Help needed filling in plot sheets

[Steve E]

If there is anyone here who is having difficulty filling in plot sheets, and are shooting the Imperial Meeting, I am quite willing to give a hands on tutorial at Bisley one evening during the Meeting. I shall be at Bisley from 10 July for the Match Rifle until the end of the TR meeting. I will also be at Bisley this Week-End for the Inter-Counties and am able to do a quick Plotting session on Saturday morning.

Steve E

[Dougan]

Hi Steve,

That's a kind offer thank you, but unfortunatly I won't be up at Bisley for the Imperial. As you're obviously a 'TR Bod' though, I would be interested in any advice you have on the question I asked Rox?

(question for ovenpaa and/or moderators - is it considered impolite to start asking other questions, i.e asking about windage when the thread is about plotting...should I be posting a new question alltogether?)

[ovenpaa]

Dougan, one of the things about F-B(UK) is threads can meander off in all sorts of interesting directions, personally I am very happy to see this thread develop from the original post so please feel free to as questions as they come to you. This is still a very young forum and quite informal as such so post away!

Steve, thank you for the offer, I certainly hope to try and get up to Imperial for a couple of days shooting even though I have not signed up for anything yet so I will be paying a late entry fee.

[rox]

On a windy day when the flags are constantly changing in strenth of wind...do you try to pick your shots in the 'lulls' (when timing allows) , or do you take your shot when you're ready, and alter your sights each time?

Cheers,

John

In UK individual competition (TR, MR or F) there's not much scope to wait out conditions. You can try to wait a very short time for a strong gust or lull to pass through, but beyond that you will likely agravate your target mates and attract unwelcome attention from range officers, as well as disturbing your own rhythm. It's generally best to make your judgement, get it on the sights and go. The key skill is being able to get the shot off quickly (without sacrificing the quality of the shot). Of course, string shooting, as in Australia and elsewhere, is a different game altogether. That's much more about picking your time then rattling off your shots. But it makes us much better wind readers than them, which is partly why we'll beat them on their own turf in the Palma later this year*. In contrast, most team matches have an overall time limit. Tactical waits, in which the whole team stops, can certainly determine the outcome of a match. In such situations you might bring forward another shooter to use his sighting shot to 'pilot' (verify your wind judgement) before a shooter resumes after a long interruption.


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[Dougan]

Cheers Ovenpaa - I'm glad it's OK to go off on tangents...especially as I'm about to do it again

Thanks for that advice Rox - which leads to another question that's been bugging me for a while. What you said about team shooting (tactical waits and resuming after a long interuption) is very interesting - I have always (sure someone told me to) tryed to stay 'in position' throughout the shoot (especialy not moving the left elbow), but find it uncomfortable (which can affect my last few shots) when shooting with 2/3 others. So, if you really know what you're doing, should you be able to take your arm out of the sling and put your rifle down for a few moments, and then be able to take position up again and get straight back in the bull?

[Steve E]

In team shooting, I try to keep the rifle in the shoulder but it is quite normal to drop the rifle out of the shoulder keeping the left hand in the sling and against the hande stop. The normal practice is to fire a shot, reload and be ready to shoot as soon as the target reappears after being marked. This way the shooter and coach can go about the business quite rapidly. It is not unknown for a shooter to complete a coached 2+15 in under ten minutes by being ready to go as soon as the target appears, especially if the shots are central and little adjustment required. If the wind starts gusting and a wait is required, the shooter will often put the rifle down completely but get ready to shoot again when prompted by the coach. If you have set your position up properly, taking the rifle out of the shoulder should not effect the group. If it does, your position was not correct. Get the basics right, rifle naturally aligned with the target, you should be able to put the rifle into the shoulder with your eyes closed and upon opening your eyes look through the sights and you should be aiming without effort at the correct target. If not test and adjust until you are.

Steve E

[Dougan]

"It is not unknown for a shooter to complete a coached 2+15 in under ten minutes" - :lol: I had to laugh at this - I love my club (shot with them for 25 years, on and off), but few take it seriously - so when shooting in pairs, it can take over half an hour to do 2 + 10. In a few years (when I have more time) I intend to join an additional (purely TR) club, and get some coaching. In the mean time thank you (and Rox) for the advice - I've got lazy with my score card and position, and look forward (next TR shoot unfortunatley 6 weeks away) to putting the advice to practice....

[HeatherW762]

I've got elevation & wind tutorials on my machine at work but they are about 18meg each!

Happy to email to any who want, just pm me & I'll do it tomorrow.

Heather

[Dougan]

Hi Heather,

Very nice of you to offer :) ...I'll send my email.

Cheers,

Dougan.

[Dougan]

Thank you for the PPs Heather - there're a crytal clear guide to plotting....now to work out how to interpret the plots :?

Cheers,

John.