What to try next?

[JDBraddy]

I've been practicing at the range 2-3 days a week for months now. I know it's not my equipment, it will shoot 40/40 from the bench. I'm just having trouble getting the rifle to settle into a solid hold, I usually just try to squeeze one of as the dot crosses the target. I'm shooting in the low to mid twenty's and not getting any better. Wondering what to try next, to get past this plateau and start improving my scores.

[Bob259]

It would be hard to try and help you without being there to watch your stance, etc. But here are a few tips to try;

1) Check your Natural Point of Aim and see how you are holding. Close your eyes and shoulder your rifle, open your eyes and see where you’re pointed. If you’re on your targets your NPA is good if not adjust your feet till you come on the targets.

2) Try shooing progressively smaller circles till you hold improves enough to keep your shots in a small, say 1" circle.

3) Practice trigger squeeze, snapping it when you on or close to the target will usually produce a miss. Gradually increase your trigger pressure so it goes off over the target and without snapping the trigger. You'll find most good shots are reflex.

4) Shoot your practice like a match and only take good shots to reinforce good habits.

It's hard to try to help while not watching you shoot, but these are a place to start. I'm sure Mary and others will offer some good advice also.

[Dee]

I've found that when I get to a plateau and start shooting the same score consistently that I need to try and figure out one more little aspect of my shooting and work on improving that. Doing this I have been able to slowly break through the plateau's I have encountered raising my average score a point or two and then I am at a new plateau and re-examine what I am doing again and work on it. Of course the higher your average scores get the harder it is to squeeze a few more points out. Once you shoot around 75% IE 30/40 averages everything has to click to go higher and there is less room for error. Which means you must be really disciplined in how you approach each shot.

Bob259 gives some good places to look to improve. You didn't mention if you dry fire or not but that is very helpful as are the hold drills.

Here is a document I made using Troy Lawtons hold drill article. I just print them out on card stock and resize them based on what I am shooting airguns or SB and for the distance I plan to use. Search "Troy Lawton Hold Drill" for the article itself, good read.

Hold Drill Circles Sheet.pdf

Dee

[Jerry G]

Getting better at anything involves a good step and then a flat spot, then another step. You should see progress in the closness of your misses while you are on one of thoes many flats. Make sure you are practicing good things, not bad things. I think shooting paper in practice is good. It will tell you for sure where your shots are going so it is easier to make small corrections.

[Innocent]

Loneringer did an article on training vs practice, search for it on SC....Bob 259 starts with some very basic but strong points, Dee adds to it well. You don't mention whether you are working with a spotter/partner,
that can add a lot to both parties when it comes to seeing and sorting out bad habits.

Mary

[boats]

Good tips all, add a few more.

Keep a log, after a match or practice session identify your misses and look for a pattern. Might be over holding could be jerking the trigger. Identify the problem it's easier to fix. Years ago when I started good shooter watched me and said I would make most progress by not making mistakes. He said at some point I would learn to hold the rifle still, until then points gained by not making sight adjustment or correct target errors would have the most effect.


Routine. It's essential but not often noticed. Watch a Golfer or Pro Baseball pitcher. They address wind up set up whatever you call it same way every time. Never any deviation, and if something interrupts the pre shot, they back off and go through it again.

If you want to read the best short explanation of offhand shooting get David Tubb's first book, the offhand chapter. Tubb say's you don't have to hold still to hit targets. He's right too nobody holds perfectly still. Lot of good detail on match prep and mental routines as well.

Boats

[DavidABQ]

I am not the original poster but thank you very much for these tips. I am trying to get ready for the Nationals at NRA Whittington and I have been having difficulty increasing my scores.

There has been a lot of good information disseminated here.


Thank you.