what common mistakes do you make during a match

shot a 300yd f class match yesterday and made a mistake (actually 2) and it got me thinking who else does dumb things whille you are shooting a match . first thing i did wrong was i decided to clean my rifle before the match(at 3:45 am) and not dirty it back upbefore i shot the match cost me 4 points in the first string(shot a 192-6x) then on the second string i was working on a perfect score with 3 rounds left settled back in and feel like i had a steady rest/cheek weld and instead of stopping resettling in i went with the figure 8 and put shot 17 dead in the 9 ring at 6 oclock. to make it worse i let that shot get in my head and put 1 more into the 9 ring they tried to make it a 10 but i complained it was not touching the line/10 ring and to change it to a 9 for a total score for the string of 198-5x .
everyone who shoots in matches makes some kind of mistake had a guy at one match that forgot to put primers in his reloads another who shot next to me didnt tighten down his gimble mount abd it jumped to the 700 yd mark on him. so what have some of ya'll done .

Not turning the windage knobs back to zero after a string... can bite ya one of two ways. For me, its usually when I pull the gun back out after a pit change and look at the knobs and go 'Oh crap. How many revs off - and which way - am I?!?'. I've seen others who forgot to zero their windage and cranked up from 900 to 1000... and ran out of elevation as they were over far enough that they ran into the side of the tube. Now that will make your mental wheels come off!

Switching between scopes drives me batty... not so much on windage, but elevation. Several of my guns have NF BR 12-42x with 1/8 moa elevation, 6 moa per rev., just under 5 revs from 100 to 1000 with a B155.5BT @ 2950. *One* gun has a NF NXS 12-42x with 1/8 moa elev. clicks... and only 5 moa per rev. Nerfing the sighters into the berm in front of the target, and then 'fixing' your come-ups and proceeding with your record shots is *not* a skill I recommending developing...

Been bit by the position bug too... where I *know* my position is slipping, but I'm still putting them down the middle so I'm reluctant to stop and rebuild the position for fear of pooching a 9 out the other side. Of course, when eventually the position does go kaput, and its usually worse than a 9. Perfect case in point: team match @ 2009 FCNC, coach had the wind figgered out. We were smokin' along... sighters 9, X, then X, 10, X, felt things slipping a little... 10, X, X... *wide* 8, dang near a 7. Coach looks at me and ask if that was me or the wind. In a very small voice, I said 'it was me'. Fixed my position, kept the wind the same, and finished out the string with a 198-7X @ 1000yds, with one called bad shot. Talk about a heart-breaker...

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Originally Posted by lal357

had a guy at one match that forgot to put primers in his reloads

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I did that with few rounds once, but never made it away from the bench with them. It's pretty difficult to not notice the powder streaming out from the primer hole and pouring all over the place when you move the cases from the tray to the press. How you'd get them all the way through the process and to a match before noticing that is beyond me.

How about telling yourself 10 billion times to watch the predominate wind call and never forget to check prior to taking the shot......yeah, and even making a sticky note for your scope turrant to remind you...... yeah...... and then just blowing it all off!!!! Time for a happy pill!

The biggest mistake I make is in set up, I get in a hurry and dont check my set up like I should, and I feel unconfratable. I try to shoot and make a mess out of things, and realize after the fact that I am not properly set up. Because of this I pay special attention to take my time on setting up, and get to the bench as soon as the relay is over, my only problem is when I get a person at the bench before me that is super slow in getting there stuff off the bench, wich cuts into my time of setting up.

82boy that sounds like what i did this past saturday i rushed it i was on the first string so nobody was before me

my biggest mistake is failing to have a consistant hold...I know it but still have an issue with it..any advice
on this? John

SHOOT THE MATCH.:biggrin-new:
No really my biggest mistake is I rush to finish, I need to slow down.
Second is my approach to the gun- need to concintrate muscle memory just aint working(old muscles):rolleyes:
I go in knowing my loads are good,my gun is dead on, then I blow it by not thinking through each and every shot,so like a violen practice,practice practice. Speaking of witch that is where I am heading right now.

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Originally Posted by rjtfroggy

SHOOT THE MATCH.:biggrin-new:
No really my biggest mistake is I rush to finish, I need to slow down.
Second is my approach to the gun- need to concintrate muscle memory just aint working(old muscles):rolleyes:
I go in knowing my loads are good,my gun is dead on, then I blow it by not thinking through each and every shot,so like a violen practice,practice practice. Speaking of witch that is where I am heading right now.

