If you’re shooting long range and by yourself, that is no spotter, what effective techniques are there to correct for the shot that you may have missed? In an ideal world I’d have a 10x10 foot flat whiteboard backstop where I could see the previous impact with a spotting scope and make the correction but obviously that’s not normally possible.
If the range is long enough, you have time to get back on the scope and spot yourself. When I first started trying to reach out longer, a few years back, I couldn’t spot very well at 500 yards. But you have to build up your position so that even if you get knocked off a bit, you’re still close enough to get back on the scope.
Having a dirt backstop makes it super easy because the dirt kick up marks your impact briefly.
Agreed, position helps a lot to ‘self spot’. Until learning proper position and loading BiPod techniques seeing my shots were hit and miss. The only time I have issues is low light for obvious reasons. On a miss (normally bad read on wind for me) I normally take a mental picture of where the shot landed and reframe it in my reticle for a hit. Like markm stated, build up your position and practice till you can consistently ‘self spot’.
A big help would be to shoot yourself a drop chart at 200 + 300 + 400 yards. Then you can count the number of clicks you will need to hit the center of the target at each range. When you have these numbers enter them into a computer program like JBM http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/software/software.shtml to have custom turret labels made for your scope. If you are careful with your info the labels will make your scope extremely accurate. I have them on all my long range rifles. I use a laser rangefinder to get the distance then turn the elevation turret and hold for wind and then shoot.
http://customturretsystems.com
This is one of mine on my Bushnell AR/223 scope with 4.5-18x40mm zoom.
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=810724&highlight=custom+turret
Light recoiling rifles help out in this regard, in addition to having a good position like markm stated. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t like 7.62 NATO/.308 that much for a practical light rifle, until you start doing something to the front of it to keep the muzzle down. Suppressors help, but then you have added muzzle weight that exacerbates the figure 8 wobble of a hasty position, which is the most common type of position to use.
For a fast 2nd round correction, l8apex brings up a great technique that I was just going to repeat, and that is to recover your sight picture with follow-through (fundamentals) with a sighted register. Where the impact was is your new aiming point in the reticle/sight picture.
Also, guns out of plumb are one of the most common causes of a windage miss, so I put bubble levels that can be seen by my other eye in position onto all my precision rifles.
+1 also if you have the money a camera system works well too to spot your shots. If I’m flying solo I ensure I have double the target width, wind is usually what kills you. Also make sure your gun is level, a JEC customs levels work wonders, also depending on the distance spin drift needs to be accounted for
Get yourself a mentor who can help get you on target and show you how to make corrections. Get yourself a steel E-type silhouette so you can see where you’re hitting or missing with instant feedback.
Anything less (if insisting on teaching yourself) and you’ll be wasting time, money, ammo, and patience. You will eventually (given enough resources) learn the same lessons while wasting your most precious resource – time.
http://snipershide.scout.com/story/1470246-recoil-management-lesson-part-one
with proper position and not over zooming your optic you should be able to spot your own hits, unless your impact area is high grass
This… or at a minimum a partner. Shooting long range solo is sub optimal for probably 99 percent of us. Even for me or my long range shooting buddy… when either of us goes out alone, we’ve found that we can start pissing away expensive ammo quickly.
Good point. Even with a variable scope I like to dial back to 10 or 12 power for 1000 yard shots. I shot a fixed 10 for a long time, and really never felt under powered at all.
use enough zoom to make the shot… just because you have a 20x dont mean you have to use all of it.
also, what distance are you shooting?
what caliber?
break? suppressor?
bipod?
I almost never have a spotter available so I really worked on my recoil control and it really helped.
When I’m getting it right the reticle barely moves on target when firing.
When it’s really difficult it when you run out if elevation and are at the bottom if the reticle.
Good advice, but my modus operandi is normally to fly solo. I’m new at the long range thing and I ineffectively tried at about 400 yards with a 1-6.5x a while back with 556 and burned through some ammo before finally getting on target. And I know 400 really isn’t that far, but it certainly opened my eyes about shooting at distance.
My current but changeable plan is to use CBC 62 grainers as my long range round for the cost factor, yes, I know there are better bullets. For the scope I was considering something in the 10x-15x range on the top end. At this particular time, I’m only looking at this as a learning experience and if I do get frustrated with the lack of results perhaps I will come up with a plan B.
On a side note and at the risk of somewhat derailing the thread I did read where SEAL snipers are not using spotters for some of their missions. I found this interesting in comparison to the other armed forces and doctrines of what works best and what doesn’t.
Uncle Rico it…
A quality zoom handicam (Sony/Panasonic/Canon/etc) that has at least 20x zoom, and is true HD makes an excellent long range shooting tool. Perhaps not immediate feedback, but provides excellent feedback whenever reviewed…not to mention once you dial in the cam you’ll start capturing wicked stuff like trace, or the occasional bullet glint in flight.
The use of a 1x cam can also be made use of by training it on the shooter’s positioning.
What fixed 10x power scope did you use Mark?
I had that Super Sniper fixed 10. Wasn’t too bad of a scope, but it was Mil dot reticle with MOA turrets. I think they’ve since made a Mil/Mil version.
Thanks. I was looking at those scopes recently.
Also, I was strongly considering a fixed S&B 10x power scope.
Proper Positioning (Loading Bipod Correctly, Straight Behind the Rifle, Feet Flat on Ground etc.), Muzzle Brake/Suppressor, not too much Magnification, Correct LOP.
Any reason to only go with a Fixed 10x? Just curious. It’s what I started out on… but just curious to hear why.