Multi-Discipline training can help you improve your shooting skills

September 26th, 2021 Guest Article By Michelle Gallagher, Berger Bullets
Let’s face facts. There is something for everyone in the world of firearms. Are you a competitor? Are you a hunter? Are you more of a rifle shooter or shotgun shooter? Do you prefer to run between the stages of a timed course or do you prefer shooting one-hole groups? Many of us shoot many different firearms and disciplines. But chances are that we all have a favorite. Is it a waste of time to shoot different disciplines? Participating in multiple disciplines can actually help you improve your performance, as I have discovered. Each style of shooting is unique, so each one develops different skills that can be used to benefit the other. How can cross-training in different disciplines help you? Let’s take, for example, long-range prone shooting. You must be able to shoot long distances well. This requires a stable position, accurate ammunition and good wind-reading skills. While you can improve in all these areas with time and effort, there are other ways to make your skills more efficient. Spend some time practicing smallbore. Smallbore rifles are less flexible when it comes to shot execution and position. Long-range targets can be very large so you can accept less than perfect shots. Shooting smallbore will allow you to focus more on getting perfect center shots every time. You can also shoot at longer ranges with your High Power rifle on smaller targets. This will force you to accept perfection. With your iron sights, shoot at an F-Class target. At 1000 yards, the X-Ring for a long-range target is 10 inches. It is 5 inches for an F-Class target. To hit a center shot, you will need to pay more attention to sight alignment. You will be amazed at the size of the ten rings when you return to the traditional target. A majority of prone rifles can also be fitted with a tripod. F-TR can be achieved by attaching a scope and a bipod to your rifle. A scope and bipod will eliminate position and eyesight issues, and allow you to focus on learning how to read wind. You will be more aggressive in your wind calls if you have a smaller target. You will also be able to use better loading techniques. There is nothing more frustrating than losing the point at the top or bottom of a tiny target after making a wind call. You will be amazed at how easy the F-Class target is to shoot if you put in the effort. F-Class shooters may prefer to shoot fast and chase their spotter. Shooting prone can help you learn patience when choosing the wind conditions to shoot in and waiting for it to change. Benchrest shooters are among the most knowledgeable about reloading. Benchrest matches are a great way to improve your skills in loading ammunition. Although you might not win, you will learn a lot about gun handling and reloading. These skills can be learned by shooting F-Open, which is closely linked to benchrest. Benchrest shooters can learn new wind-reading techniques through shooting F-Class matches at mid-range and long range. Shooting different disciplines can help position shooters improve their skills. Shooting smallbore and air rifles is a great way to improve your High Power Across the-Course shooting skills. These targets are extremely small, which encourages competitors to be more careful about their shot placement. Silhouette matches can be a great way for hunters to practice shooting from a scoped rifle. Tactical matches can also be beneficial, as tactical matches require you to improvise shots from different distances and positions. [Editor] Many tactical matches involve moving from one position to the next. This can encourage shooters to keep fit. These are just a few of the many ways you can benefit by branching out into other shooting disciplines. Talk to other shooters. There is a lot of knowledge in each discipline and other shooters will be more than happy sharing what they have learned. Try something new. You might be surprised at what you get from it. You will learn new skills and enhance the ones you already have. You may find a deeper appreciation of the discipline you started with or a new passion. This article was originally published in the Berger Blog. The Berger Blog has the latest information on Berger products and informative articles about hunting and target shooting. Article Search by EdLongrange. Similar Posts: Tags : Berger Bullets Cross-Training F-Class high power Michelle Gallagher Palma, Prone Rimfire Smallbore Wind Reading