Stiff Arm

Last Sunday night, after shooting the 50 foot targets for the NRA Postal where my unofficial score was 534-6 out of 600-40 (there is no X ring in the two 50 foot Slow Fire targets) with a 96-3 on one of the Rapid Fire targets -- not too shabby for this Marksman -- a couple of the shooters stuck around for an hour of air pistol.

John Zurek was shooting his "Cadillac" top of the line and then some air pistol which I could never afford so pardon me for not remembering make and model. Regardless, John asked if I would like to try it.

You bet!

"Grip it like your 22," he said, handing it over.

He set it for dry fire to let me get the feel of the trigger and the pistol's balance. The electronic trigger was light but required enough effort that I was sure I wouldn't fire it by accident. And knowing he was watching, I carefully tried to do my very best form as I dry-fired a couple of shots.

I said, "Okay, I'm ready to shoot now."

But John, who had been watching me, said, "Do a couple more dry."

Not sure why but trusting his watchful expertise, I did. After two more shots he said that it might help to change how I raised the gun.

What I was doing was keeping my arm straight as it came up but not my wrist. I was holding my wrist close to the correct position but not dead on. Only when I settled on the target would I get my wrist into the correct, final position. It had always bothered me that, when I raised the gun, the rear sight would be on the correct spot on the target but not the front. I always had to do the final adjustment with my wrist to put the front sight (or dot) in the right place.

John said that looseness was probably costing me some points, and not only in Rapid Fire where quickly regaining alignment is critical. He said if I reinforced that "muscle memory" earlier, my hold would be steadier all the time I was on target and my groups would be tighter.

Aha! Smaller wobble.

He said I should get elbow and wrist both in the correct position and lock them there before coming up from the table such that when the sights come on the aiming area, everything would already be lined up.

Good trick, I thought. Before raising the gun, my eye is glued to the target and my head is in the correct position. So, how do I line up the sights with the gun down there without looking?

To get there, I worked it backwards. That is, I aimed the old way (once) and then locked elbow and wrist. Holding that lock, I then lowered the gun to the table and, before relaxing, looked and "felt" my arm and wrist to remember where they needed to be.

"That's where I want everything to be," I told myself. I practiced by relaxing and then regaining the position and lock and then verifying alignment after raising my arm. I did this several times, and worked it backwards when it didn't come out correctly.

I'll be practicing this for a while to get it working but, yeah, this is definately good.

(Some who can, also teach.)

Thanks, John!

Practicing What I Preach

"Yeah, maybe he can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?"

In a word, no.

I know many of the things needed to hit the X but, like so many others, doing them, shot after shot, is quite something else.

But I made some progress this week and it's important to look back and try to figure out why.

Monday evening I watched a couple of episodes of StarGate with my (triply-checked) unloaded 1911 in my lap. Without paying much attention to it, I cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger a great many times. During commercials, I would raise up the gun, put the red dot on a blank area of the wall and move the trigger as straight back as possible and watch to see if the dot would move with the trigger motion.

I can't say that I saw any particular improvement during the evening. I've always thought I was pretty good at releasing the hammer when the chamber is empty. It's when there's a live round in there that things change so I've always had mixed feelings about the value of dry-fire.

But last night at the league, I saw the benefit. As I raised the gun for the first Slow Fire shots of the evening, I told myself, "Okay, your hand knows how to release the shot without moving the gun. All I need to do is keep the dot in the black [my wobble] and let my hand do what it knows."

My first target scored 77-0. Not a very good score for many but, for me, in Slow Fire, that was among my better scores.

"Okay," I said to myself, "this might be working. Let's let the hand release the shot and just keep the dot in the black. Be patient. Wait for the shot to be released. It will happen or, if we get tired of waiting, we can put the gun down for a rest and try it again."

I scored 84-1 on the second Slow Fire target and that is good for me. There was one round down-left and out of the black -- a jerk -- but all the others were in the black.

"Maybe I've got this knocked!" I thought.

But you know what comes next, don't you?

74-0 for the first Slow Fire of the NMC.

Oops!

Over-confidence. Didn't continue to execute on the fundamentals. Forgot to do what I had just been doing. [Doh!]

The next target is Timed Fire, one of my favorites where I do better because, I'm certain, I don't have enough time for my brain to mess it up, but just enough to get the sights back on the target for each shot. The only trick to add is moving that trigger straight back and letting the hand release each shot.

