I COMPLETELY agree on the spotter/shooter communication piece and think it's often overlooked
Yes, because it has to be... when your not a team or normal shooting buddies. If the spotter doesn't know the shooters come-ups or worse yet is on a different base, all they can do is call a correction by using.. the "more or less method" and estimating conversions if the base units are not matching, I don't think either is ideal, but that is all you have when you don't know the shooters.. like the RO or where one spotter is calling for a group of unknown shooters.
On one end you have guys spotting with no subtensions, guys calling miss locations all the way to
guys trying to communicating with stage theatrics. For most field shooters without paper target rings to index from, spotting is about compromises, but for all, speed a simple clear comunication trumps all.
As an example of one end: We all now what a mess it is when BR guys take their subtension-less spotters in to field and call misses by parts of plate/plates corrections or inches - then try to retranslate into corrections. Watch the first Ko2m videos and you'll see some great range shooters doing just this.. They'd be better off with a spotter on a rifle scope calling and spotting like field spotters. BUT lets take that off the discussion table because spotters without subtensions really has no place in field spotting.
As an example on the stage theatrics end: I am sure we've all scene this maybe even tried it - The guy is really into the spotters roll and practices with his buddy.. Yep, they think
"we're really low drag... now".. The theatrics goes something like .. Spotter ready, Shooter ready, Roger that, Send it, Sending.. Correction, Up .5 Right .1, Roger that, Up .5 Right .1, Spotter ready, Shooter ready, Send it, Sending... Bla bla bla..
Sure
sounds super cool, but hell, there was no real information in that lengthy exchange and it takes brain resources and time while the wind has other plans.. Also, in 99.9% of the cases,
why would one call a 1/10 correction if there was a miss? What, so that one might be able now just hit an edge, or miss by a 1/10 less? Really, at longer ranges and where there is wind, where you want that spotter, there is usual at least a 1/10 variability in wind shot to shot anyway. Yet, it is something I hear that all the time.
Ok, we should have some short hand language, such as "hold" means pause, not move your reticle over 1.5 mils over there etc.. but if we're with unfamiliar people, I get it, we are still going to need to say "hold on the left edge of the plate" because you find yourself with a confused shooter if you say "index on the right edge" or whatever.
My 2 cents:
For me, in the ideal situation, the spotter knows the the range and come-ups of the shooter and has the spotter's subtensions indexed (in their spotter). The return correction is simply called at the new total hold required. It is super fast and eliminates the shooter making mistakes by adding or subtracting etc. But truth be told, we are often now spotting on the rifles, so the corrections are given in the more lazy -- up/down; left/right correction only. You can't do the same with a p4fine or Gap reticle on the rifle as you might on a spotter with a geared head and grid reticle.
I have to say, trace is cool, but it is a very course one.. If all you have is thick plant life, or way out and need to look for the general impact area amongst a lot of things that might hide the splash, great.. BUT pulling back 2/3, blurring the target or whatever, just to see trace, compromises the most important part, in most cases. As such, I default to being next to the shooter for easier comunication.. unless I was in one of the first two situations.
Lastly, the spotter does have the responsibility to practice.. I'd focus more on the type of signatures, learning what skips and rollups look like that your getting near the target. If your a spotter, try to figure out were the dead spaces are. If they are any where near your targets or your targets are
Silhouetted/ridged, know just how difficult spotting will be. Oh and as a spotter you learn that solids just suck..LOL
