Aim small...miss small

telohf

Ok I have heard this statement several times...once by a friend who went through Army Sniper School. I have heard a couple versions of what it actually means or the theory behind it. Would someone please clarify...thnx.

beantownshootah

It means that if you aim for a small specific point of your target you're much more likely to hit the target than if you aim for the target as a whole.

In practical terms if you specifically aim for the little tuft of hair above the deers shoulder, you're much more likely to go home with meat, than if you aim at the "whole deer".

jonk

Indeed. As a corollary, use the smallest target you can clearly see, and you'll probably shoot a tighter group. For instance, with my scoped guns, I just put a black 1/4" sticker on a white background even at 300 yards. I shoot about a 1" group with my Savage .223. If I use a big military style open sight target at 300, I shoot about 3".

v35

Square sticker

rsnyder55

I usually save the extra 1" dots they have with the peel of targets and use those as targets. A smaller target makes a slight change in the sight picture more noticable vs shooting at a larger target.

260

all good ideas... i use the term myself. what i do is take a sheet of printer paper, place a 3/8" peel n stick on it and run it thru my printer. hole punch the sheets and put them in my reloading record book. always have targets and keep good records too! plus the y are easy on the eyes... not cluttered up.

RCrosby

Just curious. What crosshair doesn't completely cover a 1/4" dot at 300 yards?

babun

quote:Originally posted by RCrosby
Just curious. What crosshair doesn't completely cover a 1/4" dot at 300 yards?


This one...

http://www.opticsspot.com/Swarovski-z6i-illuminated-rifle-scope-2-15x56-4AI.aspx

Txs

The idea is to decrease your target area as much as possible, which will in turn decrease your error radius. Your aiming point should be the smallest specifically identifiable spot within the area of the target you wish to hit.

Putting this in a practical situation, you don't aim for an area of that deer. Instead aim for a small spot of slightly different color within the area of it's body you wish to hit. Bow hunters are so up-close their old rule is to aim for a specific hair.

If the target is human you'd pick a specific button, etc. as an aiming point.

I recall reading an interesting example of this several years ago. During an interview with a reporter in his older days, Wyatt Earp stated he always aimed for his opponent's belt buckle. It worked for him.

Herschel

I would like to hear from anyone who has actually been in a gun fight and has had the presence of mind and time to aim at a specific button or similar small point on a target. No snipers please. I am just addressing this to people who had an adversary who was willing and capable to shoot first or shoot back.

RCrosby

Only been shot at once. The fool was in the trees, I was in a kayak and knew only the general direction the shot came from. Wouldn't "shoot blind", so I retreated. If push came to shove I suspect I be aiming for center mass. Hope I never have to test the theory.

bigoutside

I saw a trick shooter on tv explain it very well as he was shooting aspirin out of the air with a bb gun.

The center of an aspirin is exactly the same size as the center of an orange.
Don't shoot 'at' something
Shoot to hit something specific.

TRAP55

quote:Originally posted by Herschel
I would like to hear from anyone who has actually been in a gun fight and has had the presence of mind and time to aim at a specific button or similar small point on a target. No snipers please. I am just addressing this to people who had an adversary who was willing and capable to shoot first or shoot back.

I have.
10 rounds exchanged, 4 by them (12ga Buck), 6 by me (.38spcl, 4" bbl), no one hit. They peppered the wall of the building I was in, I put 4 through the rear window of their car, 1 in the left rear tail light, 1 in the trunk just right of the tail light.
Shooter was shooting out of the left rear window, I was aiming at his left ear, my .38 was shooting to the right.
Sheriff's Dept caught them at the end of the road, 2 were wanted for murder, 1 for meth manufacturing, 1 for meth manf. and escaping custody.

bigoutside

I hope this gets moved to gd instead of being locked!!!