90-1 for the Timed Fire. Now we're cookin'.

86-1 in Rapid Fire. Ok, I can live with that.

73-0 (oops: a jam and an alibi string, lost an X -- the shooter scoring my target said he could see me jerking several of the alibi shots) and then 90-3 (that's the way -- look at the Xs, thanks for reminding me I can be a "jerk") in the Timed Fire match.

And 83-2 (let's do that again but better) and finally 76-0 (another jam and an alibi string -- boy, those can really hurt!) in the Rapid Fire match to end the evening.

The NMC score was 250-2 with an aggregate of 733-8 (81.4%) for the evening.

 

Dry-firing with the gun in the lap trains the lower part of my arm. Doing that practice with Jack, Samantha, Daniel and Teal'c worming their way around the universe keeps the brain (marginally) engaged and out of the loop on the trigger work.

My aggregate score was a personal best and I'm convinced a good part of it was for two reasons: First, my hand knew what to do. And secondly, and perhaps more important for me, my brain trusted and let my hand do the work.

The brain has to figure out the lessons and skills the body needs to learn, oversee the body's practice enough to be sure it does them correctly, but when the time comes for the performance, the body has to know, and the brain has to let it work.

Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach.

Brain teaches. Body does.

What Is Bullseye?

Bullseye, or NRA Conventional Pistol, is a shooting at paper targets competition. Competitors stand side-by-side and fire at their respective targets from a variety of distances and with one or more different guns. Competitions can be brief and finished in a couple of hours, or span several days and include hundreds of shooters assigned to different squads (for scheduling purposes).

The primary competitive event is a "2700" in which competitors shoot a total of 270 shots worth 10 points each. Target distance, gun type and the time allotted for each string of five or ten shots varies according to a set pattern during the event.

Target distance at an outdoor event is 50 yards for some targets and 25 for the remainder. (A "short course" event will have targets at 25 yards throughout the event.)

Gun types include .22 caliber, center-fire and .45 caliber weapons. Each gun must be used for a specific one-third portion of the overall event. Note, however, that .45 caliber weapons are of the center-fire type and may be "legal" for both segments. Many shooters, therefore, own only those two types of guns and use the .45 for both that and the center-fire segments. This is common.

The time allotted for each string of five or ten shots varies, also according to a strict formula. There are three such timed patterns, Slow Fire, Timed Fire and Rapid Fire. Target distance is also specified for each of these forms.

• In Slow Fire, targets are placed 50 yards away from the shooting line. Competitors have ten (10) minutes in which to fire ten (10) shots. At the end of that interval, targets are scored (and replaced).
• Timed Fire consists of two, five round, twenty second strings at 25 yards. That is, shooters ready five rounds and when the interval begins, they have twenty seconds in which to fire all five shots. After a brief interval, another five rounds are fired, again in a twenty second period. With ten shots completed, targets are again scored (and replaced).
• Finally, Rapid Fire is like Timed Fire except the interval is shorter, only ten seconds. As before, two five-round strings are fired before targets are scored.

There are several competition forms that are shorter than the traditional "2700". One is the National Match Course, or NMC.

In the NMC form, thirty rounds are fired with ten in each of the Slow, Timed and Rapid Fire formats for a maximum score of 300 points.

The NMC form is so popular that it is incorporated into the longer "2700". In a full "2700" competition, competitors will fire two Slow Fire targets (10 rounds each) and then a National Match Course with its Slow, Timed and Rapid Fire targets, in that order. The "2700" will then continue with two more Timed and two more Rapid Fire targets. A total of ninety (90) shots are required, all of which must be fired with the same gun, and scoring a maximum of 900 points. Indeed, a "900" competition is just this.

A "2700", on the other hand, contains three "900"s, each of which must be fired with the .22 caliber, center-fire and then the .45 caliber handguns.

Many informal "leagues" sponsor weekly competitions for their members. These serve to train new shooters and build skills, help shooters through the "competition jitters" and provide a forum for the exchange of information, mutual assistance and all around camraderie. Leagues may meet at indoor or outdoor ranges, in the evenings and on weekends, and commonly shoot a variety of events from the brief, 30-shot National Match Course up through a "900" in a single evening, or full but practice "2700" events within a single day on a weekend.

