[scissorhands]

As noted above, you need to have been watching the wind before the match starts. Look for what is dominant or the condition that you want to shoot. Try to pick the conditions you want to shoot. With 2 sighters try to run one down at the ends of your range of conditions. (Easier said than done some days, I thought I had my bracket once at Raton then shot “6-one on”). Learn to stop when you have left your bracket, esp if you are out of the 10 ri g and behind the wind. (This can be really hard)

If I have a switching wind I will usually try to take at least one one on the side I don’t plan to shoot just in case it decides to become the dominant condition

I found this to be a good read when I was getting started

Amazon.com

@XTR
Got the book, half way through it. Going to have a better understanding of what's going on this Sunday at the monthly 1000 yard match.