Do you think you (or other folks) shoot better at one yardage than another and what do you think makes the difference ? - Multiple
Bart Sauter
Do some shooters shoot better at one yardage then the other? Yes. The biggest reason is practice habits. Most shooters if given the chance will practice shooting 200 yards, because this is where matches are normally won or lost. I personally believe it is more difficult to shoot a good 100 yard aggregate. At 100 yards everything from gun handling to aim is just more critical. If you want to shoot both yards well you have to practice hard on both.
Allen Arnette
I don't know if I shoot any better at one yardage or not overall, but I think I shoot better at 200 in extra rough conditions. I really have a hard time holding as much as I should at 100.I don't seem to mind hanging it out there at 200.
Tom Rollins
Well I guess everyone that has their rifles properly set up for a certain yardage should shoot the same MOA at each yardage. However, it rarely works that way. I set my loads up for each yardage in a controlled atmosphere/condition and did get the same MOA, after tweaking loads, for each yardage we shoot in NBRSA. Proper loads includes proper brass prep and assembly. However, in real match conditions, this does not happen. Why? Conditions. The longer the projectile is in flight, the longer conditions have to effect the outcome. Therefore MOA at 100 yards is always, on the average, better than MOA at 200 and then at 300 yards.
Now, some folks will say that this is because the projectile looses stability the further out it gets. This is true in some cases but not in today's Bench rifles and hand made projectiles if the shooter of that rifle and handloader of that ammo did his/her thing right. If everything is mechanically "TRUE" and the load is right for the distance, and the cartridge was assembled with loving care, you will not have projectile stability problems. That leaves conditions and/or outside forces as the only remaining factors playing on the equation. We know what conditions are but what are those other outside forces. A bad front rest, poor bench technique, even poor eye sight. Anything that has a direct influence on the rifle's ability to do what it was made to do.
So, yes, I do think most all of us shoot better MOA's at 100 yards than we do at 200 yards and then on to 300 yards. The conditions and/or outside forces are the cause in most of the cases.
John Whitley
Yes I do think some people are better at one yardage than another. Could be the person. Like some race car drivers do better on short track's some better on long one's. But it could be in the load or the rifle or any combination there of. This would be something anyone could benefit from. So I intend to experiment and would like to see more discussion on this.
Mickey Coleman
Yes and I have no idea why. I seem to shoot better at 200 yards. A couple of years ago I shot well at the Super Shoot at 100 yards and was really primed to bask in the spotlight because 200 yards was MY yardage. I got a haircut (for nothing) and couldn't even get two bullets to touch at 200 yards. Go figure.
I think it's all mental but then, Don Geraci says that equipment being equal, the game is 90% mental. I don't think I care enough about winning to bear down to the degree that it takes to win. That may change because I get pretty sick of hearing Brady say, "I beat your eyes out"...but, come to think of it, Brady is pretty sickening about most things.
Ron Dill
I find that I can shoot poorly at any yardage!!!! Actually feel least confident at 300 yards and most confident at 100 yards -- primarily because of my eye sight -- I can't read the flags beyond 150 yards at all -- barely can even see them.
However, I have found that when things are "going right" it doesn't matter what the distance is or whether I can see the flags -- the bullets seem to know how to find their way to that little hole on the target. When this happens I feel really confident and the other shooters are amazed at how I've been able to figure out the conditions and shoot through "this mess." Little do they know that my part in this process is pretty minimal - I merely light the fire under the bullet -- it does the rest. On the other hand, when things "go bad" I can't steer anything to the hole regardless of the distance -- no doubt I could shoot 3 an 2 at 10 feet!!
Wilbur Harris
I find that I often “rank” better in the 200 yard aggregates. I think this is because of my strategy and habits developed over the years. My strategy is not based on shooting teeny weeny groups. I have found that I can place well and sometimes squeak out a win if I just don’t shoot a "BIG STUPID GROUP". My habits support my strategy (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). I tend to wait for minimal conditions and dump my record shots as quickly as possible. The minimal conditions most often will not produce a "BIG STUPID GROUP" and if I can get my shots off before the pickup I will have a respectable group and a subsequent respectable aggregate. This style of shooting will not produce the aggregates required to win at 100 yards (often not even respectable) but a lot of ground can be recovered at 200 yards.
Ron Gailbraith
If you ask me in the middle of a 200 yard match I will tell you that I shoot better at 100. If it's a 100 yard match then naturally I will tell you I am always better at 200. Helps to save face. Seriously though, I don't really know. Most shooters want to believe that they are better at 200 yards as it is the most challenging distance. It is also the most frustrating. Pick-ups and reverses can have devastating effects at 200 yards. In reality, I think that if I did reasonably OK at 100 yards it gives me added incentive to bear down at the 200 yard distance. In other words, it's all mental.
Rich Griffin
There are many factors that go into shooting the different yards - one is the mindset that a shooter develops at each yard . Over the years I have practiced more at 200 yards, and I think I shoot better at that yardage.
While there are many shooters that shoot well at either yardage, over the years I have only seen a small percentage of shooters that do.
In my case I think that has to do with the high power of the scopes. I have trouble seeing all the wind flags and concentrating on the target at 100 yards. Hopefully with my new glasses that will improve. As to the other shooters, I think it is perhaps all concentration.
