Shooting fast

R

russell m

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I know a lot of top shooters that see a condition & shoot all 5 shots in 25 sec or less. At ranges where the conditions are very switchy,once you start your string do you just hold for the changing condition & continue your string,stopping only for big changes or reversals? Finishing the string when the condition comes back or once you start the string you just keep shooting stopping only for reversal? Russell m
 
russell m said:
I know a lot of top shooters that see a condition & shoot all 5 shots in 25 sec or less. At ranges where the conditions are very switchy,once you start your string do you just hold for the changing condition & continue your string,stopping only for big changes or reversals? Finishing the string when the condition comes back or once you start the string you just keep shooting stopping only for reversal? Russell m
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Of the top shooters I have ask that same question, yes, unless there is a really big instant change, they just hold. Successfully holding for condition changes takes a LOT of practice, keen observation, talent, and, yes, some luck. On keen observation, the shooter must be "in-zone" real time with the flags AND have keen enough observation to note where the last shot they just fired hit. My hands don't move that fast anymore.

You ask about 25 seconds, to be successful at running you better be closer to half that!!
 
Shooting fast mode with a bag gun, group match...
I consider 12-14 seconds for 5 rounds is fast. Less than 12 is exceptional. 15 or more is not really fast.
The more important thing, imo, is how to make a good group in fast mode shooting, not just how to shoot the string fast. BIG difference!
It needs a "perfect" setup & skill to be able to shoot fast. Lots of practice, good "ratio" between bullet weight/caliber & the weight of the rifle (such as PPC with 66-68 gr pills in LV/HV gun),... extra slick action-bolt lift-extractor etc,...correct action configuration for your best shooting style,... stock that tracks wonderfully,....extremely solid-stable-smooth front & rear rest,.... two eyes open (one watching the condition/wind-mirage changes) and extra reactive mind/brain of course,.... also fingers such as a magician's. Also a good/comfort position -correct chair height etc. Also a cartridge tray system.
I don't think you can shoot real fast with big cal/bullet in a very lightweight rifle. (I don't think you can shoot real fast with a skinny hunting style-round stock in bench shooting, just for instance). I don't think you can shoot real fast with unstable/lightweight/not slick front rest & rear bag. I don't think you can shoot real fast without foreend stopper. I don't think you can shoot real fast if you have stiff fingers. I don't think you can shoot real fast without a lot of practice. Etc.............
Like Jerry says it needs some luck, too. It's very easy to make a bad group in a very switchy condition using fast mode shooting. You certainly need to know when to start the string. You need to know/to learn the wind pattern of the range. You need to know when to not doubling.

Mike Ratigan is real good in this thing. If you look him shoots, he doesn't seem to shoot the string in a hurry at all but he can shoot the string real fast!
Why? He has all of that things above, and maybe more!
Does he always shoot in fast mode? I don't think so. It's all depend on the condition, and your confidence in that condition.

seb.
 
I could cite several instances where an agg was lost/won by either method. Of the most memorable instances, Danny Pritt lost the SS by choosing to "be careful" on his last target. THE absolute very most memorable instance was when I lost the Nats (2,3 & 4 gun) by NOT being careful on my last target. Well, you say...that doesn't tell me much! The part I left out is that we both were in a position to win by shooting like our pants were on fire.

One more thing as always....no matter what you do, if your rifle is a mid-pack rifle that's where you will finish.
 
admin said:
I could cite several instances where an agg was lost/won by either method. .
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So you win a few and you lose a few.

Elmer and Seb bring up a very important point that was not mentioned earlier. There are times when fast shooting is best and there are conditions when you must pick each shot, sometimes even to the point of shooting heads up. The heads-up method requires a VERY stable setup, no bag squeezing here unless you are really really good at bag squeezing.

Generally if the condition is just a swinging and slowly varying wind, from one side, even if the angle is changing some, run them. If the wind is real jerky and changing directions every few seconds, that is NOT the time to shoot fast.
 
I seem to do better when I can shoot fast. But then again sometimes my brakes fail.
There was one match I started out in 10th place. By the 4th group I was in 2nd and all set to take first.
That 5th group was really great till that last shot that dropped out an inch and put me down near the bottom. Wishing that last shot in while not really paying attention will get just about as much as throwing $100 in the wishing well.
That sudden gut feeling that you just did something really dumb.......
 
FBecigneul said:
However......................
I believe you must learn to shoot fast even if you don't shoot fast.
Do everything a shoot faster does except don't pull the trigger. Empty your chamber, re-load, get back on target, and be ready if that condition you want returns.
I have watched too many shoot, push the rifle back to look, and then upset things by emptying, reloading, and getting ready again. Don't waste time.
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Agree with Francis
I believe you must learn to shoot fast even if you don't shoot fast.
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I call it... Pick with SPEED........... Hard to explain... It's all in practice... Like Francis said, don't waste time BUT one needs the ability to STOP... Then START and finish.... I feel like I'm on "track" in a match when I have ran the first 2, 3 or 4 shots off on the record with plenty of time left to finish the last1, 2 or 3 shots....

Very rarely can I RUN all 5 on the record with success... Sometimes but it's rare and the "run all 5" is where I loose REAL concentration on the flags... Have ran 5 and shot tiny and have been RAN OVER BY THE BR TRAINWRECK doing this too...!


There is no one way to get through the conditions to a itty bitty group/Agg.... Takes patients/practice to know when to GO and STOP...

>Finish each match with a competitive yardage Agg for the day<.. This IS the focus one must have to win an Agg. Shooting a smallest group for a match or two is great but the focus should be on the Agg... Finish competitively each match and the Agg is in reach...



And.....

no matter what you do, if your rifle is a mid-pack rifle that's where you will finish.
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YES..... As is >>your rifle's load tune<<.... CAN'T win an Agg with either Gun or Tune being "off"... I certianly KNOW...


I'd like to see this thread GROW.... Good'n.
cale
 
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"Speedy"

The first person I saw shoot fast was Thomas Gonzales, AKA "Speedy". It was about 12 years ago at Denton,Tx. I used to watch him like a Cat watches a caged canary. He could put bullets down range pretty fast. I noticed that he was firing his rifle as it was moving forward. I've seen him shoot in conditions where I would be afraid to pull the trigger.

After Watching him shoot,I was convinced that I,m never going to be able to shoot like that. As it turns out my observations were correct. Maybe that's where he got his Alias. I try to shoot fast sometimes, when it looks like a condition is going to hold.mostly at 200 yds. Sometimes I nail a good one and sometimes I make a big mess. It takes a lot of practice to shoot fast with consistent results. Pistol Competition comes to mind. The good Part about my experience is that I still enjoy the sport,doing it my way.
 
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