Silhouettes Last Frontier

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Silhouettes Last Frontier

Post by Boomer »

SILHOUETTE'S LAST FRONTIER
by Blair Hamilton

Standing - the one word in silhouette that elicits opposite ends of the emotional spectrum for shooters. For some, like myself, it is the favorite silhouette category; anticipated for the shear challenge and test of skills that it is. For the vast majority of shooters, it is the least favorite category; dreaded because of the challenge and test of skills that it is. It is one of the ironies of silhouette that standing is embraced by some and shunned by others for exactly the same reasons. This article is for those that place themselves in the 'vast majority' group and may help improve your understanding and skills, and maybe sway you into the group that embraces silhouette's last, unconquered 40x40 frontier.

My credentials for writing this article are simply that I am a standing INT class shooter, but by no means one of the best, and it is my favorite category. The latter has evolved into an in-depth look at standing and how to shoot it to one's potential. In my 10 years of shooting silhouette, I have learned that the average approach to standing, both mentally and physically, is designed to fail. As a match director for 9 years, I have had the opportunity to watch (and learn) a lot about standing shooting and the way that shooters progress. In this article, I will discuss several aspects of shooting the 'dreaded' category and ways to knock down more steel while your feet are planted firmly below you.

Let's face it, standing is silhouette's most difficult category. That fact alone is the primary reason why improvement is the slowest. As the hardest category, it is shot the least, certainly practiced the least, and by in large is regarded a necessary evil in being able to call oneself a 'complete' silhouette shooter. So the first step in improving your ability has to be a commitment to do so, which means shooting it more often and practicing. The second is accepting that there are no over night fixes and the road to improvement may (no, make that will) be paved partially with frustration. And finally, approach the category with a positive outlook; learning from your hits as well as your misses.

With standing, just as with freestyle, there are many variations and approaches which can be taken to achieve the same end. I will discuss several of these, but by no means will the discussion be exhaustive. The principles discussed should be used as a basis to tweak what you are already doing, or trying something new; all in an effort to find the right combination that works for you. Each shooter's approach will be a little different and it is a matter of finding the right mix. Do not be afraid to experiment.

Let's start with the tool of the trade. Since there are so many variables involved in shooting standing, having the right handgun in your hand is the first step in improvement. There are several silhouette guns which work well and you are probably using one already. The most popular ones being T/C contender, BF Arms, XL, MOA and any good revolver. All are reasonably lightweight, accurate and are comfortable in a standing position. Maybe more important than the instrument, is the chambering and load. Good standing cartridges are adequate for the task at hand, but not overly so. You do not want to be shooting such a big cartridge that you might flinch at the shot or that may cause you to fatigue before the course of fire is completed. There are many standers who advocate a minimal cartridge, like the 30 Carbine, 30-20 and 357; the theory being to minimize recoil. Although I agree with the theory, I do not necessarily agree with these loads for one simple reason - with such light loads, the chance of a ringer is increased beyond my tolerance level. If I have done everything right to hit a target standing, you can be assured that I want it to fall. However, if the use of a light caliber allows you to shoot your best, then by all means stick with them, even with the occasional ringer. I would recommend anything in the 7TCU or 7SM range because of their historical accuracy and ability to get the job done - even on marginal hits. Once you get up into the 7BR or larger class, I really think you have crossed the line of maximum efficiency, taking all factors into account. The bottom line is you have to be 1) using a gun and cartridge you are comfortable with; 2) using a gun that suits your type of hold (see below); and 3) using a gun you have confidence in.

