Re: natural point of aim?
The statement was
"Without adjustment of NPA you <span style="color: #CC0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">will not</span></span> hit exactly where aimed. And, since NPA errors are angular errors, the error produced by not making an NPA adjustment will increase with distance."
I stand by my statement that that is factually untrue. I'm in full agreement that NPA is needed for CONSISTENT results. Lacking that does NOT however, automatically prohibit hitting where you aim. If you want to alter that to CONSISTENTLY, or UNLIKELY, I'd drop the issue. The problem is NOT that you CAN"T hit, it's that you can't do it each and every time. The miss percentage goes up as fundamentals go down.
I see it done here all the time. A client will perfectly center punch the 1" dot at 100, then have lost the target in the scope completely since his NPA is off and the gun recoil shifts the gun off line. They can't perform a 20 second 5 dot drill, since they can't manage the recoil impulse and get back on target. They can punch two of 5 dots, then it's over, shots everywhere trying to make time. Fix the position, get them to understand, 5 dots, no problem, plenty of time.
Point being they do hit where aimed, without NPA. Sometimes they even hit with a ratty trigger press, uneven grip pressure, bad cheek weld, you name it. They just cannot repeat that success every time because their fundamentals suck. They also suffer from the "flyer" nonsense, due to the same issue. 3 shots same hole, 2 off who knows where, never the same place. Fix the faults, 5 shots one hole. Now, since we don't need to adjust the sights from when they were not in proper position, I'd have to say they did hit where they aimed, just not consistently.
IIRC, the NRA HP 1000 yard 10 ring is 20" in diameter. We work to hit that or smaller at more than half again the distance, so I'm pretty sure we need nothing less than the same degree of "perfection" that you need if we want to do it more than once. I've got video posted on youtube hitting a 10" plate in the center of a steel target at 1450+ yards 3 times in a row, I don't see that as being a whole lot less demanding than hitting the 10 ring of a HP target.
If you read my post, I agree with you on the importance of all the factors. I just also know that it's not always possible to get them into a field position, at which point you need to be able to cope. I understand that in NRA HP competition you don't win without strict adhearance to the fundamentals. Too many shots are fired over the course, which makes consistency hugely important. But, you know the exact time you have, the exact range, the target is nailed to the ground and the firing point is always firm and level. If I somehow get all that, you bet I'm looking for that 'perfect' position just the same as you are. I just don't get those conditions all that often. So now success depends on the ability to get as much of the fundamentals involved as possible and deal with the rest. In that case, a 10 ring hit is every bit as good as a pinwheel X, in fact, in many cases, I'll take the 9 ring and for practical purposes, the 'scoreing value' if you will, is exactly identical. So, for some loss of perfection, I get the same practical results.
I'm not trying to diminish the importance of the fundamental of marksmanship. In fact, I think it's imperative that you master them BEFORE you start exploring what you can do when it NOT POSSIBLE to get the position you want.
You tend to speak in absolutes, it seems to me because from your perspective perfection is the only option and the only goal worth persuing. When it comes to practial shooting, there are very few absolutes. I will often repeat the mantra, "Say you can or say you can't, either way, you're right."
If you say you can't hit where you aim without getting your NPA perfect, you are absolutely right.
I choose to use the work can, then I figure out how to do it.
