05-05-2011, 04:21 PM
Gents,
One thing I learned from the guys from 1st Special Forces Group that ran our SOTIC MTT for my Sniper section on the DMZ in Korea was "settling the gun". Basically, once your comfortable and solid position is established, you establish your initial natural point of aim, keeping the reticle on the dead center of target with no inconsistent muscle tension, you close your eyes...then shake the gun rearward a little simulating recoil, and settle it into the position more...then open your eyes. If the crosshairs are still within the target, you're ready to send it. If you have significant displacement in elevation or left/right, you might want to re-build your position and adjust until you get a good settle into the target. Patience really comes into play then.
From a physiological standpoint, one of the most overlooked components of this is proper hydration. If you are dehydrated, your blood thickens to something more like sludge. Now your heart and lungs have to work harder to circulate the electrolytic plasmatic fluid that carries nutrients and oxygen to all your cells, and your biological rhythms basically become more pronounced and erratic from a circulatory perspective. In plain speak, your hear beats harder and your pulse has a more "thump" quality to it, which means your crosshairs will do the same. You will have reduced attentional focus capacity, and your muscles will fatigue faster, leaving you with less of a window to shoot in a good respiratory pause.
The solution: drink plenty of pure water...but then you have to deal with the realities of a more frequently full bladder, so there's another window to work in. I have noticed that I do much better when hydrated, and I just feel more refreshed and energized, with more clarity of thought to focus on the shooting process. There have been times when my trigger finger became so fatigued on a stock M4 during a day of shooting, that I couldn't pull it consistently anymore, and it was painful. I realized that I hadn't hydrated like I normally did, so I tanked a canteen or two and immediately started feeling better.
No, beer does not count as hydrating...
LRRPF52
One thing I learned from the guys from 1st Special Forces Group that ran our SOTIC MTT for my Sniper section on the DMZ in Korea was "settling the gun". Basically, once your comfortable and solid position is established, you establish your initial natural point of aim, keeping the reticle on the dead center of target with no inconsistent muscle tension, you close your eyes...then shake the gun rearward a little simulating recoil, and settle it into the position more...then open your eyes. If the crosshairs are still within the target, you're ready to send it. If you have significant displacement in elevation or left/right, you might want to re-build your position and adjust until you get a good settle into the target. Patience really comes into play then.
From a physiological standpoint, one of the most overlooked components of this is proper hydration. If you are dehydrated, your blood thickens to something more like sludge. Now your heart and lungs have to work harder to circulate the electrolytic plasmatic fluid that carries nutrients and oxygen to all your cells, and your biological rhythms basically become more pronounced and erratic from a circulatory perspective. In plain speak, your hear beats harder and your pulse has a more "thump" quality to it, which means your crosshairs will do the same. You will have reduced attentional focus capacity, and your muscles will fatigue faster, leaving you with less of a window to shoot in a good respiratory pause.
The solution: drink plenty of pure water...but then you have to deal with the realities of a more frequently full bladder, so there's another window to work in. I have noticed that I do much better when hydrated, and I just feel more refreshed and energized, with more clarity of thought to focus on the shooting process. There have been times when my trigger finger became so fatigued on a stock M4 during a day of shooting, that I couldn't pull it consistently anymore, and it was painful. I realized that I hadn't hydrated like I normally did, so I tanked a canteen or two and immediately started feeling better.
No, beer does not count as hydrating...
LRRPF52