2. Adverse weather conditions such as cold, hot or rainy weather or extreme light conditions pose problems that can be solved in much the same manner as in wind shooting. Be determined to adhere to the fundamentals and ignore distractions to the competition. Compensate for disagreeable conditions.
a. It is advisable to carry a raincoat with you at all times and possibly a plastic cover for your gun box to keep your equipment dry. Most ranges, except for those at the National Matches, have covered firing points that help to keep the competitor dry during rainy weather. A rain suit or short heavy coat are the best garments for shooting in rain or cold windy weather. The folds and loose ends of a rain coat or overcoat flapping in the wind will cause body movement.
b. During cold weather the shooter must obviously wear warm clothing. Use insulated underwear to avoid wearing many layers of heavy clothing. When the shooter becomes shivering cold it is difficult to hold the sights in perfect alignment or retain sensitive trigger control. Hand warmers are very good and are small enough to keep in the gun box or pocket. Light weight lubricating oil must be used in cold weather to prevent malfunction of weapons.
c. During hot weather, perspiration becomes a problem. A sweat band on the forehead keeps the sweat out of the eyes and it is recommended that powdered rosin be used to dry the hand. When not on the firing line the shooter should relax in the shade. Covered firing points provide protection from the sun while shooting. Salt tablets prevent heat prostration. Eat lightly.
3. Changes in light intensity and direction have a great influence on the accuracy of aiming. Under changing conditions, the eye does not perceive the relationship of the front and rear sights consistently. There may be a change in the point of impact of the shot group on the target. Experienced shooters usually settle on one lighting condition when the cloud cover is changing, aiming only when the sun is shining brightly or shooting only when the targets are in the shade. The choice of a lighting condition must be made depending on the relative length of time that the targets are well lighted or shaded.
a. Light condition varies from extremely bright to very dim and the shooter must keep a record of the light conditions on every range he fires on in his scorebook. Some competitors are affected more by changes in light than others. A note should also be made as to how much his zero changes in these different light conditions. Sight should be blackened with care on bright days. As part of your shooting accessories, you should have both amber and green shooting glasses not only for light conditions but for protection against oil, powder fragments, fumes, wind and empty brass. Firing from an uncovered firing line usually requires different sight settings than the firing from under a shed. Ammunition should be kept out of the sun as its accuracy is affected if it is exposed to the direct rays of the sun.
b. A shooter must also be able to complete the match rapidly in order to avoid firing under marginal conditions. The necessity for rapid shooting arises when twilight sets in. There are times on any range when a shooter must either accept an interruption during a match or shoot at a stepped up pace. For example, when the light on the target is shifting he must finish shooting before the sun’s rays come through the target from the rear. This causes the target to appear blotched and makes accurate sighting and shooting difficult.
4. Our accomplishments on the firing line stem from our mental capacity to face up to the out of ordinary, and parlay these conditions into winning. Poor conditions must never become an excuse to quit or compromise. Good scores are produced by hard work in the application of the fundamentals regardless of the conditions. Proper control of the application of the fundamentals is the most important factor in shooting winning scores under adverse conditions.
F. TRAINING METHODS:
1. Competition: Any top shooter will agree with this word of advice: Shoot every match you can afford. The special conditions created by shoulder-to-shoulder competition can best be controlled by lessons learned in match experience. To learn how to apply this control to your slow fire technique is the result of continuous match competition.
If numerous matches are not available, try to make your practice sessions duplicate match conditions as nearly as possible.
2. Dry Firing: Developing the ability to apply the fundamentals to your shooting Is a tedious, painstaking process. If all the effort is confined to range practice and competitive matches, years of hard work and great expense for ammunition are involved. The use of dry fire practice can reduce the cost in both respects,
Dry firing develops the ability to control your shooting in all the primary factors — coordination, eyesight, arc of movement, uniformity of applying fundamentals, analysis and correction, etc. Achieving the ability to control your body in its job of delivering a good shot is one of repetition of good shooting habits. Dry firing is a definite aid in this stage of development. To got the most out of your dry firing, use the appropriate work sheet to guise your work. Prepare and plan each shot as if it were a live round. Relax when you are ready and give yourself fire commands. Deliver the shot with the same amount of effort as in live practice. Use a target center on the bench to record your shot calls. If the shot calls embraced a detectable error, analyze and determine why the errors were in your performance. You may notice errors in your performance that have been hidden in the recoil and sound of the weapon as it is fires. Precise identification of these errors can be made only during dry fire sessions. A positive correction is necessary before proceeding to the next shot. A bulls-eye, a blank wall or the open sky may be used to conduct dry firing.
Dry fire practice can be overdone. Initially, the new shooter should limit himself to ten minutes of effort. Later, as performance Improves, maximum time should be about thirty minutes.
3. Ball and Dummy: Ball and dummy exercise is another important aid in accelerating your improvement. It is most effective when another person loads the weapon and observes the shooter as he attempts to fire. The coach loads either a live or dummy round at random. The shooter must never know whether he has a live or dummy round in the chamber. If the shooter is disturbing the weapon with muscle reactions In any way, the coach will be able to identify the error immediately. After identifying the error pattern, the coach and the shooter must agree on a positive correction. Ideally, the correction will prevent recurrence of the error. In most cases however, the coach and shooter must be satisfied with the error occurring less frequently.
4. Instruction in Fundamentals and Techniques Must not be Overlooked: Every shooter must be thoroughly schooled in pistol marksmanship fundamentals. His future success will be based on how well he masters the fundamentals and the techniques of employing them.
5. A Review of Fundamentals and Techniques must be conducted periodically. The shooter must be reminded of the fundamental points of pistol marksmanship to assure that his shooting skill will constantly improve. Each shooter must develop a personal technique of employing the fundamentals. Improvement is at a standstill when analysis of the technique no longer identifies and removes the flaws from poor performance.
CHAPTER VI. TECHNIQUE OF SUSTAINED FIRE
Timed and rapid fire stages can be stumbling blocks, especially if attempted in a haphazard manner. However, through the development of proper techniques and careful planning, you can improve your scores and become more consistent in your performance. A recent development in the thinking of shooters is the concept of a sustained fire technique instead of the more generally accepted idea of a separate method for each of the timed fire and rapid fire stages. Many shooters that have attained national and world recognition find a distinct problem in the build-up of tension caused by the time limitation of rapid fire. It has been found that the best method is to practice the technique developed for rapid fire by employing it during the timed fire phase as well. A further advantage is gained in that should an error pattern become apparent during timed fire, the shooter has ample opportunity to take corrective action. He can then test the effectiveness of the correction before being forced to employ it under the more strenuous conditions of the ten second time limitation of rapid fire.
