does any one have a video of someone from start to finish of a field target lane ? A competitor walking up to the lane and then the set up /taking the shot and tear down /walk away ? this would be very useful to neubies how to be ready to compete .
set up /take down
- Thread starter beerthief
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I've been squadded with some of the best shooters in the country and studied them as they set up for a lane. Hasn't helped a bit.
I'm kidding (sort of). This is a fine idea, but I think the most important part of the setup process is the fact that there IS a process. The nuts and bolts of the process don't matter as much as the repeatability of the process. The key to success is doing as much as you can to not have to think while shooting.
I'm not going to shoot a video (no one wants that) but here is my usual process:
1. Look at the shooting box and make sure you aren't about to sit on a snake or in a mud puddle.
2. Look down the lane and see where the targets are. Determine where you want to sit to see all of the targets. Check if any targets are elevated so you can plan for extending your bipod or lowering your hamster. Make sure all of the strings are within reach of the shooting box and make sure all of the targets are up. Look around and see if you can get a general idea about what the wind is doing.
3. Place your seat as level as possible. Grab your gun and whatever you need. Sit down with the grace of a gazelle. Groaning helps.
4. Get into your shooting position, focusing on stability.
5. Find the first target. If you have to hunt for it, you aren't set up correctly. Move yourself (not just the gun) until you can easily find the target.
6. Range the target. Range the target again. Check your dope card. Click to the range or determine the hold over.
7. Load a pellet.
8. Look for indications of wind.
9. Look at the target. See if there is a trend of misses on the face plate. If all the misses are on the left, there may be some wind you can't see. If all the misses are low, it may be farther than you think.
10. Aim at the spot that you think will give you the best chance of hitting the kill zone. Listen for any sudden wind drafts in the trees.
11. When everything feels right, take the shot. If anything feels off, stop and go back to 8.
12. Reset the target (hopefully). Check the impact on the paddle or faceplate.
13. Go back to 8, using the information from your first shot to determine any changes needed for the second shot.
14. Go back to 5 for the second target.
15. When finished with all of the targets, make sure everything is reset and get the hell out of the way.
If you have a cold line in the middle of a lane, do a full reset and say to your squad mate "1st shot, 2nd target" or whatever the case may be. Do the same if you are scorekeeping for someone else. Shooting the wrong target after a cold line is more common than it should be, help each other out.
If the pellet feels funny when you put it in the gun, blow it off (shoot it into the ground after stating your intention). It's probably fine, but why not make sure.
Here are some things that you shouldn't do:
Don't dick around looking for your pellets, your dope card, your glove, your readers. When it's your turn to shoot, be ready to shoot. Standing is when you want to get all of your dicking around done. Once you sit, you should have everything you need ready to go.
Try not to talk after step 4. This is a hard one for me, but talking during the process is not helping you. And remember this when someone else is shooting. At monthly shoots, I'll have a full conversation while shooting a lane (and my scores reflect this). At GPs, I don't even say thank you if someone says "nice shot". I'm not being rude, I'm just so focused that I don't realize that someone said something to me. I try to stay so focused on each individual shot that at the end of a lane I don't know how many I hit.
When it's not your turn, don't make "helpful" comments. Don't make comments about the wind picking up, or how the last target was farther than you thought, or how many targets in a row the shooter has shot or what their score is. Let the shooter have their process without your influence. By all means, help pull up a difficult target, or help someone determine which target should be shot first or whatever, just stay away from helpful advice or editorial comments. The shooting lane is not the time for that.
I'm kidding (sort of). This is a fine idea, but I think the most important part of the setup process is the fact that there IS a process. The nuts and bolts of the process don't matter as much as the repeatability of the process. The key to success is doing as much as you can to not have to think while shooting.
I'm not going to shoot a video (no one wants that) but here is my usual process:
1. Look at the shooting box and make sure you aren't about to sit on a snake or in a mud puddle.
2. Look down the lane and see where the targets are. Determine where you want to sit to see all of the targets. Check if any targets are elevated so you can plan for extending your bipod or lowering your hamster. Make sure all of the strings are within reach of the shooting box and make sure all of the targets are up. Look around and see if you can get a general idea about what the wind is doing.
3. Place your seat as level as possible. Grab your gun and whatever you need. Sit down with the grace of a gazelle. Groaning helps.
4. Get into your shooting position, focusing on stability.
5. Find the first target. If you have to hunt for it, you aren't set up correctly. Move yourself (not just the gun) until you can easily find the target.
6. Range the target. Range the target again. Check your dope card. Click to the range or determine the hold over.
7. Load a pellet.
8. Look for indications of wind.
9. Look at the target. See if there is a trend of misses on the face plate. If all the misses are on the left, there may be some wind you can't see. If all the misses are low, it may be farther than you think.
10. Aim at the spot that you think will give you the best chance of hitting the kill zone. Listen for any sudden wind drafts in the trees.
11. When everything feels right, take the shot. If anything feels off, stop and go back to 8.
12. Reset the target (hopefully). Check the impact on the paddle or faceplate.
13. Go back to 8, using the information from your first shot to determine any changes needed for the second shot.
14. Go back to 5 for the second target.
15. When finished with all of the targets, make sure everything is reset and get the hell out of the way.
If you have a cold line in the middle of a lane, do a full reset and say to your squad mate "1st shot, 2nd target" or whatever the case may be. Do the same if you are scorekeeping for someone else. Shooting the wrong target after a cold line is more common than it should be, help each other out.
If the pellet feels funny when you put it in the gun, blow it off (shoot it into the ground after stating your intention). It's probably fine, but why not make sure.
