I've started this thread to address some of the mistakes I see new people making at PRS-type matches at every match I go to.
1) Turn the Magnification Down!
If that buddy who tells you that he doesn't need FFP because he always shoots on max power goes to a match, he's going to find out very quickly that doesn't work very well when your target isn't always in a lane directly in front of you.
In most PRS matches, there are going to be stages where the targets are set up at different distances in a pretty large arc of fire. And, depending on the range, there may be other targets for other stages dispersed in the same area your targets are in. Having the magnification set too high usually results in people being unable to find targets and timing out. Most targets inside of 600 yards can be engaged at 10-12x magnification. Put your scope on low power to find targets, then zoom in once you've found them if you feel you need more magnification to engage them. This is what SwitchView throw levers are made for. But, it's also something you need to practice so that zooming in and zooming out is part of your routine and becomes automatic and something you don't have to consciously think about.
2) Learn to Hold Over/Under
Some stage are set up so that you have to hold your dope instead of dialing it. Many don't list this as a requirement. It's up to the shooter to judge the best way to shoot the stage.
Hold overs, hold unders, mover leads and wind holds are the reason FFP dominates PRS style matches. With FFP, your reticle and your turrets can be used interchangeably in conjunction with one another at ANY magnification.
Lets look at an example. Let's say you have 3 targets and the dope for them is as follows:
T1: 1.1 mils
T2: 3.7 mils
T3: 6.2 mils
These are the ways you can use your scope to engage the targets:
i) Dial for each targets
ii) Leave the scope elevation at 0 and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: 1.1 mils
T2: 3.7 mils
T3: 6.2 mils
iii) Dial 1.1 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: 0.0 mils
T2: 2.6 mils
T3: 5.1 mils
iv) Dial 3.7 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: -2.6 mils (hold under)
T2: 0.0 mils
T3: 2.5 mils
v) Dial 6.2 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: -5.1 mils (hold under)
T2: -2.5 mils (hold under)
T3: 0.0 mils
I think that i) and ii) are kind of intuitive. iii) just keeps things closer to the center of the reticle, which is helpful if you don't have an xmas tree type reticle since it keeps things closer to your horizontal cross hair so that you can reference the has marks more accurately. People will do iv) for the same reason, it and v) are also done in cases where you have a target at those distances that you want you use the center of the reticle for or want to reference the horizontal crosshair on. Examples would be a very small target or a mover. If you ever get a chance to shoot at the K&M Precision Rifle Training facility or at CORE, they will often have a stage where you need to engage a mover at the back of the range a certain number or times, then com back and shoot a few targets from near to you back to the mover before engaging it again. For that one, you will want to use v).
3) Take Stuff Off The Rifle That You Don't Need
If you don't need to use the bipod on a stage with a barricade, take it off the gun. Especially if it's a fast stage that required a lot of different positions. The bipod will likely get in the way of your position transitions and in many cases will hamper building stable positions. Same holds true of other accessories.
4) Make Sure the Rifle is Supported/Stable
You can't make precision shots if the crosshair is going all over the place. The rifle needs to be stable. On a wobbly barricade, or any barricade, the trick is setting the rifle up to be stable and NOT muscling it. This is generally accomplished in one of two ways:
i) Set the rifle on the barricade on it's balancing point (at the trail). This is where the Game Changer bag or Solo Sac come in handy. Learn to drive the rifle only using light pressure with your shoulder. Let it sit naturally. If the barricade is stable, you can apply some downward pressure on the rifle to lock it against the barricade through the bag. Let the bag conform to the shape it needs to so that your crosshairs are on the target.
ii) Put the fore end of the rifle on the barricade and support a part of the rifle further back. Support the rear with something: a pillow bag, a tripod leg, your backpack, etc....
The common mistake I see is people putting the end of the rifle on the barricade, or resting on their folded up bipod and putting the buttstock against their shoulder with nothing under it supporting it. That's a recipe for wobble!
4) Shoot at the speed you practice at regardless of stage time
Don't worry about making the stage time. Speed comes with practice. Shoot at the pace you're capable of making good hits at. Getting half the points making solid shots is better than zeroing the stage because you rushed, you didn't take the time to build solid positions, you didn't take the time to adjust things to better see your misses, or you didn't take the time to zoom out when you couldn't find the targets. Some stages are set up to test speed and are designed to separate the top shooters from each other based on ability to quickly build positions. This means the times are sometimes intentionally set so that no one can finish the stage. Remember that PRS points are based on percentage of the top shooters score. If the best score for a stage is 8/10 or 7/10, the stage is effectively out of 8 or 7 instead of 10.
