Spotting your shot

[J E Custom]

As an old Match shooter (Very old) I taught my self how to call my shots. This takes trigger control, Training, Practice and follow through. your mind can work like a camera and log the moment the round brakes, and if you follow through you can see most hits and remember exactly where the cross hairs were when the round broke.

If you can't remember where the cross hairs were when the round went off, you are ether flinching, jerking the trigger (Target panic) or to interested in seeing the hit to follow through. You may not see every hit, but if you called the shot, it is amazing how close you will be with where you remember it should be. This is the reason that accuracy is so important for a hunting rifle.

Using this technique while shooting long range matches Most of the time I knew where the hit would be before it reached the target.
It is also a valuable tool for running shots.

Long range bow hunters HAVE to use this technique to follow through to be successful at distances of 30 to 100 yards.

J E CUSTOM

 

[MachV]

JE just reminded me of something I do without thinking about anymore. Hunt with the sun at you back! It makes spotting critters, the trace and the hit much easier.
This works better when hunting a known area......I stalk one side of a canyon in the morning and the opposite in the evening for example.

 

[Rich Coyle]

J E Custom,
It's really easy to see your reticle's position when you have a misfire. That happened a couple hours ago. I was saddened by the misfire and delighted with the sight picture at and after the click.

 

[Bravo 4]

Calling your shot is something that I do not see in shooter-spotter lingo much outside of Sniper teams. When the shot breaks the shooter should tell the spotter where the POA (sights) was (not intended POA) so that the spotter can give a true correction if needed and aid in data collection.

 

[Wedgy]

A good, solid shooting position, good form, a well balanced rifle with a brake, and not turning up the scope power too much. I have a lightweight 6.5x284 that jumps up that I need to modify my shooting form to get it under control. I think weather conditions/moisture and light angle play a role in how visible the trace is also. I also like to use the spotter with a cell phone adapter.

 

[5RWill]

You need a good brake on a deer rifle. You also need good shooting form to control your recoil. Spotting your hits means being on your intended target after the trigger break and before the time of flight to the target.

Pretty much this. It's all fundamentals. I'm not fundamentally sound enough to take 9lb magnum and shoot and spot my own impacts. There are lots that are though. Look up Phillip Velayo and Scott Saterlee's videos on Natural Point of Aim, Free recoil, and recoil management. It's more competition oriented but it 100% applies.

 

[yobuck]

JE just reminded me of something I do without thinking about anymore. Hunt with the sun at you back! It makes spotting critters, the trace and the hit much easier.
This works better when hunting a known area......I stalk one side of a canyon in the morning and the opposite in the evening for example.

Well it goes without saying that you need the sun at a favorable angle, especially when on a stationary location, (glassing) the hillside opposite your position. Otherwise your looking into an inkwell.
We have am spots and pm spots for that very reason, unless it's an overcast day. But if the sun is shining, you had best know the lay of the land before hiking to a specific location. Notice also, that much of the conversation here revolves around well experienced (shooters.) Fact is it really dosent take a well experienced (shooter,) to make a long range hunter, or to make a long range kill. It just takes a fairly good shooter, shooting from the right type setup and listening to what he or she is being told by the (spotter.) But that statement although true, is also like sticking a pin in the male ego. lol

 

[MachV]

It may go without saying but for some reason I see orange on the other canyon slope fairly often??

 

[WildRose]

This is true especially if alone, I'm about 50% so far by myself (hunting that is, about 99% on targets). It has made the difference on one cross canyon shot to where the perceived poi made me think I initially missed, only to zoom in the video and see the actual impact on the animal. The perceived poi ended up being a ricochet up hill after the bullet passed through the animal, it appeared to go over the animal. I also had the exact scenario last year that Yobuck describes. By the time I got behind the rifle after getting the spotter on a buck digging a doe, he moved just out of frame. I was by myself both times.

We certainly can't prepare for every possible scenario but more often than not when we're hunting at long range the target is going to be pretty well if not perfectly stationary so in most circumstances it will work fine.

