Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

[dc45]

Yesterday afternoon I shot my best (by far, almost perfect!) Smack the Smiley target ever, until the 9th round, anyway... But yesterday was hardly the first time I have 'sh!t the bed' on the 9th or 10th round. Now that I have been shooting this match for a couple of years, I think there are some lessons learned (repeatedly) on my part, and I was wondering what some of you other guys think you might have learned.

My personal lessons learned:
1st: This match is all about trigger control. If nothing else, I have learned that the slightest misapplication of pressure on the trigger can flip a shot a half inch or more out to the side.

2nd: Sucking on the trigger too long (more than 3 seconds or so) is almost always a bad thing.

3rd: Follow through is the difference between a good and a perfect shot.

4th: I get mentally tired shooting a nine round string! Some of this may be recoil sensitivity, although an 18 pound 6mm with a brake sure don’t kick much… Maybe it is performance anxiety. Whatever it is, it usually bites me on the butt about the 9th or 10th shot.

5th: My POI shifts down very slightly from a cold bore. I have been tracking this for awhile, and I always come up ¼ or 3/8 MOA over the course of the match.

Has anyone else found these or other lessons learned?

Cheers,

DC

 

[ceylonc]

Re: Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm thinking about getting back into this discipline/competition. Every time I've done it in the past it has so humbled me I haven't even bothered to send in the target! Your observations will certainly help me out & is much appreciated.

 

[dc45]

Re: Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

I really like this match for several reasons: I don't have to travel (saves a lot of time & gas), and I can shoot it when I have the time. More importantly it gives me something definite to focus on. I find I don't work as hard if I am just going out to practice. And of course the match gives you a metric to see how you are doing compared to the other shooters. Like most other things in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

Cheers,

DC

 

[KIDGLOCK]

Re: Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

I've learned that it is a COLD shooter . I never would have thought a CCB shot was the same as the rest . So , I start with my 77/22 mag on rocks for 40 or so rounds ( thats not cheating , is it ??) , standing , kneeling and prone just to warm up .

I dont mind the 10 rd string . I copied the target and shoot it or the Dot drill . People at the range look at me like I'm nuts , laying in the dirt shooting off my butt pack at little dots . It makes me mad I can only call 1 CCB shot per day with my Smiley rifle .

I'll be in this game for awhile .

 

[dc45]

Re: Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KIDGLOCK</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've learned that it is a COLD shooter . I never would have thought a CCB shot was the same as the rest . </div></div>

LOL. There was a point where COLD SHOOTER was definitely the issue. For me “cold shooter” can still mean ¾-1 MOA at 4 o’clock if I am not careful. A few dry snaps usually takes care of it. What I was talking about is a small change in zero as the barrel heats up. Over the past couple of years I have proven to my own satisfaction that each barrel is a bit different: a couple don’t show any change in POI when going from cold to hot, while one match grade barrel I own shifts an honest ½ MOA shift every time. In my admittedly small sample size it is usually ¼ MOA or less. In the barrels I have kept notes on it has always been a shift downward with no horizontal change. For most tactical / field matches it is hardly worth worrying about. But that damned 40/50 Smack the Smiley dot is less than a ¼ inch in size, and I need all the help I can get…

Cheers,

DC

 

[SWRichmond]

Re: Smack the Smiley Lessons Learned?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KIDGLOCK</div><div class="ubbcode-body">People at the range look at me like I'm nuts , laying in the dirt shooting off my butt pack at little dots . It makes me mad I can only call 1 CCB shot per day with my Smiley rifle .

I'll be in this game for awhile . </div></div>

Everyone else at my range sits comfortably and shoots, too. Now they're starting to notice that I shoot better than they do, and I'm laying on the ground shooting off a bipod without bags. Just a few months ago I sucked bad and everyone could see it. I think they're starting to wonder what I'm up to.

I'm not bragging (much). It's dedication to the round in the chamber, and I have to say it again and again and again, <span style="font-weight: bold">the time I spent obsessing about fitting the rifle to my body has paid off immensely</span>. For the first time in my life I've finally achieved comfort, no neck strain, no back strain, I can get NPA and lay there for freaking hours and be completely relaxed. My last trip to the range lasted 5 hours, several of them spent behind a well-adjusted AICS. I use a lot of shoulder tension when firing, but other than that I am comfortable enough to nap.

You guys that are thinking about competing, do it. If you want to get better at something, you can either reinvent the wheel or you can hang around with people who are already good at it. This is the approach I am taking to 1,000 yard shooting. Been out one time, learned a crapload already. I love the steep part of the learning curve, you can really tell you're improving. Changed my ammo and learned that the competitive shooters don't dope the wind, they time it. I can't wait for the next match.

BTW I get <span style="font-style: italic">mentally</span> fatigued, too, and have to stop and take a break. Conveniently, it winds up being about the time the barrel heats up.

I usually shoot at these (pdf warning): http://accurateshooter.net/targets/targetaccshooter.pdf but sometimes shoot at the sniper challenge dots, too.