Top qualities of a competition shooter

[Fairchaser]

1. Unlimited budget
2. Desire to learn and drive to improve.
3. A hall of fame mentor willing to teach.

 

[Karlandco]

Couple issues not mentioned yet.

Machinest ability and equipment. It is a major help if you can do your own gunsmith work.

Having a business interest in the game. That allows you to use your performance to promote your products and gives you a tax opportunity to write-off your expenses.

Wealth and time. It is very expensive to shoot in quantity. Add on all the travel expenses and time needed to be a top shooter to the huge cost of equipment and components. You better be financially solvent to do any more than just participate.

Lots of respect to those that can be top shooters in any of the venues. There is no financial reward of any consequence yet oh so many do it for the love of participation and shooting. Top shooters are a special group most of us can only admire.

Excellent point. Perhaps the most looked over. It's expensive. Not just financially. I've seen a few guys in my short shooting career loose many things due to the sacrifice. Like those guys or not, they deserve respect for that dedication. Like anything in life...God asks how bad do you want it. Thanks for bringing it to light.

 

[Screamer]

Couple issues not mentioned yet.

Machinest ability and equipment. It is a major help if you can do your own gunsmith work.

Having a business interest in the game. That allows you to use your performance to promote your products and gives you a tax opportunity to write-off your expenses.

Wealth and time. It is very expensive to shoot in quantity. Add on all the travel expenses and time needed to be a top shooter to the huge cost of equipment and components. You better be financially solvent to do any more than just participate.

Lots of respect to those that can be top shooters in any of the venues. There is no financial reward of any consequence yet oh so many do it for the love of participation and shooting. Top shooters are a special group most of us can only admire

Couple issues not mentioned yet.

Machinest ability and equipment. It is a major help if you can do your own gunsmith work.

Having a business interest in the game. That allows you to use your performance to promote your products and gives you a tax opportunity to write-off your expenses.

Wealth and time. It is very expensive to shoot in quantity. Add on all the travel expenses and time needed to be a top shooter to the huge cost of equipment and components. You better be financially solvent to do any more than just participate.

Lots of respect to those that can be top shooters in any of the venues. There is no financial reward of any consequence yet oh so many do it for the love of participation and shooting. Top shooters are a special group most of us can only admire.

Well said.

 

[Immike]

1. Unlimited budget
2. Desire to learn and drive to improve.
3. A hall of fame mentor willing to teach.

Your overall commitment is everything...

 

[B Nettesheim]

Self discipline
Determination
Focus on the current match
Don’t let anyone tell you that something isn’t possible

 

[JimPag]

1. Unlimited budget
2. Desire to learn and drive to improve.
3. A hall of fame mentor willing to teach.

Let me add you have to have natural ability. I know a bunch of people who practice every week and they don't shoot any better than they did when they first started many many years ago. Boyer had natural ability right from the start and he practiced a lot. So did Faye and Tony said she rarely practiced at all because she didn't like to but she had natural ability. Alvin York, Auty Murphy and Carlos Hathcock all had natural ability in marksmanship when they were very young. My first benchrest rifle that I bought I bought from Dean Breeden. Anyone who knows Dean will tell you he's a naturally gifted shooter. No matter what he picks up he does very well. We all know how well he shot SR score. He's also an accomplished trap and skeet shooter winning many matches and also handgun competitions.

 

[Karlandco]

Watch this from EC and I, we hit on a lot of the points on what makes successful F class shooters.

This was an excellent video for me. Bracketing conditions, having a good wind zero, knowing when to stop and get back in, tuner settings for humidity/temp..and more, all Good stuff! I've sort of convinced myself to practice or train with my match gun in order to stay consistent and take advantage of range time and really learn how it reacts to condition. That being said, I'm chambering a new cartridge on a Borden and it won't be completed until the fall so I cannot practice in the mean time with my "match gun" and instead I'm using a much heavier recoiling cartridge to "train". Would you care to comment on this situation? My techniques or toolbox are still in an infancy state and I feel this time may be well spent on eliminating the "me" variable.

 

[jelenko]

Has a curious, analytical mind; likes to solve puzzles.
Is highly competitive - either with themselves and/or others.
Has patience; willingness and ddrive to work on something until they get it.

 

[Webster]

F-class
test your load in different conditions. Look for the most temperature stable powder.
Buy best rifle and a scope even if you cannot afford it. it will give you the confidence needed to win. Of course, less expensive setup could be also a winning one but you have to know ex ante that equipment is not a limiting factor.
Analyse your errors (in particular reasons for flyers). Make a plan to eliminate them one by one.
Train your wind reading ability. Check your guesses with Kestrel and make notes.
Practice a lot in heavy mirage.

I don't shoot competition. I'm a varmint hunter. I spend a lot of time at the range. Don't understand using the Kestrel. It only measures the wind at the bench. In June when there are thousands of cotton wood seeds in the air I can see as many as 6-8 different wind directions at the same time out to 100 yards.