Formal Bullseye (NRA Conventional Pistol) competitions are sanctioned by the NRA (National Rifle Association) but, again, are usually sponsored, organized and staffed by local shooting clubs which must apply to the NRA and specify, among other things, how they will satisfy the event requirements laid out by the NRA. Such events may be either NRA Authorized or NRA Registered.

In NRA Authorized and NRA Registered competitions, a shooter's scores are permanently recorded (by the NRA) and used to establish the shooter's ranking. These are, from lowest to highest, Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert, Master and High Master. Anyone can earn a Marksman ranking merely by firing 360 shots in a Registered or Authorized competition. Hitting the target is nice but not required. Simply having the score recorded at the NRA, no matter how dismal, qualifies the shooter for at least a Marksman ranking. Each successive ranking, however, has specific scoring requirements. Although the numerical score will depend on the number of targets in a given competition, these can always be translated into a percentage score. Sharpshooter ranking, for example, requires a score of at least 85% of the maximum over the more recently recorded shots. Expert, Master and High Master have successively higher and higher requirements.

New National Records may occur at any time and by any shooter. But they are recognized by the NRA only if they occur in Registered competitions where the rules are most stringent. This requirement guarantees the quality of the effort and that, when a new record is established, it really has been earned.

But to most shooters, the primary difference between Registered and Authorized events may be the fact that Registered events attract a higher skill level of competitive shooters. At a Registered competition, it is not uncommon to meet national champions as well as current and former members of the U.S. Olympic shooting team.

Who knows, maybe you will even get to score the target of last year's U.S. National Champion because, in a competition, shooters score each other's targets. "Pass left and score right" is one way in which this is usually called. Each shooter hands his/her score card to the person to their left and, down at the targets, they score the one to their right. You see the holes in their target, and you calculate their score, and someone is doing your target at the same time.

And because of this, many shooters do better in competition than in solo practice because the shooter knows that someone else will be looking very hard to see where the shots are landing. For some, this leads to competition jitters and the only accepted cure is to compete over and over again until it goes away. (It does.) It is also worth noting that, after the target is scored, the shooter is obligated to examine his own target to see if he/she agrees with that score or wishes to protest it. Once accepted or, if protested and the judge's verdict rendered, the score is final.

Finally, it is important to note that shooting in competition is wonderfully inspirational. Almost from the very first shot, each shooter is aware of the intense concentration of his/her neighbor and, knowing that either the shooter to the left or right will be scoring their target, there is strong motivation to strive for excellence on each shot.

The level of concentration required to execute a good shot over and over requires utter single-mindedness. Shooters learn to dismiss all other thoughts and focus on the mechanical, and mental steps needed to release a perfect shot.

It is this level of concentration, not the shooting, that is the true reward of Bullseye shooting. It has been compared to meditation, Yoga and other practices that calm the mind and body. Many shooters report that, "when in the zone," they are completely unaware of the shots of their neighbors and, in many cases, are barely even aware of when their own gun fires. And at the end of a competition, it is not unusual for shooters to feel a calmness and gentle euphoria for hours thereafter.

As odd as it may initially seem, shooting Bullseye is good for the body and mind.

Have you ever wondered why some Bullseye shooters are remarkably senior in years? Perhaps that's the reason!

Value, Compromises and Learning To Shoot

Here are some less-than-obvious values to good equipment.

• The bullet goes where the gun was aimed when the hammer was released.

  That should be obvious but, as a beginner I knew my wobble was much worse than the inaccuracy of the gun. My "off the shelf" Springfield Armory "Mil-Spec" 1911 (the Parkerized version) would shoot a 6-8" group at 50 yards. That was good enough for scores of 8, 9, 10 and X. Pretty good.

  My ability to hold, however, allowed shots to range out beyond the 7 ring, and occasionally, spasmodically, worse. When you then combine me with the gun, a target in which every hole actually scores is not bad, and one in which most shots are in the black is a truly good thing. And, in Timed Fire, I've even hit 90+ every now and then with that gun.

  But the gun was frustrating. On those (still) rare occasions when I know my trigger control was good and the shot was released with the sights close to the center of my aiming area, when the hole appeared several inches out from the bull, I couldn't know if it was me or the gun. Maybe I saw the iron sights wrong, had the front sight slightly left or right of center, or maybe I pushed the nose of the gun out of alignment in that fraction of a second between sear-release and hammer-impact.

  I didn't know, I couldn't tell, I wasn't sure what to fix.

• The bullet goes where the gun was aimed when the hammer was released.

