Running Vs Picking

[Quick]

Gents,

Was doing some reading on accurate shooter about running vs picking your shoot. Was wondering what you all think and what you think is best for novice F-Class shooters.

I started out running when I started shooting my open rifle, but started picking aswell.

[AlanF]

Assuming that running is shooting continuously and following the changes, and picking is waiting for a particular condition to return, then I'd advise you to be prepared to do both. In general, you'll learn more with running, so its good for new shooters. But there are definitely situations where picking is best e.g. where the wind pattern is going in a cycle and it pauses every few minutes in a particular recognisable condition. Shooters who use only running or only picking can do very well one day, then come a cropper the next. In the FCWC my most successful strategy was a mixture of picking and running. I would wait until the wind direction was directly down range (which happened quite often) then run with it until it got too far to the left or right.

Alan

[Brad Y]

A negative of the implementation of ET's from what I have seen is that there is sometimes very little wind reading and alot of machine gunning. Especially in new shooters. If your good at it and know when to go and when to stop (picking) then it can help your score out. But I have seen shooters here shoot 60.10 on some days, then all of a sudden they cant hit the broad side of a barn door on others. Different conditions call for different shooting styles. Sometimes running is totally useless, other times trying to pick it can be a long and fruitless waste of time.

A good shooter will have both skills under his/her belt and know when to use them.

[johnk]

On the other side of the coin, with ETs you generally only see your target so you have no indication from your competitors.

[Fergus Bailey]

Shaun

I agree with many of the preceding posts - the short answer is that you need to be able to do both well. One of Australia's best BR shooters (Stuart Elliot) will often recite the mantra "adapt, adapt adapt". What he is saying is that one shooting style will not work all the time. If you only have one trick, you will do well sometimes, but terribly at others when the old standby doesn't work (every problem looks like a nail when you only have a hammer).

I am primarily a benchrest shooter, and run a lot when I can. But some times that is just a recipe for a big group on the target. When you are running, you are essentially trying to time the condition - can I see a condition that holds long enough for me to shoot my group to the same point of aim (or with minor hold-off from shot to shot)? The key to running is shooting fast while your condition is there, or stopping fast when the condition goes away. But if you strike a set of conditions on a given day where nothing sits still through your whole detail, you really cant run.

Picking is more about holding the same point of aim on the target until the flags line up exactly the same for each shot, then letting the shot go (repeat process until all your shots are on target). The greatest risk with that approach is that the flags may be appear to be showing the condition you have been shooting, but you miss a little pickup or let-up, and only find out when the shot on the target tells you.

Now coming back to the "adapt" part, I recently shot at the World Benchrest Championships in Sydney. Silverdale is a tricky range, but it really turned on the conditions for this event. I found the worst day by a big margin was day one (my results show it unfortunately), as the flags would not settle for a second. There were limited opportunities to run in these conditions - it was really a pickers day. But for the last 2 days, winds were up and were more consistent (in my opinion) - I found that I could run the conditions most of the time on these days.

One thing I always did during the week of WBC competition was to go out and watch the conditions for one or two details before I shot. It was not fool proof because sometimes my detail just did not get the same conditions as the proceeding details had, but I could get some idea of how long a blow or let-up might run, or how long the flags might sit for. So before I shot, I at least had some idea of how I was expecting to approach the target - a strategy if you will.

[RAVEN]

Hi Quick

One thing I would like to add to the good info above is in fishtail conditions I tend to pick through it.
On 3 to 9 strong conditions I will run & gun (spotter chase)
In lighter conditions you need to take allot of notice on the pick ups and let offs use flags and mirage always allow time for the prevailing condition to fill the range. Adapt to the condition use every indicator you can.

I noticed when I was doing some 1000yd BR that my group mostly were always better with a condition coming across range and conditions at 12 & 6 O’Clock were the hardest to keep the group together BTW this is 10 shots blind after sighters so there is no feedback from spotters. Good cross training

RB

[AlanF]

Hmmm - from Fergus's post, it looks like I don't know exactly what is running and what is picking! For my post above, substitute "following the conditions" for running, and "waiting for a condition" for picking. It is usually an advantage to use at least some fast shooting in either strategy.

Alan

[Bindi2]

Seeing what has happened to other shooters is not pitching yourself against the elements to prove who is the best it is using technology supplied knowledge to achieve the result. Machine gunning is only using speed and a means of backing your condition skills.

[Bindi2]

My reply was to a post which has been move.
Mod will you move the above post to the same place and remove this one all together please.

[Quick]

This is interesting. I sorta do both now but am much better when I run the condition. When I pick I usually miss something and drop a point, when I run I sometimes have better luck but its come unstuck aswell at times.