meaningful practice schedule ?

[Sterling Shooter]

While out on the range yesterday, I noticed a shooter with a Service Rifle. He saw that I too was shooting a Service Rifle; and, we began a conversation. He told me he had just purchased his rifle and was practicing for HP Competition. Making a long story short, his practice did not appear to me to be getting him any where. It makes me curious about what sort of practice schedules are used by folks posting here to see progress for what ever achievement they may be pursuing. I'd like to know what practice schedule was as effective as it was efficient for you.

 

[Ledzep]

Seems to me that it would be entirely dependent on the individual's strengths/weaknesses and what type of shooting they're doing and what their intent is.

My big idea is to get back into medium/big game hunting next year after I get out of the Corps, so I'm focusing most of my training on taking one shot that MUST hit, slowly making the target smaller and farther away.

 

[ksthomas]

It varies, but is mostly dependent on my time schedule. When I'm truly working on it, 50 rounds of offhand, every night, five or six nights a week. Sitting rapids and prone depends on how my scores are running at the time. I'm a very firm believer in the Lanny Bassham approach, keep a shooting diary, complete with affirmations, goals and scores across the season. Can't always get this in, what with time on the road and things of that nature, but that's the goal. My practice is normally done with a 22 rimfire dedicated Service Rifle built for me by Derrick Martin several years back. Best money I ever spent, in terms of return on investment where skills were concerned. One of my team mates, Jeff Lindblom has even used his to shoot some SmallBore prone matches, and can seriously scare the guys with Anschutz and Walther prone guns. Regardless of whether or not I get my nightly practice in, we do a team shoot every Wednesday night, including indoor shooting during winter and inclement weather. That one's almost inviolable, and is a priority for all of us throughout the season.

In any case, if it's actual practice that's working towards a goal, the shooter needs to have a roadmap, goals and a schedule along the way. Anything less is just farting around.

 

[Lowlight]

This is a big issue, many feel if they are shooting, they are practicing.

As noted it should depend on the shooter's strengths and weaknesses, and if you are shooting a "course of fire" type match then I believe at various points you should practice that COF as it is was a live match.

For other matches, it should be areas where you know you are weak. We all like to practice the things we are good at, when in reality it should be the other way around. practicing all the things we don't do well.

A theme I have started working on is, Having a Plan... make sure when you go to the range you have a plan for your practice and you don' t just wander and noodle with the rifle. In a way you want to map it out before you leave home. A schedule of events... 1. Cold bore from 200 yards 2 rounds, a 10 shot group at 300 yards on a 3" Target... 4. hostage taken into the wind, etc. (I base my "plan" off the SH Training target)

 

[pgk]

As stated I'm sure the amount of practice varies between shooter's. When I used to compete in High Power my week point by far was off hand, so that's what I practiced the most at. I purchased the heaviest pellet gun I could find and practiced in my basement every day in the winter. Like anything the more you do the better you get. I hadn't shot my SM M1A in close to 20 years and took it out to the range a few weeks ago. Lets just say my off hand is not what it used to be! lol..

Pete

 

[mrbungle]

i shoot once a week. working on learning how to make the scope do what i want and work on groupings. i want to be able to shoot up to a 1000 yards accurately from sitting and prone position.

being a newb , i am taking it one step at a time. first thing at practice, 400 yard cold bore shot. then 200 yard groupings, then scope doping for 300 and 400 yards , back and forth.

writing everything down from cartidge used to weather to hits and misses. i usually shoot between 30 and 60 rounds each practice.

 

[TheGerman]

I do something close to what Frank mentioned.

Get out and dry fire the first 15-20 rounds after getting everything set up. When I begin my coarse I do a simple known distance zero confirmation for groups as well as to get an update/confirmation for my log depending on if I have this specific weather/condition/misc variable logged in the past.

After that I move onto whatever I have set up for that day. I may have dragged out some steel to a few different spots and then shoot for unknown distance first round hits. Record what I thought to what is then verified afterwards with a laser; note any deviations for assessment later when you go through your shot log. Now that they are known distances I may do a coarse of fire on them in a specific order for time using only holdovers.

Then move to known distance shots on small plates or the 2 inch shoot and sees for groups; slung and prone.

You get the idea. I used to think that just getting rounds downrange was practice. Normally it just drive me crazy as I could have 4 great groups, than 1 shitty one and I'd second-guess everything or stress out over the 1 shit group and want to start adjusting things. You need to bring yourself into the mindset that THIS group, or THIS shot is it; no second group when the wind dies down. Whatever happens, happens. No make up group. Then you go home and figure out what you did right/wrong, rather than shurugging the shitty parts off because you shot a .25MOA group your last 5 shots.

Would love for someone to make a book that's a pseudo 'couch to 5k' regimen for precision shooting.

 

[Break Bad]

I've been starting to do what Frank mentioned...make a plan. I go to the range with some of the weaknesses I've encountered in recent events and I dry fire the CoF a dozen or so times then do a live run. On days I can't make it to the range my CoF looks something like: Shooter will engage the cat with 2 rounds from the lazy boy and proceed up the stairs and engage the pizza magnet on the fridge from the railing. Shooter will then do the dishes and put the kid to bed then quietly engage the wife. Shooter may not proceed to the next target until the previous targets have been engaged.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Nobody can observe/coach themselves, and training without coaching isn't training; it's maybe practice, and more likely plinking. Without a solid book-learning understanding of the shooting basics, nobody can be a coach, and with it, no coach can function alone, they need shooters upon whom to apply their skill.

