Size of the bull

[ncboman]

Believe it or not, the size of the spot you aim at has an effect on how well you shoot.

Logic would tell you the smaller spot you shoot at, the better you will shoot and the tighter the groups will be.

The reality is quite different. Shooting at too small a spot can and will trainwreck tight groups and turn what should be fun into frayed nerves and a headache.

You can easily prove this true for yourself by shooting at a dime size spot and then trying another round using a baseball size spot to center on. Most of the time the tighter groups will be in the baseball size bull.

Most shooters feel most comfortable if they can hold the sight in the bull instead of seeing the sight dance thru it and all around it, etc.

Once upon a time the backyard fad around here was to shoot the other guys nock off if he got a bull ahead of you. I did it so much guys started shying from shooting with me before I learned my lesson. At any rate, the secret I never revealed to others was I never concentrated on the nock as such. What I did was put an imaginary 3" bull around that nock and center on that, ignoring the nock at that point. Amazing how dead center you can shoot when thinking this way.

Try it for youself and see if you don't do better centering on a good size bull rather than trying to shoot dime size spots.

[Buckfever]

I think that it is the same sort of thing as centering the peep to the sight guard. Without a doubt this has been for me a much more accurate sighting system than focusing on the pin. I think that it allows you to relax the aim so that your release is more crisp. But also there are some specific sighting mechanics that are related. I think I remeber an bulletin writen by Spott-Hogg on the subject. I'll try and find it and post a link.

Here:

www.spot-hogg.com/newsletter_3.htm

[freedomrules3]

welcome Buckfever glad to see ya stop by.

I do have to say since getting a copperjohn dead nuts sight with the round sight guard and doing exactly that centering the pin in the guard first, my accuracy has improved quite a bit. great article!

[SCtrkyhntr]

I have started shooting vitals (3D) instead of bulls eyes. I always get pretty good groups when shooting at dots but I like to practice like I'm hunting.

[Buckfever]

You I was doing some longer range shooting (50 yards) recently and I thought about this post. In order to goups well at the longer distances you really need to relax, let things float and squeeze it off clean. You basically have to let the bow do the work. You try and put that pin of the spot and hold it there and your groups will open right up. Don't matter that much inside 30, but take it out to 50 and it'll show you right off.

[ncboman]

absolutely right. You can't force an arrow at long range and expect to be accurate.

want to see something neat? Shoot some long range shots with your heels touching each other and leaning slightly into the shot.

[Buckfever]

I'm going to have to try that and see what it shows me.