 

[Rope2horns]

1. Unlimited budget
2. Desire to learn and drive to improve.
3. A hall of fame mentor willing to teach.

Unlimited budget just shortens the learning curve IF ONE PUTS THE WORK IN......I know plenty of rich dudes that aren't competitive. Money can buy the best equipment but it can't buy wind calls and sound strategy.

 

[LRPV]

Unlimited budget just shortens the learning curve IF ONE PUTS THE WORK IN......I know plenty of rich dudes that aren't competitive. Money can buy the best equipment but it can't buy wind calls and sound strategy.

Not a truer statement than this.

 

[Ccrider]

Practice is over rated

Yea. Ask AI.

 

[AlNyhus]

Unlimited budget just shortens the learning curve IF ONE PUTS THE WORK IN......I know plenty of rich dudes that aren't competitive. Money can buy the best equipment but it can't buy wind calls and sound strategy.

There are those that believe they can buy their way to the top. It just doesn't work that way.

Certainly, financial resources can get you the gear needed to be competitive. But before moving on to something newer and 'better' you should have gone as far as the piece of gear you're replacing can take you. If not.... that's how people get lost. They worry and obsess over whether their $1,000 CNC'd, billet stress relieved 7061 aluminum loading press is the coolest thing in the loading barn and be .025 off on their seating depth. Urban Legends aside, people would be shocked to see how well top level shooters do with well worked out, basic gear.

You can have 20 extra new barrels all ready to go. But when the "Commence fire" command is given and the clock starts running, you've only got the one that's on the gun.

If you have the desire, you can find a way to make it happen.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[Karlandco]

With the length of this thread I'm really surprised nobody has mentioned the ability to balance shooting with keeping the wife happy. I know there's a lot of single folks on here but c'mon! I have heard of some married couples that have a great time and damn formidable. If my wife was willing to travel to matches and size brass you all would be in trouble

 

[quest450]

how about the ability to tune a rifle
and being able to recognize when it goes out of tune and being able to adjust

 

[DR_2297]

If you want to be best if the best when it comes to putting rounds in the X ring then get yourself assigned to AMU and don’t look back…

Best our tax dollars can buy.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Let me add you have to have natural ability. I know a bunch of people who practice every week and they don't shoot any better than they did when they first started many many years ago. Boyer had natural ability right from the start and he practiced a lot. So did Faye and Tony said she rarely practiced at all because she didn't like to but she had natural ability. Alvin York, Auty Murphy and Carlos Hathcock all had natural ability in marksmanship when they were very young. My first benchrest rifle that I bought I bought from Dean Breeden. Anyone who knows Dean will tell you he's a naturally gifted shooter. No matter what he picks up he does very well. We all know how well he shot SR score. He's also an accomplished trap and skeet shooter winning many matches and also handgun competitions.

^^^^^^^^
one of the brutal truths of life. Some people are simply better at certain things than others.

I for one am not a great shooter, and age is niblbling away at what capabilities I had. That is why I spend so much time with my rifles, making sure that at the very least, they are capable regardless of my shortcomings.

If my rifle could talk, I am sure that on many occasions it would say to me, “if your going to keep screwing up, I’m going home”.

 

[D Coots]

There are those that believe they can buy their way to the top. It just doesn't work that way.

Certainly, financial resources can get you the gear needed to be competitive. But before moving on to something newer and 'better' you should have gone as far as the piece of gear you're replacing can take you. If not.... that's how people get lost. They worry and obsess over whether their $1,000 CNC'd, billet stress relieved 7061 aluminum loading press is the coolest thing in the loading barn and be .025 off on their seating depth. Urban Legends aside, people would be shocked to see how well top level shooters do with well worked out, basic gear.

You can have 20 extra new barrels all ready to go. But when the "Commence fire" command is given and the clock starts running, you've only got the one that's on the gun.

If you have the desire, you can find a way to make it happen.

Good shootin' -Al

Yep, what Al says.

Also, don't gauge you're shooting until you look at the other competitors targets on the wailing wall, sometimes it will suprise you .

Later
Dave

 

[Matthew Schwartzkopf]

Let me add you have to have natural ability. I know a bunch of people who practice every week and they don't shoot any better than they did when they first started many many years ago. Boyer had natural ability right from the start and he practiced a lot. So did Faye and Tony said she rarely practiced at all because she didn't like to but she had natural ability. Alvin York, Auty Murphy and Carlos Hathcock all had natural ability in marksmanship when they were very young. My first benchrest rifle that I bought I bought from Dean Breeden. Anyone who knows Dean will tell you he's a naturally gifted shooter. No matter what he picks up he does very well. We all know how well he shot SR score. He's also an accomplished trap and skeet shooter winning many matches and also handgun competitions.

YES. Especially in off hand or position shooting, but true in all shooting sports.

 

[hpshooter]

The ability to be brutally honest about your gear and yourself is right at the top of my list. If you can't do that...and not everyone can...find someone that can evaluate what you're doing honestly and without pulling any punches.

THIS along with the ability to stay focused on conditions and technique in any shooting discipline, rifle, pistol, revolver, shotgun and I feel safe saying archery although it has been at least 60 years since I shot them.