Our 2nd, 10-Week B&B Bullseye Session Starts on May 30, 2022

[OkieStubble]

When shooting for score, I always use the timer, unless my practice target turns in a good score. If I'm practicing Slow fire, I just count to 30 or 45 seconds before raising the pistol and taking the shot. That way I don't waste time waiting for all the range commands. When using the timer, I'm usually done by 8 to 9 min. on average, but I try to use most of the time. I don't practice Timed or Rapid fire per se. If I'm shooting a practice Slow fire and I see that I've thrown a couple of shots halfway through the string and won't score well, I fire the rest of the shots rapid and start over. When shooting Timed and Rapid for score, I try to use most of the time. I try to practice a shooting cadence that helps me use most if not all of the time. I raise my pistol for the first shot right after the last command so that I'm ready to pull the trigger when the buzzer goes off. For Timed fire, my cadence is like "Bang-two-three-four-Bang...etc." and for Rapid it is "Bang -two-three-Bang".
I'm shooting everything one handed, so I can't comment on which course of fire it is best to shoot one handed. Slow fire is the hardest and most fatiguing, and with my shoulder issues, I feel that is the one I need to practice most one handed. YMMV.
So, to clarify, as soon as I shoot a good Slow fire target, I shoot my Timed and Rapid-fire targets. So even if I don't use the timer for Slow, by counting up to 45 sec. between shots, I'm using most of the allotted time without going over the time limit. But I always use the timer for Timed and Rapid for score.

Good advice. This all makes sense to me. Question: Is official .22 50 ft competition done all one handed?

Good shooting Rob!

Thanks. It was all two handed, but I need to get started one handed, but don’t know If I know how to begin? Reading about proper stance, posture, breath control, etc, is easy enough, until ya actually try to do it all at the same time.

I hear what you’re saying about slow fire and your shoulders. I don’t know why, but my back aches and feels fatigued after my slow fire course. Even when I’m resting the barrel on the lane table in between my shots and trying to relax and clear my mind in those 45 seconds between shots? Maybe I’m having some type of shooting anxiety or something and it tenses up my back, I dunno.

I don’t really notice it much with timed and rapid.

 

[nortac]

I know that I don't have the best posture in the world, but when I slow fire, I try to correct it all at once! In an effort to have as straight a line as possible from my aiming eye (and I'm forcing myself to use my non-dominant right eye) through the shoulder, arm, wrist and sights, I'm rolling my shoulders back, straightening my spine and sucking in my gut as much as possible. Also, I'm turning my head to the right, something I don't do when shooting dynamically two handed with my head facing forward. Foot placement is critical or I'm rocking back and forth rolling on my heels. It all produces strain that I normally don't deal with. But I think it pays off when I do things right, at least until I become too fatigued to maintain the process. In a long shooting session, I begin shooting like crap, improve to a certain point, then it all goes back in the other direction!

 

[Bob L.]

Good advice. This all makes sense to me. Question: Is official .22 50 ft competition done all one handed?



Thanks. It was all two handed, but I need to get started one handed, but don’t know If I know how to begin? Reading about proper stance, posture, breath control, etc, is easy enough, until ya actually try to do it all at the same time.

I hear what you’re saying about slow fire and your shoulders. I don’t know why, but my back aches and feels fatigued after my slow fire course. Even when I’m resting the barrel on the lane table in between my shots and trying to relax and clear my mind in those 45 seconds between shots? Maybe I’m having some type of shooting anxiety or something and it tenses up my back, I dunno.

I don’t really notice it much with timed and rapid.

"Official" Bullseye/Precision Shooting is done one-handed. The B&B League is not an "official" league. It is an "informal" league. The only hard rules are:
1) We score targets by the official rules
2) We shoot at the proscribed distances - There are different sized targets for different distances.
3) You shoot all three targets, in order, in one contiguous session - (If your slow target is really unworthy of your skills you may throw that target away and start over without shooting the other two targets. If you decide you don't like either of the timed targets you throw all shot targets away and start again with the slow target.
4) No mulligans - Not liking a shot means starting over with the slow target and then shooting the timed targets.

Our timing rules are relaxed. We don't worry about a little extra time on any of the targets. Your timing goal is to develop an even cadence for each of the targets.

We are not competing against one another. Our goal is personal improvement.

I shoot in a friendly "official" league every Thursday.

• New shooters are encouraged to shoot two-handed until they land all their shots within the scoring rings or they regularly score in the 180s/190s or above. This lets new shooters concentrate on the process, range commands, shooting cadence, etc...
• Some shooters, like myself, continue to shoot with both hands because of physical issues. When I get to the 260s I'll be asked to try one-handed again on some or all of the targets. "Asked" is the correct verb. I don't have to go there. If it becomes evident that one-handed isn't going to work out I'll be encouraged to re-shoot those one-handed sessions for score.

Tense muscles are common and devastating to one's score. Breathing and pausing one's breath before the trigger breaks are also primary skills.

Brian Zinns has made lots of great videos. Here's a good one to start with.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

 

[OkieStubble]

Great post @Bob L. much needed clarification and pointers. I think the concentration on the process, range commands and cadence is probably where I need to focus before attempting one handed.

I understand clearly it isn’t a competition, but isn’t being somewhat or a bit competitive, with others or at the very least with myself is where some of that fun comes from?