Years ago, with our small, local Marine Corps League shooting team; we established the buddy system for shooting/coaching. Everyone became a coach, everyone became a shooter, and pairs took turns observing and coaching each other. There is no need for perfection, progress is a goal, and insisting on perfection is the key impediment to that progress. Along with the shooting, expect the coaching to improve as well; everybody starts from basics and improves from there. A good partnership will learn to trust, to discuss/negotiate how things are being done, and how they can lead to improvement. If perfection is the goal, failure is assured. If improvement is the goal, success is very likely. Nobody is right every time, all the time.

How often training takes place is less important than the quality of that training, and for practicality, frequency needs to be driven more by the economics of providing the resources, like range time, travel, targets and ammo, etc.

Training should emphasize one aspect of the basics at a time, working until improvement is seen, until that improvement satisfies the shooter they are ready to move on to another aspect. Waiting for perfection is a futile occupation and too much repetition results in boredom, frustration, and degrades interest. The training plan should rotate through the basics, and loop back to the beginning over and over. Progress is based on improvement, and improvement needs to come in stages.

There is nothing wrong with swapping out training partners, either; different viewpoints will broaden the perspective, and this can only be a good thing. Teams need to meet; good teams meet to shoot, talking is only a small pat of the program, and usually wastes good shooting time. Talk less, shoot more.

Greg

 

[wilecoyote]

time and money,or sometimes the lack of them, can be a big help or can become a boomerang:
I don't like remember the amount of bullets wasted down my preferred rifles, laughin'at my "wimpy"smallbore friends, and only now I'm collecting parts to build an accurate .22 trainer to help me to better master the mil.fullbores, because now I have less time to go outside town to shoot, and the few 200grs.Sierras seems coming'here priced by Wall Street_
That when should be normal the inverse, but as self-un-learned shooter,that's it_
I'm laughin'at myself sweating/rolling around this .22 popgun w.sling, thinkin'that any round must count_
being that even the writings of some members here have had some influence on that, if it will not be effective about my future goals,I will know who blame for this last effort of mine...

 

[sled_mack]

Last year I made a determined effort to improve my shooting. I went to the range every Thursday after work (happens to be the night where there is nothing else scheduled there) regardless of the weather. I started this in the beginning of May. Up until sometime in August, all I shot was the dot drill targets. Most range trips were only 20 rounds, sometimes less. There were times where I couldn't hit anything with the first 5 rounds, so I dry fired more, tried another 5 rounds, and if no improvement, dry fired, then went home.

In August I started adding more to my range time. I still started with the dot drill for 10 rounds. Then I put a small steel target out at 300 and practiced barricade support, sitting, kneeling, etc for the last 10 rounds.

Some weeks I took my 22LR instead of my .308. I shot more on those days. Dot drill at 50 yards, then positional and holdover on steel out to 200 yards.

Are there better plans? Probably. But this plan worked for me. My shooting improved. It was a plan I could implement (which is the most important aspect). Maybe as I improve more, I'll find a better plan. My schedule hasn't allowed me to repeat this plan this year. If I had the time, I would have started right where I left off till I came up with a better plan.

I'm not so sure the details of the plan are important as getting trigger time that is more than just "burning powder". I'm sure everyone knows their own weakness. Focus on improving it until something else is the weakness.

I do agree that it would be ideal to have a coach. And I do try to get to a class every year. But not having a coach is not a reason not to train.

 

[damoncali]

I'm what I'd describe as a middling high power (service rifle) shooter. I've shot master level prone scores, slightly worse rapids, and shoot embarrassing standing scores. I left high power for a while - several years, and am now just getting back at it. I don't practice sitting or prone at all other than at matches and during load development/sighting in. That's not to say I don't shoot prone, but I tend to do it for relaxation rather than practice -I'm not rigorous about it.

I concentrate on off hand - it's where I have the most to gain, and I do it somewhat rigorously. I shoot a 10m air rifle in the basement as much as I can (My basement is 11 meters long, luckily). Usually in 12 round batches, since that's how many bulls there are on the target. I try to make sure each shot is perfect, and that fatigue doesn't set in. When I can, I go to an indoor range and shoot some .22 rimfire with my service rifle upper to keep myself from getting too used to the air rifle. I haven't done that in a while because I have no ammo.

That said, progress is slow, and I have a feeling it's happening mostly between my ears. It's a confidence thing, I guess. If there's a better way, I'm all ears.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Practice - most of what I do is UKD. My routine always includes the following:

A) Do not look at previous data (if I have been there) / vary the locations - I want it to be harder
B) Review wind through spotter at the target and 3/4 distance + record speed and direction
C) Range with spotter (MIL Dot) and do math - record distance / confirm with LFR
D) Estimate temp - check against wristwatch, then check against Kestral (without looking at DA)
E) Estimate DA and dope using FDAC card + record data
E) Get atmospherics from Kestral + plug into ballistic app + record data
F) Finalize and record both dope and wind call
G) Fire CB and record result + adjust if necessary
H) Fire additional rounds and record results as well as plot the hits on a diagram of the target in order of the rounds fired + record wind holds + any notes
I) (75% of the time) and regardless of the distance - fire a few rounds seated and slung


KD Range

A) Most of the above but I like to use Frank's Dot Drill / multiple groups of 5 / run, go prone, fire one / par time for 5 rounds / par time for multiple targets / seated and slung / off hand / supported
B) MSU - Make Shit Up

ETA - typically I don't fire more than 40 rounds / UKD I am working on listening, feeling wind changes (suppressed shooting) / building the best position I can based on where I am laying / sitting. KD - give more thought to efficiency and how to be more efficient. Dry fire - basics - squared for prone, pressure but not force in the shoulders and grip, straight trigger press, confirm that the reticle did not move (wiggle on my POA) at the point of breaking the trigger (Indoor Training Aid rocks for this purpose).