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same here..I start out good and get going to fast,thinking I am gonna run out of time..No good..But somehow I still manageto score pretty decent...practice makes perfect they say but it alsoadds more to barrel ware...oh well barrels are cheap.

Not getting real comfortable, forcing my position, and turning scope knobs the WRONG WAY.

I've not shot a lot of rifle matches, but have experience in pistol competition, which I believe carries over to rifle:

For me, it is important to internalize is the idea that shooting a match is very much a mental game.

Here's how I feel:
In any match situation, there in only one shot that really truly counts.
I don't worry about that last shot. If it was bad, I don't get upset or angry, that will only affect my next shot.
I don't gloat over that last shot. If it was really really good, I don't get happy or excited, as that will only affect my next shot, and probably not for the better.

The only shot I need to think about is the one in the chamber. Each shot is my "first shot." I can't change my previous shots, so I try to focus 100% on the shot I can change, which is the shot I am preparing to shoot RIGHT NOW!

Hope this helps.

I shoot tactical matches. The last 2 matches I went to there was a break before a fast stage (10 shots/1 min/everyone on the line). Both times I walked away for whatever reason, came back and forgot to put my earplugs in. Shooting started and I'm frantically looking for my plugs....then decide I can handle it. I shoot a brake, the guys next to me shoot brakes (because we are usually paired together) and it just sucks. That was Sunday....my ears are still ringing. I where Surefire earplugs and while they are comfortable and I can hear around me I always forget about them. Need to figure out a solution.

My other one, which I think was mentioned before, is switching scopes and equipment problems. Nothing like walking into a match a shooting a cold bore shot hoping your equipment is still on. Last 3 matches I fought scope problems. Drove 4 hours for a scope to break on me in the hotel room. We don't get sighters. I spent the first half of the morning finding my battlefield zero.

All of my mistakes (and successes) get written down and reviewed later. I need to tell my self to slow down. My mind races a mile a minute every day. I'm still learning but I always have fun.

Oh ya and turning scopes the wrong way/wrong full turn. My filler scope is a Vortex Razor. The zero stops on that can't be beat. After every shot or string I have gotten into the habit of turning them back to zero. Nothing like overshooting/undershooting a 1000 yard target by 36"

My biggest problem is reading the flags while on the opposite end of the field. Because of the trees on both sides, the conditions on the right where the flags are, are not the same as on the left.

On sighter shoot, corrected windage, turned the turrent the "wrong" way!

Funny thing, Second shot was almost off the target, my third shot was an X!

So everything turned out OK.

wife has a pic from aim in blakely,ga. the flags on the left are blowing left and the ones on the right are blowing right .i ask the score keeper who i shoot with/against alot "how do you read that wind his reply was straight up the middle

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Originally Posted by BravO)))

My biggest problem is reading the flags while on the opposite end of the field. Because of the trees on both sides, the conditions on the right where the flags are, are not the same as on the left.

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Every so often I'll get in a hurry and forget to check the elevation knob when I'm starting a silhouette match. :disturbed:

I shoot several disciplines of competition and my mistakes list could take up many pages! Most of them, regardless of the exact issue, are attributed to mentally relaxing and not staying on top of my game. One of the tips I give my students is; "the only shot that matters is the next one. Never dwell on your mistakes or you'll continue to repeat them"

no truer words 65 impala last year i was shoot a 300yrd fclass match and working on a perfect score then it hit me i couldnt get the rifle to settle down no matter what i did the crosshairs would be moving so i went with a figure 8 pattern and pulled the trigger when it came acroos the bullseye. and as you guessed a 9 got so mad for not just stopping and starting my ready position over i shot another 9 ended up with
2-9's
3-10's
15-x's
its more of a mental game for me i know the gun will do its part if i do mine .

My biggest problem is thinking too much. If I can turn my racing mind off a while and just do what I know how to do, then I'm fine. I'm just 31, but I've been shooting for 26yrs now. I pretty much have the process figured out as well as I can (no one ever knows everything), so I just need to concentrate solely on the target and shoot; everything else will work itself out if I don't over-think it.

Second, whether it's long range rifle or handguns up close, I seem to think I can muscle the gun to where I want it and get away with it "just this once." It never works.