Re: Unique Semi-auto precision tecniques
Techniques for the patrol carbine and those for the semi-auto precision rifle are different. I understand what you are saying, but trying to hit a cranial vault with a hostage or innoicents nearby is different than just making center mass hits on an armed BG. If COM is all I have, fine, but there are times when high precision is needed - and I think that's what he's talking about.
I just struggled through a basic sniper class, where the first part of the qual was a times shot standing to prone where you had to his a 1" circle at 100 yards with a CCB shot. The rest were cranial vault shots under time and various sorts of stress, different positions, ranges, etc. I could always hold a MOA or under group, but my first CCB shot with no follow-ups, I tended to hold the rifle "looser" to try to keep from inducing shooter error into it (which I've done with bolt guns forever with plenty of success). I missed two of three (three tries max on the qual and you fail). Got it on the last shot dead nuts (and frankly think I got the second shot, but he apparently scores differently than the rest of anyone - but I digress), then went on to pass the rest of the shots (you had to shoot 100% - and it's hard to do the rest of the very physical course knowing you've already blown it).
I honestly think with a bolt gun, I would have done better. But I wanted to see if I could pass this class with a gas gun, so I stuck with it (I had a bolt gun in the truck, but kept trying with the gas gun).
Basically, I found out that being straight behing the rifle, a hard hold, bipod loading, and consistent trigger work are even more important with the gas gun than they are with the bolt of the same caliber, same barrel length, about the same weight, and similar triggers (within a pound of each other). I guess the bolt gun is just a little more forgiving with a faster lock time, simple recoil with no moving parts until you move them, etc). But the gas gun really shined for movers, awkward positions, speed of reloading, and being able to stay on the gun for follow-ups without changing anything.
Honestly, I wish I could find a school close by that taught more gas gun stuff - this last course was really bolt-gun oriented and the instructor wasn't much help with gas gun nuances (although really knowledgeable and obviously a good shooter - but a bolt gun guy all the way). Time and money keep my from getting to Rifles Only, and I haven't found anyone closer to my AO that is gas-gun oriented.