Now, during the rut anything can happen but who among us limits their hunting solely to the rut anyhow?

 

[WildRose]

I can occasionally see my own trace with a muzzle braked 223 but its very rare and the fact that brakes make muzzle blast/noise atrocious I much prefer a unbraked weapon for hunting. One could I suppose use hearing protection while hunting but I generally do not. I really wish that Hearing Protection Act would of passed Congress making silencers available without the hassles.

Even with the best suppressors hearing protection should be worn. Unless you're shooting subsonics you've still got the supersonic crack to deal with.

 

[WildRose]

As an old Match shooter (Very old) I taught my self how to call my shots. This takes trigger control, Training, Practice and follow through. your mind can work like a camera and log the moment the round brakes, and if you follow through you can see most hits and remember exactly where the cross hairs were when the round broke.

If you can't remember where the cross hairs were when the round went off, you are ether flinching, jerking the trigger (Target panic) or to interested in seeing the hit to follow through. You may not see every hit, but if you called the shot, it is amazing how close you will be with where you remember it should be. This is the reason that accuracy is so important for a hunting rifle.

Using this technique while shooting long range matches Most of the time I knew where the hit would be before it reached the target.
It is also a valuable tool for running shots.

Long range bow hunters HAVE to use this technique to follow through to be successful at distances of 30 to 100 yards.

J E CUSTOM

I'm the same way. When I pull the trigger I know if I've made a good or a poor shot before I even look and the ears don't like either. You learn to know exactly what a solid hit sounds like vs a poor hit or a miss.

 

[J E Custom]

A few years ago I had the urge to hunt with a 7 oz trigger pull because this rifle realy liked it at the range and I thought it would be great.

I was hunting white tails and was using the 7 WSM because of the distance and wind. Things were going normal and I was seeing lots of game, so I put on my hearing protection and pored myself a cup of coffee and just enjoyed the hunting. After a while, a realy nice buck appeared a little over 200 yards for an easy shot.

The wind was blowing hard so I eased the rifle up and did all the things that I should, acquiring a good site picture, taking a breath, and with a good site picture put my finger in the trigger guard and boom. the rifle went off even though I had not started applying pressure.

The site picture was exactly where it should have been for the shot and the brain (At least whats left of it) snapped the picture and I knew it was on even though I was not ready to make the shot. I could not see the deer but knew it should have been a good shot.
so I sat for a few moments and then started heading to where the deer was standing and found him where he stood. I was not to worried because I called the shot, but I was not happy that it went off
simply by touching the trigger with the glove. Calling the shot told me that in spite of the screwed up shot, that it would fine and no harm no foul and if I had to look for the deer it was still a good hit. The rifle now has a 2 pound trigger to prevent this.

Once you train you brain to call the shot, it will be of great value to your hunting and follow through. I think the main problem is that we want to see the hit so bad that our subconscious mind starts raising your head just before the shot breaks so you loose the image of the
last thing that happened.

The point is, that it saved me lots of worry even though I screwed up knowing that the shot should be good.

J E CUSTOM

 

[aebhunter]

Even with the best suppressors hearing protection should be worn. Unless you're shooting subsonics you've still got the supersonic crack to deal with.

Off topic, but worth noting again. I shoot 100% suppressed, but still wear hearing protection all the time, even when hunting. With a muzzle brake I would wear foam plugs AND muffs, with my suppressor I wear the molded in ear style of plugs that you don't even know are there.

On the topic, the art of calling your shots is a great skill to have. When I shoot competitions and get in a "zen mode" of finding the right blend of time management and good fundamentals, I can call my shots with a surprising amount of consistency. I find my fundamentals tend to be lacking when I get in a hurry. Kind of a slow is smooth, smooth is fast type deal. In hunting, I feel I can slow the situation down enough If I make a good stalk and the animal has no clue I am there. Then I just really concentrate on that tiny spot of hair and make it a point to watch the bullet impact the animal.

 

[Bravo 4]

JE,
I hear people all the time say the rifle going off should surprise you, but negligent or accidental discharge is a little extreme!