You have too much scope!

[Fulcrum]

I know this thread is a little old, but I want to insert an alternative take on this subject.

I have shot my AR-15 and my 308 bolt gun out to 600 yards. I have a scope on the AR that maxes at 27X. I have tested myself shooting at different magnifications because I've heard so many times "that's way too much magnification". I found that, for ME, I was more accurate at 100 yards with 27X than with lower magnifications.

I shot my first Appleseed early this year, with a 10/22 with a 2-7 scope on it. I did not score Rifleman.

I shot the next 2 Appleseeds with a 10/22 with a 4-16x44. I found that I did my best running it around 10X. I finally made Rifleman on that 3rd 'seed.

My friend that introduced me to the Appleseed program is a cop and the lead sniper on his department's SWAT team. He shot my first 'seed alongside me. It was not his first Appleseed and he's shot a Rifleman score every time he's done a 'seed, I think. At my first one, I was shooting using less than the 7X my scope could offer. He eventually told me "crank that up. Shoot small, miss small."

My final thought is, if you don't use enough magnification to see your shakiness, how can you tell when you're improving on your shakiness?

I totally agree. I found the scope revealed tiny shakes and wobbles I didn't see before, and I could learn to calm and relax enough to reduce them. And I also found with enough magnification and sharp clarity, I could see and hold on the X in the target, instead of the general center of a small grayish target with no detail. It's a definite benefit in stage 4. In the rapid fire stages, too high magnification can make it take longer to even find your targe, and in stage 1, it's not necessary to have high magnification, but for me, on stage 4 it really helps to crank it up.

[StuartV]

I totally agree. I found the scope revealed tiny shakes and wobbles I didn't see before, and I could learn to calm and relax enough to reduce them. And I also found with enough magnification and sharp clarity, I could see and hold on the X in the target, instead of the general center of a small grayish target with no detail. It's a definite benefit in stage 4. In the rapid fire stages, too high magnification can make it take longer to even find your targe, and in stage 1, it's not necessary to have high magnification, but for me, on stage 4 it really helps to crank it up.

Exactly! Aim small, miss small.

[Gus]

My final thought is, if you don't use enough magnification to see your shakiness, how can you tell when you're improving on your shakiness?

StuartV,

That is one of the top ten best questions I've ever seen on these forums. I have been going through some of the older posts and I happened to see it.

I pondered this a little while. The answer I have for you, in my opinion, is you you'll know your shakiness is improving when your group sizes shrink from what you have been doing and the noticeable lack of flyers (whether the flyers are called or not). This assumes you are using the same rifle, sight/scope, sling, ammo and you're in the prone position. When in a solid sitting position you can develop your skills to be very nearly the equal of prone.  Even in standing you can improve your groups and nearly eliminate flyers.

As a brief aside, I would encourage shooters to keep their targets and establish a file for them. Over time you can measure the groups to actually see how much you are improving from one clinic to the next. Write on the targets pertinent data like dates, places, ammo and rifle used.

When you see your groups shrinking down to 4 MOA or less in prone (even less when you really get with it) it means you are concentrating on each shot individually and consistently applying the fundamentals of the six steps, NPOA, and solid position. It also means you have good equipment and you're taking care of it!

Also, to reduce shakiness, you can wear a soft, padded, leather glove on your support hand.  The glove reduces the amount 'wiggle' your pulse induces to the rifle from your support hand.

When using your sling in any of the positions, wear a shirt or jacket that is of a material your sling can 'bite' into. Don't wear something slick like a nylon or polyester windbreaker that lets your sling slip down towards your elbow. Once your sling slips, especially during stages two and three, shooters try to compensate by muscling the rifle because they don't have time to fix the sling. Muscling = Shakiness.

There is also the shooting jacket, but I'll only mention it here as a shooting jacket is typically its own skillset to learn after a shooter is solid in the fundamentals. That is, again, only my opinion.

Furthermore, to reduce shakiness, eat, sleep and hydrate well for a few days before attending an Appleseed clinic. At a clinic, snack lightly on some proteins and drink a lot of water. Remember, at 25 meter and KD clinics we usually shoot AQTs after lunch! A belly full of pasta causes your heart to pound away like a vintage locomotive right when you need it to to play nice.

My two cents. Hope this helps.

Gus