To scope each shot or not ?

wallie

I have noticed in my shooting career some of the best shooters in the world did not scope their shots. I could never resist not looking and always scoped each shot. I often wondered if I could of been a better shooter if I didn't scope. I had the honor of shooting with one of the best 22 shooters in the world. I often asked him y don't U look. He told me he couldn't take the pressure and that was just another edge that he used.
In the video below U will see 2 world champions, 1 will scope and 1 will not. Notice the spectators down range watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIDa1OLo4jU&feature=related

perry shooter

I think it all depends on the shooters temperament.I have a friend that once he verifies his ZERO never looks through the scope . I however find that in most cases it is more stressful to not scope. I scope EXCEPT if it is a really pressure situation like the last target of a match and I am in the running for the over all win and then for some reason I am calmer if I just do the basics and go into almost a trance. . My overall temperament is different then my friend . I smoked for a pipe for over 40 years but was not allow to smoke at work never missed it at work but on a long drive if I forgot Pipe or tobacco or matches I was a basket case . I ordered a high end car and did not want to smoke in it so went cold turkey 7 years ago but carried my Pipe and supplies for over a year . I guess what I am saying is sometime in shooting the fact that you don't know where the last shot went is more distracting then looking at the shot. I do believe you should have a spotting scope that has 45 degree or 90 degree eyepiece so as to allow you to not change your position between shooting and scoping.

wallie

Interesting P S. When I use to shoot next to my friend I would say, Hey, U got 4 10's and that last one was a 9, he would get so mad at me.[:(!] Then he would say what hell were u moving that scope around so much for.[:(!] I was checking not only my target but up & down the line as far as I could see. I was nosey[:D]
He said that I cost him the match at Camp Perry one year because I wore bright yellow shorts[8D] and every time we went down range to score the targets someone use to tweet tweet at me. This bother him and he was 8 positions down from me.[:D]

perry shooter

Wallie the first time I did not scope a target was at Camp Perry during a shoot off for who was going to shoot on the Mayleigh Cup team It was my first time along with 2 other shooters . one of the oldmaster shooters made a comment to his friend that the 3 new shooters DID NOT BELONG with the likes of him I made up my Mind I was going to make the team and beat him . I did but after the match I did drink a FEW beers. Another time I was shooting under covered firing line and would score the persons target next to me with my scope if they were clear as to what score each shot was before going forward. when I came back from scoring I forgot to move the scope back on my target as we started the next target my score was not great but within reason to where I was CALLING each shot. after shooting the 9th shot I looked down at target I only saw 8 hit when behold the guy net to me fired a shoot ant it was the ninth hit I was scoping his target . I moved the scope to my target and had a 90 with the nine shots . at the time I had never CLEANED a 50 yard slow fire and all I had to do was shoot one more ten[^] and when I went home that afternoon I still had not cleaned a slow fire. [:(!][:o)][:I]

garanch

Interesting topic. I have never thought about this before but I scope my sighters then never look again until the course of fire is complete. My thinking is that the sights do not change and that if I scope a pulled shot then my mind has one other factor to worry about (Did I pull it, wind, heartbeat, etc..) 80% of shooting is mental so my little pea brain does not need any more distractions.

I have watched some shooters just fall apart because they start to "adjust" each shot as they scope each round. They cannot figure out what single variable made a shot go 9 or 8 and make the wrong call. (they are thinking wind when in fact it was pulled, or something like that). They just go from bad to worse.

If your sighters are on, then shoot your string and don't scope until you are finished. I bet you will be surprised at the outcome.

A new pistol shooter is the best example of this. If you watch them, they look at the target after every shot to see where they hit. (Then they begin to chase themselves all over the target). Once you can convince them that the sights do not change and to stay focused on the front sight and resist the urge to look for each hit on the target they will improve instantly.

Try 6 strings of fire. 3 strings in which you scope every round, then 3 strings in which you do not look after your sighters until you are finished. I bet the "Non Scope" strings will be better than the scoped ones. Just a thought.

Remember THE SIGHTS DO NOT MOVE. The only case I can think of for scopeing after each round is when you are fighting extreme wind at long ranges. In this case you are more or less useing the scope to verify your "guess" as to wind influence on each round.

garanch

The more I think about the topic, the more I think about my college days on the rifle team. We shot indoor, 3 position, rimfire competition. When someone scoped a bad shot they seemed to almost always follow up with another bad shot. Indoors, there are no variables except the shooter (no wind, no changing light conditions, etc..) If your sighters are 10's there is no reason to scope any more. But I do understand your statement in that you cannot resist the urge to look. If it puts your mind at ease then by all means do it. But if you start to analyze the "bad" shot then it just gives your brain one more thing to worry about. Because we do not know for sure why we pulled a 9. (was it trigger pull, sight alignment, heartbeat, etc..) Most people know when they soot a bad shot before they ever scope it. (assuming you are a consistant shot in the first place).

garanch

Perry shooter, I bet the fact that you beat the oldtimer who said you did not belong, was worth more to you then acually making the team. Good Job. I love it when someone puts a loudmouth in their place.