Too many shots on a single target. Try this........

[hobocircus]

I've read several posts where the shooter is putting an excessive amount of shots into one target. Not sure what the reasoning is, but its really a waste of ammo.

If you need to know where your shooting skills need improvement, then I would suggest you try this:

Get a large piece of blank paper (as large as you can find and as large as can be put up at your firing range of choice) and glue it onto a cardboard backing. Now at a resonable/practical distance, say 7 yards. Fire one shot into the center. Now try to put another shot into the same hole. Keep going untill you have spent 5 to 10 rounds. Mark this as practice #1.

Now find another blank spot away from the first area and try it again until there isn't anymore free space. After several drills, you should get a fairly good "map" of your progress and you will have to adjust grip, trigger control or other adjustment. In a sense you are not limiting your shots onto a set bullseye, but creating your own point of aim. Try it, it might help.

[attackrott]

hobocircus Good point, I do this since at some out door ranges I don’t want to be annoying and stop everyone’s shooting to go down range. I took my Carry and Conceal class just last weekend and I think my instructor must have thought I was a moron or a super lame shoot. We first had to shoot 50 rounds in the target. Everyone else was going for the bulls eye. After so many rounds you cant tell were the heck you are shooting. I actually try to hit the numbers on the target, usually that gives you a good distance between your groups so you can see your pattern low left or high left or what ever. Also if you had to shoot someone in self defense it is better to have some distance between your shots placements.

[NExd]

I've been saying this for quite awhile. Waste of Ammo

[JimLongley]

hobo, you stole one of my favorite practice/sight in methods.

When I was shooting .22 rifle competitively we frequently shot only one or two shots per bull because after that all there was was one hole.

[epsylum]

I get around this by going to an indoor range with electric target hangers and I work at a print shop, so I print out hundreds of whatever target I like that i downloaded. I just change out the target after every mag or two.

[hobocircus]

Originally Posted by JimLongley

hobo, you stole one of my favorite practice/sight in methods.

When I was shooting .22 rifle competitively we frequently shot only one or two shots per bull because after that all there was was one hole.

Sorry, I stole your idea Jim
Ahhhh, .22 rifle target shooting is great fun and good exercise in both the use of the mind and body. The whole idea of target shooting is to get a "map" of how you are performing the task of printing a tight group.

Another thought for you indoor range shooters. All modern indoor target ranges use a air filtration system and air conditioning. This means for many that your target isn't really sitting still. I've noticed most times the target is waving back and forth in the ventilation system. This waving motion will surely give you a false reading. Also the cable holding your target is more than likely rocking up and down like a boat on the water. Might be a good idea to wait 30 seconds or so untill your target is fairly stationary. I don't see a cure for the ventilation system, you surely can't get the rangemaster to turn it off. It's a necessary evil in the indoor shooting range.

[mr0w1]

For moving targets that shouldn't be moving (dunno if they'd let you in a public range, but I've done this for a while) just take 2 clothes pins and clip them to the very bottom edge of the target. The weight typically holds the target nice and still.

[manygunner]

Hmm, I think the original method is commonly know as the "nickle drill". Trying to place a group in a hole the size of a nickle starting at an initial point. I have been doing this for a while now but I use 10 rounds. It is a good basic marksmanship drill.

[Brickboy240]

Thats exactly like my sight-in method. I use this for all my centerfire pistols. You get more mileage out of each target, too. THis is also very cheap and you can get several "groups" per combat shilouette target.

Sometimes, that is hard to use that method with a 22 rifle, because if you sight in at 50yds like I do, it is hard to see one 22 shot at 50yds, without a spotting scope.

For my 22 rifle targets, I use Necco wafers for scoped 22s and Ritz crackers for the iron-sighted 22 rifles. To me, a 22 rifle is not worth its salt, if it cannot break these targets on a regular basis at 50yds. (Necco wafers and Ritz crackers are usually eaten up by squirrels or birds and make for environmentally friendly targets that don't leave alot of litter around)

-Brickboy240

[hobocircus]

Poor squirrels are going to have rotten teeth and mild lead poisoning