Here are some things that you shouldn't do:
Don't dick around looking for your pellets, your dope card, your glove, your readers. When it's your turn to shoot, be ready to shoot. Standing is when you want to get all of your dicking around done. Once you sit, you should have everything you need ready to go.
Try not to talk after step 4. This is a hard one for me, but talking during the process is not helping you. And remember this when someone else is shooting. At monthly shoots, I'll have a full conversation while shooting a lane (and my scores reflect this). At GPs, I don't even say thank you if someone says "nice shot". I'm not being rude, I'm just so focused that I don't realize that someone said something to me. I try to stay so focused on each individual shot that at the end of a lane I don't know how many I hit.
When it's not your turn, don't make "helpful" comments. Don't make comments about the wind picking up, or how the last target was farther than you thought, or how many targets in a row the shooter has shot or what their score is. Let the shooter have their process without your influence. By all means, help pull up a difficult target, or help someone determine which target should be shot first or whatever, just stay away from helpful advice or editorial comments. The shooting lane is not the time for that.
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Never seen that ?
But said ... first thing to understand is EACH SHOOTER has come to a decision on HOW they Sit, Hold, Range, Load .. dope correct the shot & then take said shot. It is a very personal thing and KEY to being consistent lane to lane..
Just understand once seated & AG in hand you have 5 minuets to take the typical 4 shots on 2 target. So YOUR procedure in being able to do that is important.
A very smart way to learn this is by walking in the woods etc ... Randomly STOP, pick something you wish to shoot at falling in the @ 10 to 55 yard distances, set up and shoot it twice, while there pick something else at a different range and repeat x2. watch the time. Do this over and over again and your starting to find some rythem of what required at an FT match.
But said ... first thing to understand is EACH SHOOTER has come to a decision on HOW they Sit, Hold, Range, Load .. dope correct the shot & then take said shot. It is a very personal thing and KEY to being consistent lane to lane..
Just understand once seated & AG in hand you have 5 minuets to take the typical 4 shots on 2 target. So YOUR procedure in being able to do that is important.
A very smart way to learn this is by walking in the woods etc ... Randomly STOP, pick something you wish to shoot at falling in the @ 10 to 55 yard distances, set up and shoot it twice, while there pick something else at a different range and repeat x2. watch the time. Do this over and over again and your starting to find some rythem of what required at an FT match.
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You left out point 11.5, "creative cursing on missed target"... and 15.5 "untangle reset strings from boot lace hooks".
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Or step 12.5, after reaching for target reset string, go grab your bipod that went tumbling off the shooting platform and down the embankment.
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You should be internally cursing throughout the process. Sorry, I should have added that to step 2.
I also left off step 12.5 - Call a cold line and go fix the string you just shot.
And step 3.5, walk back to the last lane and find where your scope wheel fell off.
This is the easiest sport in the world to do badly at. But as long as you look like you know what you are doing, you can blame everything else on the wind/gun/scope.
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Here's a video of Leo Gonzales
Anatomy of an air rifle field target shot. (Walther LGU, Sightron 10-50X, 52 yards, in the rain)
watch
Looks so simple and easy but it's not. A lot of prep went into getting the rifle and scope set up just right. Thousands of pellets down range to practice on the right hold, trigger control, wind read etc.
Unfortunately, the video is of a top WFTF Springer shooter. For US Hunter Field Target folks...no clicking and you'll be using a bucket and stick instead of sitting on a bum bag.
Anatomy of an air rifle field target shot. (Walther LGU, Sightron 10-50X, 52 yards, in the rain)
watch
Looks so simple and easy but it's not. A lot of prep went into getting the rifle and scope set up just right. Thousands of pellets down range to practice on the right hold, trigger control, wind read etc.
Unfortunately, the video is of a top WFTF Springer shooter. For US Hunter Field Target folks...no clicking and you'll be using a bucket and stick instead of sitting on a bum bag.
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I like that video. I want to point at that he changed his left hand position slightly on each shot. I realize he's not trying to be a Hunter piston guy, just wanted to point out that offhand consistency is vital when shooting a springer.
Another benefit of using a bum bag instead of a bucket is it gives you more leg length on the bipod for really high shots. This can be a draw back for really low shots.
Another benefit of using a bum bag instead of a bucket is it gives you more leg length on the bipod for really high shots. This can be a draw back for really low shots.
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I hate to pile on but that last video on Post #10.
The shooter needs to keep his hand on that cocking lever.
I'm seeing more and more youtube videos of shooters not controlling the cocking lever (or break barrel) when their fingers are near the breech or in the act of loading a pellet.
I guess it'll take a few more graphic pictures like these before those youtubbers get the message that most of these spring powered air rifles are unintentionally designed as finger guillotines. On the other hand (pun intended), most of us have 8 fingers and two thumbs...plenty of spares I guess.
The shooter needs to keep his hand on that cocking lever.
I'm seeing more and more youtube videos of shooters not controlling the cocking lever (or break barrel) when their fingers are near the breech or in the act of loading a pellet.
I guess it'll take a few more graphic pictures like these before those youtubbers get the message that most of these spring powered air rifles are unintentionally designed as finger guillotines. On the other hand (pun intended), most of us have 8 fingers and two thumbs...plenty of spares I guess.
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Yikes. I've only had one cocking lever failure, luckily my hand wasn't anywhere near the breach and I had a (loose) grip on the cocking lever but the butt of the gun did try to take my eye out. I treat all of my guns like they don't have an anti-bear trap (because some of them don't) and I have a wedge that I jam into the chamber for when I'm cleaning my guns that have a cocking lever. Thanks for the photo, that's going to keep me awake at night.
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