Re: Help with Irons
OP,
Your problem could simply be a perspective of aim issue. I see this all the time. You must focus on the front sight. Shooting at a 300 meter target, the target will be just slightly blurred, thereby making it easy for you to recognize that your focus is remaining where it should be, on the front sight. At shorter distances, your eye will go back and forth from target to sight, attempting to keep each in focus. You will be unconscious of this. When the focus goes too much to the target you will loose recognition for where the barrel is actually pointed. In your case, the front sight appears to be going to a spot higher than center of aperture as a result of positional relaxation or stockweld. Since you now have angular error the result is extreme as you have described.
Get back with it and after adjusting NPA, to get the sight picture you are looking for, concentrate on bringing the focus back to the front sight. Then, take a mental snap shot of the sight picture, not as a 3D relationship, but, as a 2D one. This will support picture memory development, where eventually your brain will accept that this sort of target/sight relationship is all that is needed for an exact hit, as good as would be possible with a scope. At this point, focusing on the sight rather than target will become easier. You will no longer be taking a leap of faith; and, your mindset will be what it needs to be to get good hits with irons. Right now, your brain is deceiving you, it tells you that you must focus on the target to get a good hit; but, of course, that is not true, the target is just a distraction. One more thing, when you have learned to make the target/sight relationship a two dimensional one, the target will no longer be perceived as being small. This is an aid to long range shooting with irons where perception of the target being small can be demoralizing.
After getting focus on the sight, if you still have the problem you're having, then I'd suggest your perception of center of mass is changing. This is a common problem when shooting an E type target. It's like having a half dozen girlfriends and you can't decide who is right for you. Eventually, with practice, you will hone in on what is center of mass; and, hits will be where you expect them.
Interestingly, if you were to shoot at NRA HP targets right now, using a 6 o'clock hold, you would be able to eliminate all of the problems discussed, as what center of mass looks like is moot. These targets will also promote better shooting when using a center of mass hold too since being round the diameter of the target serves as a guide to a proper hold.
Finally, remember, when shooting with irons it's all about developing picture memory, using the brain's ability to naturally balance and center things. With a scope it's all about resolving the target/reticle relationship. Irons can yield exacting results when you don't attempt to get resolution from them but instead work on getting picture memory resolved to perfection. If you stick with it, you will be amazed with the results you can get with irons. All that is required is that the target is big enough to discern a target/sight relationship. When you get really good with it, don't be surprised to shoot almost as good with irons as you can with a scope. I prefer irons over scope in mid range competitions, as I typically produce better scores with irons. I suppose my hold seems steadier than when using a scope. With scope I am too aggressive on the trigger, not fully coming to realize that my shaky perception will have no detrimental effect if I just continue to pull SMOOTHLY.
