Advanced Marksmanship On Laziness

[Mike_Honcho]

The last couple of years I have not gotten to shoot as much as I did in years previous. Time has been a factor. I used to a real feel for wind. As time rolled on and opportunities to shoot became more scarce I found myself shooting a steel IPSC exclusively. I'd take an initial look through the spotter for wind and then start sending rounds out. If there was a shift, I might use the spotter to get read or I may just bracket the wind with a shot or two. More recently I have relied on the bracket method.

Based on prior years work, I deluded myself into thinking that I was @ 85% rain or shine from 750 and in. So today's drill was a self check on just that.

Mid day heat and across a draw to catch the funny thermals, 748 yrds, paper IPSC with a shirt buttoned up over it, and a second naked paper IPSC next to it. The plan was simple 1st round of the 10 round string on T1 with the shirt (high COM A) with a 9 round group on exposed T2. Simple right? One big difference between steel and paper that I had sort of forgotten - zero feedback on paper. Even if the spotter could slice through the mirage for T2 (which it could not) - the dark shirt over T1 would never reveal any clues.

First string was ugly - a D hit on T1, 1 A, 2 Cs, 3 Ds, 3 Mikes on T2. Pretty humbling. From that point on it was back to the basic plan of watching the spotter in between shots. What is the speed? Check my watch and make a note regarding time between directional shifts. Correlate the sound of a velocity change at the shooting position with the mirage wave observed. The 3rd and final string was T1 A, T2 5 As, 3 Cs and a Mike (a shift right after I came back on the gun that I did not pick up and I watched the impact over the left shoulder). Looks like I have work to do. I think I will leave the steel at home for a while and go shoot a variety of draws in the afternoon heat (thermals).

Anyway, while preaching to the choir for most, it may serve as a reminder for some that skills deteriorate if not honed. Wind by reconnoiter is a fun and easy short cut, but it dulls the edge in the end.

 

[Sterling Shooter]

While actively pursuing HP goals, I tended to focus on positions where I needed improvement, with focus on correction of what I was doing wrong. For example, shooting an 8 at 6 o'clock I might think I did not follow through. Now, having physical challenges which have compromised my shooting pursuits, I have come to see things from a different perspective, I now see, from coaching others, that focus needs to be on what needs to be accomplished, instead of what is wrong. So, perhaps my forced layoff of shooting pursuits was a blessing. At any rate, the question for any getting back into any pursuit is, is the reward worth the effort.