To support or not to support that is the question

[MiniUzi]

Howdy all,

I've been shooting 3gun matches for a few months now and I've got my good days and my bad days. I've got more to learn than I understand at this point but I'm eager and I'm dedicated. Last Sunday was a bad day for me at a match.. I goat roped the elephant dung out of a few states and wasted a lot of time on one stage trying to shoot some approx 10" plates at 75-125 yards from standing instead of from a supported position. I've noticed in a lot of matches there are poles,stakes, barrels and other things around that people use for support when shooting. I've also noticed that not everyone uses them all of the time.

Is there a rule of thumb to go by when deciding to support versus shooting off hand? What's the mental process and factors on deciding. Distance? Fatigue? Target size? I'm working on my conditioning which will help all aspects of my shooting but until I'm where I need to be I'd love some input on the do's and don'ts of using support for shooting while on the clock.

Thanks

-Todd

 

[jtischauser]

It depends on a lot of factors but if I can confidently hit it offhand in one shot then that's how I'm shooting it.

 

[Wall]

always do what will save you time.
If you're going to have to take 10 shots off hand as opposed to a couple steps to brace up & make 1 shot supported, go for support.
However if you have to travel quite a ways to get to the support & then back, it may not be worth it.

 

[MiniUzi]

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Chambers]

Based on your description, if it was say 3 targets or more I would take support (if it's GOOD support).

You just have to ask yourself (honestly) how long it will take you to shoot them each way. I know it takes me about 3 seconds to get into a prone position, etc. If it's near the end of the stage and my heart rate is going to be jacked I will almost always defer to the most stable supported position available.

 

[billyipsc]

Hey Todd, Billy Smith here. First off let me applaud you for being serious about 3-Gun as it's a great sport. Second...Let me state for the record; I suck at 3-Gun! I can shoot a shotgun well, i cant load one for sh!t. So having said that back to the rifle which I know a little about. If you want to be good with a rifle you have to 1. Absolutly know your natural point of aim. If your using muscle to aim the gun while adding against you stress of timer, elevated heart rate, high wind (gusts) blowing your body around etc., being accurate is very dificult. 2. You have to practice field craft i.e. positional shooting. Like chambers said, standing to prone 3 seconds...ok fine. Could you have made the shot with a supported kneeling in 1.5 sec. If so you took back 1.5 seconds. Thats great if your just shooting a single target or close array them moving. However if you have a widley dispersed array of targets, then shooting it from the kneeling position will kick your ass because your NPA will get all jacked up. Prone may have been the way to go as you can throw your body aggresively from angle to angle. Support structures are all together a different story. I see LE / Mil frequently try to use unstable platforms for making difficult shots with absolutly no success; sometimes less than 100 yds. Don't think that just because it's there it's good support, if it moves an inch at the shooter you could be off by a 12 inch margin down range. So to summarize check shooting and support points while doing your walk thru, try to move the table, try to move the barracade, see how sturdy the 90 degree angle is on the wall. If they move load up on them lightly or don't use them at all. And just like dry fire / shooting with a timer, use the timer for position work....Attack the position! Sights! Natural respratory pause! trigger presssssss.....HIT!

 

[MiniUzi]

Yo Fellas, Thanks for the feedback, you make several good points, thanks! I've got a pistol/ rifle match I'm going to tonight and I did fairly well at a rifle match on Sunday so I'm getting there bit by bit. I keep finding myself fighting between what is tactically correct and what is best for competition. They are often at odds unfortunately.