All shooting positions start with a stance or foundation, and standing is no different, except it must start with your feet planted firmly on the ground supporting an erect body. Regardless of what stance you take, the main purpose should be to minimize body movement and it's influence on the shot; ideally, taking the body out of the equation. Your feet should be shoulder width to slightly wider. From there up, your body should be in a state of relaxed rigidity. That sounds like a contradiction in terms, but your body must be rigid enough to provide a firm, steady support for your arms; while at the same time, being relaxed enough not to influence the shot. Another way to state it would be 'controlled relaxation'. You should be erect with your legs and back predominantly straight, but not locked - again, you are trying to achieve a state of controlled relaxation. With the weight of your arms and the gun out front, try arching your back slightly to counteract the forward weight and provide good balance. Just as in freestyle, the position of your body must be repeatable from shot to shot, so keep it as simple as possible. The question of standing square to the target or at an angle will largely be based on what type of hold you use. With a rear/rear hold (both hands on the rear stock), a stance more square to the target works best because it allows both arms to set up an equal horizontal tripod. With a rear/front (one hand on the rear stock and the off hand under the fore end) a stance somewhat angled to the target will be better than a square stance. The angle can vary quite a bit to suit your own preferences. The 3 most important factors of your stance are 1) providing a solid foundation with good balance; 2) providing the correct support for your arms depending on which type of hold you use; and 3) resistance to the external influences, like wind and recoil. Regardless of which way works best for your style of shooting, experiment with minor variations to arrive at the stance that optimizes these factors.

The hold is, without a doubt, the most varied aspect of shooting standing and can basically be categorized into two groups (with respect to your hand positions) - rear/rear (R/R) and rear/front (R/F). Both are used by great standing shooters in this sport, so one is not decidedly better than the other; again it comes down to what work best for you. The main function of the hold is to provide the means to most accurately get and keep the gun on the target, realizing there is NO way to hold a 3+ pound handgun absolutely still.

Using the R/R hold, both hands are on the butt stock of the handgun with the off-hand typically on top or over the strong (trigger) hand; and is what most people would call a "conventional" handgun hold. It can be used with any type of handgun and is mandatory if you are using a revolver. The R/R grip also allows the arms to be used as an isosceles triangle in front of you affording a good, repeatable "arm" position, standing square to the target; with your arms either fully extended or slightly bent at the elbows. In the fully extended version, be careful not to be too rigid in the arms as this can lead to muscle tension which may translate into a slight shake at the muzzle. Another variation is to angle the torso slightly back on the strong hand side, keeping your strong arm straight and bending the off arm, and may work well. With the R/R hold, both hands are acting as a unit, sharing the responsibility of supporting and controlling the gun. The muzzle is cantilevered completely in front of the hold requiring the R/R grip to counterbalance this forward weight. The equality with which each hand is used for support or control can vary to the extremes. The strong hand can provide most of the weight support while the off hand is used mostly for steadying and control; or both can be used almost equally for each purpose. With the tripod nature of this hold, the arms and hands can act as a single unit with movement and control of the gun predominantly relegated to the hinging of the shoulders. The R/R hold allows the most sight eye relief (presumably making a better sight picture; and recoil is shared by both hands / arms, thereby lessening it's felt effect. Gordon Rysavy, the IHMSA Standing world record holder uses this type of hold and is obviously quite effective with it.

The other predominant hold is the R/F, where the strong hand is on the butt of the handgun and the weak hand is directly supporting the fore end. (Before discussing this further, let me reiterate that this hold MUST NOT be tried with a revolver for what are very obvious reasons.) With the R/F hold, each hand is serving a completely independent function. The strong hand is used for strength and steadiness to hold the gun up into position; as where the weak hand is used to for support and control of the fore end and front sight. The amount of support offered by the weak hand can vary quite a bit depending on your personal capabilities and preferences. The weight of the gun is more evenly distributed in the R/F hold, negating most (if not all) of the cantilevered, muzzle heavy aspect of the R/R hold. With the hands so far apart and acting independently, the R/F hold may take longer to get used to and shooting well. It definitely takes more coordination between the hands. With that said, there are some very positive aspects of this hold as well. For starters, the different body and arm configurations allow for many variations to experiment with. Because the hands are so separated, most of the time this hold is shot with the body angled away from the target. In this position, the variations include 1) both arms bent at the elbows; 2) right arm bent, left straight; and 3) right arm straight and left bent. This is the hold that I shoot standing with and I use a couple of variations depending on what the conditions are. Normally, my body is angled about 30 degrees and both arms are bent slightly to maximize the distance from my eyes to my sights. In windy conditions, I angle my body however best helps reduce the influence of the wind and I also straighten my left arm with my elbow turned straight down; albeit still relaxed. For me, this helps further to counteract the wind. Just as in the R/R hold, it is important to have your arms and hands acting as a unit and using the hinging of your shoulders to get the gun on target, while making fine tune adjustments with your hands.

