If you are an ardent hunter, it is really important to enhance your shooting skills. There are no set rules or training that will earn you accuracy and expertise. Following simple rules like getting an estimation of your target’s horizontal distance, properly gearing up the ammo and practicing often would definitely help. I am listing ten tips that every shooter will find helpful for flawless shooting. Get loaded!
1. You can’t get the best out of a gun that doesn’t fit you
The vital thing that counts for accurate shooting is how comfortable you are with your shooting gear. If you are having problems to adjust position with the scope and the trigger, it would become difficult to shoot with precision. The trigger being weighty or the gun’s butt having improper length is troubling and it becomes quite difficult in scenarios when you have to make a posture for hitting the target. So a gun that fits well and is easy to handle should be preferred.
2. Make sure that you properly clean and lubricate your gun
Like all machines, your gun needs to be taken care of. Degrease it at regular intervals with a petroleum solvent. The metal is vulnerable to rusting, so use a rust protective spray. Your trouser pockets are no place for pellets, get a pouch for them. Throwing pellets at places where they get exposed to dust would hinder their efficiency. Taking care of your shooting gear would definitely boost up the shooting accuracy.
3. Practice makes the shooting perfect
Like all skills, shooting needs practice too. You can practice aiming and shooting with an empty gun. Sit, kneel, stand and make postures that give you a better aim. When you feel that this exercise is helping you, shoot with gun shots,paper targets can be used for assessment of your daily progress. The more you practice the better shooting will get over time, the self-confidence you’ll be developing through the practice sessions would lead you to shoot with maximum meticulousness.
4. The kind of pellets you select, affect the accuracy of your rifle’s shooting
We take trivial things and details for granted. Small and seemingly unimportant things and factors are sometimes the crucial ones. While you are selecting pellets, do a little bit of shots’ testing before you buy them. It will give you an idea of your own skills along with the pellets that give better distant shooting results. Filtering a choice out of numerous kinds of shots can also be done on the basis of their sizes.
5. Enhancing range estimation for the target
The rule of the game is that you know the exact or nearly accurate range of the target. Mostly you miss out shooting the aim because of obscured vision or miscalculated target distance. Laser rangefinders are good when you are quite away from the target but it doesn’t always work, so train yourself to estimate distance, it’s not as hard as you think. Guessing and bit of eye training would make you an expert.
6. Zeroing the rifle
The uphill and downhill targets can be hit with utmost accuracy if you have zeroed your rifle. Though it an approximation and the rule was made on the proposition that “Bullet travels in space”. Adjusting the angle between the bore of the rifle and field of vision to the target would result in hitting your target with minimum chances of error. So you should know how to zero your rifle using the rifleman’s rule.
7. Controllable trigger pull results in good shooting
Properly adjusting the trigger is important for accurate shooting. A trigger pull should be manageable and even if you don’t mind a heavy one, adjust it well. You should ensure sear engagement before shooting. Everything about your ammo should be reliable, if one part is working with consistency and the other one lacks it, you are not likely to get the desired results.
8. Avoiding parallax error
You need to eliminate as many factors that can result in parallax error as you can.Have a look at the collar of your scope if it’s adjusted for the distance you’ll be shooting. The magnification settings are very important. Different ammo offer different magnification features which tend to get a bit confusing at times, but scopes with first focal plane are the most convenient to use though they are a bit pricey.
9. Choose your ammo accessories wisely
Whether you are buying scope covers or a sling you need to consider your particular requirements and making a purchase that is worth your money. Rubber covers usually work better, transparent covers are a likable option as well because aiming through them is quite easy. The times have changed and so the rifle sling is more than a chord to carry a rifle, buy a good sling that helps you conveniently carrying the rifle and managing the shooting loop.
10. Physical fitness will make you a better shooter
For accurate shooting, it’s not just the ammo you should be taking care of, your personal fitness matters a lot. Walking and jogging will enhance your muscle strength. You need to know how well your feet and ankles can walk and run along the bumpy grounds. So train yourself for the ventures you‘ll be experiencing during hunting. Extra pounds should be shed if you want to be a part of the hunting game. Shooting would turn out to be more productive if you have high spirits and that can be achieved with physical fitness.
For a perfect shooting experience you ought to have an ammo, you are comfortable with and has pellets that give estimated results. Practice shooting is what the newbie shooters should do more often. Zeroing the rifle, making sure that you are taking all steps to eliminate the chances of parallax error would help you improving the skills. Range precision is something that needs practice as well, so commit yourself to some regular self-training daily if you want to master the art of shooting. Feel free to add any more tips you have for perfect shooting…