Welcome to Smallbore Rifle Silhouette by Jerry Webster

General Instructions

TIMING & TIME - I have seen many people pick up their rifle at the "Listo" command but not even start sighting until they hear "Fuego". This is a competition based on time and once time is lost, you can never get it back. The best example I can give was me. I was in a sudden death shootoff and I had made all the adjustments for the scope before I went to the firing line, or so I thought. I had forgotten to adjust the focus of the scope for the Turkey distance. I was slow in recognizing the problem and was panning around for the targets. By the time I got it figured out, dropped the rifle down, focused the scope and brought the rifle back on target, I was about 10-15 seconds into the 30 second firing period and the other shooter had just hit the target. As I got steady on my target a gust of wind came up and it was all but over. As I was running out of time I made a futile last second shot in the general direction of the target. There have been plenty of times when the wind is gusting off and on where this has paid off well. If I know it is going to calm down I will try to wait it out. If it is calm when the "Fuego" command is given and I know the wind can gust at any moment, I am trying to get all of my shots off while it is calm. I am still trying to make a good clean shot but I am wasting no time getting the rifle down and ready to fire. I have a lot less error while rushing between shots than I do in a 5 to 10 mph gust of wind. There are a number of things from equipment to communication with the spotter which can cause for lost time during the firing sequence of a match. If you are prompt about being ready you can have some spare time to resolve those types of problems. It can also be nice to have time left over to review your first 5 shots with the spotter. When given the "Listo" command I pick up the rifle, slide the magazine into place, close the bolt and get ready. I am usually ready to fire when the "Fuego" command is given. You do not need to be in panic-speed and drop your rifle, but it is as simple as get set and get ready.

THE SPOTTER - When you are in a match firing at the animals it is important to listen and understand what your spotter is telling you. This is a sport where a light breeze can cause a miss shooting at a Turkey. There can be times where you adjust to a light crosswind from the right and it shifts to the exact opposite direction while you are firing. The error you first accounted for is now twice the error in the opposite direction. There is going to be changes in your sighting sometimes in the middle of a match and you can't shoot a few practice shots to get it sorted out. You need to adjust for it on the fly. In the beginning, all of this is extremely difficult because of the uncertainty of the hold. I still have times when I am shooting that I do not adjust for the error that appeared in a shot because I was not certain on how accurate my hold and or firing was. I might have had three low shots in a row, but if I am not holding and firing well I am not certain I need to adjust or if the error was my fault. If you have been hitting the targets fine and the conditions have not changed, do not adjust your rifle due to the results of one shot. There are any number of reasons to have one wayward shot and one shot does not create a pattern. The accuracy of your rifle is in a circular pattern of bullet hitting possibilities. No rifle will hit in exactly the same place every time. If you are slightly up on a target when you fire and the bullet trajectory happens to follow the upper end of the circle of error in your rifle, it can result in a narrow miss high of the target. Fortunately there are other times when you are outside the edge of the target but that same random circular error results in a hit on an edge.

ADJUSTMENTS - There are two ways to adjust to the conditions while firing in a match. One is to adjust the position you are aiming on the animal. If you are hitting toward the butt of the Ram because of a breeze, adjust your aim toward the head to re-center your hits. The other is to adjust your scope toward the head direction to correct the crosshairs relative to the error you are seeing. If you wish to adjust your crosshairs it is important to have a scope that adjusts reliably. If you are not confident in the ability of your scope to adjust, it is better to adjust your aim to correct the error. Personally I always adjust my scope to adjust for any error or wind conditions in a match. I want to have the same sight picture every time I fire. The point when I am perfectly on target is etched into my memory. My mind has a hard time deciding if I am in a correct position when I am trying to hold in an unfamiliar place. That element of uncertainty can bring me unfavorable results.

DOCUMENTING YOUR SHOTS - My wife and I use a cork board (Buffalo Arms Silhouette Spotting Board) with push pins to spot each shot. This makes it easier to see how the shots are landing which allows you to reflect on if any adjustments that may be required. If you are spotting shots one by one, it might not sink in that you have just missed a shot high after hitting the first two high and need to adjust down to center your hits. If you decide that you are up to the challenge of Smallbore Rifle Silhouette, I recommend using something that allows you to document all of your shots. There are some that are covered with a clear film so you can spot it with a wax pencil. I can say we are happy with the cork board and have had it several years.

NOTE ABOUT THE WIND... I am going to be giving wind drift for each animal relative to 10 mph crosswinds. All of the drift is directly proportional to the wind speed. So if there is a crosswind of 5 mph it is exactly half of the bullet drift of a 10 mph crosswind. If there is a crosswind of 20 mph there is exactly twice the amount of bullet drift and you shouldn't be at the range haha!

THE CHICKENS - A crosswind of 10 mph will push the bullet about 0.7 inches off target at 40 meters. Even though the bullet gets there in a split second the wind is taking the bullet away as soon as it leaves the barrel. Their small size and close proximity can make it difficult to figure out where a miss actually went. I tend to sight the Chickens slightly high of center. Their shape is a lot more forgiving at the upper end helping to be more forgiving on slightly low shots to slightly one side.

THE PIGS - A crosswind of 10 mph will push the bullet about 1.6 inches off target. It is only 50% more distance than the Chickens but the drift is 129% more. That has to do with the "body at rest" principle of physics. It takes some time to get the momentum going that direction but once it gets going, the change becomes easier. There is not much to say here. A well centered shot should hit its mark every time. It sounds easy anyway haha!

THE TURKEYS - A crosswind of 10 mph will push the bullet about 2.6 inches off target. On a calm day the Turkeys are difficult. A variable wind day can drive you crazy here. You need to be on top of any changes in the wind conditions. I sight in for the Turkeys slightly toward the chest side. The shape is a little more forgiving for elevation error there. There is some sacrifice for error on the chest side but I accept it.

THE RAMS - At this distance the 10 mph wind can be having some real fun with your bullet and push it 4.5 inches off target. In the first 60 meters to the Pigs it moved 1.6 inches. In the last 23 meters since passing the Turkeys, it has moved an additional 1.9 inches. Thank goodness it is a wide target to help make up the difference. They might be a little forgiving on windage but they are not forgiving for elevation at all. Know your elevation adjustments well for the Rams.