Regardless of which hold you use, you will not hit any targets if you do not have the correct sight settings; and they begin with the correct rear-front sight configuration. To start, use a front sight that is not so wide that it requires the need align the center of the blade on the target. That just creates one more variable to account for when there are probably one too many to start with. The front blade should be narrow enough to simply center the target on your front sight, not the other way around. This may be confusing, so suffice it to say the front sight should be narrow enough to just use the whole front sight to put on the target - not just the center of it. If you are like a lot of shooters, you use your P gun for standing also. If this is the case, realize that the sights will be closer to your eyes in a standing position; and consequently, the light gap on either side of your front sight will be greater. The light gap must be equal regardless of the shooting position, but the potential drawback of too much gap is having to judge too much if the gaps are equal; again adding another variable to contend with. In standing, you want to reduce the number of variables as much as possible. In order to establish your initial sight settings, do not start from a standing position; instead, I would recommend starting from a rest (either bench or your free style position). Once these are verified, take them to the standing position and see how they work. There are several things to keep in mind here. Using a 2 handed hold in standing versus a one handed, rested hold in freestyle, the recoil action from a rested to a standing position will likely be different and it is important to realize you must duplicate your standing hold from shot to shot, as the gun is already starting to recoil before the bullet leaves the muzzle. Granted, we are talking micro-seconds, but your hold and grip pressure will influence the direction and amount of recoil, thus influencing the shot. Stay consistent with your hold (hands, arms and shoulders) so the amount and direction of recoil also stays consistent. Establish your sight settings with a spotter. As the spotter calls the shots, you must determine if the hold and let-off was good and on target. Pay attention to what sight picture you see as the shot breaks. You are the sole judge of this and unless you know where the shot broke, you will not know if the hit or miss is you or the sight settings. One way to help verify this is to call your shot before your spotter shows you where it was. In doing this, do not try to see the shot downrange; stay focused on your hold and your sights, and let your spotter show you. Work in this manner as long as it takes to know your sight settings are accurate. Another good check is to have a third person watch the gun and let you know how steady it was when it broke, or if you are dipping the muzzle at the break (a common problem), or anything else that can give you constructive input.

Okay, you have your preferred hold, know your sight settings are correct and have a reasonably consistent shot; which brings us to what I think is the MOST important aspect of shooting standing well - the sight picture. By sight picture, I am not so much meaning that you have your sights on the target as I am meaning that your sight alignment - the position of the front sight relative to the rear sight - must be accurate, as well as on target. No matter how well you can hold on a target, if your sights are not aligned properly, the shot will likely be a miss. I have watched many a target missed by feet instead of inches and I am convinced it is not so much a hold problem as a sight alignment problem. Mathematically, with a 10" sight radius, a .05" (five one-hundredths) misalignment between your front and rear sight (in any direction) in big bore equates to 9" at chickens, 18" at pigs, 27" at turkeys and 36" at rams; or 4.5", 9", 13.5" and 18" in small bore / field pistol - any of which will put your shot off the target. People tend to concentrate too much on getting the front sight on the target, without realizing that in doing so their sights get out of alignment in the process. Here are the keys to building a good sight picture. Just as in freestyle, use the smallest aim point you can - leg-body on the birds and center belly line on the four legged critters. Even though it is harder to hold on a smaller target while standing, it is also a scientific fact that you will shoot more accurately when aiming at the smallest possible target. Next, realize that unless your knuckles are dragging the ground, it is IMPOSSIBLE to hold the gun absolutely steady; and I haven't seen any gorilla IHMSA members yet. Knowing this, hitting a target while standing is all a matter of time and space - letting the shot go at the precise time when your sights are aligned on the target. Regardless of your hold type, get the sights aligned and let the gun "float" with the alignment in-tact, obviously trying to keep the "float" to a minimum. Remember, achieve this in a state of controlled relaxation with your arms and hold acting as a unit and hinging at the shoulders. Focus on your sights and let the target blur out; even with the target slightly blurred, you can still tell if you are holding on your aim point. Once you settle in on your aim point, split your concentration about 80-85% on your sights and 15-20% on the target, keeping your sights in sharp visual focus. Most importantly, make sure the sights are aligned when the shot breaks. While watching Gordon Rysavy shoot turkeys one day, his spotter was calling the shots rather than using a spotting board. After the third Gordon heard "you are edging out toward the tip of the tail - bring them back toward the center", Gordon turned around and said "that's not telling me anything - which way are they facing?" Just an illustration of how much the world record holder is focusing on his sights rather than the target. Remember, if your sights are not aligned at the time of the shot, standing will become and stay a very frustrating endeavor where hitting targets will be mostly a matter of luck. Taking the luck when you get it is one thing; however, relying on it for most of your hits will not put the odds in favor of decent scores.