  When the round punches low and left on the target, for a right-handed shooter such as myself, that almost certainly means I jerked the gun and the "fix" is obvious: I need to regain that unconscious shot release that is oh so fleeting at my level of experience. I've done it a couple of times, I've felt it happen and known the feeling of surprise, not because I wasn't prepared which does cause surprise but not for the right reason, but because it really felt like I was letting someone else do the trigger. All I had to do was hold it on the right area of the target until they released the shot.

  The mental game I play that works, at least occasionally for me, is to get everything ready and then say to myself, "Let the monkey shoot now." The "monkey" does the trigger, not me. I truly don't know if, ever, the gun is going to fire. I just hold it in the aiming area and, well, I wait and either the shot goes (and I'm surprised), or I get tired of holding and abort the shot.

• The bullet goes where the gun was aimed when the hammer was released.

  The 'smith who made the gun shoot this well -- thank you, Frank Glenn -- knows what the gun is capable of doing so if I later show up at his door complaining, he will know I'm an idiot.

  Frank will probably listen politely -- he's a gentleman -- and may volunteer to check the gun but, in the end, he will know what needs work (me) and what doesn't (the gun).

For a Bullseye shooter, good equipment is a mirror. Through my newly reworked 1911 that, as of yesterday, has a Kart barrel, competition bushing, tightened slide-to-frame fit and the critical eye and sensitive touch of the expert gunsmith, I can now see each aberration, each mistake, each goof in what I do.

The gun says, "You jerked me."

The gun says, "You anticipated that shot."

The gun says, "You steered the muzzle left on that one."

And the gun says, "What the h#$$ was that -- did you sneeze or what? Sheesh! Come on, get in the game. You know what to do. Point me at the right spot on the target, release the shot without disturbing that, and, brother you can bet your last dime that I'm gonna do my job and put that bullet dead on. Now let's try that again."

Q: Can you compromise on expense while still a beginner?

A: Yes, but only to a point. The point will come when the equipment becomes an obstacle, not because it doesn't do well, but rather because the shooter will stop trying. "Heck," the shooter will tell himself, "it's in the 8-ring, isn't it? That's pretty good for both me and the gun." And yes, that's true. But at that point, the shooter stops trying to do better because, frankly, that really is the best they can do. Additional effort by the shooter to do better, to call his shots, just isn't going to work consistently. The shooter's advancement is held up, stopped, because the gun is showing its own defects and, thereby, masking what the shooter needs to fix. The shooter cannot see what he needs to fix.

Q: Can I learn on less expensive equipment and then "move up" later?

A: Yes, but if you wait too long, you may find your interest and excitement slowly dissipating away. The physical steps to releasing a good shot are well known. You can find them in any number of publications. Write them down and memorize them. They aren't hard to perform and any gun, no matter how bad, will allow you to practice those steps. There may even be some debatable value in learning to shoot with a scratchy trigger -- hell, if you can release a decent shot with that, just think how good you could be with a finely tuned, precision wadder! But if you keep shooting the less-than-great equipment, once you've learned those basic physical steps, you will never get to the fine tuning of making everything happen at the same time simply because it will be impossible to see the benefit of doing so.

Shooting an "X" is easy. We've all done it. Just pick up the gun, aim and release the shot and, no matter how bad your aim or the accuracy of the gun, there's a certain probability that this error will add to that error and, lo and behold, the bullet punches through the "X".

But to do that over and over, to do that when you want it, to do that, you need a big, flat shiney mirror in which to watch yourself so you can see what you're doing wrong.

Good equipment shows you yourself. You can see what you're doing wrong and, most satisfyingly, when you do everything right.

Bang!

"X"

Bang!

"X"

Bang!

"X"

"Wow, what a great gun," you will say.

And don't forget to add, "I shoot great!"

Because you can, and do, with good equipment.

-----

I've been shooting Bullseye for about a year. My current NRA ranking is that of Marksman, the lowest step on the ladder. To get that ranking, all you have to do is shoot 360 times and have them recorded in the NRA annals. You don't even have to hit the target, just shoot and have (the misses!) recorded.

In that year, I've started to understand just how difficult it is to make the bullet go where you intend. There are dozens, maybe even a hundred or more reasons to miss the mark.

One thing is certain in Bullseye: With good equipment, focused practice and ruthless attention to detail, you may succeed. But without it, you won't.

That's a fact.