Situational Accuracy:
Good Shot or Not?
Here’s Tank’s last LEOSA Qualification target showing practical
accuracy is all you need. If this were a bullseye target, it would
be a poor performance. Venues matter.
An accurate shooter is described as one who hits what they’re shooting at. It’s as simple as that. Just as there are many different makes, models and styles of guns, there are many kinds of different shooting venues. Each shooting venue involves different skill sets to be considered successful or “good” for the given task.
This isn’t a “how-to” article by any means, but more of a let’s “think about it” type of piece. Accuracy is affected by time, distance and stress. Group size alone is a poor indicator of shooting ability without taking into consideration the course of fire. While keeping all rounds inside a 15” square may be good for timed qualification, it’s poor performance for a target shooter or hunter.
Testing a new gun with after-market sights like these Skinner Peep
sights shows how accuracy can be obtained more easily and consistently.
Qualifications
Firearms qualifications can be the mentally toughest for some people to successfully pass. Their job status could be on the line if they don’t successfully shoot to the required standards of their department or agency. It’s easy to tell who’s confident in their shooting skills by where the shooters line up. More confident shooters tend to choose shooting lanes in the middle of the firing line, while less confident shooters choke the outer fringes to shoot.
Qualification courses usually have time constraints and involve multiple reloads, shooting both strong and weak hand stages, and malfunction drills demonstrating gun proficiency. This is for the good of the department, fellow employees and the officer or agent involved.
My old department now has Law Enforcement Safety Act (LEOSA) participants who qualify yearly using the same course of fire as current department members. It consists of 50 rounds for each course of fire, with distances starting at 25 yards, kneeling and a strong-hand barricade. The target is then moved to 15 yards for two-handed shooting, mixed with strong-hand and weak-hand shooting.
To keep things honest, each phase is given a time limit using turning bladed targets. Several phases require drawing from the holster and others from low-ready. At 7 yards, hot tactical reloads are performed, as well as shooting your gun dry and strong and weak one-handed shooting. After the course of fire, another identical course is fired in low-light conditions. The course is meant to check the skillset and proficiency of participants should they encounter an armed confrontation.
The course of fire also tests participants’ fine and gross motor skills, as well as testing sight alignment, and general gun manipulation dexterity. During these qualifications, it’s obvious who shoots regularly, and who doesn’t. If participants display any unsafe gun handling or fail to shoot at least a 70 on the course of fire, they fail. In rare cases, they’re asked not to return.
Using a sandbag rest helps steady the gun, especially when shooting long range.
Competing against the calipers for accuracy testing
is always fun and a different kind of competition.
Target Shooting
While target shooting is a little more relaxed than a qualification, it can be stressful if hardcore competition is involved. The stress comes from within the individual doing the shooting, not the fear factor of possibly being injured or killed. Target shooting can involve competition between participants or a lone person trying to beat themselves on time or accuracy proficiency.
After months of practicing with the same rifle and loads, one shot
was all it took Tank to take this Cape Buffalo. A nice combination
of practical accuracy with a little stress involved.
Practice makes perfect. Again, 6 o’clock hold at 100 yards with peep sighted .45-70 levergun.
Hunting
Hunting, especially big game hunting, can be challenging. Most scenarios give you a window of a mere few seconds to close the deal on your hunt. This is where firearms familiarity is important, as well as rifle fit, so you can quickly find the animal in your scope/sights. If handgun hunting with a scope, being able to find the animal in the scope field is especially challenging, as the distance from your eye to scope is limited.
Then, keeping your reticle on target while completing your trigger press comes into play. All this while fighting the adrenaline dump your body so desperately wants to release. Iron-sighted shooters must really be up for the change, as distance tells the tale for these hunters. The further the target, the more exaggerated any bad shooting habits present themselves.
After accurate load development, practice from practical field positions is recommended. Shooting from kneeling, prone, using a backpack, sitting, using knees for support, and shooting from sticks or bipods are also recommended. Unsupported offhand shooting is the most inaccurate way of shooting. Ironically, it’s frequently the only chance you may have while walking from one location to another. It pays to practice offhand shooting. By practicing the hardest shooting positions, the other positions will seem easier.
Testing the accuracy of a firearm is usually a fun, low stress
affair where the emphasis is on how well the gun shoots.
Final tune-up for a hunt. Tank’s last four shots from his Magnum
Research BFR .454 Casull at 50 yards using open sights is less than 2”.
The point of aim was 6 o’clock hold on 2” circle.
Gun Testing
Everyone also needs to test their guns to some degree. Finding what factory load shoots the best, or, more importantly, functions properly, is vitally important, especially with concealed carry guns and guns used for home defense. Once an accurate load that functions reliably in your gun is found, buy a case of it. You’ll be glad you did.
Sometimes it’s just fun to plink where we have no
goals but to enjoy a fine old gun and loads.
Professional Plinker
Plinking is pure pleasure shooting, and it is my favorite style of shooting. It can be close in or several hundred yards out at a far-off rock. The main goal of plinking is fun. It allows you to get familiar or reacquainted with your gun, trigger pull, new handload, or a host of other things you might want to try out. Pleasure plinking is a meditation for shooters to clear their minds while having fun.
Using better sight blades for revolves improves sight
picture like these blades from Ronnie Wells.
Intertwined Crossover
No matter the venue, certain aspects of shooting will never change. A good trigger press is mandatory for good shooting, as is maintaining sight alignment and sight picture during your trigger press. Maintaining a cool head is always helpful but can be hard at times. The more you shoot, the more these skills will become secondary to you. Just try to have some fun on the range.
