06-08-2012, 10:05 PM
If you really feel you are losing shots right, then there a couple things that come to mind.
1) Trigger squeeze. Depending what part of your finger is used to depress the trigger, you may be pushing the barrel right.
2) Changing cheek pressure, as you noted. I try to think of the trigger pull as a complete action. With a two stage trigger its:
1) Trigger through 1st stage to stop.
2) Trigger through 2nd stage to ignition.
3) Trigger back to reset.
In my mind its a little bit like a dance: one and two and three, then I look for the shot.
With a single stage its:
1) One through ignition.
2) Two back to reset.
The dance is: one and two, then I look for the shot.
This is not new from me, its my intepretation of something I learned from one of the top 3 gun guys in the country, Pat Kelley. (If you don't know Pat's history, the guy is incredible. He shot 3 Gun Heavy, which is .45, .308, Shotgun, open sights. He was NEVER beaten at any level: Local, State, National. Think about that! How many people have NEVER been beaten at their chosen endeavor?) He has since switched to a different category, because it got to where no one would shoot against him. He taught it to me regarding pistol, but I think it applies at least as much to rifle as pistol.
What this routine does is make you think through your follow through, which to many of us don't do. Most of us squeeze and start looking for the shot.
3) Are you squeezing the back bag? If you are a bag squeezer, (I am) the tendency is to relax that hand as you pull the trigger, and that causes inconsistency problems, too.
Those are my immediate thoughts.
1) Trigger squeeze. Depending what part of your finger is used to depress the trigger, you may be pushing the barrel right.
2) Changing cheek pressure, as you noted. I try to think of the trigger pull as a complete action. With a two stage trigger its:
1) Trigger through 1st stage to stop.
2) Trigger through 2nd stage to ignition.
3) Trigger back to reset.
In my mind its a little bit like a dance: one and two and three, then I look for the shot.
With a single stage its:
1) One through ignition.
2) Two back to reset.
The dance is: one and two, then I look for the shot.
This is not new from me, its my intepretation of something I learned from one of the top 3 gun guys in the country, Pat Kelley. (If you don't know Pat's history, the guy is incredible. He shot 3 Gun Heavy, which is .45, .308, Shotgun, open sights. He was NEVER beaten at any level: Local, State, National. Think about that! How many people have NEVER been beaten at their chosen endeavor?) He has since switched to a different category, because it got to where no one would shoot against him. He taught it to me regarding pistol, but I think it applies at least as much to rifle as pistol.
What this routine does is make you think through your follow through, which to many of us don't do. Most of us squeeze and start looking for the shot.
3) Are you squeezing the back bag? If you are a bag squeezer, (I am) the tendency is to relax that hand as you pull the trigger, and that causes inconsistency problems, too.
Those are my immediate thoughts.
You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live. - John Galt