More to come
1) Turn the Magnification Down!
If that buddy who tells you that he doesn't need FFP because he always shoots on max power goes to a match, he's going to find out very quickly that doesn't work very well when your target isn't always in a lane directly in front of you.
In most PRS matches, there are going to be stages where the targets are set up at different distances in a pretty large arc of fire. And, depending on the range, there may be other targets for other stages dispersed in the same area your targets are in. Having the magnification set too high usually results in people being unable to find targets and timing out. Most targets inside of 600 yards can be engaged at 10-12x magnification. Put your scope on low power to find targets, then zoom in once you've found them if you feel you need more magnification to engage them. This is what SwitchView throw levers are made for. But, it's also something you need to practice so that zooming in and zooming out is part of your routine and becomes automatic and something you don't have to consciously think about.
2) Learn to Hold Over/Under
Some stage are set up so that you have to hold your dope instead of dialing it. Many don't list this as a requirement. It's up to the shooter to judge the best way to shoot the stage.
Hold overs, hold unders, mover leads and wind holds are the reason FFP dominates PRS style matches. With FFP, your reticle and your turrets can be used interchangeably in conjunction with one another at ANY magnification.
Lets look at an example. Let's say you have 3 targets and the dope for them is as follows:
T1: 1.1 mils
T2: 3.7 mils
T3: 6.2 mils
These are the ways you can use your scope to engage the targets:
i) Dial for each targets
ii) Leave the scope elevation at 0 and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: 1.1 mils
T2: 3.7 mils
T3: 6.2 mils
iii) Dial 1.1 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: 0.0 mils
T2: 2.6 mils
T3: 5.1 mils
iv) Dial 3.7 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: -2.6 mils (hold under)
T2: 0.0 mils
T3: 2.5 mils
v) Dial 6.2 mils elevation and use the following holds on the reticle:
T1: -5.1 mils (hold under)
T2: -2.5 mils (hold under)
T3: 0.0 mils
I think that i) and ii) are kind of intuitive. iii) just keeps things closer to the center of the reticle, which is helpful if you don't have an xmas tree type reticle since it keeps things closer to your horizontal cross hair so that you can reference the has marks more accurately. People will do iv) for the same reason, it and v) are also done in cases where you have a target at those distances that you want you use the center of the reticle for or want to reference the horizontal crosshair on. Examples would be a very small target or a mover. If you ever get a chance to shoot at the K&M Precision Rifle Training facility or at CORE, they will often have a stage where you need to engage a mover at the back of the range a certain number or times, then com back and shoot a few targets from near to you back to the mover before engaging it again. For that one, you will want to use v).
3) Take Stuff Off The Rifle That You Don't Need
If you don't need to use the bipod on a stage with a barricade, take it off the gun. Especially if it's a fast stage that required a lot of different positions. The bipod will likely get in the way of your position transitions and in many cases will hamper building stable positions. Same holds true of other accessories.
4) Make Sure the Rifle is Supported/Stable
You can't make precision shots if the crosshair is going all over the place. The rifle needs to be stable. On a wobbly barricade, or any barricade, the trick is setting the rifle up to be stable and NOT muscling it. This is generally accomplished in one of two ways:
i) Set the rifle on the barricade on it's balancing point (at the trail). This is where the Game Changer bag or Solo Sac come in handy. Learn to drive the rifle only using light pressure with your shoulder. Let it sit naturally. If the barricade is stable, you can apply some downward pressure on the rifle to lock it against the barricade through the bag. Let the bag conform to the shape it needs to so that your crosshairs are on the target.
ii) Put the fore end of the rifle on the barricade and support a part of the rifle further back. Support the rear with something: a pillow bag, a tripod leg, your backpack, etc....
The common mistake I see is people putting the end of the rifle on the barricade, or resting on their folded up bipod and putting the buttstock against their shoulder with nothing under it supporting it. That's a recipe for wobble!
4) Shoot at the speed you practice at regardless of stage time
Don't worry about making the stage time. Speed comes with practice. Shoot at the pace you're capable of making good hits at. Getting half the points making solid shots is better than zeroing the stage because you rushed, you didn't take the time to build solid positions, you didn't take the time to adjust things to better see your misses, or you didn't take the time to zoom out when you couldn't find the targets. Some stages are set up to test speed and are designed to separate the top shooters from each other based on ability to quickly build positions. This means the times are sometimes intentionally set so that no one can finish the stage. Remember that PRS points are based on percentage of the top shooters score. If the best score for a stage is 8/10 or 7/10, the stage is effectively out of 8 or 7 instead of 10.
More to come
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