Better at plinking...

B

Beentown71

New member
After reading the thread about how far people practice got (used that word just for Tuttle8;))me to thinking. I can shoot a pistol at long ranges very well. When I shoot at 7 yards I clover leaf my patterns most of the time.

At any distance past 7 yards I cannot hold a great pattern but I can hit about anything. Hard to explain so here is an example:

I shoot 50 yards quite a bit at objects like 2 litre bottles, milk jugs, and ballons filled with water. I hit the objects nearly every shot. Now when I put a paper target up. I still hit it but cannot hold a group. Same thing at 25 yards down to 7 yards. I am always on target but just can't get great groups. I always seem to hit the target.

When plinking with a group I generally have people very impressed. When I try to shoot a 3" group at 20 yards it is very difficult, most of the time impossible. 6" targets at 40 yards are much easier for me. :confused:

Any thoughts why?

Beentown
 
'Tis a puzzler...

It might be as simple as the fact that when plinking a milk jug or 2L bottle, it moves or is destroyed after the first shot, eliminating any possibility of determining a "group." Sounds to me like you're just demonstrating the same accuracy whether plinking or shooting at paper targets for "scoring." It's just that the paper targets make a recording of your shots, the jugs and bottles (and especially ballons) don't.

You're hitting what you're shooting at. Fair enough.
 
the eyes and/or type of sights - the sight picture, focus, clarity is different for everybody depending on the distance of objects, age, sights and other biological factors.
Try some/different glasses and see if your groups improve or experiment with different types of sights
 
well, if you want a 3" group, but you only want to plink, shoot at objects only 3" across, like.... a tennis ball?

cause if you can consistently hit a tennis ball by aiming at its center, then by definition, you should be able to achieve a 3" group on a paper target by aiming at the bullseye
 
Well, assuming your observation is accurate, it seems you nail the first shot, but everything goes south after that? If so, I have 2 guesses: The first is that you suffer from Plinker Brain, and mentally give it up after the first shot. Symptoms of Plinker Brain include (but aren't limited to) any (or any combination) of the following:

1. Losing your mental focus on the front sight after the first shot

2. Looking at the target between shots

3. Lowering the gun and/or adjusting your grip between shots

4. Adjusting your stance between shots

5. Getting nervous because you nailed the first shot and now think you have a chance at a good group, so you start flinching or snatching the trigger.

6. Physically getting shaky after the 1st or 2nd shot, so you rush subsequent shots with poor trigger control and/or sight picture just to get the shot off.

The other possibility might your choice of target when shooting groups. When an appropriate target is used for any particular distance, the black bull still ought to register as a fuzzy dot when you're focused on the front sight. If it's too small, you have a hard time establishing your POA, and your groups will open up. If it's too big, your POA will be too vague, also opening your groups. If you're shooting groups at 20 yards, try finding some NRA B-4 or B-5 targets.
 
I used to shoot 3D archery competively and never had a problem like this. Just a bit frustrating. I look like a pro while plinking then an average schlub (sp?) while trying to group.

Beentown
 
I look like a pro while plinking then an average schlub (sp?) while trying to group.
Click to expand...

Cuz target shooting's harder. Ever wonder why plinking's not an olympic sport?

If you're trying to get good as a target shooter, you set the bar too low by thinking you can get there by plinking: You can commit the above errors and still be an ok plinker. Not so as a target shooter. Also, when plinking, we tend to remember the hits and forget the misses.
 
I am going to say nice evaluation Mr. Borland!

Target shooting can be a serious discipline. I know some shooters who are quite good at it; they take it very seriously and have put a fair amount of time and lead downrange.

How about getting to the point of only loading 5 rounds a week per gun for target shooting? Only five to be seriously shot per gun per week. Logs kept of temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, elevation, wind speed and direction, of course all load data, run over a chronograph (with a second to "calibrate/verify" the first), at many different ranges and angles, with time for the barrel to cool between each shot. I have a relative who has done this for decades; however, he does stop short of checking on solar flare activity for his logs!

Target shooting can be taken very seriously, I am not sure that plinking can be; plinking is fun.

Can he shoot? Like he was born doing it, and then spent his lifetime perfecting it. He can also plink.

YMMV
 
Now I can make good groups with a good gun and also plink well, but target shooting is a different mindset even when you are alone and only shooting against yourself. Plinking is fun. If I miss a few cans on the first shot out plinking I come home, clean the guns and relax. If I don't like the groups I get then I often come home clean the guns and then pull out one of my air pistols which I can shoot in my house, set up some targets and continue shooting, trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.
 
When "plinking" a lot of misses are low. So what? Well, when you're low and shooting at objects on the ground, a lot of the richochets still hit the target. Looks like you're scoring a direct hit but you really aren't. You get a lot of "freebies" this way. Also, like someone else said, you aren't shooting groups on a bottle. If you seriously want to shoot good groups, it takes a LOT of practice to get good. Like a lot of sports (all of them actually) proper form and technique are needed and if you don't know the basics get a good book or a good coach. If you're serious you can get about as good as you want or as good as you can afford to get. It isn't cheap, it takes a lot of time and a lot of ammo. Good luck.
 
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