Now that all the ingredients are in place, it is time to actually fire the shot. Many of the aspects have already been touched on, so actually firing the shot is making sure that you have done everything right before squeezing the trigger. Again, since there are so many variables to deal with and shooting standing is really a time and space matter, you should be using a gun with a fast lock time, crisp trigger and with the trigger set at the lightest safe pull. A lot of hits are lost in the act of pulling the trigger by pulling the sights off target or out of alignment, or both. Once your eyes send the message to the brain that it is time to let the shot go, and it in turn sends the message to your trigger finger - all in an instant of time, you need the shot to go without fighting a heavy or mushy trigger. Remember, you can not hold the gun absolutely still, so when the time is right, it is only right for a very brief period. Try to pattern your "float" so there is some amount of repeatability to it. This will allow you to anticipate when you are coming onto your aim point. And as your gun / sight picture is floating, try to shoot coming into the target rather than going out of it, as the shot will be "thrown" in the direction of the your movement at the moment the shot breaks. This will greatly enhance your chances of a hit somewhere on the target. Just as in freestyle, you want each shot to repeat from one to the next, so develop a routine that you go through on every shot. This starts with loading the gun, taking your stance and raising the gun; right on through your hold, sight picture, trigger squeeze and recoil after the shot. Pay attention to ALL aspects of the complete shot, from start to finish.

The one aspect of shooting standing that we can not control is the environmental conditions - and most notably the wind. There is little in silhouette shooting more frustrating than trying to deal with the wind when you are standing. In freestyle, the wind primarily affects the bullet path; in standing, you have to throw into the mix it's affect on your ability to hold well. I am 5'-9" / 145 lbs. and I get tossed by the wind pretty easily. Some of the things that might help counteract the wind is widen your stance to lower your center of gravity; adjust your body angle to help minimize it's effect; and concentrate more on the timing aspect of your shot. Another good way to help is to be ready to let your first shot go when the "fire" command is given. By doing this, you will have more time to wait out the gusts. And maybe most importantly, accept the fact that shooting will be more difficult and you will likely not shoot as well.

What about the mental aspects of shooting standing? They have as much to do with hitting the target as everything you do physically. Your attitude toward shooting standing has a profound effect on your ability to hit the target. If you go into a course of fire dreading the experience or thinking about how bad you might shoot, guess what - you probably will follow your thoughts. Embrace standing for what it is - the supreme silhouette challenge and go into it with the idea of having fun and feeling good about the targets you do hit. Just as your overall attitude is important, your attitude on each shot is equally, if not more important. Thoughts of missing a target at anytime during the shot sequence will more often than not result in a miss. Your body tends to follow your mind, so be positive, or worst case - neutral, from start to finish. Concentrate ONLY on the shot in front of you. Standing is hard enough - thinking about your last miss (you can't do anything about it now), your next hit (you can't do anything about it now either) or your overall score (which will be higher if you hit the target before you) will only detract from your ability to put it all together on the shot you are involved in. Take one target at a time, giving it your maximum concentration and effort. Add up your hits at the end of the course of fire to determine your score - it will likely be higher than it would be with you tracking your score as you shoot. My score at last year's Internationals is a good example of this from both sides. My goal coming out of pigs was to be down 4, thinking I could do no worse than that and still shoot in the upper 50's to 60 - something I had never come close to in the past. I got through chickens on my plan, but did not shoot pigs well and was down 7 overall after the first 40 targets. Convinced I had already blown my chances of reaching my goal, I shot turkeys and rams one target at a time and did not track my score. It was not until my last ram, that Mike Stimson, my spotter, told me to get the last ram so we could have a shoot-off for standing champion. Well, I missed the ram for a 59 to take 2nd INT Standing, but on my way there, I hit 13 of 20 turkeys and rams, running a full bank of each - one target at a time.