 

[Bob L.]

Great post @Bob L. much needed clarification and pointers. I think the concentration on the process, range commands and cadence is probably where I need to focus before attempting one handed.

I understand clearly it isn’t a competition, but isn’t being somewhat or a bit competitive, with others or at the very least with myself is where some of that fun comes from?

Competition! Of course, there's some competitiveness involved. Competition is fun. I'm sure each of us in our league checks out everyone else's average and latest score. Some of us also checkout individual standard deviations. Competition is a fine motivator.

Bullseye Leagues come in different flavors. We have a couple of leagues in my area where every close point is hotly debated. Timing issues are measured at the millisecond level. Targets are mechanically turned when time runs out. A shot before the clock starts creates a major issue with or without auto-turning targets. Pistol components must be exactly to spec. Miss-fires, squibs, and hang-fires cause rule books to be opened and hot discussions come next. The shots taken after these miss-fires, etc... are observed very carefully. The list goes on, and on, and on... The shooters themselves are mathematically placed in different cohorts that match their skill levels. They are ranked after each match. Cohorts are redone after each 10-week session. These leagues are about placement and winning.

The league I'm in is full of shooters who simply enjoy the sport and helping others get better at it. When two people start discussing a close point someone else will simply say something like... "want a fresh eye on that one" with a smile. It's an enjoyable evening. Some of the shooters in my league are also in a league like the one I described above. They don't describe their time in those leagues as "fun". "Serious business" is one of the more apt descriptions from those shooters.

 

[nortac]

I'm competing against myself, but myself wants at least to do as well as everyone else, LOL!

 

[Bob L.]

I'm competing against myself, but myself wants at least to do as well as everyone else, LOL!

Sounds very familiar!

 

[BigFoot]

Here are my scores. I will shoot again tomorrow and that should catch me up.

Slow-72, 2 in 10 ring a personal best on slow fire.

Timed 1 hand-83

Rapid-82 2x

 

[nortac]

I've been soaking my suppressor in Bore Tech C4 carbon cleaner as it is heavily fouled, to the point I had difficulty removing it from my Mk III! Hopefully it will be back in service and I can shoot my score tomorrow.

 

[OkieStubble]

I'm competing against myself, but myself wants at least to do as well as everyone else, LOL!

This!

 

[OkieStubble]

Here are my scores. I will shoot again tomorrow and that should catch me up.

Slow-72, 2 in 10 ring a personal best on slow fire.

Timed 1 hand-83

Rapid-82 2x

I haven’t shot any one handed yet, but I have pointed and aimed down range one handed a few times. Felt very self conscious and scary. That dot was bobbing all over the place.

 

[nortac]

After years of training to shoot Weaver or Isosceles, blading my body almost 90 degrees to the target is very foreign to me, but that's pretty much what you need to do to have everything in alignment, at least that is my limited understanding of the classic one handed bullseye shooting position.

 

[nortac]

I haven’t shot any one handed yet, but I have pointed and aimed down range one handed a few times. Felt very self conscious and scary. That dot was bobbing all over the place.

One of the things I have started to do when shooting Slow fire, is acquiring the dot before I raise the pistol from the rest position so that I don't waste time trying to find the dot and get it on target. Of course it still dances around, but acquiring the dot and then just raising it up to the bull seems to help somewhat. The less time it takes to get the dot on the bull, the less fatigued I get during each shot. I don't know how well that would work two handed, but I would think it still would help.

 

[OkieStubble]

One of the things I have started to do when shooting Slow fire, is acquiring the dot before I raise the pistol from the rest position so that I don't waste time trying to find the dot and get it on target. Of course it still dances around, but acquiring the dot and then just raising it up to the bull seems to help somewhat. The less time it takes to get the dot on the bull, the less fatigued I get during each shot. I don't know how well that would work two handed, but I would think it still would help.

Great idea!

 

[nortac]

After watching the Brian Zinns video, I may be stressing the bladed body position a bit too much? But I'm not sure how to get everything in a straight line if I don't. Trying to be a human Ransom rest, no bend in the elbow or wrist so that everything is repeatable shot to shot.

 

[OkieStubble]

After watching the Brian Zinns video, I may be stressing the bladed body position a bit too much? But I'm not sure how to get everything in a straight line if I don't. Trying to be a human Ransom rest, no bend in the elbow or wrist so that everything is repeatable shot to shot.

I am noticing more sway in my arm when one handed and standing bladed 100% to the side and less sway more weaver I think?

 

[nortac]

I am noticing more sway in my arm when one handed and standing bladed 100% to the side and less sway more weaver I think?

I think the key is in foot positioning, but as Zinns said, you want your shoulders over your hips over you kness and not to be corkscrewing your torso to get things alinged.

 

[BigFoot]

I stand exactly like I do for 2 hand. It works for me, I will watch the videos and probably totally screw up my 1 hand.

 

[nortac]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[nortac]

I had a good shoot this morning with a personal best Slow fire, all shots squarely in the black. I think I had a target in the first league where all were in the black, but one shot just barely cut the outside of the seven ring. I dropped points on my rapid fire, so no personal best score.

261-1X
Slow fire 89 (possibly an 88?) Either way a personal best.
Timed fire 90-1X
Rapid fire 82-0X