The Shot Process

The following describes how I prepare to shoot and the actual process of shooting. I am certain that during sustained fire, there are some things I do that I simply can't know about because so much is happening very quickly. Many shooters and coaches firmly believe in a well defined shot process. I do to, however, I don't deal with it like I should. Below is the first time I have written the process down and it was revised a couple of times after shooting and realizing I forgot something. In any case, the shot process establishes a set routine for which to accomplish the task of making the gun go bang. Any element of that process you do differently can affect the outcome and therefore it is an exercise and practice in consistency.

SETTING UP AT THE BENCH PRIOR TO THE MATCH

Post the target

Adjust spotting scope to see target and confirm correct target is posted

Load magazine(s)

Setup the brass catcher

Start to focus on shooting

Work on clearing my mind of the random thoughts

RANGE COMMAND GIVEN FOR PREP TIME (3 minutes of time to prepare)

Pull out gun, turn on scope, set dot size, check battery cap for tightness

Approach the line, look at the target, assume my stance, align myself

If not rimfire, start dry firing the gun, if rimfire I practice my area aiming

Check my stance/alignment, adjust if needed

Continue dry fire for about 5 times (all I can do in prep time)

Bench the gun - re-focus on shooting

SLOW FIRE SHOT PROCESS BEGINS

Place the gun in the right hand using left hand to "fit" it into my hold

TIMED & RAPID SHOT PROCESS BEGINS

RANGE COMMAND GIVEN TO LOAD FOR SLOW FIRE

Continue with dry fire if needed

Load magazine into gun, release the slide

Rest gun on bench, in hand, arm mostly straight

RANGE COMMAND GIVEN TO FIRE

Take a deep breath and exhale, may need two if I feel winded

Stare at the target with great focus

Raise the gun slightly above the target - maybe a foot or so

Lower the gun into the black

Focus on "Settling" the gun in the center of the black and begin trigger pull

Continue pull till gun goes bang - and try to call the shot

Bench the gun, keeping it in my hand, try to relax grip a bit to prevent fatigue

Check shot with scope and make sure it hit where I thought it should

Continue with the remaining shots the same way going back to STEP 1

After 5 shots, eject magazine, load new magazine, release slide, do not move feet, do not un-grip gun

During the slow fire phase, the only adjustment I might make is a sight adjustment, but only after 2 or 3 shots to confirm I need one. I may shift my feet a bit but usually this is done in response to something not feeling right. I might be standing on a bump on the ground (common outdoors) or I might feel a strange tension in my neck or my shoulder which causes me to open or close my stance angle to correct that feeling. If everything seems way off, I might bench the gun and step back to start the whole process over again, but this is rare. I do try to resist looking through the scope on every shot unless I suspect the sight is off. Otherwise I find that it messes with my head too much and I begin to change things or overcompensate for something and mess things up.

The sustained fire shot process is very similar but there are a few more key events that trigger me to do things...

Begin counting slowly, taking slow and moderately deep breaths with each count

Place the gun in the right hand using left hand to "fit" it into my hold

STEP 1 - Count to ten or twelve, counting very slowly, breathing with each number

RANGE COMMAND GIVEN TO LOAD FOR TIMED/RAPID FIRE

Insert magazine into gun, release the slide

Rest gun on bench, in hand, arm mostly straight

Stare at, and focus on the target

IS THE LINE READY

Increase focus, tense up body a bit more

THE LINE IS READY

Take a deep breath, let out slowly

READY ON THE RIGHT

(in rapid fire) Raise the gun slightly above the target - maybe a foot or so

If needed, take another deep breath, let out slowly

READY ON THE LEFT

(in timed fire) Raise the gun slightly above the target - maybe a foot or so

READY ON THE FIRING LINE

Settle red dot into black and begin trigger pull

RANGE COMMAND GIVEN TO FIRE (BUZZER or TARGET TURNS)

Continue pull till gun goes bang

Recover from recoil, reset trigger, and begin pull

When red dot is close to center on black, gun goes bang

Continue with the remaining shots the same way

After 5 shots, eject magazine, bench gun, not move feet, do not un-grip gun

Start the whole process over again for the second string

My counting begins before the command to load, I just start at some point where I think I can at least get to 10 prior to the load command. I often need a few more seconds to settle in for rapid fire so I raise the gun a bit earlier to allow for that. The first shot is often intentional, I initiate the action with thought, after that, I don't think about the trigger, I let it happen automatically when that red dot is in the center area of the black. It takes a lot of practice and trust to do it this way, you have to trust in your hold and area aiming. My eyes, never intentionally leave the target and I focus on it, not the dot.

After a string of fire, I may have to take a moment to catch my breath. I put the empty chamber indicator in the gun and I usually load the magazine at this point and get things organized for the next string of fire. I also score my target using the spotting scope. I try to verify the things I thought I did correct and also the things I thought I did wrong. Most of the time we know we did something wrong during a shot, the verification is on the target.

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