Be disciplined - don't let the shot go until you know it is right. If you just can't get the sights on target, don't fight it. Lower the gun and start over. This is easier said than done because there is a little voice in our ego telling us we can get the sights on the target. The longer you fight it, the more tired your arms get, the more frustrated you get and the more seconds run off the clock; and more often than not, the shot will be a miss, letting the shot go just to get it over with. Learning to let the first shot go on the "fire" command also gives you some extra time to lower the gun and start over on a shot. Be disciplined - concentrate only on the target before you, taking the time to get the shot off when it is right. Try to learn to get on target in 10 to 12 seconds, spending a few more to fine tune your sight picture and then let it fly. The less time you are holding a 3 pound weight in front of you, the better you will be able to hold - but do not rush it. Practice how quickly you can get on target. Practicing at home with a dumbbell is a great way to build your "standing" muscles and can be done sitting watching TV, reading or any number of everyday activities.

Maybe the most intriguing mental aspect to me deals with the conscious and subconscious roles of shooting standing. I have discussed this with a lot of INT class standers and opinions are rather split. The discussion revolves around how much the subconscious is involved in any given shot. Gordon Rysavy and myself differ greatly in this regard. Gordon shoots entirely in the conscious mind - never having a shot go off until he is absolutely ready for it and deliberately making the shot happen. Most of my shooting holds to this tenet as I am consciously concentrating on every shot, but there are occasions in every standing course of fire when my gun seems to "go off by itself". A large percentage of the time (well over 50%), the target falls over, even when I did not "see" it was a hit when the shot broke. It is my subconscious mind knowing everything is in the right place and sending the "go" signal without a conscious awareness. I have come not only to accept this aspect of my shooting, but to trust it as well; even though it is not something I try to do. This should not be confused with letting a shot go that you KNOW you had a lapse of concentration on and shouldn't have. This aspect of my shooting has only developed since I have become a pretty accomplished stander, but I mention it here because to me it is part of the trust in my ability to shoot standing well… and makes for good debate.

One final ingredient to improving your standing scores is PRACTICE. And the best practice of all is to stick with chickens and pigs. They represent half your score… they are the easiest targets to hit… practicing on them will only improve your abilities and techniques for the turkeys and rams; as well as, help build your confidence level. Again to use Gordon as an example, he has a proven approach for shooting the scores that he does, namely 'hit all the chickens and pigs and you only need half the turkeys and rams to shoot a 30! Believe me, it works. Another good method is to practice on the .22 targets - particularly if you can shoot the same model of handgun as you do in big bore. The targets are proportionately smaller than the big bore targets and the practice is cheap. I would recommend practicing on .22 turkeys because of their difficulty and the fact they are half way between the big bore chickens and pigs. Beyond practice, shooting .22 standing regularly in matches will increase your ability on the bigger targets as well.



If you are serious at becoming a better standing shooter, give some of the above ideas a try. None are cast in concrete, so use what works for you. With a serious commitment to improve, I might be recording your name in the 100 and/or 140 club; or moving you up the ladder if you are already there. And who knows, you may just the one to conquer silhouette's last frontier - the Standing 40x40. Good luck and good shooting.
Regards,
Bob

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